Author Topic: Factory Warranty (Read 535 times)

jvs · « **on:** February 20, 2004, 03:30:41 AM »

Let's suppose you buy a brand new rifle. You take the rifle to the range and find out it's shooting a little wild. 2 shots are relatively close together but one has a tendency to be a flyer, not real bad but you end up with something like 2 1/2 to 3 inch groups.

So in order to have it hit a little better, you decide to do some glassbedding, free-floating and you have the trigger lightened up to 3 pounds.

Does this work, especially the trigger work, negate the Factory Warranty?

Naphtali · « **Reply #1 on:** February 20, 2004, 04:37:16 AM »

The obvious answer is: Read the warranty.

If it is written in baffle-gab, try looking at trigger adjustments. If adjustments are sealed -- epoxied, or fixed -- altering them will almost certainly void your warranty.

In these litigious times, manufacturers attempt to minimize their possible liability by voiding warranties on firearms that have been tampered with, aka adjusted, by anyone NOT authorized by the manufacturer to do so.

You can thank the American Bar Association, and the American public, however you wish.
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Savage, I believe, has recently begun selling a rifle whose trigger is specifically intended to be user adjustable.

Your best option is to contact the manufacturer IN WRITING. Ask for an answer IN WRITING.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 20, 2004, 06:31:28 AM »

First off I'd suggest you make certain there is a problem with the gun. Are you sure the scope is OK? Is the trigger pull poor? Are you up to shooting better than the rifle is doing? Does the rifle tend to shoot 2 groups. Switching back and forth wetween the 2 at random intervals.. Are the groups even or are they strung out horizontally/vertically? There are a lot of things to try before deciding to return or alter the rifle.. Give us a few more details and perhaps we can assist.. gunnut69

CEJ1895 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 20, 2004, 08:58:02 AM »

half_inch_group - You may want to try a couple of different FACTORY loads in your rifle to establish a benchmark for the accuracy the rifle is capable of. Some rifles are very finicky with ammo I had an older post 64 Win 70 that wouldn't shoot anything well except Federal 180's. If the ammo is not the problem then I'd send it back to them before I started to tinker with it. If they can't fix it and you still want the rifle then start working on it. Otherwise use it on a trade for another rifle. It'll save you alot of frustration in the long run! CEJ..

jvs · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2004, 09:19:36 AM »

I didn't want to overload the question with all different possibilities, which is why it was asked so simple. Of course I would have tried all different loads, and I would have looked into other possibilities first.

I have no experience with sending a firearm back to the factory after work had been done to it. Although I was wondering.

And yes, Savage does have Accu-Trigger available on some models. One of a few makes with adjustable triggers.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 21, 2004, 09:47:25 AM »

Actually many makers have adjustable triggers. Winchester, remington, many Savages, CZ, Tikka, and Sako.. I refer to bolt guns and in some instances there may be variants that are not adjustable(especially in the Savage line). Attacking a problem rifle is done as are most problems, start with the easiest (scope, shooter, bad crown) when the easy are ok look at the more difficult. If you alter a factory rifle to almost any degree most will not stand behind it as to accuracy. I sent one M70 Super Grade back and they rebarreled..

Graybeard · « **Reply #6 on:** February 21, 2004, 10:52:31 AM »

Generally speaking such modifications will void the warranty on all guns but Ruger. Why? Because Ruger doesn't have a warranty. :eek: Now when it gets to them they may or may not actually fix a problem for you for free but if they do it will be made real clear it wasn't done as a warranty fix but just as a matter of taking care of their customer which is what all work done by Ruger is labeled.

TC will not touch one you've modified. Doesn't even matter if what you did has nothing at all to do with the problem experienced. Ruger will undo any modifications you've done if you ship it back to them and return it to factory specs.

GB

CEJ1895 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 21, 2004, 04:20:40 PM »

Graybeard - Marlin will do the same thing to any of their rifles returned for service. They will return all of the non-factory parts to you after they've replaced them with original parts. This was mentioned a number of times on the old not lamented marlin talk. CEJ..

Les Brooks · « **Reply #8 on:** February 22, 2004, 04:43:33 AM »

Don't do anything to a new gun if you determend that it has a problem. I worked warranty guns for several of the manufacturing companies years ago and if it had anything changed it will be written up on the report.

Here is what can happen to you. I had a call one day from a person asking what do you know about a certain brand trigger. My reply was any info on the workings of a gun would not be given out to a person to repair his gun. A few days later I get another call from another person asking what I knew about the triggers (this time it turns out to be the Manufacture's lawyer after we talked for awhile) and how to adjust the trigger. I told them that any info that they wanted would have to come from the owner of the Gun shop where I worked. Next here comes the court person and lawyers. They didn't interview me, but spent about 3 hrs with the owner of the shop.

I had written up a report of a rifle some 12 yrs before (not the gun in the law suit) and the lawyers had gotten a court order to go into the Manufactures recordS and found the report. This case was based upon a person given advise on how to work on the trigger. After THE OWNER had made the so called adjustments without knowing the correct way and changed the factory settings, he left the gun loaded and placed inside the house. When he decided to unload the rifle it FIRED!!! A person was struck and he sued the manufacture. I don't know what happened in this case as I was not called to court several states away. WE ALWAYS CARRIED A LARGE INSURANCE POLICY TO COVER JUST IN CASE OF THIS KIND OF ACTION.

People would get mad at me for not telling then how to work on a trigger. Remember that you can be sued if you give info on these products and someone gets hurt.

Check all the possible causes but don't change anything until you return the rifle to the manufactures experts.

JUST A FEW THOUGHTS FOR MY 2 CENTS WORTH