Montana Rifle Company DGR 505 Gibbs review

[matt85]

an update is due:

MRC sent a refund of $1700 to Pawn Fathers which is probably what pawnfathers paid them. now Pawn Fathers is only wanting to give me the $1700 and not the full $2200 i paid for the rifle. i paid $2000 for the rifle plus $200 for state sales tax, PF wants to keep both their mark up and the tax collected on the rifle. so i am currently fighting with PF over money... i have tried meeting them in the middle saying they can keep their $300 mark up but i want the sales tax back (you normally get sales tax back when an item is refunded). but sadly they are currently being stubborn about only giving me $1700.

-matt

 

[Big5]

Matt, it's really a shame that your situation wasn't rectified quickly and easily in the beginning through better MRC customer service. They manufactured it and they should want to make things right no matter what it takes. Things can go wrong, but standing behind a product and rectifying things quickly shows pride in the product.

I don't like what I've read.

 

[Panielsen]

So, what are you going to do for a rifle on your hunt? I may have read something already, but can't remember. It has been a long day. I was actually looking at MRC for a .505 later on, but after what I read here, mostly their responses, I will be looking elsewhere. I am actually stunned by the MRC response to this. It's one thing to tell you via email or over the phone, but on the greatest hunting site, with LOTS of potential clients I would have been warming up the bat mobile to hand deliver you a rifle, then talk here about how we saved your hunt! Holy Sh*t Batman!

 

[matt85]

So, what are you going to do for a rifle on your hunt?

i ordered a dangerous game rifle from American Hunting Rifles chambered in 505 Gibbs. when i explained my situation they agreed to put a rush on my gun and would have it done a full month before my hunt so i would have time to practice. custom rifles from AHR are NOT cheap and the total cost of the gun will be about $7000 but they have a solid reputation for quality and customer service.

-matt

 

[Panielsen]

I'm glad to hear that Matt! I go on my safari in October and am still awaiting my new Winchester in .458 win mag to come in, end of June. I ordered it last year, but I guess Winchester only builds them for a short time as they are built in the Browning plant and the demand for that caliber isn't real high. I am on pins and needles, but will still have a few months to practice. Have you fired a .505 Gibbs yet? If so you know what your in for as far as recoil. Good luck and post pics of the new gun when it comes in!

 

[CTDolan]

Rest assured, he has:

And bigger stuff, too.

 

[matt85]

the Winchester M70 Safari express is a fine rifle! i own one in 416 RM and it has served me very well.

yes ive fired a 505 Gibbs before (thats me in the above video) and even bigger guns, the recoil is fairly heavy but managable.

here im shooting a 600 NE:

-matt

 

[Panielsen]

Now I REALLY want one! LOL You handled both well! See, ask a question and get rewarded with cool videos!

 

[matt85]

if i were you id have a skilled gunsmith rework the Win M70 from 458 WM to 458 Lott. the 458 WM is a nice cartridge but the 458 Lott offers a wider variety of options.

-matt

 

[Panielsen]

I actually wanted a Lott, but couldn't find one at the time with as smooth an action. I looked at the CZ's, but they weren't as buttery to me in the action. I had asked Winchester if they would build me one, but the custom shop is no more. Then I figured I'd bore out the Winchester, but I have heard bad things about the box feeding the longer cartridges. Not sure what I'm going to do, but for now I'm going to load these to 2150 fps with 500 gr. on top nd run that a while until I decide. If it weren't for the feeding issue, I'd be reaming it out to Lott caliber.

 

[matt85]

the 375 H&H, 416 RM, and 458 Lott all have the same cartridge OAL of 3.6". this means any magazine long enough for one of them will work for all three. the Win M70 Safari is available in both 375 H&H and 416 RM so its safe to say your magazine box will handle the 458 Lott. im not sure how Winchester modifies the rifle to fit the shorter 458 WM cartridge but im positive a good gunsmith can perform the conversion.

-matt

 

[colorado]

i ordered a dangerous game rifle from American Hunting Rifles chambered in 505 Gibbs. when i explained my situation they agreed to put a rush on my gun and would have it done a full month before my hunt so i would have time to practice. custom rifles from AHR are NOT cheap and the total cost of the gun will be about $7000 but they have a solid reputation for quality and customer service.

-matt

Wayne is awesome, recommend you find out what ammo Wayne is going test fire your rifle with and you either load or buy some of the same since you will only have a month before you leave. If you were hunting with Jaco I'd lend you my 500 Jeffery, but not sure Jaco would give it back, well he would but maybe not right away lol ...

 

[CTDolan]

Converting a M70 to 458 Lott, from 458 Win Mag, is a lot more work than a simple re-chamber and some work on the ramp/rails. So, if that's what you really want, it may be less expensive to re-barrel a 416 or 375, because the action body itself is already done up right (although, it'll obviously need some work to get it to feed properly).

 

[Panielsen]

Converting a M70 to 458 Lott, from 458 Win Mag, is a lot more work than a simple re-chamber and some work on the ramp/rails. So, if that's what you really want, it may be less expensive to re-barrel a 416 or 375, because the action body itself is already done up right (although, it'll obviously need some work to get it to feed properly).

OR, just tell the wife all the boys on AH are telling me to NOT rechamber the Winchester, and that I REALLY need a double in 500 NE to keep us safe on safari!!!

 

[sandman0921]

I strongly "second" Wayne at AHR. He built a 450 Rigby for me, and it's a beautiful thing. In fact, I have a Win M70 pre-64 barreled action in 270 WCF that I've talked to him about converting to a 9.3x62 Mauser when I'm ready, and I have no doubt he'll do a fantastic job.

His rifles function flawlessly on delivery (at least in my experience), and he'll be the first to tell you that for the big bore calibers, it's not just slapping a barrel on an action. He goes through and reworks the CZ 550's feed ramp, rails, magazine, etc. to fit with the intended cartridge's geometry so that the action will cycle as smooth as butter and feed the cartridge flawlessly. The AHR trigger is great. It breaks like a piece of glass, and has no perceptable creep or over-travel that I can tell. It's almost like a target trigger on a big bore DG rifle. My rifle also shoots better than a big bore should or needs to as well.

His wood work may not be the fanciest, and I've seen other gunsmith's rifles that have better "aesthetics", but in my mind, his are gorgeous, and aren't so fancy as to make one worry about scratching, dinging or denting the rifle. His rifles have that classic African look to them, and handle well. The one thing I wasn't sure about was having GunKote on my rifle instead of a satin blued finish, but so far I like it. I suspect it'll definitely be more durable in the hot, African bush. His customer service is great, although fortunately I haven't needed to send my rifle back to him. However, Wayne is good about giving advice about weight, barrel length, scope selection, etc. , and is always available to talk. As far as price, the cost of your rifle is on par with what I paid, and $7000.00 is a lot for a bolt action rifle, but you could probably pay $5000 more for a DGR rifle, and still not have one that worked any better for it's intended purpose than Wayne's. Strong statement I know, but that's how I feel.

As far as reloading data and powder, he'll send you a list of bullets and load data that he's worked up loads for in the caliber your buying. As far as powder, he told me that he almost always goes with H4350 for the big bore rifles, as it gives good charge density (no need for fillers), meters well enough, and is less temperature sensitive than others. It's a recipe that's worked for him, and he uses the powder to test, break-in, and sight-in the rifles he builds. I don't know if that will be applicable to your 505 Gibbs, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Anyway, I feel you made a great choice and hope you'll be as happy with your rifle as I am with mine. I think his rifles offer some of the best value for the money of any builder of big-bore rifles that I've seen.

 

[matt85]

sandman0921, its reviews like yours that lead me to AHR in the first place!

im really hoping AHR lives up to the reputation its customers have given it. ive spoken with Wayne on a couple of occasions and he leads me to believe they will take good care of me.

-matt

 

[spike.t]

sandman0921, its reviews like yours that lead me to AHR in the first place-matt

yeah tell me about it .....dangerous place to look and there is another .404 for sale on it. http://americanhuntingrifles.com/?page_id=66

 

[Royal27]

yeah tell me about it .....dangerous place to look and there is another .404 for sale on it. http://americanhuntingrifles.com/?page_id=66

I'm just glad the bolt is on the wrong side so that I'm not tempted! LOL

 

[spike.t]

I'm just glad the bolt is on the wrong side so that I'm not tempted! LOL

just as well i dont want a pair..........

 

[Royal27]

just as well i dont want a pair..........

A left hand AHR in .404 Jeff in Zambia, just waiting for me to visit.... hmm....