Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Stiller 270wsm/Lilja barrel. Can it get any worse?

This piece of chit rifle was finished few months ago, but sitting at my gunsmith due to feeding & barrel issues. Now we are playing the "game of elimination" with mag box's, followers, ect.

Blueprint of my NIGHTMARE....

Mcmillan classic w/gap camo
Stiller Predator BDL
Jewel trigger
Lilja #4 barrel (Kampfeld did the fluting, but not the build)
Wyatt magazine & follower.

Actually tried 2 different mag box's & followers. More followers on the way. FEEDING PROBLEMS!

New Lilja barrel threads were "accidentally" cut short(by the gunsmith} ".40 {GUNSMITH HAD TO ORDER A REPLACEMENT BARREL}, the stock was sent back to Mcmillan because it was inletted for a 3" shank opposed to a 1" shank.

And at this point, the rifle will only feed one round, not two. Still waiting on a new barrel & back to kampfeld for fluting the 2nd time. My patience are wearing thin and may stop build and sell individual pieces.

Hey, did I mention this rifle was sent to me in this condition few months ago? Did not feel comfortable with what I saw, so had another 'smith examine my new build and upon inspection, the problems were brought to my attention.

Anyone want to buy this project? Gun has never been fired!

Have many Predators with 1 in 300 WSM and another in 6.5 WSM sorry to tell you this but you need to find another Smith who knows what he is doing. They are a challenge but it can be done.

Man, that sucks. Playing the elimination game right now with a rifle.

It gets worse Skane, read again.

What bites is, you have ordered some really nice components for a nice, useable build. You did a good job on your end.

The rest is up to the 'smith. If he can't do his job right, he ought to go back to school and take some classes, instead of teaching them...

I'll give ya a hundert bucks for the Stiller.

Take a breath Stoney. Breathe slooooowly. Just send the whole works to Robert and let him finish it up. Let me know on the Stiller.

Sounds like you have a smith that needs to step up to the plate.
Butch

888,

Was the mag box a center-feed model. I tried a 25-284 on a 700 SA with the normal box and was not happy with the way it fed, which has kept me away from the WSMs. It occurred to me that another 25-284 or a 25 WSM might feed ok with one of Wyatt's center-feed boxes...

John

Wyatt told my gunsmith the staggered feed is correct, but 1st box was too small, and 2nd box he sent with follower did not work either. He is ordering 3 different followers to try. Also mentioned trying to re-shape the existing box?

Im to the point where this is one big cluster [bleep] of a build and going to scrap the parts, try to generate some of my $3500 paid and call it quits.

how old is your wyatt box?
the reason i ask is i got one from jim borden about a year ago and come to find out they were made wrong and jim said that they never would feed properly he returned them to wyatt for exchange


gene

Wyatt just sent him a new box last week, checked it today and said "no go"

That is a major bummer! I went through a custom build a year ago, that actually spanned 2 years! Had one bum barrel, that was promptly replaced by the custom barrel company, but not before I was out tons of bucks on bullets, powder, and trips to the range... the bad news is the replacement was no better...There is nothing more frustrating than seeing great plans wasted.

I have a Alpine mag action chambered in 7mm wsm with a wyatt magazine and a remington shortmag follower and it feeds just like the video on Jim Bordens website,you might give Jim a call he has the shortmags figured out!

One more reason I'll never own a WSM again.

.......but if I did, like Ackleyfan suggested, I'd go Borden. Jim does have it figured out. Still, forget about heavy bullets in a WSM if you want anything other than a single shot.

Someone finally said it....

I didn't want the ball-busting

I wish I'd have been as wise.

No ball bustin . My New Haven M70 in .270 WSM feeds cartridges like greased weenies. So does my NH M70 7WSM, both more than accurate enough.

I just don't get it. For less than an inch in length and a few ounces in weight, give me the much more reliable and versatile 7mm RM or 300 WM every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

They are definitely a little more beholden to magazine feed rails/lips and the stacking angles/pressure down below....

How about this....

Have Mcmillan fill in stock to fit an H&S detachable magazine?
Should this help the feeding issue?