Lithgow 243 added recall

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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Gaznazdiak » 03 Sep 2018, 1:29 pm

No, the barrels are not made offshore.

http://www.lithgowarms.com/the-science- ... -493600885
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by solarpak » 03 Sep 2018, 8:44 pm

This is an absolute disaster for Lithgow - i assume the 308 will be next??
I dare say Lithgow are being very cautious and recalling the rifles through the ACCC guidelines - but this still leaves many hunters and shooter without a rifle - if that is their only rifle........

I sincerely hope that Lithgow do all they can to make sure their customers are duly inconvenienced when sending their rifles in.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by straightshooter » 04 Sep 2018, 7:47 am

What an inauspicious start to what should have been a significant manufacturing venture.
This is starting to take on the appearance of a basic design deficiency.
In normal commercial business circumstances 'heads would roll', but having spoken with somebody who has worked there in the recent past, that is not likely to happen in what is the cosy little closed shop at Lithgow Arms.
"Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about."
"There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking." Sir Joshua Reynolds
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by solarpak » 05 Sep 2018, 8:28 pm

Yes - all us owners of the 308 LA102 are waiting with baited breath to see if our rifles will need a re-barrel.
What a complete disaster . I hope that they will promptly rectify all the issues and get rifles back to everyone affected. In reality they should have offered a full refund but then we would go off and buy a tikka , howa or similar...... but their reputation is severely dented and the only way for them to resurrect themselves is to source quality barrels from overseas or locally and fit these to their rifles - and make it a known fact. Forget using their own barrels - that didn't work.
I will be keeping a close eye on their website and anticipate a "308 recall notice" eventually - hope i am proven wrong.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Bigjobss » 05 Sep 2018, 9:04 pm

Gaznazdiak wrote:No, the barrels are not made offshore.

http://www.lithgowarms.com/the-science- ... -493600885


That whole press release is stinky, may as well be McDonalds boasting about their coffee beans.
The Lithgow Arms of new was always betting on a bit of nostaligia and national pride, no sympathy from me when their product is s**t.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Gaznazdiak » 06 Sep 2018, 9:52 am

Bigjobss wrote:
Gaznazdiak wrote:No, the barrels are not made offshore.

http://www.lithgowarms.com/the-science- ... -493600885


That whole press release is stinky, may as well be McDonalds boasting about their coffee beans.
The Lithgow Arms of new was always betting on a bit of nostaligia and national pride, no sympathy from me when their product is s**t.


I was merely pointing out that the barrels are made here, not trying to defend their sudden drop in product quality control since they expanded the civilian range from the excellent LA101.

None of them have been recalled have they?
Or do you have a complaint about them nobody's heard of?
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by the big man » 12 Sep 2018, 9:04 pm

dont hold your breath on the turn around times my 243 brothers my 223 has been there for 2.5 months now with very little comunication the only time i get an email is when i call and harass them then i get one allmost emediatly when i first called them before sending it they said an 8 to 10 working day turn around they now have had mine as long as i have owned it customer service at its finest :x
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Gaznazdiak » 12 Sep 2018, 9:19 pm

the big man wrote:dont hold your breath on the turn around times my 243 brothers my 223 has been there for 2.5 months now with very little comunication the only time i get an email is when i call and harass them then i get one allmost emediatly when i first called them before sending it they said an 8 to 10 working day turn around they now have had mine as long as i have owned it customer service at its finest :x


Doesn't it sh!t you when a sales dept answer you immediately but the support dept of the same company piss you around no end when their product falls below expectations?

I had no end of dramas with a faulty PC and couldn't get the vendor to return a call or email. Then I asked them in my next email if I could get a better response by starting a social media campaign highlighting their lack of backup.

Surprise surprise, I was offered a new PC, free delivery and an upgrade as an apology.

Perhaps a Facebook page dedicated to Lithgow's lack of interest in backing up their customers once they've made a sale might provide the incentive to remove the digit from the anus.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by the big man » 12 Sep 2018, 9:40 pm

to be honest i would just like to see some customer service not just hear how good it is from them and im sick of hearing the same speal every time i call oh yeah dont bother asking a for a boss there to call you back regarding why the f its taking so long tried that twice now over a two week period still nothing buy australian they said oh how thats working for me
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Gaznazdiak » 12 Sep 2018, 9:49 pm

the big man wrote:to be honest i would just like to see some customer service not just hear how good it is from them and im sick of hearing the same speal every time i call oh yeah dont bother asking a for a boss there to call you back regarding why the f its taking so long tried that twice now over a two week period still nothing buy australian they said oh how thats working for me



Then it's time to put their feet to the fire.

Social media rules now, they use it to promote themselves, so it's time to use their own tools against them.

That being the case, stick it to them.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by solarpak » 13 Sep 2018, 9:23 pm

Lithgow have issued the 223 and 243 recall in line with ACCC guidelines and i heard today that the first 223's they received are now on their way back to their owners - how many rifles this entails is beyond me but its a start at least.
I wonder how many people will be ignorant to the recall, nit even knowing anything about it??- and using their 223 and 243's as we speak.
I sincerely hope the 308 isnt recalled ...maybe they are leaving the most till last ??
I will wait the process out (as a LA102 .308 owner) and hope that calibre isnt recalled.

People can express their opinions on social media - but flaws in rifle design are not new and i can name one big and expensive make that fails to recognise a flaw with its action (on a current model-) and put the onus on the owner to sort it out themselves.

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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by the big man » 14 Sep 2018, 2:20 pm

solarpak old mate have u even read the accc guidlines on this i have firstly if i had known of this fault i wouldnt have bought it remembering at the stage i sent it bak it was 2.5 months old secondly i would class this as a dangerous product explosive gas escaping thats danerous isnt it thirdly as the consumer i have a right to a refund or replacement only from the point of sales the only problem with this if i do any of this its to my firearms dealer who is the best bloke ever and i like walking into his small one man buisness he would then have to deal with the refund i think la should so i sent it back to avoid this so i have sent this below grade item back for repair and saying that the accc also says repair should be in a timely fashion would you consider 2.5 months with almost no comunication timely i dont there idea of communication has gone like this nothing till i ring them and say what is going on i get the corperate speal an email follows that then the cycle repeats and as stated dont bother trying to get anyone with authority there to call you back just doesnt happen is that customer service? just saying im in the situation right now last time i called on tue 10th they couldnt even tell me what stage my rifle was at just saying its pritty s**ty now i of all people understand problems happen in business but its how you deal with the problem and how you treat people as to weather they come back again my 223 will be sold as soon as it comes back hey you wanna buy it and my idea of bying a 101 and a woomera 308 has now gone due to me seeing how poorly i have been treated now for your benefit as a consumer please get onto the accc website or call them as i have several times to find out everyones rights :thumbsup: regarding this
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Gaznazdiak » 14 Sep 2018, 2:29 pm

Can't blame you for wanting to offload it when it's finally "repaired" bigman.
Not knowing the technical details of the potential flaw, I'd not be happy with anything but a total replacement.

Trouble 's going to be finding someone willing to take it on at a reasonable price that doesn't leave you with a hole in your pocket.

I've been wondering if the military have had any similar dramas with the F90. Can't imagine they'd advertise that, but their barrels are supposedly made on the same production line.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by the big man » 14 Sep 2018, 2:36 pm

and solarpak please in no way is this an attack or anything of the sorts its just im a pissed off lithgow owner with very little info and a bloke who wants to buy it and cant cos i dont have it to sell him and i dont want him to buy anything else and then soon will be a happy tikka only owner cheers :drinks:
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by solarpak » 15 Sep 2018, 3:39 pm

Big man,
i could agree more with the points you made . All we can do is put our faith in Lithgow Arms or buy another brand. I too have a LA102 in 308 and dare say am awaiting the recall on this too in due course. Would i like a refund - s**t yeah .......but i feel that wont happen.
Would i buy another Lithgow .....probably not ....once bitten twice shy.....

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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by the big man » 15 Sep 2018, 7:45 pm

my bet is that 308 will be next on the list sorry solarpak its probly not what u wanna hear even though on la website it originally stated 223 was the only caliber affected now if you look it says 243 is the only one i think they must think where stupid or that where s m r t i mean s m a r t not sure either way :lol: next i think they will recall the woomera before its released at this rate oh yeah i will be putting my faith in la agian the faith they will stuff more s**t up the 101 223 243 seeing a pattern hence i will soon be a tikka only kind of person :thumbsup: coz they just work and i havent just been bitten i feel like ive been crapped on by la
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by DeadPool » 15 Sep 2018, 8:36 pm

I asked sales about the possibility of the .308 recall and that I wasn't going to buy it because I didn't want to lay down $2.5k on a rifle and scope and then be left throwing rocks after a month because the barrels are stuffed.
The response was, the testing is still not complete on the .308. They have one barrel with 12000 rounds through it not showing the issue and others getting up to those numbers. So far so good apparently. I was offered an email to confirm test results once completed which I accepted. They expected it to be completed in a week or so.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by the big man » 15 Sep 2018, 8:48 pm

deadpool

please dont hold your breath on la ever getting back to you with any info think you might have more chance of hell freezing over and the devil giving away free slay rides if my experience is anything to go off
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by DeadPool » 15 Sep 2018, 9:03 pm

Yeah I fear you may be right big man. I want to support Australian manufacturing so much, but the product and service has to be on point.

I've already started looking at getting a Tikka instead. :(
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by the big man » 15 Sep 2018, 9:04 pm

oh yeah did anyone else notice that all the 223s they had ready to send back all had a titanium barrel no black ones cant say that was the order they came back in it all smells like crap to me
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 15 Sep 2018, 9:13 pm

Once the barrel is fixed still the gun mate. I am sure you will find a buyer easily enough. Hopefully your tikka gets you back to enjoying shooting.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by solarpak » 16 Sep 2018, 7:31 pm

Its strange to think that having put 12000 rounds through a 308 barrel would show anything - would testing it to proofing requirements (or exceeding proof)be more suitable ??
I aint a metallurgist or firerarms engineer but i would think that faults in the metal grain in the barrel would stand out like dogs cahunas!!

Interesting times ahead...will just continue to use my LA102 in 308 and keep my finger on the pulse so to speak....

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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 18 Sep 2018, 4:33 pm

They just updated with a picture first 100 are on their way back to owners. I wonder if any of them come on the market for sale
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by JimTom » 18 Sep 2018, 6:54 pm

If they have had barrel replaced and the issue has been resolved I think selling it would be counter productive. I would still buy one.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 18 Sep 2018, 7:29 pm

I too, had a feel of the 308 law...I liked it, thinking of 223 for my next gun purchase, how to somehow convince the minister of war, currently trying the line that she needs a rifle to put it on her license (only complications she is left handed)
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 20 Sep 2018, 4:47 pm

First of the repair 223 have hit the shops. For anyone who doesn't have facebook.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by flashman » 24 Sep 2018, 9:18 am

Sorry to hear that about Lithgow rifles, I went the other way , Tikka ,223, 243,308, hope it woks out for every one.... :(
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by Runnymede » 09 Oct 2018, 1:15 pm

Has anyone received their 243 back yet? Mine still at factory and apart from confirmation email to say they had received it haven’t heard anything since.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by MontyShooter » 09 Oct 2018, 2:45 pm

If it really is FIFO, then you won't see a 243 for quite a while.
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Re: Lithgow 243 added recall

Post by bigrich » 09 Oct 2018, 4:47 pm

sadly i think this drama may effect the resale value of these rifles. other makers have had dramas , remington has had issues with it's triggers and marlin build qaulity at times, brno recalled the number 5, the qaulity on portugese winchesters has been suspect i bin told. all these makers have got past their problems and carried on. wishing the best for a aussie business like lithgow , their backing their product and fixing things, probably at no small expense to themselves :thumbsup:
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