Inconsistant quality will kill any product. ...
Spot on... I had both of the group buy LH rifles. Zero issues. Same set of 25 rifles each, multiple other members had issues with feeding. Generated a number of MRC skeptics. On another thread, there is a chit storm going about inconsistent quality issues with the Left Hand Stainless Win M70's. Generated a number of Win M70 Classic skeptics. There was a period when Ruger shipped a some rifles with visibly bent barrels. Generated some Ruger skeptics.
The key piece is how do they respond to the issues. IIRC, Ruger made good on the bent barrels. As a result, the Hawkeyes, et al, are now viewed as very functional rifles. Good value / bang for the buck. The Winchesters and MRC's still suffering perceptions due to poor CS, even if the underlying issues have been resolved.
I am pulling for the new management team at MRC as well.
