5 years ago I purchased a VanPatten custom 7x57 on a FN Mauser action. In the original laminated stock it was a 3/4" rifle but weighed nearly 9#'s. Last year I had my gunsmith fit a prefinished Brown Precision stock and the rifle became a 2+" rifle. I think I paid him about $150.00 for fitting the rifle. What should I expect him to do? I'd be happy with a stedy 1.25" 3 shot group.

For $150 not much. Especially if test firing was not included

What do you mean when you say he "fit" the stock? I would assume that, given the price, he didn't pillar bed the rifle. But on the other hand, $150 would have been way too much to pay him for tightening a couple of stock bolts.

By fitting do you mean bedding? Did you take the 3/4 loads from the heavier stock and shoot them in the new one and it was 2"? Or did you work up a new load and the best you could get was 2".

Check all screws for tightness and also check for a high spot in the middle of the action. Check that the action isn't bottoming out or binding on anything besides the stock. THOROUGHLY clean the bore. Freefloat the barrel. Work up a new load.

ALL of these things should be SOP for the owner in the case of a replacement stock. The new stock's different bedding can sometimes affect both the frequency and the amplitude of the barrel's vibration, greatly changing things in some cases.
Good luck, Joe

well from my gunsmith i expect to be overcharged, insulted, berated, have my mothers ancestory questioned, kicked out the back door, Oh yea my gunsmith is jim kobe

Does he spend a lot of time around here?

quote:

Originally posted by ramrod340:
By fitting do you mean bedding? Did you take the 3/4 loads from the heavier stock and shoot them in the new one and it was 2"? Or did you work up a new load and the best you could get was 2".

Ditto.

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
well from my gunsmith i expect to be overcharged, insulted, berated, have my mothers ancestory questioned, kicked out the back door, Oh yea my gunsmith is jim kobe

That was funny

Cheers,
Mark.

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
well from my gunsmith i expect to be overcharged, insulted, berated, have my mothers ancestory questioned, kicked out the back door, Oh yea my gunsmith is jim kobe

Them pain killers they gave are really working aren't they.

The gunsmith glass bedded the stock, & visually checked the fit. I don't think there was any modification. He did not fire the rifle & I just got around to it this week. when it wouldn't shoot the 139 Hornadies thet it loved in the laminated stock I made up 6 different loads using different bullets, 1 shot 1 3/4" the rest were in the 2-2.25" range. I had planned to have him check to be sure the stock bolts were not bottoming out and the action wasn't being tourqed.

It sounds like the action is in a bind due to a bad bedding job.

Did he float the barrel? Possible the previous stock was applying pressure. Some barrels like contact. If he did float the barrel try a temporary pressure point near the end of the forearm. Stiff cardboard or pieces of a credit card can be used. If this solves the problem you can then glassbed a permanent pressure point.

As mentioned look into the action screws. If the screws were too long in the new stock the smith might possible backed them off of tight instead of doing the right thing and trimming them to the right length.

You wouldn't take your car back to a garage where they drove it in and pushed it out would you ? If it's a 3/4" barrel , it's a 3/4" barrel . I'd throw it back into the old stock and make sure it's still the same gun ( accuracy wise ). Bedding a rifle isn't rocket surgery , I think there's a pressure point in that stock that it don't like and your smith overlooked it . Drop in stocks need to be fitted sometimes , we all know how one size fits all sometimes doesn't !

What I think you should expect from your gunsmith is that you take it back, politely explain what has happened to the accuracy, and give him the chance to make it right. If he takes it and makes it right, you've learned that you have an honest individual willing to stand behind his work, and capable of doing good work.

If he can't make it right, or refuses to, you've paid a very inexpensive price compared to what you could have, to learn that.

I paid over $1000 to learn a simple business lesson from a very well known top end smith a few years ago. He tried to make that a $3000 lesson, but I learned at the first installment and didn't have to go back for the second session. I'd have much rather learned it for your $150!

dave

quote:

Originally posted by ssdave:
What I think you should expect from your gunsmith is that you take it back, politely explain what has happened to the accuracy, and give him the chance to make it right. If he takes it and makes it right, you've learned that you have an honest individual willing to stand behind his work, and capable of doing good work.

If he can't make it right, or refuses to, you've paid a very inexpensive price compared to what you could have, to learn that.

I paid over $1000 to learn a simple business lesson from a very well known top end smith a few years ago. He tried to make that a $3000 lesson, but I learned at the first installment and didn't have to go back for the second session. I'd have much rather learned it for your $150!

dave

+1.

I would expect to be able to have a conversation with my gunsmith. Let him know when things go good, let him know when things don't. Be polite and if he's a professional, he'll take no offence and make things right. If he get's defensive and bully with you, then chalk it up to the cost of an education. The conversation should be free though.

For $150 you got exactly what you paid for. Bedding an action in another stock.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Had you asked for an accuracy job or pillars, you'd expect to pay a lot more than $150. And if you were to go back to that gunsmith and ask him to redo his bedding or accurize it, you should pay more $ for that service.

He did what you asked, it's not his fault your shooter doesn't shoot in a different stock.


e.g. http://hillcountryrifles.com/pages/accurizing

I agree that you generally get what you pay for, and in this case the payment wasn't very high (grin).

I'll also add that just because a rifle (or a shooter, grin) USED TO perform well is no guarantee that things will still be the same. Close to 50 years' experience has taught me that A CLEAN Barrel and, sometimes, A Different Shooter, will almost always yield better results.

The suggestion to try the old stock is splendid advice IMO.
Regards, Joe

Thank everyone for your response. To clear up some things, I am in my late 60's, my gunsmith is in his late 70's. Neither of us are in the best health. He has done most of my work for the last 30+ years. Up to the early 2000's he built 1 rifle a year for me. Now I just buy things & he fixes what is wrong with them.. I carry stuff over to him & most of the time, he stops what do is doing & fixes them for me. If he needs parts or is busy, I usually just give him 6 months & call him before I go to his shop.

1. Refit the gun in the original stock.. Wish I could but my wife but made me on a clean up the gunroom task & I sold it along with my remaining blanks. I know the barrel channel on the original stock was fully bedded & the new 1 is free floated. I'll put a shim half way between the swivel stud & end of the forend.

2. Check the stock bolt lengths. I'll have that done.

3. Check bedding to be sure the action is not twisted. I'll have that done

4. The barrel is clean & I made up 7 different loads using 139,140,150 & 154 gr bullets.


I only have 1 other Mauser so thank you all for your help.

Picyures of the rifle

2 further suggestions when you get it back:

CLEAN THE BORE OF ALL FOULING, DOWN TO BARE METAL! Takes more than a few strokes......

In your range sessions, take along a 'control' rifle of known accuracy, to check the shooter's performance on that particular day.

Please believe me, NO disrespect intended for either the shooter or the bore cleaner! However it's been my experience that things change and it's sometimes best to go back to basics. Your barrel shim idea is a good one, take along a good screwdriver and several different shim thicknesses for experimentation.
Good luck, Joe

quote:

J.D.Steele

@JD STEELE.. Thank you for your help.. I had a Bob Green 270 on a m700 action & a SAKO A1 6MM PPC. They were shooting in the 1/2-3/4" 3 shot range. I also shoot with a young man in his early 30's.. He shot the Mauser & got groups like mine. The lock time on a Mauser is much slower than a SAKO or Remington 700 so that could have been the problem. The original stock had a much wider forend & thumbhole stock which gives better rifle control.

I agree with you on the clean barrel & had a very clean barrel.. The rifle was actually shooting marginally better after 30 or so rounds.