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Posted By: 65BR Pics of my new custom action - 03/27/10
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Who feels this is acceptable? Would you pay $1,000+ for it?
No.
That's not to expect. What Has the Manufacture said, maybe it slipped thru and they will make it right??
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/27/10
The mfg. has yet to say a thing, but I intend to get a refund.

You don't let this crap 'Slip thru' to people expecting the quality that SHOULD be machined into a custom action and the price that accompanies.....BENCH REST quality/company actions.

There is another thread below on this but I wanted people to see it for themselves and chime in.
That is so obvious visually that the fact that it got through final inspection is astonishing and unacceptable.

Bet your heart sank when you saw that after opening the box and expecting to be thrilled!
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/27/10
Yep, but life goes on. When I get burned once, I find it hard to open my wallet a 2nd time, we will see.

If this was not acceptable by the mfg. and was not there, and the spot on the lettering of the action name, then yes, I would have been thrilled and likely bought more actions.

How it's handled will be interesting, but it put a real bad taste in my mouth. Based on some posts, one might think others expect less, and I too much? That's why I wanted others to see before they judge.

I'm glad you guys don't have real problems.........
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/27/10
LOL, Roads, sorry to make an issue out of this, but perhaps others will be spared the headache. I don't wish bad on anyone, but whoever let this action out the shop did not quite feel the same as I do.

You know, my boss was not happy I arrived a little late the day I p/u the action after lunch. Now I have to take more of my working hours to deal with this, and I never asked for the headache, simply gave the distributor my visa for what I thought was a first rate BR quality action from a co. that makes BR actions.

I see a value in forum posters sharing factual experiences to make others aware of pitfalls to prevent them from doing the same, whether they agree or disagree with my sentiments. I take value in what others share on the board to make sure I spend my money wisely.

Roads, best wishes in what you are going thru.

65BR I agree with you. That is unacceptable. Make it right or not. For a custom action that should never have shipped. I would want my money back also. Good luck. Tom.
What makes it unacceptable, in my opinion, is that you will have to remove a good deal of material in the feedramp in order to get those burrs smoothed down. That will likely increase the tolerances inside the action by altering the dimensions of the feed ramp. The whole reason to go with a custom action is tight tolerances, fit and finish. If they aren't like a Swiss watch, you're better off buying and building on a Rem 700.
Dude...

Two separate threads?

Let...it... go... crazy

We GET it. You're pissed. We know....

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...3937101/1/My_new_factory_custom_action_w
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/28/10
Coldbore.....you got that right.....I work my ass off for my paycheck.....and paid my money for what I was told was THE BEST in QC........and got [bleep].

Hope you are luckier than I.

P.S. The BORDEN action I rec'd the same day is FLAWLESS smile
Originally Posted by 65BR
........and got [bleep].


NO, you didn't.

You got one bad example, that everybody, including Borden, will eventually let slip by.

They are making it right.

So how did you "get [bleep]" here?

A little inconvenience, but I'm sure that you'll have a perfectly good action, at no more cost to you. That's hardly being [bleep].

Gonna put it in a McMillan? How many posts have been on here about poor inletting, wrong barrel channels, etc, etc, yet they are the darling of the crowd here. And the "excuse" often heard from the guys here when something is wrong? "Don't worry, they'll take care of it". Good stock with good service when hiccups happen. And guys continue to fall over themselves to buy them. You have one bad example of an action, and you want everybody to join in on condemning them for life?

I'd hate to see it if you ever run up against a serious problem in life....
Posted By: TC1 Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/28/10
What a shame. I don't think it's acceptable and would be interested in the outcome.

Now I don't know much about custom actions but, could this area be left high and a little unfinished on purpose? With the wide variaty of cartridges that could be used in the action maybe they want the ramp contoured by the barrel smith. I don't know, it's just a thought.

Let us know what they say.

Terry
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/28/10
Coldbore, NO sir, wrong there my friend, I had NO plans to put it in a McMillan. Your point is taken.

But I refuse to be taken for a fool by spending my hard earned cash for what should have been scrapped before it left the door, or FINISHED RIGHT.

The action is for sale in the classifieds for whoever thinks its acceptable and I am done on the topic.
I will buy it. Check classifieds....
Posted By: RinB Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/28/10
I have scanned the thread and can't find the maker's name. Who built it? Also, the marks look like inculsions within the steel rather than machine marks. Should have been caught regardless.
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/29/10
They are tooling marks, camera angle may not show well enough, but is obviously tooling marks.
65's point is well made, you pay big bucks for an action that is not mass produced and you still get mass produced quality. Not only big bucks but I bet a long wait to. While I am sure the manufacture will in the end make it right it does not excuse such an outragous slip in QC. I would be pissed too.
Posted By: SKane Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/29/10
This whole thing with the multiple posts and now the classified has taken a turn from a mildly understandable e-version of road rage to absolutely [bleep] absurd and ostentatious.

65BR, this will be one of those things, when you eventually back away from the crack pipe, that you'll look back on and say "man, I was an irrational dumb @ss".......

I hope the manufacturer contacts you before the men with the straight jacket show up to fetch you. eek
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/29/10
Skane, read what is on BAT's website:

This is the home of precision rifle actions, machining and tooling. Whether you are a competitive shooter or a rifle enthusiast wanting the finest possible action, you've come to the right place. Please take time to check out our actions and accessories. If you don't see exactly what you need, please get in touch with us as we can custom manufacture a solution for your specific needs. Thanks for stopping by!

Bruce A. Thom

Now if you think what I received is a "precision rifle actions, machining and tooling" than you are full of CHIT.

Maybe you have a close relationship w/either the mfg. or distributor, whatever your angle/agenda I don't know. The only agenda I had when I paid for the action is to receive what I was promised. There was no Commitment to deliver as promised givent their blatant lack of QC, nor any willingness by Bruce to show he gave a damn and wanted to provide an immediate agreed upon solution. There is another problem I see here, one where the trust that the distributor has in jeopardizing their business, by not delivering as promised, and reflecting upon their business.

I will damned to be attacked by the A$$holes on this site about MY choice to take control of this situation and provide my own resolution immediately rather than wait, wonder, and hope for a satisfactory resolution by Bruce Thom who waited three days to contact me AFTER I had contacted him.

There is NO excuse. Not for the action, or his brushing me off.

You guys who think I over reacted, and Bruce's response was fine, and the action getting out the door was fine, is exactly why this CHIT happens.

If anyone of you 'haters' out their had the balls to stand up for yourself when this crap happens and call them out, then you would not have heard or seen this happened. That action simply NEVER would have hit the market. That said, what pissed me off 10 fold was Bruce's lackadaisical attitude.

Bruce and I differ HIGHLY on what it means to take care of customers. I have been in business all my life and do my damnest to give my customer the utmost courtesy and respect and SERVICE and whenever there is an issue or question, I find an immediate answer or resolutiona and communicate with my customer on it. Bruce chose to NOT contact me via phone or email. Bruce chose to Not apologize this CHIT left the shop. Bruce made an excuse how the lettering on the action could not be messed up do to how they machine it (and that was a minor issue, but you are talking about a product that commands the highest price, promises the highest quality, and of all things, the name of your company you put on the product is not done right).

BAT shows me ZERO respect as a customer, for my time and dollars spent buying the action, and to the headache trying to get them to contact me.

SKane, obviously you and I differ. Best of luck you.

As to BAT, maybe because of THIS, they will get their act together. I got burned once, and why the hell should I give BAT a chance to do it again? They had their shot at earning a lifetime customer who potentially might have bought MANY actions, and MY experience shared w/peers would have resulted in many fold over in sales to other shooters.

You all are free to buy what you want, and deal with YOUR situations how you feel best. I did the same, and will continue. The last I checked, the USA is a free country and that includes free speech. I am sure for every person like you SKane, there are many more who like knowing a heads up before dropping nearly $1,100 dollars sight unseen for a product that is touted as WORLD CLASS.

I have nothing to apologize for, and I make NO excuses. As far as Bruce goes, as far as I am concerned, he has NO excuse for this happening IMHO.

Have a great day folks.

The problem with us A$$holes is that we understand the difference between having a problem with a rifle action-a problem that can and will be rectified-and having to go thru the serious stuff life throws at us, much of which can't be fixed.

Just one a$$holes thoughts on your current situation.
I've not read all of the two threads. Did they offer to make it right?

Nevermind.
65br is a person who needs lots of attention. He also has a inferiority complex and thinks BAT is trying to belittle him.

just another childish rant on the internet.

Would I have returned the action? Most likely...

Would I have handled this situation differently? Absolutely..
65BR, is your head in the sand?
Originally Posted by bxroads
65BR, is your head in the sand?


Pretty sure it ain't located in sand...
i'm still waiting for the third thread to be started about this soap opera.popcorn anyone laugh
Posted By: SKane Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/29/10
Originally Posted by 65BR
I am sure for every person like you SKane, there are many more who like knowing a heads up before dropping nearly $1,100 dollars sight unseen for a product that is touted as WORLD CLASS.



Tell ya what BR, I expect excellence from the products that I purchase and I expect excellence from the people that work for me. But I'm a realist - I do not expect perfection and I generally accept that mistakes, no matter who you are, do indeed happen. And it'd be a pretty dang boring world if everyone was perfect anyway. It's how people respond that makes the difference and, if they learn from those mistakes.

I also understand that as a single consumer, the sun does not rise and set on my @ss and that businesses today have to do less with more. What once was a simple call gets put on the back burner because of other duties, lines of communication get crossed, family matters etc. While there isn't a proper protocol for such a thing, you could have waited until you could talk to the company owner PERSONALLY or someone that could make a decision prior to taking it the world - man-to-man, the way things used to get handled. I have ZERO doubt that with a little patience that your handling of this life-or-death situation, like a man, would have been resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

Tomorrow morning I'll face east and watch the sun rise off of your @ss.






Posted By: Jayph Re: Pics of my new custom action - 03/29/10
Since you said you were ready to buy many actions from them in the future money is oviously no problem for you. And you have spent alot of time on many forums complaning about this so time doesn't seem to be a factor.

I recomend you buy yourself some CNC machines and get started on making your own action and I am sure you will have the perfection you desire.

If it happened to me I would be pissed. I would then calm down and deal with it. you took it to the ninth degree too soon. There is good and bad put out everyday no matter the price. The big thing is how they deal with it. Yes they phoned you only once and you were passed off to his brother but there is a hudge F-class shoot on right now aswell I am sure he is very busy in everyday life and buisiness. If monday you talked to his brother and they wouldn't resolve your problem I could see the point in all this, But as of now I am going to call it over reacting.

Life goes on
Copied & pasted from classified for the update here....


I just spoke with Bat and they will take care of it & ship to Robert Gradous for my .308 build.

Thanks 65BR for selling it to me and sorry it came with a flaw. Im looking forward to having a Bat action on my custom.

Im scared if this thread don't die, my rifle will be jinxed. smile

So STFU! smile Lol
You're a good man and you know that they will take care of you. No being on a long waiting list either.
Butch
That would not bother me. I doubt it even scratch cases being off to the side that way.
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 04/02/10
Butch, slg888 knew that when he contacted me to buy the action, because his smith is apparently tight with BAT and they had communicated, unlike me, who never spoke to anyone.

Stoney, your action won't be jinxed if its 'RIGHT' when you have the rifle built. Had I rec'd a well made action to start, or simply had a phone call quickly after I contacted them I may have had a decent rifle. I left 3 phone numbers and had one attempted call/and a msg on my home number over a 3 day period. An email came in on day 3 instead of a phone call to my cell/hm/work phones.

As to if it would scratch it......well Eddy, if you had a dent in the door of a brand new auto, and it did not 'affect' anything, would you accept it? Certainly not. As you know I felt I deserved to have BOUGHT a product made right when it left the factory and certainly have an immediate solution proposed by being contacted immediately after I notified the mfg. The ball was dropped twice IMHO and my patience was gone, and I had NO faith or trust left to allow the ball to get dropped 3x.

Guys, make your choices, spend your money how YOU choose, and good luck.



At the very least this incident reflects poorly on the quality control procedures at BAT. An easily visible defect such as the one on this action should have been caught before it ever left the factory. Especially when production isn't measured in hundreds of actions a day.
What does this easily seen defect getting out tell you about a defect that is much more difficult to see such as a dimensional or concentricity defect?
When my quality lab shipped a defective part to one of our customers that part was then required to undergo a 100% dimensional inspection for a period of time before we earned the right to take a statistical sample again. All of the other parts we made for this customer were also given greater scrutiny by their inspectors.
Whether or not 65BR handled this in the best way is debatable but a defect like this in a limited production part causes my confidence in the other aspects of their manufacture to be lessened.
Based on the picture, it would appear the receiver became loose in the fixture during the machining process. Gouges in the material like that are indicative of just such an occurrence.

My guess, and it is only a guess, so know one fly off the handle, is that the action came loose during machining. Somebody undoubtedly heard it, stopped the machine, tightened things up, and proceeded to finish out the operation.

If that was indeed the case, there's really no telling as to what other features may have been affected, but most often in cases like that, it would be isolated to the area that was visibly suffering from excessive tool marks.

No question that it should have been caught, but kudos to Bat for handling it the way they did.
It is unfortunate that a better compromise wasn't reached between all parties.

Posted By: SKane Re: Pics of my new custom action - 04/03/10
Originally Posted by nsaqam

Whether or not 65BR handled this in the best way is debatable


Ummmm, no, it's not. smile
For 65BR it was the best way since he got out of an action he had ZERO confidence in for full price. He wouldn't have trusted any action coming from BAT after this one and to sell this one he would have had to disclose the defects to any potential buyers.
Either way BAT was going to be hurt by this incident and just maybe they deserved to be hurt by letting this out of their shop. BAT may well improve their QC over this one incident. I hope so!
Your example of a scratch on a door does not fly, the correct anaolgy would be a scratch on an inner fender panel. Yes I would buy a car with a scratch or dented inner fender panel.

Originally Posted by 65BR
Butch, slg888 knew that when he contacted me to buy the action, because his smith is apparently tight with BAT and they had communicated, unlike me, who never spoke to anyone.

Stoney, your action won't be jinxed if its 'RIGHT' when you have the rifle built. Had I rec'd a well made action to start, or simply had a phone call quickly after I contacted them I may have had a decent rifle. I left 3 phone numbers and had one attempted call/and a msg on my home number over a 3 day period. An email came in on day 3 instead of a phone call to my cell/hm/work phones.

As to if it would scratch it......well Eddy, if you had a dent in the door of a brand new auto, and it did not 'affect' anything, would you accept it? Certainly not. As you know I felt I deserved to have BOUGHT a product made right when it left the factory and certainly have an immediate solution proposed by being contacted immediately after I notified the mfg. The ball was dropped twice IMHO and my patience was gone, and I had NO faith or trust left to allow the ball to get dropped 3x.

Guys, make your choices, spend your money how YOU choose, and good luck.



Originally Posted by EddyBo
Your example of a scratch on a door does not fly, the correct anaolgy would be a scratch on an inner fender panel. Yes I would buy a car with a scratch or dented inner fender panel.



No, the lettering on the outside of the action was screwed up too.
Also the analogy might be made that the feed ramp defects are like getting a Ferrari with a bad 2nd gear synchro. You don't see it but it can cause problems putting it in 2nd gear.

Either way, from a QC standpoint, it doesn't look good for BAT in my book.
for christ's sake let it go.
Posted By: 65BR Re: Pics of my new custom action - 04/03/10
Hey guys, I am over it, REALLY, and fine. I am sure BAT normally builds great actions, but I got unlucky. Eddy, all I have to say on the car analogy, is hey, I have bought USED cars at USED prices w/known 'cosmetic' issues.

When you buy a 'NEW' CUSTOM action, not only do you want PRECISION and TIGHT TOLERANCES thru OUT, but you expect the best in finishing INSIDE and OUT. I was VERY impressed when I bought my first Sako, a Pre-Garcia L579, as when I took it out the stock, BELOW the stockline finishing on the action was just as nice as what is visible when assembled. On the other hand, my Winchester's were NOT as well finished. THAT was cosmetic, hidden by the stock, and the M70 was less money, and I was ok with it, though somewhat turned off. As ANY product's price point rises, a consumer's EXPECTATIONS also rise, in perceived and real quality. NOBODY expects to buy a 50-100K+ BMW, Mercedes, Lambo, Porshe, Ferrari, etc. with ANY flaw ANYWHERE. They are 'top tier' names in their industry. Now if you bought a Yugo, or Hyundai, you might would expect a small 'cosmetic' flaw, even if you knew on the front end it would or would not affect it's function. A blatant flaw in a top tier brand no matter how small, where it's located, just very well might cast a shadow of doubt on the overall quality and performance of the product. It's subjective. Price/value, expectations on QC are subjective and do vary. Just MAYBE MY expectations are higher than some out there, or maybe my hard earned dollars are not as easy to come by as others, maybe others have more time on their hands to wait for a mfg. to correct what should not have been done wrong the first time. I will NEVER believe that somebody at BAT did not KNOW that issue existed when it shipped and that they allowed knowingly to let it go out the door. THAT person apparently had less appreciation and respect for the future buyer/owner of that action, and for the dollars they spent for it. THAT Irks me. Maybe that person who did final inspection has LESS expectations of acceptable QC that I do, OR maybe they somehow, and I really cannot imagine HOW, just did not see the issue, but I HIGHLY doubt that. IF they DID miss it, THAT would also REALLY cause me to lose confidence in what else they are not paying attention to. Either way, it happened, and it was not ok with me, even though it was to someone who let it ship. I really don't care How, Why, or Who, but it MATTERED that I got something that was NOT up to MY standards and the build had to be halted. The timeline that I got really pissed, was an email that was sub-par IMHO, 3 days after the fact, when a phone call would have ended my concern and perhaps a resolution would have been agreed upon.

There is not a CUSTOM ACTION MFG I know, BAT included that truly wants anything other than an action that at LEAST LOOKS high quality, let alone, function, and ultimately SHOOT Lights out if all components are top notch and put together by a good smith.

Again, I am just fine, blood pressure just fine now. I wish BAT the best going forward and agree w/above, if anything they will likely give an extra 'look over' before things ship.

Believe me guys, I really WISH I had rec'd a NICE BAT as I was putting a build together pronto. Instead, I now have another action that meets my inspection, a nice bbl, a stock, Jewell, and mounts that is slated to go to a smith next week. Time was not on BAT's side for this build to happen, so my entire plans to use an action that was shipped in days from the distributor, had to be scratched if I was to complete the build on MY time table.

SKane, I contacted the mfg. immediately and really expected and hoped for a fast response and a speedy resolution. I rec'd neither, so YES, for ME, I DID handle it just fine. I changed course and will use my nice Borden action to complete my build. Again, America is a FREE country...today, and I was FREE to CHOOSE what to do with it, just as those I contacted were free to choose how to deal with my complaint. I never set out to buy a headache, wait 3 days to receive a less than hoped for reply so I could tip over the boiling point, and then have to sell the action. But it happened, I dealt with it on MY terms since the mfg. was not offering something that made me happy, and the situation is over.

It is unfortunate for all that things did not go 'as expected' from the moment I ordered that action, but Slg888 will likely have a nice rifle in the end, and so will I. Maybe we can have a shoot off!

What you say Stoney? LOL.

You guys have a great day. Wish all of you well in every way, inc. your future purchases whatever they may be, truly.
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