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Re: Poor Man's Dakota

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26 June 2004, 18:18
JBabcock
Re: Poor Man's Dakota
My Nosler number 5 has the following for 250 grain Partitions,

338 Win Mag. 2780fps, 24"barrel

330 Dakota 2736fps, 26"

340 Weatherby 2829fps, 26"

338 Rem Ultra 2990fps, 26"



I have shot the 340 Weatherby, recoil was brutal , and can't imagine that the difference on game would be much. Can't speak from experience because I never killed anything with the 340.



If I was going to do a faster 338, (and I wouldn't personally), I'd go with either the 340 Weatherby or the 338 RUM.



I own a 338 Win Mag in a Model 70 Classic and love it. All the gun I need for North America. I haven't yet run any loads over my chrony, but my rifle has a 26" barrel, I imagine it's faster than most loads from a 24" barrel.
27 June 2004, 12:53
Old Action
Griz-I just recently put together 2 330 dakotas on 98 type actions, both of these were 338wm before the rechamber. both shot very well. After the conversion both shot the 225 grain noslers about 12% faster that before and groups were smaller and more consistant, feeding was better and I get 3 down in the mag, my brother is extremely happy. the reloading cost is high ( Dies and brass) but a couple of boxs of brass will last me forever.Is it worth it? for me it was, but I'M not fond of belts on my brass, personal choice, I have a reamer you can borrow, E-mail me, BOB
29 June 2004, 16:02
thefinegunmaker
Garrett
Ward has done a lot of final assembly at Dakota and as far as I know does a good job at it. He is also very good on the phone with customers. As for telling people he is the head gunsmith that is pretty insulting to the few real smiths that work there.
As far as threading a barrel goes, In the 4 1/2 years I worked with him I never saw him cut threads once. Usually a good gunsmith does that on a regular basis. Maybe he has learned something since I quit, but threading might be pushing it. I am assuming here that he had somebody else do the threading. I'm not positive, just assuming. I could be wrong, it has happened before and will happen again.
gunmaker
29 June 2004, 15:47
thefinegunmaker
Tsquare
Now I know why you seem very familiar to me. Do you still have that Dak #10 that I stocked using that fantastic piece of very dry english? I remember seeing a few pics in a book somewhere!
gunmaker
29 June 2004, 15:41
thefinegunmaker
Quote:

Finegunmaker - Sounds to me a bit like sour grapes in there somewhere. I know Ward Dobler quite well and my knowledge of him doesn't match your description. Obviously, we will have to agree to disagree as to our opinions of him - which we both have the perogative to do. Ward's title at Dakota Arms is Director of Manufacturing by the way, not gunsmith.



TT





Tsquare

Sorry to take so long to reply to the messy post I left. Had to pick up my wife and kids in up state New York.



As far as grapes go there not sour, there rotten. It allways rubbed me the wrong way to have somebody (Ward) take credit for someboby else's work (me) especially right in front of them (me). Some people think this is a perfectly acceptable way to do business. I DO NOT! I also believe people should be paid for what they actually do for a company not what they say to the owner. I could never keep my self from blatantly telling the truth and that is the main reason I never made any real money at Dakota. I guess I never cared if some didn't want to hear the truth. I've never been scared of it and welcome it in every situation.



I did work with Ward for 4 1/2 years the first six months sharing a long bench with him. He was sub assemblying 76 actions and was very carefull to line up all the piles of parts perfectly and when he finished with a red shop towell he would fold it like a washcloth and press it lightly two times on his bench.......Allways seemed pretty anal to me. He is a very intelligent person and I always wondered why he never did any engineering while I was there. He is also very nice person in a bubbly Ned Flanders sort of way. Put a green sweater on him and he could be a stunt double.



I still wouldn't call him a gunsmith, but I just call them like I see them.



gunmaker