I used this 50 cal. rifle on a western KS mule deer hunt in '01 and it was a real pain then but it got the job done. Now I've drawn another ML tag and drug the thing to the range to start getting ready again. The rifle was given to my by a friend so it has some sentimental value.

This afternoon I tried two different breech plugs (one was brand new) and two different brands of #11 caps (RWS & CCI) and the gun NEVER went off today without at least two strikes and sometimes as many as 10. Holy cow that's a pain.

Using open sights I got one group of about 3" at 100, but that's with a ton of shooting. The best it shot in '01 was about 2".

I've tried several different types of Barnes bullets, White's bullets, Buffalo, Great Plains and T/C conicals. 2" at 100 seems to be the best it will do. I guess that's acceptible but with all the hype about these guns I thought it would do better. That doesn't give me much confidence past 125 to 150 yards.

For powder I used 100 grains of measured Pyrodex or two 50 grain pellets.

Today I tried a scope for the first time (it will be legal on this hunt). I never could get it sighted in but it may not be the rifles fault. (Although it's a 3.5x10 Vari-X III it's had a hard life on a .378 Wby. so it may be scrambled internally).

Also the bolt stop on the side of the receiver is damaged. It's out of round and doesn't seem to lock the bolt solidly. The bolt even came back after a shot once while shooting it. It's a safety hazard and I don't think parts are available. I guess I could make one but again WHAT A PAIN to have to re-engineer what is supposed to be a quality rifle.

The trigger is great, it points well, the design seems simple and solid and as I mentioned it has some sentimental value because of who gave it to me... BUT it has SOOOO MANY problems I'm just about ready to dump it.

Is it worth fixing or should I see if I can get something out of it to put toward another ML??? (I may just throw it in the back of the safe AGAIN and borrow one from a friend for the hunt next month.)

Your advice??? (Maybe after I sleep on it and calm down after this rough trip to the range I might see it more clearly.)

Thanks,
Kyler

Kyler: If you need parts for the White, you may want to try bob-bowers.gmail.com. I've heard he can be slow, but he has the parts. Two things I would look at, since you have already changed the plug: the firing pin spring may be weak or the pin may be faulty or need reset. I'd take a look at one of those "dud" primers to see how hard it is getting hit-easy enough to do with a unfired primer. I have friends that shoot the White. They are almost cult like in their devotion to Doc White's rifles, but not my cup of tea. This spring, I picked up a NIB SS Knight Extreme with both style breechplugs for less than $300. The only powder I use now is BH209. No patching between shots and no corrosion. A couple of swipes with Hoppes and you are good to go. You need 209's to ignite the BH209, so the White is a non-starter.

quote:

about 3"

That could easily be mother nature at work.

How old is that Pyrodex? Some Bull Shop conicals fit to your bore (the 460NEx at .504 should do nicely).

Push those caps on solidly with your thumb before firing. If that doesn't cure the ignition problem, try lightly polishing the nipple with emery cloth - it won't hurt to take a little metal off the outer circumference as long as the nipple will go on snug. And it definitely sounds like you need a new hammer spring.

Is the bolt retainer of the slotted or knurled type? Either way, you should be able to get a replacement.

WhiteRifles.com has contact info where you might be able to get the spring and bolt retaining screw.

As to the scoped results - that almost has to be either the scope or the mounts.

I don't think the rifle has that many problems.
A new spring, a new bolt retainer, some new powder, proper conicals, good mounts and a known good scope... you should be in business.
So far as just the rifle, a $20 bill should cure its woes.

I would recommend you try some Swiss 3F or 2F powder in that rifle. Add 75 or 80 grains of Swiss, covered by a wad (TOTW WAD-510A if .504), then seat a good Bull Shop or NoExcuses conical of proper size. Consistency from shot to shot is key. Sight in for a cold clean barrel (swab the bore clean after each shot at the range and allow to cool) for best accuracy.

But, if you want to sell it - post it up.