Big Bores & Warranties

S

Shadi Khalil

New member
Hello all,

Do makers of big bore revolvers like Freedom Arms, BFR have restrictions in their warranties when it comes to shooting reloads? Those two companies deal mainly in larger calibers so they must know most of their clientele are reloaders.

What about companies like S&W and Ruger? If I buy a .500 and I have issues which revealing the ammo used might diagnosis the problem, will S&W void the warranty if you tell them you reload?

I'm just planning on get a bench some time soon and with it some enormous revolver. It also something I've always wondered so I thought I'd ask.

Thanks,

Shadi
 
A manufacturer can't void your warranty outright just because they know you use reloads. With that being said, they may deny any warranty claims for damage that's ammo-related.
 
Read them carefully - they may recommend against using reloads, or they may say that they won't be responsible for damage caused by reloads, but they can't just void the entire warranty simply because you've used reloads.

You can read the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act for more details, but the gist of it is that the manufacturer can only make warranty coverage contingent on using certain specific consumables (such as factory ammunition) if they're willing to provide the consumables for free. In other words, if the manufacturer were giving you factory ammo for free, then they could void your entire warranty if you used reloads.

With all this being said, you may still be out of luck if you try to make a warranty claim for something that could be blamed on your reloads.
 
When you buy a new car/truck the warranty generally covers "defects in materials or workmanship." If you hit a telephone pole two blocks from the dealership, that's not covered under the warranty, even though the Owner's Manual most likely doesn't tell you not to hit telephone poles.

All the manuals I got with my pistols state something to the effect that reloads are not recommended; therefore, I would not expect a company to offer warranty for damage caused by a reload due to a "defect in the homemade cartridge" which made outside of all industry regulations and oversight.

Common sense.
 
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