https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth.../Forbes_20B_7mm_08_delivered#Post8791003

You need another one titled "Forbes customer service nightmares".

Yep..

Bump.

Must read info! Bump!

Web crawlers already got it.. (grin)

I am sorry you had these issues, and I am so happy I never bought one of these. I was so close so many times.

What looked like a great new product is turning out to be a huge disappointment.

Cured my craving for one.

Same here. Will gladly stick with Kimbers when light done right is in order.

Can't think of a situation where it's not in order, especially at this price point.

I'm not sure I could put any trust in a Forbes rifle, their customer service is ouch!

So whats the latest? I had a brief read through the other thread, and as I understand it, the rifle has been returned to you but you are away from home?

What has Forbes said to you about the problem? How has the communication been? The last thread got a little crazy and long. I'm really curious and want to know how this has been handled as I had high hopes for Forbes.

Communication barely rated as poor.

They say the rifle is fixed and shoouts great, but I wouldn't know, I wasn't able to get it in my hands before leaving, despite requests.

That's when it got comical.

After finally getting a tracking number out of them, and seeing that no one was going to be home to sign for it, I requested shipping to be changed to my dad's house near here.

They said they couldn't do that, but since it didn't need a signature (???!!!!) I could just wait until it was delivered, and go back over and get it.

What? I'm going to be out of town, as I explained..

They replied back that since I was only going to be 15 minutes away, I should just suck it up and get it after delivery..

Then then it dawned on me.. I have the same first name as my dad, and despite me telling them numerous times I was going away for an extended period, they actually thought I was only going to be 15 minutes away, and didn't need to change shipping.

At that point, I'd had enough.

laughing


Better you than me bud, I would have throat slammed the phone....grin

You're laughing at me, not with me, right?

(grin)

With you man!

You have got to be fu***ing kidding me

Nope. All true..

That's a sinking ship over there.

Totally unbelievable!

Rancho is a lot more patient than I am. By now I would have jumped in the truck drove to Maine, scalped the idiot in charge of customer service, and burned the damned factory to the ground.

Was all this communication via Email? Have you done all your communication by Email or have you spoken to anyone on the phone. I would think a phone conversation would be the best way to communicate to avoid misunderstandings.

Was a phone call an option?

I called once, that didn't work very well.

I figured having copy of correspondences would be the best route, for obvious reasons.

Maybe its just me, but if someone tells me they are going out of town for an extended period, I figure they are going away, away.. not to the other side of town.

Communication with forbes llc has been a train wreck, plain and simple.

Rancho,

How long till you will be able to look at your rifle? Assuming it was dropped off w/o a sig (as they said) and is still there when u get to it?

Sorry you're having to deal with this - I don't think I could have kept my cool nearly as well.

David

I was kinda shocked to hear someone say that a $1400 firearm was getting dropped at a doorstep by UPS without needing a sig..

I enlisted my dad to wait at our house for the brown truck. Didnt want to get them involved, as they are retired and have their own lives. After hearing the story, my old man - a retired career sales and marketing guy, couldnt freeking believe it, to put it very mildly..

I'll be home in a week or two, not really anxious anymore to shoot it. Like I said before, it might just end up as a collector's item.

I just boxed up my 84M for a trip to Kimber. Kimber sent me a new double box to ship and UPS shipping label. Part of the instructions sent out stated that an adult signature will be required for return delivery...

David

Ok...I'm tapping out here...

You've convinced me... I was willing to give Forbes the benefit of the doubt but they do need to try at least...they seem to be incorrigible...they are acting like their customers are their worst enemies. What kind of message will that send?

My daughter is in charge of PR in her area for a major corporation. Just the other day she made the offhand comment that every one of her clients feels like they are the only one. She's a remarkable person of her own creation, but guess who influenced her?

I think I'll just stick to my original plan and pick up a half dozen RARs instead!

(Assuming for the moment that Forbes was ever on the table for different reasons...)

The "signature required" item is a separate service that has to be purchased and coded into the tracking number. The driver scans the bar code and follows its instructions. Senders sometimes try and "shortcut" the process by attaching "adult signature required" stickers, but UPS drivers mostly couldn't care less what's on the box versus what their scanner tells them from the bar code.

Wouldn't a $1400 rifle be insured by the shipper, in which case, doesn't anything over $201 require a signature? Does this mean Forbes intended to ship it uninsured?

RL
Didn't mean to imply that you should have done anything differently. I just wondered if part of the problem was that they had no one to answer CS calls, and I couldn't imagine anyone being that dense when you were personally speaking to them.

I know FedEx Ground requires the signature add-on for any firearm shipment. cant speak to UPS.

For the USPS, yes. Over $200 of insurance requires a signature. Not UPS.

You're assuming the contents were declared as a firearm. This only happens if shipping from a counter like mere mortals and if the shipper chooses to declare it. Commercial customers simply affix a shipping label and turn it over to the driver and don't go through the step of declaring it. UPS and Federal Express couldn't give a damn one way or another on a commercial account.

Makes sense ... my only experience is with declaring and shipping from the counter to an FFL.

I'd send it to Stick for some barrel break in.

Hell, Stick probably could have fixed it and had it back to you in a week.

That sucks Rancho. I do hope they fixed it and you get a decent rifle after all the aggravation.

After you get back and get a chance to check it out and shoot it, let us know how it goes. It should be perfect by now!

Wishful thinking.

Hence the smiley face.

What a nightmare! When I read all the initial hoopla, I almost pulled the trigger! And I figured they would really have their schit together at that price point. But, makes me glad I got my 2 Tikka's instead. Don't believe Forbes will be getting any of my coin any time soon.

There has been no update by the OP.

Maybe I missed it, but have you actually shot the gun yet?

Yep, first 2 rounds failed to eject, had to knock them out with a cleaning rod.


http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/8791003/2

Wow. Yet all you see all over the internet is glowing praise for the Forbes. Too bad I really thought they were going to be great rifles.

No, I don't think RL has shot it since it was returned.

What I posted was prior to the return, might have been a bit confusing.

No, I haven't shot it since return.. But it does feed extract and eject.

I'm going to give it a run this weekend, and unless it bugholes, I'll probably be rid of it.

I am truly sorry to hear bout your issues with your forbes. I recently bought a 24b in 30-06. I gotta say that I saw none of the issues you had. Once I figured out that it has an overwhelming affinity for imr 4831 and 165 gr bullets, it's been nothing but magic. Easy 1/2" groups with a couple smaller. I also have had no feeding or extraction issues. I did not pay a tremendous ammount of attention to the bedding around the action, although it seemed fine. I was more interested in the bedding around the barrel, which was spot on. I did talk to the GM over at Titan and he spent a fair ammount of time talkin to me about test loads and their experiences this far with that rifle. Again, I am sorry to hear bout your rifle and truly hope, now that you got it back, that it performs as mine has. Keep us posted please and I hope you don't give up on that rifle.

Have you looked at the bedding on the returned rifle? I'm very interested to hear the full update even though I know you have become a bit disheartened and disgusted over the whole experience.

Nope, keeping it screwed together as delivered to see if it shoots as promised.

But again, I might just flip it at the local gun show.

Feeling pretty ambivelent about it, now..

Don't be talking about local... If that's the way it's going to be I hope you just end up with bugholes!

Don't forget, I'm looking for a donor...

Keep your friends in mind...



Travis

Looking hard at a tikka 7/08 and a G34..

Tikka for the win!

Maybe mine is a fluke, but it still outshoots anything I have ever owned. Disheartening. Hoping my 6 Creed comes around, because the Tikka is showing it up too. I think that is my 7th custom tubed gun to get shamed.

I have both. Wouldn't sell either.

Doing a range day Saturday testing loads for the Tikka. 140 NAB and RL17 and Varget. 150 NABLR and RL17 and Hunter.

The go-to is 140 NAB and Big Game.


P

I got dibs after deflave...

Even if it doesn't shoot, that's an infamous rifle now.

No flies on T3's.....

JMC, a 700 might make a good donor for you, since it too has to be worked on.

Ashame about the Forbes, they seemed to hold much promise, but I have less patience than to go to all that trouble and expense only to ship it to Melvin and wait.

So... how did it shoot?

I haven't had any problems with mine...but I don't have it yet. I ordered it at the end of January and was told it would be ready in a "...couple of months" and that the would call me. So far, I've heard nothing. At this rate, I will probably just let sleeping dogs lie and buy a Kimber.

I'd still be interesting in hearing about how it shot as well.
Good luck.

So Rancho hasn't shot his yet - he's home right?

Yep, home, but busy!

Loco, I hope it works out for you.


I have a SS in 6.5x55 coming in next week.

I look forward to shooting it.

Rancho
How smoky is it there now?
Fred

Hasn't been too bad until this morning.. Can't see the Gallatins!

Can ya see 100 yards?

That's about as bad as it was last summer.. We're not there yet.

Forecast for a god breeze today, hope it blow some of this out.

It is the worst Ive seen it here in the Capitol city...

Dam- Doesn't sound as though it is going to get better soon, either.

The National Weather Service website is predicting clearing in the Helena area in a couple of days, apparently due to a shift in winds. But we all know how weather predictions can "work."

100 yards, like, from muzzle to target?

Forbes 20B is my final desperation plan for a .308 lefty.

Get Busy, get your ass off the couch.

We need details.

Dude, my ass is in a mini excavator and skid steer on my days off this week.

If I go out to the range tomorrow, I'm halfway to Shedhorn..

Ya I'm dying to hear your results. I've been scouring the internet and other than here I'm really not seeing much mentioned about bad guns. I hope your's shoots great. If they can get a handle on their QC and customer service they could have a great product.

I suspect the experience has cooled enthusiasm and left a sour taste in general toward the rifle. I had a bad experience with Beretta CS that left me unenthusiastic toward a Sako 75 for quite some time.

Were they kind enough to send it back with a proof target? Edit: Kimber did with mine.

Rancho, I will help get these guys off your arse. Just send me the rifle for a quick photo shoot and range session. You're welcome in advance.

I would be absolutely stunned if Forbes CS whizzes did something that intelligent.

They sent a QC punch list to show it passed all required checks.

It was completely illegible.

So they pretty much called you a dumbass in the repair comments section and mailed you the card as a trophy? Wow.

Pretty special, huh?

Rick told me I was lucky to get such good treatment by a company.

I trust you told Rick that you're going to eagerly spread the word, too.

This mess is painful to watch. I really want to go up there and fix things, but obviously no one is asking for my help. I might as well be pissing upwind in the Montana prairie. What a crying shame.

Seems to be a disconnect between the original designers and the the folks doing the execution. Appear to be lacking a passion or pride in the product.

You're being too kind, prm. Forbes is turning out to be uber-inept. If the folks running the show up there want to succeed, they're putting on an Oscar-worthy performance to convince me otherwise.

For the record, I'm not indicting Melvin in that statement (unless he somehow has a hand in the day-to-day operation of the company).

At least it has an ER Shaw barrel.

Those Shaw barrels are quickly becoming the highlight of each rifle. Whodda thunk it?

Wind blew the smoke out today, and I just turned the Forbes into a SS Tikka 7/08 and a Sig C3..

Didn't even bother to shoot it before flipping it, and you won't see me shedding a tear..

Thats funny- i dont blame ya one bit. Im sure the tikka is fine and i love those sigs.

good trade in my book

Tripped my donor...I'm crying.

This was about us, not you!

Every now and then ya take one for the team.........

All the build up to this and then you don't even shoot it? Seems to be a lot of wasted motions.....

Figured it was fixed and LNIB, no better time to flip it to something that I know will work.

If I started shooting it and chit went south, that's something I wouldn't want to deal with again.

If you happen to hear any feedback from the new owner, I would like to know how it performs. At least tell me you saved that sweet repair card that came from Forbes.

Nope, went with the gun.. There were some chuckles and head shakes about it at the counter.

Melvin has pulled this twice now. First with Colt, now with Forbes..

Could be wrong but I have a strange feeling that I fixed it for ya.

Dave.

Would have thought he would have been smarter than that.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

This was a stone cold dish served up by loco. Was thinking about a Forbes till I spent a couple weeks checking back on this thread to see how things turned out. I figure I'll pay $700 for one in a couple of years, the way of the Colt ULR.

Damn I wish you had shot it. Two massive threads about how crappy the Forbes rifle was yet it was never shot. I totally understand why you dumped it, I would probably have done the same thing. At the same time. Forbes' reputation has been destroyed here, at least if it went out and shot tiny groups it would have gave them a little chance to fix their reputation.

I did shoot it. Twice at the beginning. Shooting wasn't the problem.

I'm betting it does shoot very well, but if anything went south on that rig, I would not want to deal with that CS again in a million years. But I figger the lights will be out way before then..

Very odd.

My own experience could not have been more different.

First group out of my 24B .270



Great fit and finish - bedding very clean. Best out-of-the box trigger I have ever seen on a BG rifle. Did find the feeding a bit gritty but a bit of time with a stone and lapping compound cleaned that up just fine. Feeds, extracts and ejects reliably.

Luck of the draw I guess.

Roulette, they like to call it....

They only call it Roulette when referring to Kimbers�...

The .223 montana in the rack was awful tempting..

I know dammit. They feel goood�.

Take the plunge

No fuggin way��..

For what its worth I got the only 1911 they ever made that wasn't worth a schitt, it didn't inspire confidence in them.

In contrast�I LOVE their 1911s�.

Not me, my Ruger P90 was a better gun. I have Colt that's done right now, happiness.

RanchoL
Really sorry to hear of ALL the issues you had here! Man I have been drooling badly for an ultralight model (84M or 20B) in either 7/08 or 308 for a good while!
I hated reading about all your problems with yours and then you not shooting it to boot after its return to you! I understand totally what you did though, BUT
I'M GONNA TAKE THE PLUNGE!!!!
I will be getting a 20B in 308 shortly. Lemons appear and I've tasted them sour ones, but I gotta give one a run!!!!#

Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it goes when it arrives.....
BloodGroove4570

Does anyone have any links to other Forbes owners who have had similar problems? Wondering if this was just a isolated case of a rifle built Friday at 4pm or a epidemic problem.

I haven't seen any other's yet, and I Hope I Don't ride the same wave a RL had to!!!!

BloodGroove4570

STS- ever heard of bad Sako, Tikka, or even Ruger mfg on a Friday?
Gross incompetence and negligence from mfg to CS service

Maybe it was isolated but there were Multiple problems.
I was planning to try one but after all of this, I will pass.
Wish those who try them good luck. If I were Melvin if be chewing ass
But perhaps he and I are different.

If you get a bad one, remember you volunteered for it.


P

I had a 20B for a bit. It wouldn't extract a case as shipped from the factory. I called and they mailed me a new extractor. That solved the problem....

The bedding wasn't perfect, but it shot well.

Don't ever buy "ANY" new product until it's been out in the public for at least 2-3 years, longer on new model cars and trucks.

I joined the peasant club.



Travis

Chances are that you'll be just fine. I've shot three, and all have been exceptional shooters. The first one had a few minor cosmetic problems, but that was a pretty early model. As SAS noted, the actions can also be a little gritty at first, but smooth out over time.

Don't forget to report back in.

Can I come shoot some pheasant with you?

You no-good-sonofabeech.




Travis

I guess that is a NO!

So in keeping with this, would you not take a flier on one of the production guns that Montana Rifle Co is putting out?

If I was Melvin Forbes, I wouldn't let a rifle get out of my shop with that sloppy stock work and after the customer returned the rifle, Forbes let it get out the same way again?
I would have replaced the damned stock and made certain it was bedded right and easy to look at.

Makes one think twice about his NULA at $3K.

All I'm saying is that 99% of the time you will get a better product after it's been in production for a few years. I don't know what take a flier means.

You're always welcome here.




Travis

flier = chance:)

What do a NULA and a Forbes have to do with each other? I know they're both tied to Melvin, but to insinuate that they're similar to one another from a production and QC standpoint really isn't valid.

Especially since Melvin and the NULA shop are in West Virginia and Forbes is in Maine.

Well they ain't called Amos N Andy.

I do love the camaraderie folks have for ol' Mel with a rifle that has his name on it...

So what you are telling me is that Melvin Forbes is NULA but that you are clueless as to who owns Forbes Rifle LLC in Maine?

And are you clueless to the fact that Melvin Forbes hand builds his NULA and gets $3000 for it but that the Forbes Rifles appear to be thrown together with little attention to detail and that some will give $1400 for a bargain rifle with the Forbes name on it?

Get a Colt Light Rifle for $500 and be just as well off.

Forbes didn't get where he's at by being stupid..

Obviously Melvin Forbes is an innovator in the firearms industry and I am just a schmuck who buys guns. It is also obvious that people who have bought NULAs are very happy with them. And they should be for the price they pay. It is also obvious that people are touchy if you say anything that is remotely derogatory about Melvin Forbes.

As a guy who had two successive Forbes rifles that were complete POS, quality control disasters, I have paid for the right to voice my respective opinion.

Like all of us on this board, save for Mule Deer possibly, none of us know the business arrangement. But it is pretty obvious that they do not take apart their guns for a visual inspection of the bedding and running a few dummy rounds through to see if their are FTF / FTE problems. If these jackasses did that, which would take no more than fifteen minutes, NONE of these threads would exist. None. But they don't, so these threads do exist.

I would hazard a guess that not a single NULA has ever gotten out of Melvin's shop without these two things being done.

I am not gonna throw stones, but this tells me that Melvin Forbes likely has very little, if any, control of Forbes Rifles LLC. My guess is he got paid for the design and use of his name, and has some type of royalty arrangement. I bet these fiascos really make his blood boil. If he does have real influence, he needs a kick in the ass like the rest of them.

Great post! You hit the nail on the head.

I'm picking up my Forbes 24B tomorrow, look forward to getting it.

Good luck, and please let us know how it looks and shoots.

Will do, I want to also compare it to my 700 Ti and 84L.

I'd be interested to hear how it compares, those are two great rifles IMO.

Just a bit ago I picked up my Forbes 24b in 6.5x55.

Initial impression is I am very impressed with the rifle.

I had Forbes send it to my smith who builds custom rifles and his minimum cost is $3,000 for his builds.

My smith said he could not build a rifle for what I paid for it. Granted the barrel is not from Wisconsin.

Had I not liked the rifle I could have walked away from the deal.
I took it home.

Not to take away from Loco's bad experience as I respect his opinion..

This Forbes rifle is no CLR nor is it any 84L or Ti. It's grades above the mentioned.

The Forbes stock and metal work and overall finish is much superior to the Kimber.

There was a very slight bit of stock roughness (if you can call it that) in the trigger area but my smith said it was a non-factor.
The Forbes comes pillar bedded and ready to shoot. The trigger out of the box is ready to go at 2.5 to 3 lbs.

I love the stock ergonomics. It fits me great. It feels like a full size rifle and I can tell when a scope is mounted I'll be lined up just about perfect.

Brass ejects with a 'snap' ! no problem there.
The bolt opens slightly rough but that is due to the phosphate finish, which is great as corrosion resistant finish. It will smooth out over time. Not a big deal at all to me.

Weight was 5 lbs 11 oz. maybe due to the smaller bore. (Not as light as my 260 and 270 Ti's)

So, my initial impression is excellent.

Having a hard time deciding which scope to mount.
Thinking 6x42 with an M1 on top.

The rifle has a 1/8 twist and I have some 140 Berger's to send down range. I hope it shoots................and if it does shoot, I can see myself ordering another one of these in 35 Whelen.

Sounds nice Bob.

Start your own thread.....don't pull this one down.

Glad you like it. What about the stock and metal work fit and finish is superior to the Kimber? I would love to see some close up pictures.

especially side by side.....

I'm here to offer my "opinion" on this public thread. You don't like it move on.

It's an opinion, take it or leave it. I don't care.

If the rifle shoots as I suspect it will. I'll post my results here and be done with it.

To those who want pics, its not worth my time.

If the OP ask me to move, I will.

Hold on guys, if SU or anyone else gets a great Forbes, awesome, and report away here or on any other thread.

I was only reporting on my experience, as it were, and have washed my hands of it. Maybe Rick and his crew are starting to get their chit together and folks will be getting what they pay for.

and all we wanted to see, was how much 'grades above' a Kimber or Ti, the 24 is. But, 'not worth my time' is telling....

I hope your gun is made and shoots awesome despite my unfortunate experiences. Be sure to post how she does. Good luck and straight shooting!

It was only a sarcastic comment as this thread was started so ANYBODY who looked for a review on a Forbes rifle would see how bad their customer service and their rifle are/were. The OP certainly had his issues with the gun in question and wanted to make sure anyone who might be interested in one would see it. Kind of like getting his pound of flesh.........

I hope your Forbes rifle works out good for you and could GIF about pics.

The company Titan is a defense contractor who is used to making 50 cal machine guns ect. Not exactly trained in the art of CS in the sporting goods market place.

They have some things to learn for sure. I have called them a few times and to say the least it was blunt at best.
I have talked with Rick recently before I got my rifle and voiced my concerns with him as a result of this thread. He was reassuring that they had made the fix. From what I see with my rifle they have. Unfortunately for Local, it didn't work out. Guess I am glad I didn't get an earlier one.

Still, I have a rifle of quality and was worth the hassle to me.

Thanks for your explanation.


Huntsman22 I apologize, but I really don't think pics will do justice unless you really handle the product and really see it up close.

But for sure's ,, I like this Forbes.

So far...:D

maybe pics later....

DISAPPOINTED......................IN FORBES 24b 6.5X55 Received my new 6.5x55 and checked out the COAL for it.

Breaking BAD here. It has more free bore than a Weatherby rifle.

The purpose for the 1/8 twist is to shoot long target bullets, 140's that like to be jammed not jumped. The COAL comes out to a bit over 3.330. WAY TO MUCH THROAT! Ideal for a Berger 140 VLD would be about 3.120. Whoever made the decision to throat these rifles out so long doesn't have ANY CLUE as to what is going on.

but does it shoot?

Shoot it and report back.

Tikka's have deep throats...and they shoot well.
Savage's have deep throats...and they shoot well too.

No factory rifle (6.5) is going to be throated appropriately for the 140 VLD. If they were, factory ammo designed for the cartridge may cause other issues. I'm sure SAAMI chamber specs take into consideration bullets from the time period the cartridge was designed.

Shooting "well" is not good enough.




Like what?

There is no reason for Forbes to throat out that long.

Just curious has anyone actually shot their Forbes?

LOL!

&

+1

My 24B in .270 also has a long jump. Accuracy is outstanding for a light rifle.

Shoot it and then tell us if there is a problem.

I would love to shoot my Forbes cept they sent me the wrong rings. I'm waiting to receive the correct ones.

With Berger bullets?

My point is this....if they throated the rifle appropriately for the 140 VLD, how would this work in the chamber?



I'm pretty critical of manufacturers throating choices too, but I realize they're taking lots of things into consideration. If the 140 VLD was all I was going to shoot, I'd have a barrel screwed on and throated to my liking.

I've also seen Bergers shoot bugholes at long distances with lots of jump.

The original military load was a very long round nose jacketed bullet at 156 grains. 160 grain bullets were common in commercial ammunition.
Here's a link to an article by Muledeer which discusses reloading for the cartridge and the basis for the long throat. http://gunsmagazine.com/the-6-5x55/
He discusses having the parallel section of the throat on his custom barrel cut slightly shorter than spec.

I realize this and unfortunately the Sweede suffers as a result.

It's loaded down as well.

They need to modernize it with modern bullets and pressures and if the old rounds don't fit, to bad. An old fart mentality holds this cartridge in bondage to 1896.


If I wanted to shoot Noslers, Horns, and ect I would have bought a 270.

I was hoping for a lightweight, light recoil LR rifle.

Why not go shoot it first before giving up on it?

It just might do all that needs doing - long throat and all?

I'm not giving up on it. I'll be shooting it.

I also ordered some 140 Hybrid bullets and hope they will shoot accurate.

I was hoping for a lightweight, light recoil LR rifle.

Are they making a 260 or 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5X284?

No, just the Sweede in 6.5

I would have preferred the 6.5x284.

What a couple of other people have mentioned is indeed exactly why the throat is so long: That's the standard factory throat for the 6.5x55.

If they put a shorter throat in it there can be problems, especially with some European factory ammo. My own 6.5x55 is built on an FN Mauser 98 action with short "target" throated reamer. Both Norma and RWS factory ammo result in too-high pressures, because the bullets are jammed into the throat.

But even Berger VLD's sometimes shoot very well when jumped, and the long standard throat in a 6.5x55 doesn't mean it won't shoot with various bullets. I once owned a Ruger 77 Mark II in 6.5x55 and it shot not just very well but EXTREMELY well with a variety of bullets, all of which had to be more-or-less jumped. have seen the same thing in a bunch of other rifles.

Also, I would bet Melvin wouldn't charge a whole lot to set the barrel back and rechamber with a shorter throat. Somebody else could do the same thing and rechamber to 6.5/.284. The barrel would then be free-floated, but that's not all bad either.

But you can't expect an American factory 6.5x55 to have a shorter-than SAAMI throat.

MD, I greatly appreciate your input. Thank you.

Certainly gives me something to think about doing.

I'd probably leave it as a Sweede for lighter recoil.

I would think you could load it to 260 Ackley speeds. That's not a bad thing either.

Yeah, it's capable of a little more zip than the .260, but not a lot.

Hmmmm....if you did the same to a Tikka you might actually have something.

TAK opining about rifles.

This could get UBER good.




Travis

kinda like when he talks handguns?

What is your Bill Drill time cowboy? Care to share a Rogers Range score?

Don't know this Bill guy, and nobody named Rogers has any range around here abouts. But I am "Home, Home on the Range", where the deers and the porkypines plaaaaaayyy........

That pic of the outdoors scared TAK away.

Poor little TAKy pooh.



Travis

Did Bin finally chitcan all of take a pee's AP's?

Poor Take a pee can't pretend like he used to.




Travis

Well, Travis, you were wrong: It didn't get interesting. But even the best on the Campfire are wrong once in a while....

The night is young my friend. The night is young...




Travis

No, I have only used 130 Accubonds and Scirocco's to date. I have not duplicated the group I posted on page 11 of this thread but have sent enough downrange to be fairly confident this is a steady 3/4 - 1" rifle.

A sample of one is not much to go by but it appears to me that Forbes is holding up their end of the bargain.

Next day now but how 'bout both of you MT kocksukkers GF yo'selves?

Interesting enough?

At least you saved yourself some embarrassment. Had you posted something about rifles we might have been lead to believe you weren't "the real deal."

Laughin'...





Travis

This reminds me.. I need to go pick up my C3.

H22,
Nice looking Smith, even if it is a 1911. What do you prefer to run in it and how does she shoot? Porcupine of angle at least

I just run ball thru it on the ranch. It does a little better than Minute.Of.Porky. It'll do M.O.Skwirkle. With the obligatory "If I do my part, all day long" blahblahblah......

There ain't a mark on him, fess up, the noise scared him to death, didn't it?

yes. the side that is down is well 'marked'. But I'm pretty sure he died of fear anyway.

I called Forbes Rifles yesterday and spoke to the man in charge on the first try. Had a really nice conversation with Rick and we exchanged contact information. Maybe I was lucky....but I'm never that lucky.

Didn't read all this thread, I hope your problem is solved.

Are you a current customer or potential customer?

For those interested.

I have been load developing the 6.5x55. I thought i had a loser, shooting 2" groups. Then I settled the COAL in at 3.150 for the Berger 140's. Lots of jump.

This evening I shot some high .3's at 2,875 mv burning 7828 SCC 49.0 grains. Lapua brass and Rem primers.

Best fitting rifle I have ever shot. The stock fits me like a glove and the balance is perfect.


Looks like a keeper.

Good to hear. Sounds like a keeper. Thank you for the update.

Was waiting for a SS barreled Forbes in .243. Just picked up another Montana in .243 instead. Its a hobby, and Forbes needs to pay more attention to the hobbyists.

Well its been awhile but I thought I'd get back here to update on my 20B / 308..
I picked it up in sept/oct and mounted up a Leupold 1.75-6x33 in the Talley rings supplied with rifle. It weighs in at about 5.7#'s empty. I had it to the range twice before deer season to have it ready best as possible to hunt with. I only had 2 types of factory ammo ( Rem 150gr PSP CL's and 150gr Fed blue box) I also loaded up some 150gr BT's over imr-4064 and 130gr TTSX over Varget. The rifle is just scary accurate with all of these loads. Now they have different POI but that's to be expected. I settled on the 130 TTSX with Varget (forget specifics right now on load w/o lookin at load book) but it shoots a ragged hole @ 150yds when I'm steady and on my game. The rifle is pretty sweet IMO and I am happy to have gotten it and a good one to boot.

The Only issue I have to figure out is with extraction. Factory loads are fine, no problems. My handloads give me sticky extraction unless I'm at the very starting load weight..? I'm getting no pressure signs like cratered/flattened primers, but they like to stick in the chamber once I start to climb above starting charge weight. Now I was kinda rushing my time at getting things ready for huntin season, but by NO means do I EVER rush while handloading. I weigh each & EVERY charge and take my time during building my loads up so I get good Safe ammo. I know a chrony would help but I just haven't gotten the funds for one yet... I was thinking of getting a Forster bench rest FL sizer to maybe help in this area of resizing fired cases. IIRC the Forbes is supposed to have a match chamber.?.?.?

Anyways, I LOVE the rifle and its mighty fine totin in the deer woods. I didn't get my deer this year with the Forbes rifle ( Got 1 in shotgun territory with the 44 handgun, Go Figure ) but I really do like the rifle and it shoots and carries Excellent!!!!

I hope the best to any & all future and past buyers....
Be Safe & Shoot STR8....

BloodGroove4570

I am on my second 20B. The first in 308 with a stainless barrel wouldn't feed properly and had something loose inside the stock so it shook like a kids rattle. It went back and I also reported it didn't shoot that well. They didn't really check the accuracy but seemed to think it had to be a tack-driver as they"all were". I had my gunsmith evaluate it and he got exactly the same sort of groups I was getting. They agreed to replace my rifle with a "hand picked" for accuracy one. The replacement shoots much the same as the first one. 1.25MOA with loads it likes. 2-3" with loads it doesn't like. I have had other people shoot it to check my shooting and they get about what I do out of it. They were also going to send me a check to cover my shipping costs. That didn't happen either. I won't be buying another! Dreadful experience. I am done with them as they don't follow through with what they say they are going to do and it isn't worth any more of my time dealing with them.

No regrets about my decision to go with a Montana....