Galling On Bolt Lug?

[mikehill85]

I recently got a new HOWA Oryx in 6.5 CM. The gun shoots well but I've noticed that the bolt takes quite a bit of force to open (compared to my Bergara B-14 HMR anyway). I was looking at the bolt head the other day and I found a gash in one of the two lugs (this is the top lug when the bolt is in the locked position). I've been sure to properly lubricate the bolt from the start. This looks to me like there is a burr on the surface the lug mates up to.

Since I don't seem to be getting good contact on this bolt lug, I was considering lapping the bolt lugs but I don't have the tools required to remove the barrel from the action and I think it would be very hard to fully clean the lapping compound out afterwards.

Is this a problem or should I just shoot the gun and keep an eye on it? As I said, the gun seems to be shooting well.

 

[Supersubes]

Lapping is for mating machined surfaces, not for fixing what you have there.


Call howa and have them rectify it under warranty.

 

[mikehill85]

Lapping is for mating machined surfaces, not for fixing what you have there.


Call howa and have them rectify it under warranty.

Yeah. I figured I should do this. It just sucks because this was a replacement for a different HOWA 1500 that wouldn't shoot. Lol. It took them about 6 months to even look at the thing last time.

 

[Supersubes]

Yeah. I figured I should do this. It just sucks because this was a replacement for a different HOWA 1500 that wouldn't shoot. Lol. It took them about 6 months to even look at the thing last time.

Next time buy a tikka or a bergara.


Sorry, couldn't help it….

 

[mikehill85]

Next time buy a tikka or a bergara.


Sorry, couldn't help it….

Next time I will...believe me...I got a Bergara B14 HMR while this was out getting looked at. Bergara runs circles around HOWA.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Do you lube the lugs?
It doesn't look like it

Also, the cocking cam needs it.
Lube both of them and test it again. Let us know if it helps or fixes your issue.

 

[mikehill85]

Do you live the lugs?
It doesn't look like it

Also, the cocking cam needs it.
Lube both of them and test it again. Let us know if it helps or fixes your issue.

Thanks for the suggestion but I have been lubing the lugs and cocking piece. I wiped the lube off so I could take a photo of the lugs. I use the same procedure I've used on all my bolt guns and none of the others have this issue. Neither does the other lug on this bolt gun, for that matter.

 

[mikehill85]

Update: I called Legacy Sports and they sent me a shipping label. They told me they would try to prioritize my rifle since it is a replacement for another rifle that also had issues. Here we go again...Lol...

 

[mikehill85]

Update: I sent my rifle into Legacy Sports due to the bolt lug galling issue and lack of contact with one of the lugs (the one that is galling). They sent me an e-mail yesterday telling me they are replacing the rifle and asking me for my FFL information.
It's pretty surprising to me that they would replace the whole rifle over this issue but it could be because this rifle is a replacement for a rifle that didn't meet their sub-MOA guarantee, when they sent the original replacement they sent me the wrong rifle, now I have an issue with the rifle they just replaced. So this will be the 3rd rifle they have sent me. Lol. They may be just trying to get it sorted out quickly given this is a replacement rifle already. Last time I waited ~5 months.

 

[mikehill85]

Update: I hadn't heard from Legacy Sports since I sent them my FFL information two weeks ago so I asked them last week if they sent the rifle out...Dead silence. I e-mailed them again today and finally got a response. They told me that they were waiting on getting a replacement barreled action which wouldn't happen until March.

Well I lost it at that point. This would be the 3rd rifle they've sent me and I'm not waiting another 6 months to roll the dice again on another one of their shoddy products. I told them I'm not interested in anything other than getting my money back at this point. They said they would send my e-mail to upper management. We'll see what happens. This is beyond ridiculous. At this point I wouldn't have one of their products if it were free. It's not worth the ammo or space in my safe.

 

[NBPRP]

Calling and or e-mails can be dodged. They can claim they never got you VM if you called them and left a message or say they never received your e-mail(s). Even if you can track you e-mails as being opened they can say some unqualified person opened the e-mail. "It was the cleaning lady who dropped her dust pan on a key board after hours so that is why it was shows it was opened".

The best chance of you seeing any recompense is to send a letter 'Certified Return Receipt' outlining your concerns and request a full refund. It will cost more than sending a regular letter but then you can prove that someone physically received your letter. That way you will have a PAPER TRAIL and it will be easier to prove your case. In this high tech era we have gotten away from the physical exchange of information making it easier to 'not take responsibility'. The trees are happy they are not being turned into paper as quickly but the paper making industry is suffering big time. I guess it is just the price we pay for progress.

 

[mikehill85]

Calling and or e-mails can be dodged. They can claim they never got you VM if you called them and left a message or say they never received your e-mail(s). Even if you can track you e-mails as being opened they can say some unqualified person opened the e-mail. "It was the cleaning lady who dropped her dust pan on a key board after hours so that is why it was shows it was opened".

The best chance of you seeing any recompense is to send a letter 'Certified Return Receipt' outlining your concerns and request a full refund. It will cost more than sending a regular letter but then you can prove that someone physically received your letter. That way you will have a PAPER TRAIL and it will be easier to prove your case. In this high tech era we have gotten away from the physical exchange of information making it easier to 'not take responsibility'. The trees are happy they are not being turned into paper as quickly but the paper making industry is suffering big time. I guess it is just the price we pay for progress.

Well, I'm not trying to prove anything in a court of law. I am just hoping this company will do the right thing and refund my money.

Surely they must realize at this point I'm more of a burden to them as a company than I'm worth. They keep sending me shoddy products and I keep holding them to their warranty. Your average gun owner who may take their rifle out once or twice a year (if not once or twice ever) and isn't even capable of shooting sub-MOA groups isn't going to hold them to their sub-MOA guarantee or notice only one bolt lug contacts the bolt lug recesses.

Their products are garbage. They must realize this. If I were them I would just refund my money so I stopped bothering them. I've literally had 3 of their rifles (1 was when they sent me the wrong rifle to replace one that wouldn't shoot). If they sent me another one that would make it 4. Lol. That's got to be getting expensive for them.

 

[NBPRP]

Well, I'm not trying to prove anything in a court of law. I am just hoping this company will do the right thing and refund my money.

Surely they must realize at this point I'm more of a burden to them as a company than I'm worth. They keep sending me shoddy products and I keep holding them to their warranty. Your average gun owner who may take their rifle out once or twice a year (if not once or twice ever) and isn't even capable of shooting sub-MOA groups isn't going to hold them to their sub-MOA guarantee or notice only one bolt lug contacts the bolt lug recesses.

Their products are garbage. They must realize this. If I were them I would just refund my money so I stopped bothering them. I've literally had 3 of their rifles (1 was when they sent me the wrong rifle to replace one that wouldn't shoot). If they sent me another one that would make it 4. Lol. That's got to be getting expensive for them.

Not saying you plan to prove anything in a court of law, simply that within their company there may be individuals that may by fluke and/or design not treat you like you had hoped/expect to be treated.

It would only be prudent to protect you interest ($$$) in this matter and by being pro-active and putting them on notice (by sending a letter) of your displeasure, you would go a long way in protecting that interest.

Heck you don't even have to spool up the old IBM Selectric typewriter, just type up a document on you computer, plug in your printer/scanner/copier/fax machine, hit 'print' and voila, you have a letter. I have done it a few times and it seems to work.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Well, I'm not trying to prove anything in a court of law. I am just hoping this company will do the right thing and refund my money.

Surely they must realize at this point I'm more of a burden to them as a company than I'm worth. They keep sending me shoddy products and I keep holding them to their warranty. Your average gun owner who may take their rifle out once or twice a year (if not once or twice ever) and isn't even capable of shooting sub-MOA groups isn't going to hold them to their sub-MOA guarantee or notice only one bolt lug contacts the bolt lug recesses.

Their products are garbage. They must realize this. If I were them I would just refund my money so I stopped bothering them. I've literally had 3 of their rifles (1 was when they sent me the wrong rifle to replace one that wouldn't shoot). If they sent me another one that would make it 4. Lol. That's got to be getting expensive for them.

I treat everything like this like I'll be presenting it in court. I think the reality is, in today's economic environment, customer service in lower tiers of any product line is as much "delay & obfuscate and maybe they'll go away" as resolving an issue.

Early this year, a telecommunications provider did several hundred dollars worth of damage to my property with a piece of their power equipment. I paid a contractor to have the damage documented and repaired, then followed the provider's process for filing a claim. Got a fast response saying yes, this is a valid claim and a local manager will contact you within a week. Then crickets. For weeks. Followup email queries got the same fast response - local manager will be in touch with you shortly.

Six weeks after filing the claim and getting delay&obfuscation responses to two email queries, I opened a ticket with my state DoJ's consumer protection division, and all the documentation I had collected proved its worth. I submitted the records and photographs via the online process provided, the agency employee emailed the provider over DoJ letterhead... and whaddaya know, two days later I got a call from a local manager and four days after that a check for the full amount of the claim was sent.

Document everything. Dates/times/names/what was said/... everything. Email is better than calls.

More recently, I sent a 5-figure check to to an out-of-state bank to pay off a car loan. You bet I sent it certified mail. No way there was going to be any question pf which party had control of that check when (the bank's online process for $$ transfer was ridiculously convoluted).

Good luck.

 

[mikehill85]

Not saying you plan to prove anything in a court of law, simply that within their company there may be individuals that may by fluke and/or design not treat you like you had hoped/expect to be treated.

It would only be prudent to protect you interest ($$$) in this matter and by being pro-active and putting them on notice (by sending a letter) of your displeasure, you would go a long way in protecting that interest.

Heck you don't even have to spool up the old IBM Selectric typewriter, just type up a document on you computer, plug in your printer/scanner/copier/fax machine, hit 'print' and voila, you have a letter. I have done it a few times and it seems to work.

Well I talked back and forth with them today. I basically told them I'm no longer interested in any of their products, even if they were free. Thankfully, they agreed to refund my money.

 

[NBPRP]

Well I talked back and forth with them today. I basically told them I'm no longer interested in any of their products, even if they were free. Thankfully, they agreed to refund my money.

Excellent, glad we all could be of help in this predicament.