I just picked up a Dakota 76 .375 H&H, I have owned several Dakotas in my more active hunting days. All but a couple had some minor issues, but all fixable. I like Dakotas and have sent a lot of rounds down range with them , along with a fair amount of game. My previous main hunting rifle was a Dakota .340Wea and it went everywhere with me. That rifle had 100% reliability and very accurate. Thus the purchase of the .375 this week.
I bought some dummy rounds to play with the rifle. Tonight I loaded the rifle with the dummy rounds and discovered a problem. I have tried loading both 3 and 4 rounds into the magazine box. The gun will flawlessly feed , fire, and eject all rounds until the last round. Here is the problem. After firing the next to last round in the magazine box, I eject the next to last round (fired)and when that fired round ejects the last round in the magazine box pops up and out along with the fired round that is being ejected and either pops out/falls out of the magazine box or just lays on the follower and the extractor is not hooked onto the new round.
I have fed the rifles full magazine box approximately 25 times this evening. This problem with the last round will occur about 75% of the time. I have worked the action as fast as possible and slowly and the problem occurs at both speeds. This is basically a new rifle that has not been hunted and probably not shot a box of shells.

One of the gunsmiths will be along shortly. In the meantime search "making it feed" by forum member duane Wiebe. pretty informative stuff.

Could be follower and/or mag spring. If you still have a Dakota belted magnum try swapping those parts (one at a time).

If it is the last round out it is a problem with the follower

Dakota MIGHT take pity..worth a call.. If what you have are commercial dummies,'I'd try real ammo just to make sure

If the width and taper of the follower is correct for that magazine box then the standing shelf or rib on the follower is positioned to close to the centerline of the follower allowing the last round to roll out from under the rail

Replace the follower with the appropriate geometry and the problem will go away

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Dakota MIGHT take pity..worth a call.. If what you have are commercial dummies,'I'd try real ammo just to make sure

Just wondering how, as a retired dummy, I might differ from a commercial dummy.
If the follower is too narrow for the box, a couple of nicely formed precision blobs of weld on the left edge of the follower may fix it right up. Of course, it's better to just get a correct follower. Regards, Bill

Amazing Responses!
Thanks to everyone for their replies, sharing your expertise and knowledge.
I don’t imagine there is a available follower to purchase?
I am reluctant to send the rifle to Dakota Arms for any work. From your experiences would they have a different follower than what was installed in the rifle?

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Leeper:
If the follower is too narrow for the box, a couple of nicely formed precision blobs of weld on the left edge of the follower may fix it right up.

Regards, Bill

Back in the 90s when I worked there the 76 action used "reverse round followers" meaning the first round loaded into the magazine ends up on the left side of a right handed action. IF this the case, then welding on the left side would make the problem worse.

Well, in that case, one would weld on the other side. Anyone who might be contemplating such a modification should have no trouble figuring out which side to work on. Regards, Bill.

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Dakota MIGHT take pity..worth a call.. If what you have are commercial dummies,'I'd try real ammo just to make sure

I don't get it. Is there no written or statutory warranty that would make it their shout? Since these rifles come at a Rolls-Royce price, I would think their biggest beef might be that you didn't contact them first. Yes, lack of real ammo might explain it but being that finicky suggests reloads and dodgy cartridges found in remote trading posts could be a worry.

Thinking of RRs, if one broke down in England during the '70s, you called Crewe and they sent out a mechanic complete with a canvas screen to put around it, to hide their embarrassment.

There is a good chance that 340 of yours was built on a 375 action. Compare the two followers.
Maybe swap the 340 follower in for a try.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Leeper:

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Dakota MIGHT take pity..worth a call.. If what you have are commercial dummies,'I'd try real ammo just to make sure

Just wondering how, as a retired dummy, I might differ from a commercial dummy.
If the follower is too narrow for the box, a couple of nicely formed precision blobs of weld on the left edge of the follower may fix it right up. Of course, it's better to just get a correct follower. Regards, Bill

Well...dummy is dummy!

i'd start with the spring