The Accurate Reloading Forums
Dakota 76 Quality
06 April 2004, 20:54
Guy45Dakota 76 Quality
Has anyone had any experience with a Dakota Arms rifle such as a Model 76. Please tell me what you think as far as functionality and accuracy.
07 April 2004, 02:28
<allen day>I've owned two Dakotas in .338 Win. Mag., and neither one of them shot well. Now that's just two rifles, so getting past the accuracy issue, I don't care for the bolt release/bolt stop system. I don't care for the ball bearing detent which is used to hold the striker assembly in position. I don't care for the shape of the stock, specifically the pistol grip. I could name other aspects of the rifle I don't care for, but in summation I think the rifle is over-priced for what you're getting.
I'd rather start with a Model 70 action and hire a small, independent custom rifle maker to turn it into a top-performing custom rifle, even at a higher price. It's money better-spent in my opinion.
AD
07 April 2004, 03:37
Jim KobeBoy! How true Allan. The thing about this is the ability to get a true custom rifle, from a noted maker, with many more options, and built to your specs with about the same or less money. DAkota purports to be a custom, but in reality it is not.
07 April 2004, 04:20
<JOHAN>Guy45
I had a 270 for some time, but sold it because of other projects. This was an old Dakota. I liked the rifle and it a feed, shoot and ejected well.
I know people who has several dakotas and are very happy with them, they seems to shot and function well. I know they had some trouble with the barrel for a short period.
I suggest that you try one and make you own experience. I guess it's all about preferences in the final end. I would rather get a full blown custom mauser 98, while others will start their prefered rifle with a current factory made action trued up by a local gunsmith or some marketing hyped artistian.
Cheers
/ JOHAN
07 April 2004, 04:34
Chuck NelsonQuote:
I suggest that you try one and make you own experience.
Fairly expensive experiment!
Chuck
07 April 2004, 15:00
Zero DriftAllen - I agree with your position 100%. Product satisfaction is largely subjective. The only point I have ever questioned is - with the MOA guarantee from Dakota, I sure as hell would demand that they fix the accuracy problem, especially considering what you must pay for one. I would demand accuracy no matter if I was dealing with Echol, Dakota, or my friendly neighborhood gunsmith. After all, what�s the use of a beautiful rifle which is not accurate???
Many have stated that early Dakota�s had a stock fore-end pressure problem, however, this was quickly resolved. Beyond this, I have not found any Dakota rifles which did not live up to their accuracy claims.
08 April 2004, 05:39
kutenaymtnboyI would be interested in knowing which guns/rifles you rate higher in quality than Dakota? I have a Merkel drilling, which is more expensive than a Dakota, it is not equal to my Dakota in fit or finish and I actually had to have work done on it by my local 'smith to have it function properly.
I have a Browning/Miroku combination gun and a repro 1886SRC as well as a Browning BSS-SL 20 bore that are about equal to my Dakota in over-all quality, IMO. My Brno 21-H and 22-H and my Mannlicher-Schoenauer are superior in fit and finish to my Dakota, but, have certain design features inferior to it, IMO.
I have yet to see or own a "perfect" gun, out of 120+ guns since 1964. I find it really helpful and interesting to discuss this whole question with other poor buggers addicted to shooting, gun collecting and hunting.
Guy,
To answer your original question, I have limited experience with Dakota rifles as I own only one and have handled perhaps 10 or so. The Dakota which I ordered (pictured below) is a 76 Safari in 6.5-.284 Norma. I feel it is both beautiful and amazingly well crafted. It shoots 5 shot groups MOA and control round feeds this rebated rim cartridge without a hitch. The wood to metal fit is second to none.
People here have commented that Dakotas are not custom firearms, but I would have to at least partly disagree. They are more of a semi-custom shop where more than one craftsman collaborates to make the firearm each with individualized training. That said, they will probably work with you on most custom requests (they color case hardened the receiver and floor plate for me, allowed me to specify rifling twist-rate, and bought a 6.5-.284 Norma reamer for me). If you want a rifle that has exotic metalwork such as bolt handle shaped into an acorn, they would not be the right place.
I feel their action is top notch as well as the tolerances are extremely tight and it is glass smooth. Certainly much tighter than any pre-64 Winchester I have touched.
Are they over priced? Yes. While the base rifle is reasonable, they charge way to much for their various upgrades such as inletted swivels and quarter ribs. They over-grade their wood in my opinion (my rifle shown below has XXX english walnut by their grading) as well and charge too much for wood upgrades.
For me, I just wanted a Dakota rifle as I feel they are a tremendous example of American craftsmanship. If you want a full custom, get a custom, but you might want to take a look at the Dakota 76 action as a base.
Wes
08 April 2004, 13:53
<JOHAN>WESR
That is a very nice looking rifle. If it wasn't for all the papers and export permits I would easily get a Dakota again.
Some more detailed pictures would be nice
If I'm not wrong Saeed favorite rifle is built on a Dakota action.
Cheers
/ JOHAN
08 April 2004, 14:58
Guy45Looks nice - I'm considering a 30-06 identical to your 6.5 I've also considered the traveler 76 model.
08 April 2004, 16:35
djpaintlesI would have to agree about Dakota overgrading their wood and over-pricing their upgrades. Here is the Buttstock of my Model 10; -sorry it's not a better pic.
[url="http://www.hunt101.com/?p=131913&c=500&z=1"]
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It's a nice piece of wood and I like it, but it was graded a Special selection $1500 upgrade + the Cheekpiece was another $350! I think you could buy a couple pieces of wood as nice or nicer for the same price. (Fortunately I bought the rifle at quite a discount)........DJ
08 April 2004, 16:55
thefinegunmakerHello everyone
Here's my first post.
I can honestly tell you that no two Dakota's are created equal. I worked there from Dec '92 to May '97. Most of my time was spent in the stock shop. Each individual rifle is worked on by so many different people with different levels of "gunnmaking" talent and background. While I was there only three of around 35 employees had any formal gunsmithing training. There were others there who did great work and had learned it on the job. There was lot's of turnover and some of the employees through there couldn't find their ass with both hands. Different people did every operation from Machining different parts, sub assembling actions, barreling, feeding, layout and maching stocks, inleting, glassing, shaping stocks, sanding, finishing, checkering, polishing, sights & quarter ribs, bluing, and final assembly. When I was there, there may have been a different person doing each operation. Or there may have been only around 5 of the more talented employees. It's hard to make people understand that if they had a lemon, the next rifle shipped may have been the "best" ever. It's not possible to make any blanket statement on the level of quality fit, finish and function. Too many variables.
gunmaker
http://users.elknet.net/chico08 April 2004, 17:08
Chuck NelsonBet they're priced the same no matter who worked on it!
Chuck
08 April 2004, 17:38
smallfryQuote from thefinegunmaker:
It's hard to make people understand that if they had a lemon, the next rifle shipped may have been the "best" ever. It's not possible to make any blanket statement on the level of quality fit, finish and function. Too many variables. Ohh but it is possible to make a blanket statement about the quality fit finish, and function.......as you have pointed out, it is inconsistant.
09 April 2004, 02:21
<allen day>I'm not at all suprised by your testimony.
AD
Nifty looking toy WESR!
- mike
14 April 2004, 17:49
500grainsQuote:
Allen - Every time someone brings up the topic of Dakota rifles, you and I post 180 degree different opinions on the subject. Here is my experience...
I took the time to travel to Sturgis in order to meet with Don. He and I hand selected 4 matching pieces of Bastogne from his extensive collection. We discussed every option and requirement that I had for the 4 guns. What I came away with is 4 matched guns, built within 6 months, with every custom option that I wanted, with very high quality workmanship, all 4 guns shoot sub MOA which is what Dakota guarantees as in - if they don�t, they will fix it. I could have gone to any custom gun smith to do exactly the same thing but, I would have waited 18+ months, and paid twice as much. Sure there are a handful of custom smiths who can build a much higher quality rifle, however at what price?
Rather than enduring the snotty attitude of some well known gunsmiths, I chose the Dakota route and I am please that I did. I own several guns which I would rate higher in quality, however, I use my Dakotas in the field with absolutely no reservations. When hunting in on the menu, I grab my Dakotas...
Mrs. Allen is world famous for her snotty attitude and has driven away twice as many customers as Mr. Allen ever attracted. It is a wonder they stayed in business with her around.
As for the rifles, setting aside the infamous accuracy problems and some misfire problems, a Dakota is an overpriced non-custom rifle. The wood and metal are very nice compared to a standard model 70, but they are far from the custom class. And Dakota way over-grades their wood and way over-charges for upgrades. They claim stocks are XXX Exhibition when I could buy the same blank for $300. Simply put, if you have good taste, there are far better options. If you are not well funded, there are cheaper options with a better product.
Dakota? No thanks.