Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Legendary Arms Works

This is my LAW experience take it for what its worth!!!!

Be careful what you wish for 300 win mag:

About two years ago, I decided I needed a 300 win mag to be cool like the rest of the guys. Traditionally, I always hunted with a Weatherby Vanguard 30.06 rifle. I wanted to hunt wide open spaces and make far kill shots like the guys on TV. I needed a 300 Win Mag it was gonna be my dream rifle. I mostly hunt the Ozark Woods of Central Missouri with no need for such a large caliber rifle.

So I purchased the best Sako 300 Win Mag Gray Wolf rifle and mounted a $1500 Leupold VX-6 scope on it. It shot like a dream (sub MOA all day) but would not eject a shell casing to save its life. The fired casing would hit the bottom of the scope and sent it directly back into the action, which of course jammed the action. I had at best a one shot wonder of a rifle. I shot a running Kansas buck at 375 yards and he kept trucking. I needed a follow up shot, which of course was not going to happen because with gloves on, I couldn’t unjam the rifle. I ended up losing the buck on the neighbor’s property, but they kindly let me track it and recover it. After that I decided a fix was in order, I mean if I was gonna hunt Moose, Elk, and Bear a follow up shot might be in order. I tried working with the manufacturer and they would do nothing to resolve the issue. (google it they know about the ejection problem but they will not fix it) They said sell the scope and buy a smaller one. This was not an option as used scopes just don’t bring any money. SO after reloading a hundred shells and taking my time seasoning the barrel and loving the rifle, I sold it for a loss. I explain to the guy that bought it. You can’t use a 30 mm tube scope on it. It won’t eject. He didn’t care he had a Sako. I was never found of the silver barrel and pretty wood anyways.

I thought you need a real expensive Weatherby Mark V to show off at deer camp. But then, I had a deal coming on a new rife that was the cat’s meow. So after that, I came upon a sweet deal on a Legendary Arms Works 300 Win Mag (The Professional), never fired. New in box. It was priced at what was a steal. About 60% of what they retail for in the store if you can find them. I bought it from one of their factory reps. I had learned my lesson, buy American. It was listed as one of the best rifles in Field n Stream magazine. Editor’s choice from several others. A cerekoted dream of a boom stick. It was love at first sight. I mounted my scope VX-6 scope on it and relished it. I had finally found a good rifle.

So next was the range. I shot it. It was all over the place. I tried 3 different brands of shells. Sub MOA my - more like 3 or 4 MOA at a hundred yards. I had never shot a gun that grouped so poorly. I had a friend who shot competitive bench rest matches shoot it. His best 3 MOA. So, I contacted the company. They said “we want to see that rifle”. They over-nighted it back to the factory. I then contacted them two weeks later and they said, your rifle is in line to be worked on by our best gunsmith, it will take a month. So five weeks later, they call me to tell me that they shot my gun and it sucked. They want to rework the whole gun the barrel is substandard. So a New barrel, sand blast, re-cerekote, range test and ship a less than MOA rifle back to me. Better than new. A reworked rifle by “custom gunsmiths” at no cost to me. Sweet deal right there. Finally someone who will stand behind their product. Made in the USA.

So a few more weeks go by. I hear nothing, I call and they say your rifle is all built. We are gonna range test it, clean it and send it back to you immediately. I say to myself be patient your gun will shoot one ragged hole. So I wait about a month and no gun. I have tried to call them atleast 20 times but their voice mail boxes are all full. So you can’t leave them a message. No real person will answer the phone. No updates. No rifle. I am at my wits end with this company. No rifle for deer season. It doesn’t take 3 plus months to work on a gun. No email addy no nothing. Do I contact the BBB with a complaint? Do I send a certified letter, for all I know they closed up shop and skipped town.

I reached into the safe, and dusted off my old trusty Weatherby Vanguard 30.06. It shoots Sub MOA. Another gun season in the books. No 300 Win Mag. I guess I should have coughed up the dough and bought a Weatherby Mark V like I wanted too. It’s my fault. I tried to save a few bucks and be cool. Most of all buy American made. Maybe by x-mas I will have my gun back if the folks at Legendary Arms Works aren’t out of business.

Two weeks went by I sent emails, I called no answer. I finally just started pressing buttons and ended up in accountants payable who actually answered. I was transferred to a new "CEO" who said they would check on my gun personally. I was told the persons that I had been dealing with no longer worked there and there was a problem with the phones. The CEO called me back in 45 min and told me my gun was still sitting on a self not having had the new barrel put on yet. I was floored I mean a few weeks before I was told it was all done just needing a range test. I was assured my gun would be a top priority and fixed right ASAP.

Part 2:

I received my gun back on November 21st. It was at Legendary Arms works for over four months.

I called the CEO a week prior to receiving it for an update on its status as in an earlier conversation I was told if I didnt hear anything in a week or so to call back. I was told someone had reportedly notified me the week before on its status by the CEO, but no one did. Then I was later told they left me a voicemail, no voicemail was ever received. I never pressed the issue about not receiving a call or voicemail.

I was then told my gun was fixed and it was going to be fed ex'd back to me in a few days. I was told I would receive a call with shipping information. Never received a call. My Fed Ex app let me know that my gun was on the way back to me. I was able to sign for it and receive it with no problems due to the Fed Ex app.

SO one thing I can say is they still have a customer service problem.

Now onto the rifle. It came back to me with a slightly heavier barrel as far as I could tell a few ounces maybe. It was in flawless condition. Included with the rifle were some targets that were shot by "Mark Bansner". Several different kinds of factory ammo (4 different ammo brands total from 168 grain to 180 grain) were tried. I could see by the targets that the more the rifle was fired the tighter the groups were getting. On the last target there was a sub MOA group (measured .775) with Barnes bullets. There was a note written on the target that said "Shot # 19, 20 , 21 another 10 to 20 and it will be broke in" Signed "Mark Bansner" the gunsmith who started Legendary Arms Works.

So I took the rifle and mounted my Leupold VX-6 30mm Scope back on it. I made sure it was tightened to specs and level. I used talley one piece low rings. I went to the range the next day. I took a blue box of federal 180 grain "cheaper" 300 win mag, a box of Vortex with Barnes Bullets 168 grain, and a Box of Hornady 200 Grain ELD precison hunter.

I fired the rifle using three shot rapid fire groups allowing the rifle to cool at least ten minutes in between groups. The results were impressive to say the least. The rifle with its 704 action ejected the spent casing flawlessly. Never hitting the scope. It shot all three types of bullets under an inch MOA. The best was Hornady 200 grain ELD with a group of .625 with three other groups under .700

I have not seen that kind of grouping from factory ammo in a 300 win mag in a long time. With handloads that LAW rifle should group atleast in the .5 range I would guess. My Sako grouped .785 at its best group with handloads. It was about .850 average with factory ammo.

I have tried to be fair in my review. The customer service absolutely sucks. The rifle however is well in my opinion Legendary.

I look forward to the 2017 hunting season to try it out. As for this year, I tagged out with my old 30.06 that I had tossed in the gunsafe and forsaken once I got bit by the 300 win mag bug.