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Speaking of Inaccurate Rifles.....
Frogdog
Member Posts: 2,991 ✭✭✭✭
The other thread got me thinking. I have never been in a position where I wanted to sell off a "lemon" firearm. How do y'all handle that? Do you feel a moral obligation to disclose it if a rifle is known to be wildly inaccurate, a pistol won't cycle reliably, etc., or do you just keep quiet and let it be a "buyer beware" situation?
Seems like not mentioning it would be about the same as selling a car with a known major mechanical problem.
Thoughts?
Comments
I had a Browning A Bolt that I never could get a consistent pattern. I traded it to my LGS for store credit. Mentioned that I was getting rid of it because “I didn’t shoot it well” … which was true and alerted them to a potential accuracy issue.
Known mechanical problem would be a different story…that I would disclose very clearly.
I sold mine, guilt free.
It was a lemon to me, might be a gem for someone else.
If it had been dangerous to operate, I would have kept it, disassembled it, and kept the parts that were usable.
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
Way back when, I ordered a Rossi mod 62 through a buddy that had an FFL. Dang thing wouldn't eject any brand of .22 that I fed it. Sent it in for warranty and after 3 months or so it came back without being fixed. The next weekend I walked through a gun show with it over my shoulder. I didn't get 20 feet and one of the dealers asked me about it. I was perfectly honest with him and told him what the problem was and Rossi's poor service. I asked if he wanted to make me an offer. The offer he gave was 50 bucks more than I paid for it so after about a millisecond of consideration, I accepted. That was my one and only Rossi. Bob
IF it is unsafe I will destroy the said firearm and sell the parts like the mag ect. If it doesn't shoot patterns very well then it goes to my local shop and I tell them it functions as it should but can't group FOR ME. They have no issue with that.
Nope, I always state the problem or dislike for the gun when I sell it. This way, the problem doesn't come back to haunt me.
Had a pre-64 Win 70 .243 Featherweight that would NOT hold a zero.
Tried everything. Bedded. Free floated. Shimmed. Tightened. Loosened. Shot cold. Shot hot. Factory loads. Reloads......... AAaaaarrrghhh😝
Mentioned it to a guy who had DREAMED of one. Told him of my experience. He still wanted it.
He owned it that day!
Probably that new owner on the pre-64 Win 70 FW kept plugging and its a tack driver now. Where there is a will there is a way. Not being critical.😀
I have same gun in 30-06. Would not think of carrying another rifle in the bush for Whitetail. It has a Redfield 1&3/4 - 5X, TV scope on it with their one piece mount.
When I first bought the gun used in early 60's I lost two deer because it went "click" instead of "bang". Took some Lake City stuff to the range and after many rounds it finally went "click." Looked at the primer and it looked borderline. Well it really pissed me off so I kept tinkering with it and finally heated up the firing pin and stretched it a tad, redressed it and hardened it again. I am 80 now and have put down enough Whitetails since then to fill a boxcar and only wounded one with it without a "click."
When i kick off that FW will go to my active duty SF cousin who will be in charge of my Honor Guard, that is unless I change my mind and have it put in the casket with me. Anyway, it's written in will/trust now. ------------------------------------------Ray
I had a Taurus PT-99 way back in the mid 80's....It went back to the factory twice and still would not print anywhere near point of aim. The I sold it to shot it before he bought it. He was sure he could fix the issue and gave me what I asked for price wise. I made sure he knew what he was getting. A different barrel and some Bubba gunsmithing and he ended up being pretty happy with it...
I think if my memory serves me a universal M-1 copy in .22 lr or maybe a mini-14.
Only way I could hit a barn door was to be inside with all doors shut.
I have a friend that just can't shoot. No rifle he owns will hold zero.I think he killed a deer with a Remington 788 and killed a couple of doves with an 870 and according to him those are the two greatest firearms ever made.I have bought several rifles and a few scopes from him and they all worked fine for me.I just dont have the heart to tell him that he is the problem and not the equipment.
I bought an Armalite AR the guy sworn couldn't hit a barn from the inside,
He was loading 45 gr bullets because of the "slow 1in 7 twist " .
some just don't fit me
so I never shoot them as well as one's that do
fit is important to me
when it feels good I shoot better
I've seen coyote hunters who were extremely proud of their rifles and the somewhat amazing hits they'd made. When brought to me for a scope change or similar, I found the rifles so inaccurate as to totally miss a 3" bullseye @ 100 yards. Other times, the shooter had been hitting coyotes/deer regularly but I found the zero of his optic was off by a considerable amount. When properly adjusted, he missed consistently and demanded I 'put it back' to the way out of zero condition.
I make it a point to inform the buyer that I wasn't satisfied with the gun I was selling and that's the end of the story.
danielgage, you made a point I never thought of.This friend is about 6 foot 8 and weighs about 300.It may be hard to find a rifle that fits a guy his size.
yes sir I like a longer length of pull than most
I'm 6'3"
I could see where he definitely would at 6'8"
MOA is not that important.
Minute game animal taken cleanly is what counts.