Joined
·
117 Posts
Greetings to everyone!
Nearly two months ago I purchased an XLR in .338 ME on GunBroker from Bud's Gun Shop. (I love their customer service, BTW) I was only vaguely aware of the issues surfacing with these guns at the time. Living in a small community in rural Alaska, looking at a gun first doesn't always work. So it was with this rifle.
After buying the rifle- and reading in detail some of the accounts on this site of what others were dealing with- I began to fear for what I might find when mine arrived. Poor finish, misaligned barrel, poor fit... When my rifle did arrive, I was both happy and anxious. I've wanted an XLR for some time- it was every bit as beautiful as I had hoped for. My anxiety was due to the fact it had both the 91 serial number and the REP barrel stamp. And maybe my fears were working overtime, because I thought the barrel looked like it had more drop than it should. There is a slight gap (consistent with other photos I have seen on here) between the top of the fore end and the receiver. Also, when I popped the bolt, it looked to me like it just didn't quite line up.
Well, a host of circumstances kept me from hauling it to the range to see what would happen when it was shot. Today I was finally able to go to the range. Here's what happened.
I first set up a target at 25 yards. Shot number one hit the snowbank perhaps a foot or so below the target. Adjusting the scope brought it up and into the smallest circle in a matter of 3 more shots. I then moved to a fifty yard target. A couple more shots in the circles convinced me to move the target to 100 yards. Within another handful of shots I had it shooting right at 2" high straight down the pipe. All told I put just under a box of shells (factory Hornady) through it. And I feel very confident that it will be ready to hunt with. I would say it is ready to hunt with now, based on how it shot. But I want a bit more "quality time" in the interim. My plans for this gun are to use it for brown bear, possibly this spring. (I always seem to have more time in the fall, so it may wait until fall season) I also plan on this being my gun for this fall's moose season.
Also of note: the scope I have on it is a Weaver Grand Slam 4x40, which a friend loaned to me. No shims were used. The base is a Weaver base and Quad Lock rings.
Despite my concerns- and the sympathy I have for those on here who have experienced major issues- I seem to have dodged a bullet and wound up with a gun that shoots very, very well despite the fact I have the number and stamp of doom. Honestly, the only thing that really looks wrong to me (at least I think it's wrong) is the fact that the small beveled piece that connects the magazine tube to the barrel is blued, not stainless. I believe it's supposed to be stainless as well. Other than that, the gun looks sharp and shoots the way I had hoped it would shoot.
At this point, I'm a happy camper. I'm excited to think about having a bear or a moose in the crosshairs with it sometime this year.
Have a terrific weekend everyone.
Terry
Nearly two months ago I purchased an XLR in .338 ME on GunBroker from Bud's Gun Shop. (I love their customer service, BTW) I was only vaguely aware of the issues surfacing with these guns at the time. Living in a small community in rural Alaska, looking at a gun first doesn't always work. So it was with this rifle.
After buying the rifle- and reading in detail some of the accounts on this site of what others were dealing with- I began to fear for what I might find when mine arrived. Poor finish, misaligned barrel, poor fit... When my rifle did arrive, I was both happy and anxious. I've wanted an XLR for some time- it was every bit as beautiful as I had hoped for. My anxiety was due to the fact it had both the 91 serial number and the REP barrel stamp. And maybe my fears were working overtime, because I thought the barrel looked like it had more drop than it should. There is a slight gap (consistent with other photos I have seen on here) between the top of the fore end and the receiver. Also, when I popped the bolt, it looked to me like it just didn't quite line up.
Well, a host of circumstances kept me from hauling it to the range to see what would happen when it was shot. Today I was finally able to go to the range. Here's what happened.
I first set up a target at 25 yards. Shot number one hit the snowbank perhaps a foot or so below the target. Adjusting the scope brought it up and into the smallest circle in a matter of 3 more shots. I then moved to a fifty yard target. A couple more shots in the circles convinced me to move the target to 100 yards. Within another handful of shots I had it shooting right at 2" high straight down the pipe. All told I put just under a box of shells (factory Hornady) through it. And I feel very confident that it will be ready to hunt with. I would say it is ready to hunt with now, based on how it shot. But I want a bit more "quality time" in the interim. My plans for this gun are to use it for brown bear, possibly this spring. (I always seem to have more time in the fall, so it may wait until fall season) I also plan on this being my gun for this fall's moose season.
Also of note: the scope I have on it is a Weaver Grand Slam 4x40, which a friend loaned to me. No shims were used. The base is a Weaver base and Quad Lock rings.
Despite my concerns- and the sympathy I have for those on here who have experienced major issues- I seem to have dodged a bullet and wound up with a gun that shoots very, very well despite the fact I have the number and stamp of doom. Honestly, the only thing that really looks wrong to me (at least I think it's wrong) is the fact that the small beveled piece that connects the magazine tube to the barrel is blued, not stainless. I believe it's supposed to be stainless as well. Other than that, the gun looks sharp and shoots the way I had hoped it would shoot.
At this point, I'm a happy camper. I'm excited to think about having a bear or a moose in the crosshairs with it sometime this year.
Have a terrific weekend everyone.
Terry