Barrel Replacement - No-Go - Advice?

[rustyinbend]

I finally got around to replacing a barrel on my MPA 300-WM with a McGowen Pre-Fit. Everything went perfectly ... until it didn't. Bolt would not close on the Go-Gauge, nor will it close on a dummy round, and it won't even close on a sized case. I've replaced a couple of barrels before and they all went perfectly ... never had a Go-Gauge failure. Not sure what my next steps are to solve this, and would appreciate any advice from anyone that's experienced a Go-Gauge failure on a pre-fit barrel. Thanks!

 

[DIBBS]

Problems have been documented with their work Rusty. Sounds like customer service is not so good as well. I am no expert, but it sounds like a chambering issue to me.

Search results for query: McGowen problems

www.snipershide.com

 

[rustyinbend]

I've had a couple of McGowen's that worked perfectly ... but I suppose this one might be where my luck expires. Do I have any other options besides return/retool? Can a local gunsmith solve this? BTW ... new data point ... took a virgin case, never sized and never fired ... and with great force, got the bolt to close. Does that mean anything about what might be the root cause?

 

[Supersubes]

I've had a couple of McGowen's that worked perfectly ... but I suppose this one might be where my luck expires. Do I have any other options besides return/retool? Can a local gunsmith solve this? BTW ... new data point ... took a virgin case, never sized and never fired ... and with great force, got the bolt to close. Does that mean anything about what might be the root cause?

Thats always a bad plan, to force things. Great way to gall bolt lugs.

Just send it back. Better yet, send it back and dont buy cheap prefits.

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

Shouldered prefit I'm guessing?

If it won't pass a go, and you can't even get a virgin case in without beating it into battery, sounds like the chamber was cut too short. Just send it back, there are too many shops cutting good prefits to take the chance on some of the known outliers.

 

[b6graham]

i wouldn't pay anyone to fix it. send it back and make McGowen give you what you ordered and paid for

 

[rustyinbend]

Back to McGowen it goes ... I'll share my experiences.
BTW ... if I just sink this cost and buy another, who is a barrel manufacturer with (a) good quality pre-fits, and (b) short lead times?

 

[Chris1972]

Send it back. I know wanting it fixed sooner is preferable to most people but the moment someone else touches that barrel your warranty goes up in smoke.

I’ve only bought one prefit that I recall and it had issues. I contacted them and they had me send them my entire rifle. They said there was nothing wrong with their barrel but replaced it with a new one then listed the things wrong with my rifle that they fixed. None were related to chambering or the action at all. Bottom line they fixed it without taking any blame at no cost to me. Different manufacturer by the way. Supposedly one of the premium makers bla bla bla.

 

[kthomas]

Back to McGowen it goes ... I'll share my experiences.
BTW ... if I just sink this cost and buy another, who is a barrel manufacturer with (a) good quality pre-fits, and (b) short lead times?

What is the action on your MPA rifle?

Source a quality blank (Bartlein, Kreiger, HH, Brux, etc) from a place like Bugholes: http://www.bugholes.com/category-s/1958.htm?searching=Y&sort=11&cat=1958&show=10&page=1

From there you can have that barrel drop shipped to your gunsmith of choice (TS Customs does excellent work and has fast turn around times), or have Bugholes do it themselves (I hear they do good work).

 

[kthomas]

Altus Shooting has some .30 cal blanks in stock as well:

BARTLEIN CUT-RIFLED BARRELS (.30 CAL)

Bartlein Barrels is a manufacturer of precision cut-rifled barrels used for hunting, precision tactical shooting, and benchrest competition. They are owne...

www.altusshooting.com

Hawk Hill Custom Cut-Rifled 30 Cal Barrels

Hawk Hill Custom makes precision rifle barrels for hunting, tactical shooting, and benchrest competition. Hawk Hill rifle barrels are 4 groove single point ...

www.altusshooting.com

And they have an inhouse gunsmith that's on the forum here @AccuSol-ERN

 

[rustyinbend]

Thanks ... just sent @AccuSol-ERN an inquiry.

 

[Supersubes]

What is the action on your MPA rifle?

Source a quality blank (Bartlein, Kreiger, HH, Brux, etc) from a place like Bugholes: http://www.bugholes.com/category-s/1958.htm?searching=Y&sort=11&cat=1958&show=10&page=1

From there you can have that barrel drop shipped to your gunsmith of choice (TS Customs does excellent work and has fast turn around times), or have Bugholes do it themselves (I hear they do good work).

When I have barrel jobs I cant do in a timely manner for customers, I have bugholes make me a prefit. Their work is very good. Nice to be able to choose a bunch of in-stock barrels from a variety of top makers too.

 

[Baron23]

What is the action on your MPA rifle?

Pretty sure its a Curtis Axiom...no?

Thanks ... just sent @AccuSol-ERN an inquiry.

You are good hands with him, IMO and my experience.

 

[kthomas]

Pretty sure its a Curtis Axiom...no?

I know MPA has used other action manufacturers in their rifles before (such as Kelbly's).

I don't know if that specific model has always had a Curtis Axiom or not, figured I should ask.

 

[AccuSol-ERN]

Hello everyone.

Thanks for the kind words. Without seeing the original barrel and doing a diagnosis.......it sounds like it can be a short chamber issue. It really is a fine line with shouldered prefits. Granted most of us can do it with no problem.......but a seemingly little thing like a rough surface finish on the barrel shoulder can give a false headspace measurement when in the machine and measured by hand then changes creating a "crush" factor when torqued on the action. A few thousandths of an inch can make or break a customer's experience.

I see that rusty sent me a PM.

Ern

 

[AccuSol-ERN]

I gave Rusty some options and things to think about before he proceeds.

Stay tuned.

BTW - Thanks again for the recommendation, it is great to be part of this community.

Ern