No problems with mine, but it seems everyone sends theirs off to a 'smith to be made 'ready for Africa'.

What about my RSM Rigby?

Reliable feeding, extraction and ejection every time.

Feed and eject a full magazine both slowly and very quickly, with the same ammunition you plan to use. It that works without a hitch after a few dozen times, you're good-to-go. But don't be surprised if it doesn't...very few factory rifles can pass that test. It may not matter much on a deer rifle, but it could be critical on a DGR. I just spent $400 to have the masters at Griffin & Howe slick up my 505 Empire....money well spent, IMHO.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Feed and eject a full magazine both slowly and very quickly, with the same ammunition you plan to use. It that works without a hitch after a few dozen times, you're good-to-go.

As per the above, but do it both when NOT firing the firearm,
then reload the magazine and fire off all the rounds a few times
in quick and slow succession.

Sometimes firing the firearm can make a BIG difference.

If you want to save some money, only fire off 2 - 3 rounds but do it once
with 2 in the mag and then with a full mag.

I think eventually I'll have to send mine off, I have had no problems with it but havn'et done extensive testing and the last round (IIRC) in the mag does not come all the way under the extractor until it's past the ramp.

Red

Red, almost all of them need help in that regard...even customs! Sometimes just changing the type of ammunition used can bring it on.

1. Know your rifle inside and out, and its quirks. They all have one kind or another. They are machines like any other you know.
2. Practice with it, until it’s an extension of you. If people practiced with their rifles as much as they drive their cars, you could probably shoot a bird in flight with it.
3. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” You stated it’s working properly; more guns have been messed up by ham handed gunsmiths than you can count.
4. Oh did I mention practice, practice, practice. Even a good .22 set up more or less like your big game rifle will work wanders for your marksmanship.

That is my opinion and advice to any person with a rifle they want to take hunting for any species on this planet.

I am doing this very thing to mine. I will be sending it off for what I call a 'topping off'. I'll pay several hundred bucks to get it bedded, a trigger job, testing for feeding and function and then be satisfied that is had a good once over. The thing shoots great as it is and feeds fine, but just like any professional, when a good gunsmith with hundreds of jobs behind takes a look at it, he may see things you don't.

I cant afford custom guns, but I think off the shelf guns can be tuned to be life-long, stable working rifles. That's about all I look for in rifles anyway.

I have one of the last LH New Haven Model 70's in .375. I did a $40.00 trigger job, a Wolff mag spring, put about 800 rounds through it and went hunting. That was the first hunt. The second one, I put about 500 rounds through it and went hunting. Never had a failure to feed or extract or eject and it is accurate to 350 yards.

If it is not shooting so well have it bedded. Have the trigger tweaked (though I no more than changing the spring has been required for mine).

If the rifle is grouping well ... the feed checks described above, sight-in of both irons and scope, sight-in of a spare scope ... practice, practice, practice.

Biebs,

I have got to ask you?? Is your 505 Empire a Empire rifle or just the cartridge in another gun? If it is a Empire rifle, why are you spending more money on a gun that is supposed to come from the manufacturer extremely reliable. I may be off base on this however if it is an Empire gun and you paid + $6K for it, I would be a bit miffed if it did not feed or function flawlessly.

EZ
Feed and eject a full magazine both slowly and very quickly, with the same ammunition you plan to use. It that works without a hitch after a few dozen times, you're good-to-go. But don't be surprised if it doesn't...very few factory rifles can pass that test. It may not matter much on a deer rifle, but it could be critical on a DGR. I just spent $400 to have the masters at Griffin & Howe slick up my 505 Empire....money well spent, IMHO.[/QUOTE]

AMMO!

Keith

Replace the POS factory mag follower spring with a Rem 700 mag follower spring, you can get them from Brownell's for a few bucks. It will do wonders for the feeding. Replace the extractor with a Williams extractor if it doesn't already have one, some of them do.

Better yet, Mark Penrod has an entire routine he does on M70s for about $150 including surface grinding of the sears and setting trigger weight, timing and smoothing of the safety, replacement of the extractor with a Willams extractor and of the follower spring with a Rem 700 spring, and replacement of the action pins with his over-sized hardened pins. It is money well spent and your rifle will be perfect when you get it back from him.

First make sure the gun is RELIABLE. Next shoot it slot offhand or if you must from sticks at Pie plates. Whatever distance you can keep all your shots on the pie plate is your max range. dont shoot beyond that range ever!?Make sure you know how to work that bolt so that you don't short stroke it. Put a minimum of 500 rds through the gun before you go. Spend your money on ammo not gunsmiths!a-Rob

300 gr Barnes TSX and solids.

Dago Red, fixing the last round problem is the easiest fix of all. You must grind away the ridge on the follower starting about half way back from the front so the round can move over under the extractor. I learned the trick from Dave Miller and it certainly works. I thought most of the really late 70's had the modified follower from the factory. It's really simple with a flex shaft grinder and stone.