I know that Dakota's are generally considered Semi-custom rifles and may have different wood and add ons....maybe some engraving. That said, in looking through Guns-International, I am constantly puzzled by the far ranging prices of rifles of similar Caliber...I am particularly interested in a good 416 Rigby. I see prices from High $5's to over $12K....sure would appreciate some coaching as to what drives these wild pricing differences??!!
Are Dakota Actions considered good enough as a basis of great custom rifles?? I don't seem to see any advertised.
Cheers,

Eddy, some of it has to do with the model. They come in Classic, Safari, and African grades. As with most things, options can quickly bump the price up on a given rifle, without improving it's utility as a hunting weapon. On the used market, it seem like $4,500-$5,000 is the starting point for most African calibers. Keep an eye on Gun Broker listings...there seem to be more private sellers there allowing you to avoid the retail mark-up.

Beibs; Interesting thoughts....I have been blind as to the different "models-grades"...I thought that was individual terminology....DUHHHHAAAA, I need to wake up HUH!!
Guess I better look at the Dakota website to better understand models/grades....
I have really not looked into GunBroker well enough to be conversant there....I guess maybe I should go there too.....
Good Thoughts...and I go agree about your comment about-retail markup!!
Cheers,

Dakota models vary as well as the options on each model. Wood upgrades are costly. Based on my research of Dakotas over the years, their current wood is not as fancy or fantastic as in the past. Still, Nice rifles no doubt.

Go to the Dakota web site and print their price list. Basic prices and charges for upgrades are shown. For example a quarter rib and banded front sight can be an upgrade approaching a thousand bucks. Look at their inventory and the inventory of a couple big dealers like Gulf Breeze and Hendershots to get an idea about retail pricing. A good used rifle should be about 35% to 40% lower than retail. A little more if like new.
I like their action although many will argue they are too much for an improved model 70 action. If you are going the full custom route, get a Granite Mountain action and then move forward. Resale value will always favor the big Mauser actions.

quote:

Originally posted by LJS:
For example a quarter rib and banded front sight can be an upgrade approaching a thousand bucks.

I actually think 1K for a banded front sight and quarter rib is pretty reasonable and close to what you would pay a custom rifle builder.

The questionable area in Dakota's upgrades is/was their wood(IMO). I recall seeing guys pay $2,500 for upgraded wood and receiving a rifle that was built around a $250 blank. I thought the wood upgrades were obscene and it shaded my opinion of Dakota.

Jason, you're right...they throw around the term "exhibition" for anything above Mossburg Grade wood.

Hey! My next custom rifle will be based on a Mossberg gun!
Peter.

I agree that their wood grading seems to be all over the place. I bought an African 76 this year, the action is incredibly slick and the feeding is 100 % reliable with any flatnosed bullet I've put through it. Yes also very accurate. I feel the wood on mine is fairly graded. I had them make some changes and the turn around time was just 2 weeks. Great people to talk to and they are eager to please. Dakotas seem to be in a certain cost corridor where the price doesn't drop beyond a certain point. I feel mine was worth the money. We'll see how I goes in Zim next month.

I believe you can provide your own wood to Dakota. I think their wood quality has improved under Remington but is still expensive.
I was not objecting to the cost of the rib and banded sight in my earlier post. I just wanted to indicate the variables to consider when looking at prices. I'm not a Dakota basher and have four of them myself.

Hey...GOOD LUCK on your hunt....what caliber...and what are you hunting??
Cheers

Thanks 470 Eddy. It is in 4-5-0 Rigby. I'll be using North Fork 500gr gr softs and the new profile flats point solids. Looking for a good solid buff bull if the heat doesn't get me first. Despite some initial concerns regarding Dakota I also think they have benefited from more stable management.

Hey 4-5-0...that's a great caliber!! I have been contemplating a Noreen custom in that caliber as well...lots less than a Dakota but a glass stock!!
You will do fine .....the heat in buff country is not that bad even in Oct- Nov...unless it gets wet...then the trouble starts...
I still have a hankering for a 416 Rigby for my next Buff....hopefully in West Africa along with LD Eland??
Good Luck!!
Cheers

Dakota will photo the blanks for you and you can pick out what you want. Done it three times!

I sent Dakota photos of other Dakotas I have purchased online with the wood I was looking for. They have done a great job trying to find the wood I wanted, and sent back pictures of the stock after it was cut down from the blank for my approval. I've done this twice now on a 458 Lott and recently on a 404 Jeffery. I am VERY pleased with both rifles and the wood they found for me.

I will never own a Dakota. They are way overpriced but that's not why I won't own one - see below.

A partner brought his new Dakota in 416Rem on a 21 day full bag Tanz safari in 2001. When we went to confirm zero on day one, he loaded the magazine, chambered a round, took aim and pulled the trigger. Then he picked-up the rounds that fell onto his boot tops when the floorplate popped open under recoil. It seems he only loaded single rounds while zeroing from the bench at home. Big mistake. I tore off a big piece of duct tape and used it to keep the floorplate closed and we began hunting. To this day he cannot look at pictures from that safari without noting the duct tape on his brand new (and expensive) Dakota rifle.

BTW, he lived within an hours drive of the Dakota facility in SD and knew many of the employees personally, including the sales manager. His rifle was essentially bespoke. I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall when he took the rifle back to them after the safari.

I believe they are no more than a production gun to which you can add as many options as your wallet and poor judgement will allow. But that's just MO. And he never bought another Dakota either.

HUUUUMMMMMMM!! Very Interesting!! That would be very disappointing from an expensive rifle...stock or custom!!
The more I learn the more I ask myself- why the price??!!
Cheers,

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:
A partner brought his new Dakota in 416Rem on a 21 day full bag Tanz safari in 2001. When we went to confirm zero on day one, he loaded the magazine, chambered a round, took aim and pulled the trigger. Then he picked-up the rounds that fell onto his boot tops when the floorplate popped open under recoil. It seems he only loaded single rounds while zeroing from the bench at home. Big mistake. I tore off a big piece of duct tape and used it to keep the floorplate closed and we began hunting. To this day he cannot look at pictures from that safari without noting the duct tape on his brand new (and expensive) Dakota rifle.

Sadly, stories like this are all too common, not only for Dakota rifles but for other similarly high-end factory production rifles also. The factories are not taking the time to ensure that their firearms (including shotguns) are trouble-free before they go out the door. You cannot assume that you are buying quality when you shell out big bucks. Before you do, you'd best check out the experiences of others you can trust when they had to deal with warranty issues. Some of the highest-end outfits have the worst records in dealing with warranty claims.

Good you had some fix--all duct tape on hand. Damn! My 2 cents is....Some high dollar production rifles are better built than others, but production/factory built guns are going to have an error rate. I'm no expert but the wood to metal fit on the Dakota rifles I've seen is still way above many other production rifles in a similar category such as Merkel or some of the so-called custom shop crap I've seen. So, I doubt that their mechanical issues are more than infrequent. Todays' "production" work force in general has the attitude to pass the buck if they won't get blamed as long as they meet their production requirement. Anyone who ever worked for a production oriented premium builder will admit to that fact. I would expect that Dakota would take this issue to heart unlike many other companies who would shrug it off after you leave.

I have owned a number of large bore DG rifles, both bolts and DRs, from various makers, both custom and production guns, and each of them has needed additional work before I would take them into the field as reliable DG rifles. It is insane, IMO, not to self-test any DG rifle on the range. By this I mean multiple sessions firing 100's of rounds under self-imposed different situations, prior to taking said rifle after DG.

Even after extensive work, in a few cases I was unable to reach a state of comfort that the rifle would perform in the gravest of extremes. Those rifles were sold and never taken after DG.

It's your life, and sometimes your PH will be having a bad day. You must be able to count on your rifle under dire circumstances.

quote:

Originally posted by vicvanb:

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:
A partner brought his new Dakota in 416Rem on a 21 day full bag Tanz safari in 2001. When we went to confirm zero on day one, he loaded the magazine, chambered a round, took aim and pulled the trigger. Then he picked-up the rounds that fell onto his boot tops when the floorplate popped open under recoil. It seems he only loaded single rounds while zeroing from the bench at home. Big mistake. I tore off a big piece of duct tape and used it to keep the floorplate closed and we began hunting. To this day he cannot look at pictures from that safari without noting the duct tape on his brand new (and expensive) Dakota rifle.

Sadly, stories like this are all too common, not only for Dakota rifles but for other similarly high-end factory production rifles also. The factories are not taking the time to ensure that their firearms (including shotguns) are trouble-free before they go out the door. You cannot assume that you are buying quality when you shell out big bucks. Before you do, you'd best check out the experiences of others you can trust when they had to deal with warranty issues. Some of the highest-end outfits have the worst records in dealing with warranty claims.

Vicvanb,
You might want to visit the political forum here.

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
Vicvanb,
You might want to visit the political forum here.

There you go again--all opinion; no facts.

Actually, I get all my entertainment and belly laughs from you and the other Benchrest guys. A guy can only laugh just so much.

Cheers!

From the guy that has all the answers and never shoots, except with the keyboard.

Wrong again, as usual. You have no idea how much I shoot, or how much football I watch or how much beer I drink--and none of it has any relationship to my comments on politics (except to those who can't win the debate and must resort to slander). Pathetic!

Sorry to get this thread off topic. vicvanb, you know what I am talking about. You can pathetic all you want.

quote:

...vicvanb, you know what I am talking about.

Truthfully, I have no idea what you are talking about.