JohnT: Had I known my post would inspire you so much,I likely would not have commented at all. I did not direct my comments to you,but perhaps you felt that need to respond for reasons I do not understand.
That said,your analogy of exchanging a truck and comparing it to exchanging a rifle action,is a poor one.What,precisely, is the nexus between his decision to exchange the first action,and the faulty action he later received. By your logic, it can be said that if a customer returns an item,the company is perfectly justified in replacing it with something that does not work...properly..and the faulty item is that darned customers'fault for returning it in the first place
I really have no idea what the consumer laws are "Down Under",but I can assure you, that dog does hunt "here"
I'm afraid that I do not understand where you are coming from here;nor ,frankly,am I interested in finding out..
Second, I have had enough top-end custom rifles built by "known" makers to understand fully what is,and is not,expected of them.Generally I have been happy,but there have been issues.
Third,I don't know who Jack Belk is, nor do I care since I do not need him to tell me about Montana actions,or any others for that matter.
If there was a safety issue,and someone got hurt,they'd all be sued.Who would bear the brunt of liability depends entirely upon the "facts" of the case.
What I am trying desperately to understand, is, what part of "IT DID NOT WORK" is it that you don't understand? I agree the gunsmith SHOULD have checked function.OTOH the damn things should WORK and have the CORRECT parts when it leaves Montana.This is so basic and fundamental to me that I can't understand any contrary view.
But then again a lot of gun building today is "form" over "substance",a lot of "sizzle" but no "steak".I will bet that at LEAST 50% of the rifles "custom built" today are not tested reliably for function before they leave the maker.So you and I are in agreement there.
Lastly(thank God)I doubt there is an "agenda"; the guy wanted to build a rifle that WORKED.He PAID for it.He depended on two entities,Montana and the custom maker, to deliver a properly functioning rifle. He DID NOT get it.Agenda? You bet there's an AGENDA.Fix the damn thing and make it RIGHT.
Personally, I'd tear the rifle apart for salvage,start all over again with a GOOD action,and chalk it up to experience.I would not care who fixed it at this point; I would never trust the thing.And yes I have done that when what I paid good money for was a POS.
Apparently,today,the custom gun industry has deteriorated to the point where even the expenditure of $3-4k does assure reliable function.
