The stock on my 416 Rigby (the rifle is a Dakota African Grade with xxx wood) developed 3 to 4 hairline cracks, parallel to the wood grain, in the top of the stock behind the tang. I only shot 29 rounds through the rifle before I noticed the cracks (had the gun 3 weeks - it still had that new car smell). I sent the gun back to Dakota at my expense, so they can replace the stock. Bad news is, it is going to take 8-10 weeks to replace it (go to the end of the line) even though they already have my $$$. Not real happy about that. Does anybody have any experience with Dakota's service department?
Thanks

I sent a No. 10 back to them for some work and it came back properly fixed in short order. It was mechanical work not stock work though.

I would call them again and impress upon them the logic of correcting their delivered products before making new ones.

The squeaky wheel may get the grease.

29 rounds and it broke?

It would go back, with a postal inspector, if it was a new gun FROM them....

otherwise, perdactly what the other fella said... fix MY gun before you put more BAD guns on the street....

or....

www.theinternetcanmakeyourbusinessSUCK.com

jeffe

8 to 10 weeks isn't all that bad, at least they are going to replace it and it has to be inletted, and fitted up and that takes time to do right.....Most custom gun work is slow, the good ones get behind pretty fast.

While you are at it, get a good synthetic stock and have both stocks on hand. Wood is beautiful and feels great but too problematic in big boomers and foul weather.

I would not get my hopes up. I brought back from Tanzania, Harprett Braar's bolt action 450 Dakota my PH's gun with the same problem. What a hassle to jump through all the legal hoops in October immediately after 9-11. Eventually, I was able to get the gun to the factory which they did repair or replace the stock. According to Harprett the PH, the gun had probably less than 60 rounds fired thru it. At first the factory was not interested in standing behind their product but eventually did. Harprett received the repaired weapon and unfortunately the same thing happened again after just a few rounds fired. Harpreet was very particular with his weapon and I would say cherished that pretty piece of wood/metal, understandably he was very frustrated and has moved on giving up on the Dakota and ordered another pretty gun in a double, it is made in Europe with a very expensive price tag. I told him he has more money than sense and should get a real gun that he can count on and get a 500 A-Square made by A-Square. Mine has treated me as it should never failing for the past decade at home or the number of trips to africa. Best of luck.

I believe all big bores should be glass bedded and cross bolted to start with...I have seen too many of them crack out and split to one degree or another..Its good insurance for a Safari gun..

After writing a Dakota Arms a nasty e-mail last week, explaining how unhappy I was, I got a call today. They said they were going to fix my original stock (able to epoxy the wood and re-worked the bedding). They told me it looked as good as new, just had to refinish the stock (we will see). They also said they would put 50 rounds through it before returning it to me. If it happens again, they said they would replace the stock. Also, going to reimburse me for my shipping charges. I'll keep you posted as to how things turn out.

Ray,
Dakota pillar beds the action and use 2 cross bolts. The also told me use sone kind of aluminum bauxite (?sp) in the action area.

Hello everyone, I just thought that I would throw my two cents worth into the mix.Although I can not comment on the service work from the Dakota shop,I did have a similar situation arise with a Winchester M70 in 416 REM mag a year ago.

The gun was a custom safari express witha n exceptional piece of wood.After about twenty rounds my PH and friend Janni Otto discovered that the stock had cracked in the same manner.I got ahold of the Winchester rep and he made a couple of calls for me.

I was instructed to return the rifle overnight to the factory and Winchester picked up the shipping costs overnight both ways.From the day that I droppped the rifle off for shipping it was only seven days and the rifle was back in my hands with a nicer piece of wood on it than the one that cracked.

Have since put about 150 rounds through the gun with no problems.When an individual pays the amount of money that any custom firearms costs, one would assume that the manufacturer would have all of the bugs worked out before placing that particular model for sale.

Best of luck to you and I hope that your situaution is resolved in a timely and exemplary manner.

GOD BLESS ALL OF OUR TROOPS AND KEEP THEM OUT OF HARMS WAY!

The big bores in time can pound out a gap in the recoil area and even the best bedding job will fail when that happens, sometimes the wood is wrong, or soft, or oil soaked, no cured and subject to shrink, whatever...This is very common in factory rifles, and in many custom rifles...

It is so easy to glass bed the chamber area, recoil lug or lugs, and the tang to start with, add a couple of cross bolts if you wish, and your done... leave a 20 thou gap in the rear of the tang is a good idea...Piller bedding alone isn't much protection against splitting I wouldn't think..