Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Montana Rifle Company 1999 action

maybe you like having your billing amounts changed.or like having companys tell you there is not enough money in their account for a return.Maybe you think thats good business.I did not know you worked at mrc and could help with the return(moron)

Woooo, I think you stepped in it there young fella.

Give me [bleep] too dudes, because I will happily share my negative experiences with MRC if you would like.

Step on up, I can handle anything the masses throw at me.

I have shot exactly one MRC rifle, but it was put together by Hill Country Rifles in Texas and it is a nice gun, shoots and handles well, but maybe they had taken some of the burrs off of things before my buddy bought the finished product.

This is the email I received:
the one from your rifle is bent drastically! Because of this, the "engagement" of the ejector on the case head is reduced from approximately .218" to .033". What this means is the ejector is barely sticking out from the bolt face (.033") when the bolt is in it's rearward most position. Of course, if the bolt is pulled rearward hard, this small engagement is sufficient to eject a case. However, it certainly isn't the .218" engagement of the original, and will never eject the cases like they should be.

Also, the bend caused the ejector to be in hard contact with the bolt body at all times, and not just from the spring tension. This is what caused the drag marks on the bolt, as well as the "sticking" of the bolt when trying to close it. In picture #2 you can see the tip of the ejector has been rolled over because of this.
the Teflon coating was marred because of dragging on the trigger sear pin. I originally thought the pin was too long, and it actually was, but this ejector is also .004" wider (thicker) than the others I have, which would be just enough to cause the drag we experienced earlier.

Steven, I have been building rifles all my life. I have built THOUSANDS of rifles on Winchester model 70 actions and have NEVER seen this. The only thing that contacts the ejector are the cases when they are being ejected. The force of the cases hitting the front of the ejector when you bring the bolt back is the only thing that can cause this. I know you have fed a LOT of rounds through this rifle, but I just can not fathom how or why this should happen.

In my opinion, this ejector is too soft. It should never bend. It is certainly different in design than the other two we have from Montana actions. This one appears to be a little longer (if you straightened it), and is certainly thicker.

Here is another email: DO YOU THINK ITS QUALITY CONTROL ISSUES ON MRC'S PART?

Jeff skirts around the issue of the blade being too soft. He is right about the hardness of the action and bolt, but the ejector blades are not hardened. Truth is, they probably use soft steel because it machines, or stamps easier. All I do know is that I can bend the three different ejector blades I have from their actions by hand, and I can't bend the Winchester model 70's. Certainly I have not done the design or engineering of these parts, that's not my job. It could well be that you don't need an ejector any more rigid than what theirs is. However, it seems Winchester thinks they should be.
Yes, I could have gone to Montana to get the replacement parts for this rifle. I am sure they would not cost you or I anything. However, every rifle I work on I pretend it is my own. Well, I think you know what I would do. Hell, right now I have 4 rifles in my shop built on Montana actions. One is my own .416!!! The other three are "spec" guns that are either finished or nearing completion. I guarantee these rifles will not be sold without me personally going through each and every one. I WILLreplace each ejector for sure. I will probably replace magazine boxes, springs and followers, maybe even bolt stops. What I find on your rifle will certainly influence what I do on the others. Certainly, the experience we have had with this rifle, and with the responses you have had from Montana, have helped make up my mind as to whether we use, sell, recommend, or even look at, another Montana action.

We need to look at this as a life lesson. I am just not sure why we need to go through so much grief to get so damn smart!

Steelhead,

Not giving you [bleep] but please post a link to your thread. As I've read many of your posts I'm sure that if a rifle company gave you a problem then you would have posted it here. I want to learn as much as I can before I pull the trigger on this thing.

Robert

It was many moons ago after when they were making their charter run. If you have read any of my posts you will have noticed I'm not quick to jump if a company makes right, which the majority do. This one didn't.

Thanks for the backup. Go ahead post it up.
Like I said many times let others not go through what we went through.

I don't understand your original post. Did you get the wrong follower from your gunsmith? If so that is the same answer I got from MRC when I had the wrong follower in my gun, coincidence? If that is not it I don't understand what you mean.

For the record, it weren't the product as much as it was the PEOPLE.

7RM,

I bought the rifle used from a member here. I got it home and tried to cycle rounds and they wouldn't cycle. I called MRC and Shane and Mike(Gunsmith) figured out that whoever built the rifle originally had ordered a 375H&H action and then installed a 264WM barrel...So the mag box,follower,bolt stop and extractor are all set up for a 375H&H....I ordered the 264WM box and follower first to see if it would feed and extract without sending in the bolt to have the extractor replaced.....Luckily it did and feeds and ejects smoothly.

This is a pic of the 375H&H Mag Box/Follower on the left and the new 264 set up on the right.



This is the bolt.....As you can see the bolt is for a 375H&H length but works for the 264WM. Jeff said that if I ever want to change the bolt stop and extractor out just to send it in. I may get it re-barreled into a 375 at some point so I'm trying to leave it as is and keep the 375 mag box and follower.

Steelhead,

Good to know. So far the people I've been dealing with have been great but I'm easy to get along with usually.

Robert

7mmrem Let's see:

YOU changed you mind and wanted a 375H&H action instead of 7mm Rem.
YOU changed you mind and cancelled your order on the 270 after you agreed to it

MRC try to accomodate you but stuff up. Not surprising as they are a very small company and if you are correct doing it tough. In all this tirade of yours not one criticism of your gunsmith. Yet he's done a thousand rifles and does not recognise the wrong follower? He does not test fire his completed work especially in a dangerous game calibre?

Like I said be fair.

You accuse me of being an employee of MRC - of which I'm not. It'd be interesting but the travel expenses from Australia would be a killer!

Now, what is your relationship with your gunsmith? Why don't you name him & shame him like you have with MRC. Any gunsmith worth his salt would examine the action you supplied & if its not up to scratch tell you so before he started work. Now if you really wanted to help people on this forum - you'd name him.

You tell us to buy Dakotas instead of an MRC? Huh, Dakotas cost a lot lot more do they not(if even available). Rather unrealistic comparison. Dakota have had a tough time financially-yet their product is high grade. I'm a RH shooter I have lots of options but my friend is a LH and if not for MRC there is not a lot of options for a CRF action for a custom at a reasonable price.

You seem a very vindictive type of person. If MRC go under its nothing to celebrate.

Hopefully, MRC will reply with their side of this story. Hopefully, you will get your money back from MRC. But at least have the guts to ask for your money back from your gunsmith too.

7remmag in your dealings it does not seem that you are a fair person. Like I said you got what you deserved.

Regards,
JohnT

I have one, a .284....it's pretty good now but took a lot of drama to get there. Being a lefty It seemed a viable option but I wouldnt want to deal with another one.

LC

It sounds like the original poster (and several others) have legitimate complaints. I can only relate my experience and I'm not dismissing or downplaying the experience of others.

I've had 2 MRC barreled actions. A stainless 30-06 and a stainless 375 Ruger. I only put a few rounds of light reloads down the 06, but it was very accurate with them. I got the itch for a Whelen so it's going through a rebarrel right now and some lightening as well. The 375 has been right around an inch with factory ammo....no reloads yet. Both feed and function fine. The actions are heavy and a little rough, but nothing that has caused me any trouble.

The company was great to deal with for me. A little slow, but that's SOP for most any gunsmithing. No problems but my orders were very basic....not to much to screw up.

It seems like a previous poster said, it's either all good or all bad with them. I'm happy with the work I recieved from them and have no complaints, but if I had been in the shoes of other posters here I doubt I would have been. They do make good ones....but it sounds like it can be a gamble.

JCM

7RM,

Do you think it's possible that your original action was used to build a 375H&H? That would explain your feeding issues. Why didn't your gunsmith notice the follower issue prior to sending you the rifle? Twice? I really don't understand that....I don't use World Renowned gunsmiths but even the guys I use would recognize and correct that issue before I received my rifle.

OK....Being a new owner of one of these actions this is what I've learned from this thread.

1) Customer Service from MRC has been lacking in the past.
2) Gunsmith's aren't familiar with the actions so WE have had to
live through their learning curve.
3) Once the bugs are worked out the owners seem to be satisfied.
4) Some folks have an axe to grind.
5) The customer service at MRC is improving based on my experience.

Robert

Thanks for posting those pictures. Did you find out who actually built the rifle? was it MRC or the guy you bought it from Gun smith?
The magazine box on the left is what I have now in my 375 the follower on the right is what I have now. The follower on your left looked nothing like the original one i got from MRC which they told me was wrong.

Yeah I changed my mind, what is your point?
I only cancelled my order after I got the run around with changing prices on item and the first action giving me an "S" load of problems. You bet your ass I cancelled the order.

Let's be fair. I guess you didn't understand that it was a sarcastic remark that you work at MRC.