Fierce Firearms Disaster

[Makaira]

Dont they come with a test target?
The CS blew it -should have sent him a new upgraded rifle immediately with a
apology.
Maybe was a option?
Hoping some one out bids me on gunbroker :}

 

[david2duck]

Some of their rifles don't come with test targets. Also, in this thread you can find guys talking about mess ups with test targets. They had lots of options to make it right with me but they choose anything but the correct way to handle the situation.

 

[MTWop]

Wow. Not much to say that hasn’t already been said. I don’t know if this is defensible at this point. I’ve been looking at getting a new 7mm or 300 fierce rival. I’ll pass on Fierce after reading this thread

 

[thauglor]

Nothing to add either, except your friend tool a rifle that had issues, that was sent back, that still had issues on a hunt? He didn't have another proven rifle? That's not even hunting 101, but using any tool 101

 

[david2duck]

Nothing to add either, except your friend tool a rifle that had issues, that was sent back, that still had issues on a hunt? He didn't have another proven rifle? That's not even hunting 101, but using any tool 101

He spent thousands on the combo and his gun shot very well. After they gave him the ammo that wouldn’t have issues it didn’t lock up on him for around 30-40 shots or so, if I remember right. After those 30-40 shots he felt confident enough to take it on the hunt.

What does your question have to do with the original point of the post? What are you accomplishing with your question?

 

[JRO]

Long read but could save you some money and headache.

A few years ago we placed an order through a local Fierce distributor for 4 rifles. A Fury in 28 Nosler, a Fury in .300wm, a Carbon Fury in 6.5 PRC, and a Carbon Edge in .300 PRC. Out of those rifles the Carbon Edge was the only one to shoot well and show up as advertised.

The 28 Nosler. After the second shot through the gun, with factory ammo stated by Fierce to shoot awesome, the bolt locked up and we had to ship it back to Fierce to get it open. They sent the rifle back with a clean bill of health. On arrival we noticed that every time we opened the bolt the firing pin would disengage once we closed it. Back to Fierce it goes. Gun comes back with another clean bill of health. This time we get to the range and after 5 shots the bolt won’t open again. We take a rubber mallet to it and get it open. We get it zeroed and take it out to distance. Call Fierce and they mail us out custom ammo that will 100% work. On the first elk hunt with the gun my buddy misses a 6x6 bull and goes to open the bolt and it’s stuck again. He had to take a rock to it to get it open. That is a very condensed version as start to finish took almost 8 months to get to my buddy hunting with it and having it fail yet again. They sent him an upgraded rifle after a year of back and forth. He sold it and now owns a Seekins that is his favorite gun.

The Carbon Fury showed up 12 ounces over weight. I sent it back and they said they would upgrade me to a different rifle that would meet my requirements for a small up charge. Never actually received that rifle because after what happens next I cancel the order and never saw my money for two years.

The Fury in .300wm. This is where it gets really good. Took the gun to sight it in. The gun had a 5 port muzzlebrake on it and after the first shot I told my buddy that it kicked so hard I was actually nervous to shoot it again. Don’t consider my self to be a b**ch but it freaking rocked me. Lucky for me the bolt wouldn’t open. Back to Fierce. They test fire it 3 times and send a video of them doing so. Back to me w/clean bill a health. I go to sight it in and I can’t get it to hit paper. I take the scope/rings off and start from scratch with mounting process. Shot it at 50 yards and it hit’s bullseye. Back out to 100. First shot nothing. Second, barely hits the edge of the target. Third shot, opposite side of target and the hole looked off through the scope. Get to target and the bullet was going through the target completely sideways. I open the bolt and look down the barrel and the gun had NO rifling. Take it to a local gunsmith and he mics the barrel and finds out it had only been pilot drilled. On my very first shot I put a .308 sized bullet down a barrel that was only .299 or .300. Luckily it didn’t blow up in my face. I call Fierce and have a somewhat heated discussion with John Mogle (owner) and at one point he laughs and says get a lawyer and have fun. So I did. It took 2 years but in the end I got roughly 10k. They actually didn’t complete their end of the agreement so I still have the rifle as evidence.

This story is so shortened so you wouldn’t have to read through 25 passages of sh*t to understand how ridiculous they are as a company. I spoke with 5-6 different employees and not one of them came through on helping me rectify the situation. In the beginning I would have accepted an apology and a new gun or two and moved on but when John told me to get a lawyer and have fun I was pot committed. Probably could have taken it to court and done more but after two years I was over it. Hope this helps some of you not waste your money with what I consider to be an absolute joke of a company from the top down.

How did you get your money back? Did you get an attorney? Need some help here. I'm basically dealing with a similar situation here. Spoke with John last night and he's basically in denial of his company's failures. I purchased a CT rival in 6.5 PRC almost a year and a half ago and have sent it back 3 times for repair. The gun never shot as advertised. I experienced bullet jamming, stuck casings, double feeding ,etc. If you had to get an attorney I'm interested in getting his information. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[david2duck]

How did you get your money back? Did you get an attorney? Need some help here. I'm basically dealing with a similar situation here. Spoke with John last night and he's basically in denial of his company's failures. I purchased a CT rival in 6.5 PRC almost a year and a half ago and have sent it back 3 times for repair. The gun never shot as advertised. I experienced bullet jamming, stuck casings, double feeding ,etc. If you had to get an attorney I'm interested in getting his information. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

PM Sent

 

[OdinIII]

What a train wreck! How can someone be smart enough to build and run a company but be so blind in the customer support aspect?

 

[SwiftShot]

What a train wreck! How can someone be smart enough to build and run a company but be so blind in the customer support aspect?

Narcissist.

 

[541hunter]

I mailed my fierce ct rival back and it arrived at Fierce 2 weeks ago. The rifle no matter the scope or shooter would not shoot better than 1.25“ group at 100. I tried 7 different factory rounds and some ammo loaded by unknown munitions. I talked to the gunsmith there before sending and he stated he thinks it may be the thunder beast arms break suppressor mount messing with the barrel harmonics. He also said they had this issue in that past and when they use their brake it shoots fine. I find this hard to believe but we will see. I’m hoping to hear something soon.

Update:
Heard from Fierce today. They tested my rifle and it failed to meet accuracy specifications and will be replacing the barrel. They will then test the new barrel for accuracy. While they have had the rifle almost 5 weeks, it sounds like my situation is being resolved with out any conflict.

 

[Balderdash]

Update:
Heard from Fierce today. They tested my rifle and it failed to meet accuracy specifications and will be replacing the barrel. They will then test the new barrel for accuracy. While they have had the rifle almost 5 weeks, it sounds like my situation is being resolved with out any conflict.

Don't they claim factory testing and provide a test target? How can accuracy and functionality issues be so seemingly widespread if they are tested before leaving the factory?

 

[541hunter]

Don't they claim factory testing and provide a test target? How can accuracy and functionality issues be so seemingly widespread if they are tested before leaving the factory?

No, they do not do that anymore when buying directly from them.,You can pay extra to have them tested. I didn’t. Wish I would have now though.

 

[journeyman713]

No, they do not do that anymore when buying directly from them.,You can pay extra to have them tested. I didn’t. Wish I would have now though.

Sort of like when you go to a restaurant and don't pay the upcharge, to pick out Hairs, Band-Aids, Bugs etc.
You can't complain later.

 

[Balderdash]

The closest I've come to a higher end production rig was a few Weatherby ULW's. That was maybe 15-18 years back. Functionality was always great, but a couple of them needed free floating to squeeze out the best accuracy. Was happy with them overall, but always figured that for the extra cost, they should be ready to go right out the gate without any fuss. They were really heat sensitive. Had to cool between shots to get tight groups.

While messing with them, I tried a Tikka. They weren't as widely known then as now, and I think I picked it up for around $450, whereas the Weatherby ULW's were $15-800 at the time. The Tikka was boring in its ability to cut tiny groups with about any load I stuffed in it. Proved to me how good mass production rifles can be. Not news to most here.

Since then I've had a few rifles built/assembled by local gunsmiths (Mostly Tikkas, but also 700's), but I've resisted the urge to go back into the higher end/speciality production rifles. Reading threads like these, I think I'll stay on my current path.

 

[SwiftShot]

Update:
Heard from Fierce today. They tested my rifle and it failed to meet accuracy specifications and will be replacing the barrel. They will then test the new barrel for accuracy. While they have had the rifle almost 5 weeks, it sounds like my situation is being resolved with out any conflict.

That is how it should be. The problem is that, the correct response is considered a reason to celebrate.

 

[BjornF16]

LGS has several Fierce Rivals and Fury’s…several in 7 PRC.

I was tempted, but this thread was in back of my mind and my previous conversations with their sales department stopped me

 

[bojangles808]

LGS has several Fierce Rivals and Fury’s…several in 7 PRC.

 

[Kuhsoy]

Made an account just to reply to this thread. I was set on buying a fierce due to the great reviews by backfiretv. I started googling reviews on Fierce and came across this thread. Turns out I’m not fit for the Fierce life.

Sorry this happened to the OP and thanks for sharing your story.

 

[SwiftShot]

Made an account just to reply to this thread. I was set on buying a fierce due to the great reviews by backfiretv. I started googling reviews on Fierce and came across this thread. Turns out I’m not fit for the Fierce life.

Sorry this happened to the OP and thanks for sharing your story.

I like backfire but he is too chummy with the owner. He normally gives good reviews but he gets a long with the owner so he failed to discuss the customer service problems.

 

[Balderdash]

I like backfire but he is too chummy with the owner. He normally gives good reviews but he gets a long with the owner so he failed to discuss the customer service problems.

I've not been impressed with backfire. It's mostly a marketing platform for a handful of brands that include Leupold, Vortex and Fierce, among a few others. Fire a few shots on a blue bird day at the range, give a good review on the preferred items, cast a little passive aggressive shade at the non preferred brands, don't piss off any friends in the industry for fear of future retribution of some kind. I know he sometimes states that he's not compensated for the reviews, but let get real: there's just no way some off the products and brands he champions would actually earn a better recommendation over some of the brands he denigrates or doesn't even mention.

I fully realize that it's just an extension of the magazine gun writers we grew up reading, but I tire of the writers who are too afraid to write an actual critique of a product from certain manufacturers. NF's are generally conspicuously absent from his musings. Further, I recall reading an article of his wherein he outright stated that a scope buyer should avoid SWFA and Bushnell. Not saying all Bushie are good for heavy use, but they do offer a couple of legitimate optics.

Part of the issue is that a few sessions at the range won't generally give one a whole lot to be genuinely critical of; instead, it's in pushing things to the limit where you find out what an item really has to offer or is lacking vis a vi its competition.