Spike Camp

Weatherby Nation => Around the Campfire (General Discussion) => Topic started by: sschefer on November 04, 2018, 06:21:08 PM

Title: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 04, 2018, 06:21:08 PM
Most of you know about my shot out 257 that I saved by putting a used 300 barrel on it. That barrel is bent.. 3 scopes and three sets of bases and rings and all max out elevation up and the bore is still about 8" low at 50 yards with my SiteLite laser. I pulled the barrel and checked it and the runout is bad enough that I didn't need to put the dial gauge on it to know it was bent.

I'm feeling pretty stupid for thinking I could buy a gun at a gun show and just keep throwing money at it until it was perfect. Talk about going down the rabbit hole. I hate being OCD....!!!!

Can I fix the barrel? Maybe. Am I going to? No, I'm ready to admit failure and its time to just walk away. I just ordered a brand new Mark V Deluxe in 300 WM.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: truck driver + 2 on November 04, 2018, 07:03:04 PM
I don't know if I would have gave up on it and just screwed a brand new barrel on the action.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: zonie on November 04, 2018, 08:46:12 PM
Shxt happens I wouldn't get too upset at it.  I think what I would do is after you get your new 300 all dialed in and perfect.  I would by a really good stainless  barrel  leave it in the white bead blasted, and re-barrel your old rifle in 6.5 x 257 wby with a 1 : 8 twist for the heavier bullets.   It ought to get out there pretty good and somewhat pleasant to shoot.   Might be surprised just how good it is, kind of a hopped up 264 win mag.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 04, 2018, 09:07:19 PM
I don't know if I would have gave up on it and just screwed a brand new barrel on the action.

This gun has taught me some valuable and costly lessons. There's no room in the budget for another re-barrel attempt. It made more sense to just go ahead and buy a new one so that is what I did.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 04, 2018, 09:11:18 PM
Shxt happens I wouldn't get too upset at it.  I think what I would do is after you get your new 300 all dialed in and perfect.  I would by a really good stainless  barrel  leave it in the white bead blasted, and re-barrel your old rifle in 6.5 x 257 wby with a 1 : 8 twist for the heavier bullets.   It ought to get out there pretty good and somewhat pleasant to shoot.   Might be surprised just how good it is, kind of a hopped up 264 win mag.

Funny, I was thinking along those lines a while back before I found the 300 barrel. However, I ran across a 6.5-300 Deluxe in Sportsmans Warehouse and it came home with me. I've been messing with this thing so much that I haven't had a chance to shoot that yet.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: musicman on November 05, 2018, 12:12:46 AM
I think that many of us can admit to having bought a "dud" rifle or two in the past.  I would move them at a show, and I was honest.  I would tell whomever was interested, "I could not get it to shoot good enough for me."  I guess they would take that as a "challenge," and they would think that they could.  Maybe they could, but I could not.  By being up front about it, I did not feel like I was screwing them.  Sometimes, you have to cut your losses, and just let the item go.  This also happens a lot with vehicles, that have tripped two hundred thousand miles.  I hope you can get a fair price at least for the action.  MM
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 05, 2018, 08:36:04 AM
I think that many of us can admit to having bought a "dud" rifle or two in the past.  I would move them at a show, and I was honest.  I would tell whomever was interested, "I could not get it to shoot good enough for me."  I guess they would take that as a "challenge," and they would think that they could.  Maybe they could, but I could not.  By being up front about it, I did not feel like I was screwing them.  Sometimes, you have to cut your losses, and just let the item go.  This also happens a lot with vehicles, that have tripped two hundred thousand miles.  I hope you can get a fair price at least for the action.  MM

That's the problem that I have had with this one. The seller didn't know anything about the rifle and I should have stopped right there. Still, I persisted. I had fixed many rifles and turned them into good shooters so why should this one be any different. Well, it is and if ever there was a jinxed rifle, this would be the one for me.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: DW5 on November 05, 2018, 09:06:18 AM
I think that many of us can admit to having bought a "dud" rifle or two in the past.  I would move them at a show, and I was honest.  I would tell whomever was interested, "I could not get it to shoot good enough for me."  I guess they would take that as a "challenge," and they would think that they could.  Maybe they could, but I could not.  By being up front about it, I did not feel like I was screwing them.  Sometimes, you have to cut your losses, and just let the item go.  This also happens a lot with vehicles, that have tripped two hundred thousand miles.  I hope you can get a fair price at least for the action.  MM

That's the problem that I have had with this one. The seller didn't know anything about the rifle and I should have stopped right there. Still, I persisted. I had fixed many rifles and turned them into good shooters so why should this one be any different. Well, it is and if ever there was a jinxed rifle, this would be the one for me.

Sometimes knowledge is expensive! At least you know where you personally stand with this particular rifle now. And hey, like you said, if you have gone down this road many times before, the law of averages was bound to catch up with you sooner or later. If you hold on to the rifle, a lot of the times things like that have a way of coming in handy in  unforeseen ways in the future. Whatever you decide to do with it, good luck and happy shooting with the new 300bee!
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: eford on November 05, 2018, 09:19:46 AM
Sschefer: What are you doing with the receiver?
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: terminator on November 05, 2018, 09:34:18 AM
Bummer. You never know until you try though.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 05, 2018, 11:23:41 AM
Sschefer: What are you doing with the receiver?
Dixie1 has expressed an interest in it. I told him 400.00 which includes the bolt and a brand new Timney German trigger. There's no safety with the Timney Germans. If you wanted a safety you'd have to go with a newer bolt with the safety. It needs to be sent to an FFL and you'd need to pay for shipping. Dixie1 has first right to refusal at this point.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 05, 2018, 01:09:11 PM
Sschefer: What are you doing with the receiver?
Dixie1 has expressed an interest in it. I told him 400.00 which includes the bolt and a brand new Timney German trigger. There's no safety with the Timney Germans. If you wanted a safety you'd have to go with a newer bolt with the safety. It needs to be sent to an FFL and you'd need to pay for shipping. Dixie1 has first right to refusal at this point.

Update: The rifle is broken down and all parts are available to those willing to take a chance on them. I have to warn you, I think some deer put a curse on this thing. LOL.. I did check the action and it is fine but you might want to have it re blued. It's not bad, no rust or anything like that but it's not as pretty as a new one. I just touched it up with some cold blue and was happy with that.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 07, 2018, 09:42:11 PM
OK, I know you're all probably tired of hearing about this rifle so I promise this is the end of the tale... Maybe..
Being OCD this thing was bugging the carp out of me. I decided that what the heck, I had a good reciever I might as well true it up, so I did. Lapped the face and the lugs and it was dead on the money. I cleaned it all up and wiped it down with oil and put it away... and there was this stupid barrel just staring at me. I began thinking that maybe I could straighten it, what the heck I have a 10 ton press. If I can just find dead center of the bend, I should be able to bend it back.

I won't bore you with how I found center of the bend but I did so I put it in the press and bent it back twice the distance of the orginal bend (pretty much winged that). I put it back in the lathe with the live center on the tail and a dead center on the chuck and spun it up.. I'll be go to hell, that sum birch was straight within .0009 throughout the entire contour. Not dead nuts on but pretty dang good. I put the original barrel (.257) in the lathe for a comparison and it was out .0015.

Well, I put it back together with the Boyds stock, and checked the headspace and go was perfectly acceptable while no go was definitely a no go. I put the scope on and checked it with the laser and it was within adjustable ranges.

I'm calling it good and I'm going out to shoot it tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: eford on November 08, 2018, 08:46:31 AM
I don't blame you a bit for wanting to try again to make something good out of the receiver. You were one process away from having it right----aside from verification at the range.  Please let us know the results.
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 08, 2018, 11:02:19 AM
I don't blame you a bit for wanting to try again to make something good out of the receiver. You were one process away from having it right----aside from verification at the range.  Please let us know the results.

Will do, I thought I was going out today but got sidelined with a sick pooch. You know what they say, "Family First".
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: dixie1 on November 08, 2018, 11:16:43 AM
Hope it works!!
Title: Re: The Resurection Fails (a sad story)
Post by: sschefer on November 08, 2018, 06:51:44 PM
Hope it works!!

Got the pup back from the Vet (got bit by a black widow) so i took a quick ride out on the 4 wheeler. It shoots nice but I didn't take targets so I'm not sure how well. I was shooting off the deck of the quad at rocks and hitting them so I think it's going to be o.k. Shoots pretty easy with that muzzle brake on it but it still let's you know it's a 300 Weatherby Mag and not some cheap immitation.. LOL... The barrel is a #1 profile so it gets pretty warm after 3 rounds and it takes about 10 minutes to cool down in 50 degree weather.