7mm question/problem

[LaHunter]

Return the rifle to the "gunsmith" and get a full refund.
Don't waste your time fighting this thing.
It may even be unsafe to fire, if all bullets are impacting the target sideways at 50 yards.
Find a competent gunsmith that has some references that you can call and research if you want to get a custom build.

If he told you a 10 twist is good for 168 grain bullets, he is on an island all by himself with that opinion. Most will tell you for a 7mm mag shooting 168 grain bullets, a twist of 9.5 is the slowest they would recommend, and most would likely recommend a 9.25 or a 9.0 twist.

Good Luck

 

[sclaughter]

Return the rifle to the "gunsmith" and get a full refund.
Don't waste your time fighting this thing.
It may even be unsafe to fire, if all bullets are impacting the target sideways at 50 yards.
Find a competent gunsmith that has some references that you can call and research if you want to get a custom build.

If he told you a 10 twist is good for 168 grain bullets, he is on an island all by himself with that opinion. Most will tell you for a 7mm mag shooting 168 grain bullets, a twist of 9.5 is the slowest they would recommend, and most would likely recommend a 9.25 or a 9.0 twist.

Good Luck

- I'm the owner of the rifle -
- Tried Returning the rifle to the gunsmith, He refuses to return the money. there is more wrong with this rifle than just barrel. He wants to fix it, even though i have given him multiple chances to fix it. Barrel, is not floated, Trigger is inconsistent (he tried convincing me the trigger needs to be broken in...) bolt face is marred and uneven... head space is wrong, etc.
I asked for a 1 in 9 originally and he told me i need a 1:10 for heavier bullets, trusting his "expertise" i let him order it.
Still working on getting my money back from this guy.

 

[LaHunter]

It may be time to speak to an attorney.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Tried all the suggestions, the 7mm bullet will not go into the barrel other than the tip, cant see any wear or impact marks on the muzzle break. No stamp on the barrel to indicate caliber.
I called the barrel marker and asked what was ordered and the gunsmith ordered a 1:10 so that's on him. According to the barrel maker polygonal rifling is the latest and greatest thing but the etching inside the barrel is barely seeable but they said it supposed to be that way. Ran a dry patch down the barrel to see what the twist would/should be the patch would not turn even a little.
On a later call to the barrel maker I told them what was happening instead of the usual 'the stars are not I correct alignment' or it 'must be the ammo' or some other excuse they said to return the barrel and they would replace it. Did not need to coerce them or argue...........just "we will replace it". Some how or someway something is wrong with the barrel they just don't want to say what. In this life as they say s*%# happens so if they are willing to stand behind their product I ok with it. The gunsmith that's another story...................Thanks for you help and input...........Earl

See if they'll swap you out for a 1:8 or 1:9 twist 7mm barrel for your troubles, since the gunsmith is obviously way too old school to understand that 1:10 is ludicrous for any 7mm caliber rifle, regardless of cartridge size.

 

[MudRunner2005]

- I'm the owner of the rifle -
- Tried Returning the rifle to the gunsmith, He refuses to return the money. there is more wrong with this rifle than just barrel. He wants to fix it, even though i have given him multiple chances to fix it. Barrel, is not floated, Trigger is inconsistent (he tried convincing me the trigger needs to be broken in...) bolt face is marred and uneven... head space is wrong, etc.
I asked for a 1 in 9 originally and he told me i need a 1:10 for heavier bullets, trusting his "expertise" i let him order it.
Still working on getting my money back from this guy.

Hate for it to come down to it, but I gotta say I agree with LaHunter... Might be time to see an attorney if the guy won't return your money for something he obviously should NOT be doing for a living. Everyone makes mistakes, and something like ordering the wrong twist, or the barrel manufacturer sending the wrong twist, that stuff happens on occasion, but if the rifle is as butchered as you say it is, then I'd be demanding a full refund, plus funds for replacement parts if the action is butchered beyond repair.

 

[FEENIX]

- I'm the owner of the rifle -
- Tried Returning the rifle to the gunsmith, He refuses to return the money. there is more wrong with this rifle than just barrel. He wants to fix it, even though i have given him multiple chances to fix it. Barrel, is not floated, Trigger is inconsistent (he tried convincing me the trigger needs to be broken in...) bolt face is marred and uneven... head space is wrong, etc.
I asked for a 1 in 9 originally and he told me i need a 1:10 for heavier bullets, trusting his "expertise" i let him order it.
Still working on getting my money back from this guy.

Welcome to LRH and enjoy!

Sorry to hear about your problem, hope it get sorted out quick and with no further cost or frustration to you.

I am not pointing any blame but this is one of the reasons I acquire my own parts so I got no one to blame but myself as well as to prevent any parts delay (from my gunsmith) on my project build.

Good luck!

 

[sclaughter]

Welcome to LRH and enjoy!

Sorry to hear about your problem, hope it get sorted out quick and with no further cost or frustration to you.

I am not pointing any blame but this is one of the reasons I acquire my own parts so I got no one to blame but myself as well as to prevent any parts delay (from my gunsmith) on my project build.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone, but you are absolutely right, unfortunately i learned my lesson the hard way... Still working on it, its with another gun smith right now looking into see what is exactly wrong with this gun. Making a list and see what needs to be done.

Thanks again for everyones input

 

[LoneTraveler]

Sounds like a Dream Rifle has turned into a Monster Problem.

I am sure your state has an Attorney General or Consumer Protection Department?
I would contact them and make an official complaint.
Consumer Protection is very important to many state governments.
They will contact other states if the fraud originated in another state.
Good Luck in finding a solution to this problem.

 

[sclaughter]

UPDATE/CONCLUSION
If anyone is curious to what ended up happening with this I have good news and bad

The bad news is that Jeff Halverson (Gem State Armory) out of Idaho Falls is a gun smith that I will never recommend. (he is now working at Independence Indoor Shooting in Meridian, ID.) After giving him multiple chances to fix my rifle he never was able to do it. literally the only thing he got right was the caliber
The barrel contour was wrong, the stock was wrong, the color was wrong, the head space was wrong, the trigger was inconsistent and choppy, the barrel wasn't even floated, the scope was not level and in the end, when I finally shot the rifle, the bullets tumbled out of the barrel. oh and his price quote was wrong ended up costing more then quoted.
To restate the point the gun was given to him 3 different times to fix, initially the bolt would not close due to the head space wrong, the rifle went back 2 other occasions to have him fix the problems as they showed their ugly heads. but he never fixed any of the problems.
After tiring from this experience i wanted to return the rifle to him and start fresh with someone else he would not return a dime, he told me it was non refundable. either I give the rifle to him so he can keep trying to fix it or I'm out of luck. The only thing I got him to do was give me the correct stock the one I wanted originally. And since it was 100 dollars cheaper he gave me 100 dollars.
But in the end i was stuck with a rifle that was a better paper weight.

The Good news, Columbia River Arms came though big time!
After calling the barrel company (Columbia River Arms/ Black hole Weaponry) and trying to figure out what happened, the barrel company felt they may have messed up the barrel in some way. So with no questions asked the asked me to return the barrel and action to them so they could fix my issue. But they took it 10 steps further. After explaining my story and telling them this wasn't even the style barrel i wanted they agreed to give me the contour and length I wanted. But it gets better. After they got my rifle they discovered the bolt had been badly mangled due to whatever Jeff did to it and needed replacing. Also the trigger was beyond repair. So I purchased a new bolt and trigger and sent it to them. They completely put my rifle back together for me, blue printing the action and everything else need to make that rifle a shooter. About 2 months later I received a rifle that was ready to shoot. All that work they did for me was no extra charge. They didnt ask for a dime. They always returned phone calls or made sure I had my question answered before i got off the phone. Michelle was the lady i dealt with most the time and she was amazing. I also talked to the owner who broke all the information down for me and made sure i knew what was happening.

My first time shooting the rifle out of the box from Columbia River Arms, with factory spec reloads i was getting 1/2 MOA. My second time out with some minor tweaks and testing loads the rifle shoots just under a 1/4 MOA. We have barely started testing the waters with this rifle and its accuracy is amazing and i couldn't be happier!

 

[LaHunter]

Man that is a great ending. I'm glad it worked out for you.
Report the jackass that caused your grief to the better business bureau.
Good luck with your new rifle.

 

[LRSickle]

Great to hear you had your issue resolved!!

On another note, do any of you gunplumbers here EVER let a gun go out the door before test-firing it? I've NEVER handed a guy his rifle without a handfull of brass and a test target.

 

[Danny1788]

UPDATE/CONCLUSION
If anyone is curious to what ended up happening with this I have good news and bad

The bad news is that Jeff Halverson (Gem State Armory) out of Idaho Falls is a gun smith that I will never recommend. (he is now working at Independence Indoor Shooting in Meridian, ID.) After giving him multiple chances to fix my rifle he never was able to do it. literally the only thing he got right was the caliber
The barrel contour was wrong, the stock was wrong, the color was wrong, the head space was wrong, the trigger was inconsistent and choppy, the barrel wasn't even floated, the scope was not level and in the end, when I finally shot the rifle, the bullets tumbled out of the barrel. oh and his price quote was wrong ended up costing more then quoted.
To restate the point the gun was given to him 3 different times to fix, initially the bolt would not close due to the head space wrong, the rifle went back 2 other occasions to have him fix the problems as they showed their ugly heads. but he never fixed any of the problems.
After tiring from this experience i wanted to return the rifle to him and start fresh with someone else he would not return a dime, he told me it was non refundable. either I give the rifle to him so he can keep trying to fix it or I'm out of luck. The only thing I got him to do was give me the correct stock the one I wanted originally. And since it was 100 dollars cheaper he gave me 100 dollars.
But in the end i was stuck with a rifle that was a better paper weight.

The Good news, Columbia River Arms came though big time!
After calling the barrel company (Columbia River Arms/ Black hole Weaponry) and trying to figure out what happened, the barrel company felt they may have messed up the barrel in some way. So with no questions asked the asked me to return the barrel and action to them so they could fix my issue. But they took it 10 steps further. After explaining my story and telling them this wasn't even the style barrel i wanted they agreed to give me the contour and length I wanted. But it gets better. After they got my rifle they discovered the bolt had been badly mangled due to whatever Jeff did to it and needed replacing. Also the trigger was beyond repair. So I purchased a new bolt and trigger and sent it to them. They completely put my rifle back together for me, blue printing the action and everything else need to make that rifle a shooter. About 2 months later I received a rifle that was ready to shoot. All that work they did for me was no extra charge. They didnt ask for a dime. They always returned phone calls or made sure I had my question answered before i got off the phone. Michelle was the lady i dealt with most the time and she was amazing. I also talked to the owner who broke all the information down for me and made sure i knew what was happening.

My first time shooting the rifle out of the box from Columbia River Arms, with factory spec reloads i was getting 1/2 MOA. My second time out with some minor tweaks and testing loads the rifle shoots just under a 1/4 MOA. We have barely started testing the waters with this rifle and its accuracy is amazing and i couldn't be happier!

What did they tell you the problem with the barrel was? Wrong twist or oversized bore? I've only ever had a problem with one barrel from a very well known barrel maker and they made it right in less than a week. That barrel shoots very good now.

 

[sclaughter]

What did they tell you the problem with the barrel was? Wrong twist or oversized bore? I've only ever had a problem with one barrel from a very well known barrel maker and they made it right in less than a week. That barrel shoots very good now.

They never did tell me what was wrong with the original barrel.
The only thing I noticed different from the old barrel to the new is that the old barrel the rifling was incredibly hard to see. It really took some looking to find the light etch in the barrel. On the new barrel I look down the barrel and no doubt it is rifled I can see the twist with no problem the entire length. My guess is that has something to do with it.