A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

[LSandBinc]

Here is an email I got from the local match director's review of his Gibbs rifle. This guy tells it like it is, thats way I like him so much....

My rifle's barrel is marked GIBB'S 2011 at the muzzle but was ASSembled by some HACK in Ephrata, Pa. I found this out through Gibbs Rifle Works in Parkersburg, W.V. after my first scope developed numerous oily black specks on it's internal lens after just 47 shots.... told me they (Gibbs) "HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE HI-LUX SCOPE! Imagine that! Under the barrel is marked ROCK RIDGE, Ephrata, Pa. Turns out Its a machine shop!
The rifles chamber was cut with a chipped chamber reamer. My SECOND scope is on TOP of a work bench....not on TOP of the rifle I bought. The trigger was very heavy. About 7 lbs. After the take up of the first stage, the drag or creep took almost a week to get the rifle to fire!
I had to do a chamber clean up with my own reamer and with the grace of the lord I was able to do so without increasing the rifles headspace and..... The trigger took a lot of additional work! Hell! If I had to depend on Gibbs or Ephrata or ????? my rifle would probably have spent more time on a UPS truck than it has on a rifle range!
So lets see what happens at Camp Perry during the CMP's second annual Vintage Sniper Match with these drill rifle receivers and CHINESE scopes! As the video will show....these rifles do look...."nice"... BUT....

Forgot to mention, the price of this rifle is no longer $999...add a couple hundred to it's price tag now! BTW, all phone calls about the scope to include shipping and insurance were on my DIME!

BUYING ONE? Take your chance's and DON'T expect to get YOUR monies worth!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcc99z8PPQw&feature=player_embedded

 

[kraigWY]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

Thanks, I heard such horor stories before. Gibbs is off my list.

Still waiting for reviews on Creedmors.

 

[1kHIT]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

Another sad experience with the Gibbs. One Sniper's Hide member on here picked up a Creedmor, but that was back in the Spring of this year. For one reason or another (brought wrong ammo to the range, I was rushed, etc...), he has yet to actually put the rifle through it's paces and post a range report. The very fact that he's failed to do so tells me the rifle might not be much better than the Gibbs. Hope I'm wrong. Sorry for the bad experience with the Gibbs. I don't like it when anyone has problems with firearms.

 

[LSandBinc]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

I maybe wrong but I sware I read somewhere that the Creedmor rifles were from Gibbs also, not trying to give the Creedmors a bad rap just saying.

 

[1kHIT]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ARShuter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I maybe wrong but I sware I read somewhere that the Creedmor rifles were from Gibbs also, not trying to give the Creedmors a bad rap just saying. </div></div>

That would be news to me - I hope you're wrong, however. Increasingly, these seem to be getting worse reviews all the time.

 

[ORD]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ARShuter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I maybe wrong but I sware I read somewhere that the Creedmor rifles were from Gibbs also, not trying to give the Creedmors a bad rap just saying. </div></div>

The Creedmoor 1903 rifles are being manufactured/assembled by Curt Wolf at Rock Ridge Machine Works (it may be Rockridge...one word...I can't recall off hand). It is more than possible that if your friend's Gibbs is marked with that info, that the Gibbs and Creedmoor rifles are being churned out of the same facility (sad though it may be based on the above report).

 

[hrfunk]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

I think part of what is going on may have to do with various companies' efforts to keep up with the demand for their products. This does not excuse shoddy workmanship, but it may help explain it.

HRF

 

[1kHIT]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

It may indeed help explain it, but it's continuous reports like this, and now more references to the idea that Gibbs and Creedmoor's are being assembled / made at the same facility, that keeps me from picking one of these up. Oh well, money saved, I guess.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

The Gibbs rifle in the linked video had R R engraved on the barrel, if that is any indication as to the source of the rifle or barrel.

 

[ivankonev]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

I have a Gibbs 1903A4 and mine is absolutely superb. My barrel is simply marked GR 2011.

Shoots much better groups than my Ruger 77MarkII with the same ammo, or any of my other mil surps by far.

Fit and finish is excellent, and the second model "Hi-Lux" scope has given me no problems at all.

 

[BasraBoy]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

OP - sorry to say, your mate's experience ties in with my smith's experience of the early version Gibbs with the truly awful Chinese scope.

These really sound like a lottery as to whether you get one that is a howling dog or something approaching OK.

Suppose someone's happy and making money on the upturn in interest for vintage precision rifles!!

Feel sorry for those that are getting shafted.

 

[1kHIT]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

BasraBoy,
That's a pretty good summing up of things: "A real lottery". Sad, because I've always had a soft spot for these type of rifles.

 

[BasraBoy]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 1kHIT</div><div class="ubbcode-body">BasraBoy,
That's a pretty good summing up of things: "A real lottery". Sad, because I've always had a soft spot for these type of rifles.
</div></div>

1kHIT - I understand not everyone has a ton of cash to throw at a vintage Springfield....but I saw a couple of decent looking 1903A3 on the Simpson website yesterday, both at less than US$900.

OK, you'd need to source a scope (there's a decent looking Weaver 330 on that auction site on a "Buy it Now" at $450 or Best Offer), find some rings/mounts and pay for some gunsmithing...but, for my money at least, that would be a much better option than dumping $1100 on one of these Gibbs?

And it'd give you a rifle you could be proud of for not too much more than the Gibbs/Creedmoor.

But maybe CMP rules exclude such project replicas?

Hell....for another $300 on top of the 330 Weaver, you'd be into M84 territory, and they're easier to find!

I'll stop now or I'll be talking myself into another project!!

 

[1kHIT]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

BasarBoy!
LOL!! I'm glad you stopped talking, as you were talking me into another project!!! Your arguments make a LOT of sense, and I think that if these firms had of put more emphasis on the quality of their products earlier on, they'd have been much more successful, and people wouldn't be so quick to rationalize themselves out of buying one, IMO. Sadly, that seems to be an increasingly common theme in the gun industry here in the States, IMHO. Have a GREAT weekend! I'm sure I'll be looking at the possibilities of the project you described!

 

[BasraBoy]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

LOL! You too 1kHIT.

 

[hahco]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

I am disappointed, but not really surprised, to read the writeups on these Gibbs rifles. I like the theory of them, but in practice I (personally) have found chinese scopes and mounts to be inadequate. The video review is convincing, but I'm not prepared to drop a grand on one of these rifles. A grand will get you a very good current production remington or savage rifle. For nostalgia, you can get one of the arsenal refurb Mosin PU snipers. Sounds like these are just a crap shoot.

If you want a real quality vintage sniper piece, I think you have to be prepared to hand out the $$$.

 

[Bigbuckeye]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ivankonev</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have a Gibbs 1903A4 and mine is absolutely superb. My barrel is simply marked GR 2011.

Shoots much better groups than my Ruger 77MarkII with the same ammo, or any of my other mil surps by far.

Fit and finish is excellent, and the second model "Hi-Lux" scope has given me no problems at all. </div></div>

I have a Gibbs marked as your is and it has been great. Shoots reasonable well with crappy HXP from the CMP. No regrets here.

 

[BountyHunter]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 1kHIT</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Another sad experience with the Gibbs. One Sniper's Hide member on here picked up a Creedmor, but that was back in the Spring of this year. For one reason or another (brought wrong ammo to the range, I was rushed, etc...), he has yet to actually put the rifle through it's paces and post a range report. The very fact that he's failed to do so tells me the rifle might not be much better than the Gibbs. Hope I'm wrong. Sorry for the bad experience with the Gibbs. I don't like it when anyone has problems with firearms.
</div></div>

You know what they say about ASSumptions!
That was me and just have not had time to get back to the range with that rifle. Still traveling 2 weeks a month and other issues like getting comp gun ready for the 1k Nationals kind of put a crimp in my range time. I will get back and wring it out further, but so far I am quite happy with the Creedmoor and NO they are not made by Gibbs.

 

[1kHIT]

Re: A friends review of the Gibbs Vintage Sniper rifle

BountyHunter!!!!!

Glad you're back! I'm glad to hear you still have the gun, and sorry for your crazy work travel. Summer is just about gone here, and Fall is coming, so you're running out of days to enjoy the rifle! I'm happy to read you are quite pleased with the rifle. As BasraBoy and I earlier talked, I'm still pretty much interested in reading a report from an actual range session in which they got to shoot all the ways they wanted. Keep safe traveling, and looking forward to your review whenever you get a chance for one!




You know what they say about ASSumptions!
That was me and just have not had time to get back to the range with that rifle. Still traveling 2 weeks a month and other issues like getting comp gun ready for the 1k Nationals kind of put a crimp in my range time. I will get back and wring it out further, but so far I am quite happy with the Creedmoor and NO they are not made by Gibbs. [/quote]