Not me, one of my BIL's.

FIL gave his only son his pride and joy, a 6.5x284, predator action, jeweled trigger, 28" schneider barrel, nightforce scope 12x42 56 mm...

This gun was a tack driver. FIL worked up 2 loads that were unbelievable. 5 shot groups were only slightly larger than 1 hole... cover the group up with a dime and have plenty of room to spare. The finest shooting rifle I have ever seen!

Well, BIL has been given numerous rifles and is never satisfied, but those are other stories, back to this one.

BIL sent the gun to some fellow, with instructions to cut 4-6" off the barrel and re-crown it. Swapped the scope and some 'boot; for the barrel work. He's in the market for another scope to go on the gun.

Maybe it will turn out ok, but I'm not too optimistic about the situation.

I know its not my rifle, but the FIL wont be with us much longer and I would have kept the gun just as it was. BIL wont tell his dad what he is having done to the gun. Like I said, this isnt the first rifle FIL gave to BIL and he has screwed up everyone of them. Sad part is this was FIL pride and joy and there wont be another. Just hope someday BIL realizes that he doesnt have a thing from his father, that he (BIL) hasnt screwed up!

Rant over!

A 24" barrel with a smaller scope isn't the end the end of the world. If it's done right it won't have any affect on the accuracy and might turn out to be a more practical hunting rig.

If he needed a hunting rig, maybe I could understand the changes. But all he has to do is go to his closet and choose between 4 other rifles to hunt with that his father gave him. 4 other rifles that were fine guns, until he got them. Now none of them will shoot better than 3" groups at 100 yards, (my 30-30 out-shoots all of them). All 4 guns were no worse than 1.5" @ 100 yds when he got them, but like I said, he is never satisfied. Had changes made to all of them and now cant get them to shoot worth-a-damn.

It almost sent his dad to his grave when he found out he screwed up the 25 wsm he gave the BIL. That's why the BIL wont tell his father he has sent off this rifle to be worked on. It would be the last straw and we would be going to a funeral.

You have to fail at certain things to be a BIL.

That's weird, you'd think the BIL is the only one that has to make him happy.

Once something is GIVEN to another it is that persons and they can do with it as they wish. Better to have something the way you want it then something that sits around.

Nothing wrong with a 24" tube on a 6.5x284

I agree with the OP, guy should have kept it like it was for now. Later, after his father is gone, he could hack it up all he wants. (Although even then I would not have done it)

+1

So the rifle wasn't a gift?

Same here, although it sounds like the FIL knew from past experiences what would happen.

A. if there is a track record of the father in law being dissapointed after giving "gifts", then he is an idiot for giving him another.

Who gives away their favorite rifle?

For my purposes that would be fixing a screw up.

I'd have cut it too, in a heartbeat. I'd call it an improvemnet.

Dieing old men who what to give their possessions to their loved ones.

I am sentimental and would have left it the way Dad liked it.

But that would be with the understanding that it is mine and I can do with it as I like, even if that means screwing it up in the eyes of interested bystanders.

Sounds to me like Dad knew his son was Essau and cares not. Maybe you shouldn't either?

On the other hand if you're good to Dad and he gives stuff to the other guy in spite of a lack of appreciation I can understand why you might feel slighted, but sometimes blood is even thicker than Hoppe's #9 apparently?

I bought an immaculate SC 03-A3 with perfectly inletted Bishop French walnut handle, beautifully turned down barrel, rich, well maintained bluing, and Williams peep. When I was at the shop making the last payment the former owner waled into the store. The rifle had been his father's prize deer rifle, and he'd done all the work himself in the early 50s. The son had traded it in toward a Ruger revolver, and based upon my purchase price didn't get much for it.

"What a Phillistine!" thought I. It was, however, his to rid himself of...

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This line gets me!!! "BIL sent the gun to some fellow, with instructions to cut 4-6" off the barrel and re-crown it. Swapped the scope and some 'boot; for the barrel work. He's in the market for another scope to go on the gun."
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A Nightforce 'scope in trade for the barrel work? Who in the hell did he get? Those would be highway robbery
prices anywhere! BIL must be one dumb MoFo!

Sounds to me like someone is jealous the 6.5-284 went to someone else.

A rifle is just a thing. Don't have a heart attack over it.

I'd likely of lopped it off as well.

Mighta waited for the oldman to pass if it was likely to have caused any heartache.

I would have had the barrel cut as well, but I would use the gunsmith that had originally built the tack driver. I have given a few of my firearms to my oldest grandson, with the stipulation that I wanted him to keep them for me, after I'm gone he can do whatever he wants to do with them but I would hope that he would keep them for his son or grandson.

Exactly right!

I'd have shot F-class with it just the way it sat.