That's right I really did win it, the Dec. 2010 Gun of the Month $5200 package including an LMT LM308MWSF with the upgrade stainless barrel, a Pride Fowler tactical scope with lighted reticle and Warne mount, 2 knives, a wind gage and a trauma wound kit. The gun is rock solid and shoots almost as well as my SR-25. The British army recently bought a bunch of them to fill their version of the designated marksman role and it is a heavy muther but I really like it and the lighted reticle scope is great and the trigger pull is the best I have experienced on a AR, the SopMod stock and the Ergo pistol grip are very nice and comfortable.
And now the RANT, the rest of this is a FYI Sound Off style WARNING to any of you that have been entering to win the GOM in Guns or The American Handgunner magazines as I have for the last 25 at least, the same people run both magazines. By all rights this should have been the happiest of occasions except that Guns mag editorial staff has some total SOB's amongst them. I won the gun the end of December and finally in late March a very nice lady from LMT emails me with congratulations on my win, otherwise I may have never been notified, Guns mag to this day has not sent me any official notification what so ever. I sent her an FFL and she sent me the gun. When it came, I picked it up and started to examine my new treasure and found that it had been shot to hell and back and never cleaned I would estimate well over 100 shots, the bolt face was solid brass with a thick green ring around the edges, it was so dirty I had to get a bolt carrier carbon scraper from Brownells to get finally get it clean. It was obvious by the light marks in the finish on the picatinny rail that a scope had been mounted on it and the SopMod stock had deep scrape marks on the stock tube from a lot of usage. Nothing else came so I had to call the magazine and ask when the hell was the rest coming and they said they would send it. They sent some more but no knives, so one more call to get the knives. Nothing was in plastic bags like new stuff comes in not even the knives, the scope had an empty tiny ziplok which had originally held the battery which was not in the bag because it was already in the scope and I had to get my own hex wrench which was absent from the Warne mounts. So it was obvious I had gotten a bunch of used played with stuff but I will have to pay income tax on the highest most ridiculous retail figures totaling $5252.48. I was about to blame LMT but I fired of a letter to the editor at Guns to cuss them and to cancel my subscription and in his reply he mentioned that they only had the gun a short while to take pictures and that was all I needed to hear, they shot the hell out of it and then sent back to LMT uncleaned to be sent to me. Keep this in mind when you enter their monthly contests I'm sure the same goes for every winner.
"8/21 UPDATE for anyone that is interested"...
After several heated writings to Guns and LMT I think I finally squeezed out the truth, the way it most likely turns out is this, the gun is illegal to possess in the Republic of California so when Guns Mag tells me that they did not shoot the rifle because it would be illegal I tend to believe them, also the gun was not bought by the magazine but supplied by LMT for the advertisement value, Guns Mag. assured me that it was a New Model LM308MWS"F" with stainless barrel that was featured in their contest and I was supposed to win but what I got was obviously a well used demo model LM308MWS"E" with chrome barrel so I now firmly believe that the problem lies with LMT and they are unwilling to face up to the truth or discuss the matter. So I have made my apologies to Guns Magazine who is caught up in the politics of needing to keep a happy relationship with their manufacturers, and the gun has a good home now where it can live happily ever after....
And now the RANT, the rest of this is a FYI Sound Off style WARNING to any of you that have been entering to win the GOM in Guns or The American Handgunner magazines as I have for the last 25 at least, the same people run both magazines. By all rights this should have been the happiest of occasions except that Guns mag editorial staff has some total SOB's amongst them. I won the gun the end of December and finally in late March a very nice lady from LMT emails me with congratulations on my win, otherwise I may have never been notified, Guns mag to this day has not sent me any official notification what so ever. I sent her an FFL and she sent me the gun. When it came, I picked it up and started to examine my new treasure and found that it had been shot to hell and back and never cleaned I would estimate well over 100 shots, the bolt face was solid brass with a thick green ring around the edges, it was so dirty I had to get a bolt carrier carbon scraper from Brownells to get finally get it clean. It was obvious by the light marks in the finish on the picatinny rail that a scope had been mounted on it and the SopMod stock had deep scrape marks on the stock tube from a lot of usage. Nothing else came so I had to call the magazine and ask when the hell was the rest coming and they said they would send it. They sent some more but no knives, so one more call to get the knives. Nothing was in plastic bags like new stuff comes in not even the knives, the scope had an empty tiny ziplok which had originally held the battery which was not in the bag because it was already in the scope and I had to get my own hex wrench which was absent from the Warne mounts. So it was obvious I had gotten a bunch of used played with stuff but I will have to pay income tax on the highest most ridiculous retail figures totaling $5252.48. I was about to blame LMT but I fired of a letter to the editor at Guns to cuss them and to cancel my subscription and in his reply he mentioned that they only had the gun a short while to take pictures and that was all I needed to hear, they shot the hell out of it and then sent back to LMT uncleaned to be sent to me. Keep this in mind when you enter their monthly contests I'm sure the same goes for every winner.
"8/21 UPDATE for anyone that is interested"...
After several heated writings to Guns and LMT I think I finally squeezed out the truth, the way it most likely turns out is this, the gun is illegal to possess in the Republic of California so when Guns Mag tells me that they did not shoot the rifle because it would be illegal I tend to believe them, also the gun was not bought by the magazine but supplied by LMT for the advertisement value, Guns Mag. assured me that it was a New Model LM308MWS"F" with stainless barrel that was featured in their contest and I was supposed to win but what I got was obviously a well used demo model LM308MWS"E" with chrome barrel so I now firmly believe that the problem lies with LMT and they are unwilling to face up to the truth or discuss the matter. So I have made my apologies to Guns Magazine who is caught up in the politics of needing to keep a happy relationship with their manufacturers, and the gun has a good home now where it can live happily ever after....
