Okay I know someone is going to say I told you so...
I bought a 45/70 Baikal. The jack screw really does a great job of aligning the barrels left to right. It is just my gun is shooting anywhere from 4 inches to 8 inches vertically off depending on load. I sent it back to EAA they were no help. Kept it for two months. Said they would shoot it with factory ammo and send me the target, and box lid from the ammo if it was okay. I got back nothing but the gun and a note saying "checked out, okay."
Obvious 5" vertical spread at 50 yard is okay for the Russians, but it is not okay for me.
Thought about heating the end barrel retainer and twisting, but I am a bit afraid on that one. I have been experimenting with some shims in the retainer at the end of the barrel with some noticeable movement, but just haven been successful yet. Anybody have any suggestions?
I can't even dump the thing, because I wouldn't feel right selling it to someone like this.
Thanks in advance
Jerry
PS yes I know, you get what you pay for.
Jerry,
Before you do anything you can't undo,make sure you are using correct bench techniques.
Mike
Are the barrels printing good by them selves?
IIRC there was another gent that made a shim to point the offending tube in the right direction. I believe he too the front bridle off and slid it in there.
Actually there is room at the muzzle of the of the adjustable barrel to slip a shim in. I am not sure if the shim changes the point of impact or if it just changes the vibration allowed by the barrel during firing.
Re bench shooting technic. I use a cadwell shooting bag. Tried just resting it, tried hand under it, tried holding it down, the results are pretty consistent anyway.
Shoot the same when shot off of sticks. The darn thing cost me a 1st place at a side by side shoot we had this spring.
Before I get drastic, I am going to shim it some more. I was just hoping someone else could give me some input.
Jerry
What do these rifles weigh?
Sorry about your disappointment. You must understand that the outfit that makes them is a highly bureactratized government arsenal (all decisions have to come through the Ministry of Defence and FSB, nee KGB - no kidding), where it's a miracle something gets done at all.
I'll have to look into the factory specs for this gun. They could be lifted from the shotguns, and the specs from shotguns are that POI has to be no more than 25 mm below, 50 mm to the side and 150 mm above the POA at 35 meters. This, of course, won't do for rifles, and I'd expect the company to develop the new specs (or at least adapt their rifle specs, which say 100 mm circle at 100 meters). If not, then... Have you tried to replace the gun? EAA appears to be pretty gentlemanly about such issues.
Shimming IS a viable option. Apparently, the best material fro shims are old-fashioned safety razor blades. I'll try to get more info on how folks on our side of the globe deal with shimming at the weekend - provided the Junior gets over his bloody teething and starts to sleep nigths, as a good boy.
Humpty
Thanks
The factory repair in Florida did NOTHING. They said they would shoot it with factory ammo and then send me the box top and the target. nothing came back with the gun but a packing slip saying it was shot and it checked out.
I have heard other say theirs shoot great and some having problems similar to mine. Any advice is appreciated.
Some here have used 'feeler guages' that used to be used for setting the points on cars pre-electronic ignition. The auto parts stores still carry them.
Sorry about the delay. My 'big' compuer broke and I had to do with the mini netbook which is too slow for the stupid search function on the site where I was looking.
Bottom line: I'm sorry. You've been had. Unlike the over/under rifles, which allow reglation both horizontally and vertically, the MP221 factory regulation mechanism workes only for the left-to right (horisontal) deviation. The vertical deviation is to be regulated by the factory, and there are no provisions for correction.
I see only two options for you:
a) contact EAA and INSIST they REPLACE your gun or give you money back. By the factory manual your gun is DEFECTIVE.
b) find a competent and inventive gunsmith who could remove the front sleeve and build a new sleeve which will send the bullets where you want them to go.
That's where the feeler guages come in for shims!