Weatherby issues

[LuketheDog]

Ended up sending a Weathermark back into Weatherby, it won’t do better than 2.5” with any factory or handloads.

It won't...or you won't?

 

[ImBillT]

1) I listened to an interview with the current owner(grandson of Roy?). I’ll give my vote of no confidence.

2) Weatherby made their name by pushing velocity at all cost, and a big way they used to get that velocity was with very excessive freebore, which usually hurts accuracy. My point, is that the company never put accuracy first, and that hasn’t changed. Weatherby rifles are pretty polished rifles in pretty polished wood and cost a little extra to make you feel better than the guy beside you with a Browning or Winchester(and they feel better than the guy beside them with a Remington or Savage, and everyone looks down at the guy toting a Mossberg)

3) Vanguards come with a better guarantee than the more expensive rifles because Weatherby did not, and does not, design, or manufacturer Vanguards. They are a Howa 1500 that Weatherby pays to put their name on, and that’s reflected in the increased price compared to a Howa. Howa builds a better rifle than Weatherby, and it’s not just more accurate. Back when Howa was copying Sako L-61’s, they were pretty much as good as Sako, and they have been quite good ever since(even if they had to modify their design after being sued).

4) Yes it sucks to let a rifle sit in a box and find out that it isn’t covered even though you’ve never shot it BUT Weatherby has no way of knowing why you decided to send it back, or preparing for a rash of old rifles to get sent back. Two years is a long time to shoot a rifle before you decide you’re unhappy with it. I’ll be the first to say that since kids arrived, I rarely do anything more than double check that I’m still sighted in before a hunt, but Weatherby can’t just assume that every person who has had one of their rifles for 2, 5, 10, or 15 years and is now unhappy with it, never shot it, and they can’t be expected to plan for such a thing financially. They deserve to have a time period after which they no longer have to worry that you’ll decide they owe you something, and two years is not entirely unreasonable.

 

[Nambaster]

I have always wanted a Weatherby Lazermark. They are beautiful rifles! Almost too beautiful to hunt with. This post has turned me off from the new Weatherby. Seeing a fellow hunter out of luck with a RMEF Mark V is disappointing. I have always wondered how the Sheridan move would affect things. I have owned several Paso Robles Weatherby rifles and they seem to do great for me. I was ready to pull the trigger on brand new, but if they aren’t shooters and they are just lookers, I’ll just stick to abusing my shooters. Sorry for your loss OP.

 

[elkhnter]

It won't...or you won't?

I can get 1/2” 3 shot groups with my 257 AccuMark, 3/4” with a 325 wsm.
Im guessing it not all me.

Nam, the 257 Weatherby I have is a shooter. Not saying Weatherby isn’t a fine rifle, just disappointed in the company and CS.

ImBill, I agree that warranting a 10-15 year old rifle is too much. But 25 months, 12 days from date of purchase?

 

[std7mag]

Howa Vangards had their issues too.
The first gen i bought for my daughter i couldn't get rid of fast enough!

While generally speaking a long freebore isn't desirable for best accuracy, for hunting purposes you can usually find a more than acceptable load. Just not with VLD type bullets.
My 284 Win will allow a 160gr Sierra HPBT GameKing to barely make it to the lands, and still not be 1/2 way into the neck of the casing. It still puts 140gr Ballistic Tips within 3/4 group of 5 at 100 yards.

Hmmm.
2 years would put it right about the time of the big move.

To get a barrel right now the wait is 5 months plus.

 

[ImBillT]

I can get 1/2” 3 shot groups with my 257 AccuMark, 3/4” with a 325 wsm.
Im guessing it not all me.

Nam, the 257 Weatherby I have is a shooter. Not saying Weatherby isn’t a fine rifle, just disappointed in the company and CS.

ImBill, I agree that warranting a 10-15 year old rifle is too much. But 25 months, 12 days from date of purchase?

I have no problem with it. They can’t be expected to assume that you acquired it, and didn’t shoot it enough to know if it was worth a darn. Lots of folks do that in a single weekend. I understand that you did not, and I understand that lots of people would not, or could not, and being self employed with a pair of very young kids, I understand why. Nonetheless, they deserve a time period after which they can assume that they no longer owe a person anything else. That’s especially true with accuracy guarantees, which are risky business in the first place. A rifle’s accuracy could suffer from poor storage, poor cleaning techniques, poor bedding, poor scope mounting, poor ammo, and the list goes on. I have no problem with them making it their policy that after two years, they don’t have to pay a guy to figure out what your rifle’s problem is and if it’s your fault or theirs. Heck, you can wear a barrel out in a few days to a few months if you make it a point. Yes, the problem would be obvious to Weatherby, and yours would clearly not have that problem, BUT a two year accuracy guarantee is pretty long in terms of what Weatherby could have to deal with, even if it’s not very long at all in terms of how much your or I would have used the rifle.

 

[Southern Elk]

This thread has probably cost them more in lost sales than it would have cost to warranty it. I have never understood why companies don’t take care of their customers. It’s pathetic.

 

[brockel]

Can’t believe they have a 2 year accuracy guarantee. A lot can happen in 2 years

 

[elkhnter]

ImBill, I guess I just expected a little more out of a company like Weatherby.

 

[Mtnhunter1]

Brings back memories of a Ultra-Lite in 270 Win that I bought several decades ago. That rifle had a bad throat and would not settle in and shoot anything under 3".

Back then, I sent it back to a Weatherby service center with a note of my accuracy concerns along with my disappointment of a bubble in the stock's forearm. Three weeks later, UPS delivered a brand new rifle with three test targets showing the accuracy potential. Included was a hand written note apologizing for the first rifle. I was 100% happy with the outcome and still buy Weatherby rifles, some good and some not so good, to this day.

Sad to hear that Weatherby's customer service is not doing everything that they can do to make their customers happy. With that, I think that a two year accuracy warranty is acceptable. As mentioned above, a lot of things can happen in that time frame.

Good luck with your rifle fix.

 

[winmag]

The only acceptable reason to not honor an accuracy guarantee should be damage by the owner, whether intentional or not, for example:

1. A shot-out barrel. I shot this 30-378 Weatherby 1000 rounds one afternoon on a prairie dog town and now the throat is eroded to 3” long before the rifling starts.
2. Damage caused by improper handling, like a busted crown.
3. Damage caused by improper or inadequate cleaning.
4. Bubba gunsmithing.

If the gun is still reasonably in the same condition in which it left the factory, they should honor the warranty/guarantee.

 

[brockel]

What kind of mad man waits two years to ring a rifle out . Hell I don’t even make it two months owning some

 

[Laelkhunter]

Checked everything, torque spec, slimmed the lug, changed scopes. Three different factory loads, multiple handloads.
Did the barrel break in, clean bore, fouling shot, pretty much everything I could think of.
Like I said, have other rifles. Got a $500 AB3 that will outshoot the Weathermark hands down. Shame.

What do you mean by "slimmed the lug"? If you altered it in any way, they won't stand behind the guarantee of anything. I would have them send it back, then send it to someone who works on Wbys. I sent my .340 Weatherby to Rich Reilly at Hi Tech Customs in Colorado Springs Colo. for a rebarrel. He did great work.

 

[Don Fischer]

Believe me, I questioned it loud and long. They said they were sorry, but it says 2 years. Truthfully, I find that hard to stomach, that a Weatherby will lose its accuracy after 2 years.
If there was a component smith in my area, I’d have taken it to them. If I could find one I could trust in Illinois, or anywhere else, I’d get it back.

Lose it's accuracy after two years? So at one time it was fine? Just doesn't sound like something messed up in building the rifle, something changed over the two years. How much has the rifle been shot?

 

[elkhnter]

I placed a plastic shim under the front lug, just enough to free float the barrel. Didn’t have any effect. Took it out before it was sent back.
I appreciate the recommendation of a good smith. I’ll be getting ahold of him.

 

[LuketheDog]

This thread has probably cost them more in lost sales than it would have cost to warranty it. I have never understood why companies don’t take care of their customers. It’s pathetic.

That's the problem with the internet. Any unsubstantiated claim can be made, bunch of knuckleheads jump on the bandwagon without any more knowledge than "some guy said on a forum", and the company is out thousands of dollars. Waiting longer for anything in the time of Covid and all the BS that's gone on is not out of line, it's the new normal. What's pathetic is that people are so quick to bail on a company that I'd bet makes far less duds than any other competitor and also provides better customer service on average than the huge manufacturers.

I used to work at a fly shop, there were so many people who came in with rods broken out of negligence or accident and then complained they had to pay $40-50 and wait a whole month! to get them back repaired. Then it was always "I'm never buying a Scott/Sage/Winston/etc. again after that customer service!". Absolutely ridiculous...

 

[elkhnter]

Lose it's accuracy after two years? So at one time it was fine? Just doesn't sound like something messed up in building the rifle, something changed over the two years. How much has the rifle been shot?

The rifle never shot well. Got it in April 2019 and started working loads in July. Never dreamed it wouldn’t shoot.
Got frustrated and took a 325 wsm to Wyoming that year.
2020, COVID and powder shortage, played with a few more loads between other rifles. Drew another Wyoming elk tag this year, so back at it. No luck.
It’s had less than 200 rounds through it.

 

[Don Fischer]

I placed a plastic shim under the front lug, just enough to free float the barrel. Didn’t have any effect. Took it out before it was sent back.
I appreciate the recommendation of a good smith. I’ll be getting ahold of him.

To float a barrel I use the front of the action. The recoil lug floats with only the back of the lug touching the recess. Could be what you did was float the action a bit! if that happened then when you snug down the front action screw your gonna put the action in a bind! Likely your accuracy will go out the window right there! The action is the only part of the rifle that doesn't float, it should be solid and no bind in it at all.

 

[Don Fischer]

This thread has probably cost them more in lost sales than it would have cost to warranty it. I have never understood why companies don’t take care of their customers. It’s pathetic.

I would say they claim a two year warrantee then when two years is up, so is the warrantee. Guy had two years to figure it out and did nothing. What a two year warrantee implies is that after two years the warrantee becomes void!

 

[elkhnter]

First, not bailing on Weatherbys. Just disappointed in them.
Talked with a dealer the other day and wait time on a new one is less. Make sense to you? Stand behind what’s already out there.
My main point for the thread is, if you have a Weatherby, make sure it shoots before the 2 years is up or you’re SOL.