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im intrested in getting a 416 rigby in a dakota 76 african. i was wondering if anyone has one and what they think. hows it shoot, what do i need to know about this gun. thanks | ||
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there have been lots of posts RE the inconsistent quality of the Dakota, especially the wood working. They are only about seven-thousand dollars more than a CZ, with almost as good a track record. For that kind of cash, you can have a real custom rifle built on a better platform. Rich DRSS Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost... | |||
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I hunted with them twice, (in 375) and they were great BUT expensive. In the end, I sold my three because they were awfully expensive, and the 76 is built as a heavy rifle, something I didn't care for. Yes, the CZs are around, and now I have seen an upgraded version of the CZ for about $1800, with much nicer wood, better fit and finish. I heard they start with the basic CZ that comes n, then they have a shop that works them over. There are at least 2 outfits that will take your CZ and spiff it out for you (reshape the stock, refinish it, trigger work, smooth rails, barrel swivel mount). In your desired caliber, you will also find some Rugers around. There are also original Mausers out there to be had, for less than the Dakota. I'd advise checking them out first, as you would any other, but they can be a nice deal too. ______________________________ "Are you gonna pull them pistols,...or whistle Dixie??" Josie Wales 1866 | |||
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Could you please post some pictures for us to enjoy ??? Also how much do they (who are they) charge for the above work? Warrior | |||
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Warrior..right off the top of my head, check out American Hunting Rifles (AHR)...they do some REALLY nice work. | |||
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the only thing about the cz is that i am left handed. i liked the fact that dakota was made in lefthand. there are just not any left hand guns to try with out going empire or something along that line. what was wrong with the dakota in terms of it was a heavy gun dont you want that?? | |||
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Granite Mountain Arms makes a left handed Mauser 98 style action. I also think you should consider having a true custom rifle made, considering the price of a Dakota. Here's a link to GMA: http://www.granitemountainarms.com/M98Actions_0305CM.html When it comes to excellent custom riflemakers, there are quite a few who are members of this forum. We all have our favorites but there are several who can do what you want. I'll cite Duane Wiebe and Stuart Satterlee and Mark Stokeld, just on the basis of testimonials given by others. I'm sure others can chime in with their favorites as well. _________________________________ AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim. | |||
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does anyone know much about this company Waffenfabrik Hein??? they are about 1 hours drive from my house?? | |||
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they recently lost what some consider key personnel. Type them into the search box here. They promised a customer a rifle in 12 months, 20 months later he ended up cancelling because they would not give him a firm date on delivery or answer Emails. Stuart Satterlee or TiMan are two to look at here. Get a stock CZ for $850, send it to AHR for the deluxe job, and you would hardly recognize it. Did you check their website? The other option is checking www.cz-usa.com and seeing what the fancy model does for you. Rich DRSS Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost... | |||
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i would try the cz guys but they dont make a lefthand gun like that | |||
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Hello, I bought a 76 in left hand around 1995. It has been a good gun. I did not know how bad they were until I found this site. I do think the prices today are a little out of hand and would look for a used one. The company's a little unstable now and I would worry about my deposit. John | |||
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I've seen great Dakotas and I've seen some nightmare ones as well. I had a buddy who bought a M-76 in .416 Rigby to hunt Tanzania with. The poor guy has been over twice and both times his M-76 was kaput and unable to travel. Overall I am not impressed with the product Dakota puts out for the price. | |||
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I have never owned a Dakota 76, because I have always thought they were radically overpriced and of spotty quality. One shouldn't have to send a rifle that expensive to a gunsmith right out of the box before being able to trust it to work. The last 76 I saw first hand and up close was a .450. The stock was splintered behind the tang, and I do mean splintered. The bedding was atrocious. But the wood was pretty.  Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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I own 3 LH Dakota rifles. A 450, 30-06, and a 280. All the rifles are great shooters and I have never had any problems with any of them. I will say that the 450 and 06, from the Don Allen days, are a little smoother than the 280 which was made after the passing of Don. I can't speak for the newer stuff. Dakota rifles catch a lot of heat for being over priced and having poor quality control. I guess it is all in the eye of the owner. Had I any problems maybe I would feel a bit different, but for me they are great rifles and I would be happy to be seen with any of them. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
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First let me add a welcome to the Board. Give a call to gunsmith Roger Biesen, son of Al Biesen over on W. Sinto in Spokane (they are in the phone book) and ask him what he recommends. Last we talked after he had trued up a Dakota 76 left hand action I had made into a .375 H&H, he had a couple LH actions left, but that was a while ago. Note that Roger's daughter does some fine engraving. Here's a pix of the .375 made up of a LH Dakota 76 action (did not need a four-round magazine) mated to a 23" Lilja barrel and a walnut stock that used a Brit .350 Rigby magnum for a template. Regards  | |||
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Very nice rifle Tim Carney. I've got a Model 76 LH in 375H&H and it is from the Don Allen days. It took some persistence and patience to make Dakota get this and another rifle right, but both have been fine rifles since. I wouldn't order a new Dakota but I sure like Tim Carney's suggestion. And I personally love the profile of his rifle rather than the Dakota. JPK  Free 500grains | |||
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Tim, Very nice rifle. Congratulations, Roland | |||
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I know we're in big bores, but we're also on Dakotas, and I am having a terrible experience with a LH 76 in 7mm rem. It would group from a half MOA to four inches, never once grouping consistently. I sent it back to Sturgis, after fighting with it and about ten different brands and weights of ammo for almost a year, and two top line Leupolds, and told them to fix the damned thing. I have a Browning A Bolt in the same caliber that I paid four hundred bucks for fifteen years ago used at a Miami gun show that will consistently outshoot it. Worst mistake I ever made in firearms was buying that Dakota. Sure is pretty, though.  | |||
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thanks tim carney, iil try to talk to the rodger biesen guy, hopefully he'll line me out with ideas and mabey a gun. that's great that they are from where i live. | |||
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It is possible to buy a Dakota action and then have another gunsmith build the rifle. But the Dakota actions are not really that good a deal when compared to actions from Granite Mountain or Stuart Satterlee, the those actions are IMHO better than the Dakota action. _________________________________ AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim. | |||
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I have a couple of Dakota rifles and for the most part I feel they are over priced. If your heart is set on a Dakota, buy it through First Stop Guns in Rapid City. They will give you a better price than factory direct and will go to Dakota to hand select the wood. Upgraded wood bought directly from Dakota is a joke. Their AAA grade is very plain. Another option is to buy your own wood and have Dakota build the gun. The custom maker option is a good suggestion if you can wait out the lead time. Many top gunmakers are quoting 18 months plus. Dakota will build your gun in 6 months or less. | |||
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i've a 416 dakota that has been a great rifle, but it's half of a matched setdon made for me a few moons ago. can't vouch for current production | |||
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LJS, I did my deal through Mark Blote at First Stop and was extremely satisfied with the wood. The rifle came out beautifully. Now, if it would only do what rifles are supposed to do... Additionally, I agree that they are overpriced. If they'd come off that tab by a grand, that would be reasonable. | |||
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YZM19, I have 3 WFF Hein rifles with 2 more on the way. Greg Hein is good to work with and his products are great. His current production time is 2 years but well worth the wait. If you live only 1 hour away, then go by his shop and see what he has to offer. I took a 458 lott and 375 h&h to Zim this past september and could not have been happier with their performance. NRA Life Member DSC Life Member Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves. Ronald Reagan | |||
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