Most likely the top lever pawl is dirty and sticking. Not a horrible job to fix yourself if you are mechanically inclined. Otherwise the pawl or pin needs a tiny adjustment. No parts failed, there really isn't anything in the top lever locking system TO fail.

 

Skeet_Man:
I spoke to Cody, a gunsmith @Kolar, and asked about what I might be able to do to fix it myself. He said since it was a new gun with few rounds through it that it might be better to let him have a look and make sure everything is in "timing" and adjusted properly. With Kolar's lifetime warranty I know I'm covered I just would rather not have to pack the whole gun up and pay for shipping both ways etc., etc. anyway it left today, Fed Ex next day priority, which is the only way Fed Ex will ship a firearm from an individual to a dealer, and I hope to have it back by this week-end.

 

Good decision to send it back to Kolar. It will be in good hands and get thoroughly checked out. Kolar's customer service is second-to-none and they will make every effort to get it back to you quickly. If you have a competition coming up soon, be sure to let Cody know that. I'm sure they'll move you to the top of the list.

I have two of their guns; a 2005 Standard Skeet and a 2014 Max Lite Skeet, and have never had a lick of trouble with either one. That said, anything with at least one moving part can experience a problem. Kolar rarely lets a gun with any problem get out the door, but it can happen despite all their precautions. They'll make it right.

I returned the 2005 model to Kolar last year for a "freshening up" and it came back looking and operating as new...in less than two weeks.

 

What Fedex told you was a lie, it is perfectly acceptable to ship firearms from individual to dealer and vice versa. They hosed you for probably 80-100 dollars.

 

Skeet_Man:

I thought it was BS as I too have shipped many guns via UPS & Fed Ex to dealers and gunsmiths just using ground but I usually let my local gun store do the sending as they are a Fed Ex pick up point. Today they were not shipping anything and I needed to send it next day air anyway so I went to the Fed Ex "store" and yes it cost over $100 to send it. Since Cody agreed to try and get it back to me for this Saturday's shoot at my local club I went for it. I agree Kolar has the best customer service and I've not heard of any reliability issues. Have a friend with a 1996 flat rib Sporter with lots of rounds fired and no issues at all.

 

This is why I never use FedEx for shipping guns...or, anything else. They play too many games with the customer.

The US Postal service is your best, and cheapest, option for shipping long guns. They won't do handguns, so I use UPS for them.

 

Of the numerous times I have shipped a gun, I never actually said that it was a gun. I actually just say that it is sporting equipment. Insure it for a hefty price, no questions asked.

 

This is why I never use FedEx for shipping guns...or, anything else. They play too many games with the customer.

The US Postal service is your best, and cheapest, option for shipping long guns. They won't do handguns, so I use UPS for them.

Same here. I used UPS originally but had to drive to Charlotte to a "real" UPS facility as the Postnet type UPS offices won't take long guns. I tried the local post office and it has been easy and inexpensive. Only issue is that to insure a high dollar gun you have to use brown tape. But the one time i did that they loaned me some tape.

KC

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to switch to USPS for future gun shipments for service etc. Brown tape not an issue for me and after the way Fed Ex hosed me yesterday I'm not going back. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!

 

B/c I have a Fed Ex account for my business , I use them all the time. They come to the office and box the gun (maybe "over-box" is the right term) and ship it, no questions asked.

The USPS --here- will only insure the guns to $5000 max. I stopped using them.

 

Sera:
Since I carry gun insurance through the company that advertises with the NSCA my guns are covered when in transit. My local gun store, only a couple miles from my house, has a Fed Ex account and I usually let them handle shipping my guns. Last Monday the shipping guru was not at the store so I went to a Fed Ex "store" big mistake. Cody at Kolar called me this morning. Gun arrived at 9:00 AM and he found the problem, a loose screw in the receiver that effects the top lever locking into position. Anyway he applied some lock tight, and will have the gun back to me by Friday. Great customer service.

 

Kolars customer service is one of the primary reasons I went to one year before last, and why I just upgraded to another.

 

if the gun is loose , it will affect your molars. :wink:

me , too.

 

Oops! Teeth are fine, but that's what I get for using these damn tiny phone keyboards with big fingers, and no reading glasses.

I have at least twice as many pairs of readers as fingers, but they're usually on my head, around my neck, or in a pocket.....where I can never find them

 

I feel your pane.

 

You are not supposed to use the "store", but should go directly to your local hub.
Overnight is expensive; handguns that cost less and are smaller cost the same.

 

Gun arrived this morning! Yea! Everything working perfectly. Thanks again to Kolar and to Cody for the quick turn-around. Try and get that level of personal attention from Beretta or most of the other European manufacturers.

Only down side was that the freight both ways cost me a ton!! But I did get it back in time for this Saturday's shoot which is what I wanted so I guess I can't complain.

 

Glad but not surprised you got it back so quickly! I picked up my new Kolar this week.

 

Good to hear all went well K-Shooter.
I've had some private conversations with some guys on this site about the Kolar &, have yet to hear a bad word about the guns or the service.
I know it can be disheartening when hassles like this come up but, with Kolars considerable reputation, I don't believe you'll be having further issues.
It appears to me that Kolar are one of the top, if not, the top of the tree with their quality & service.
For me, it's not that Kolar or, any other gun manufacturer have problems here & there but, the feedback on how seriously they take their commitment to their product.
Thanks for the info on how things went k-shooter.

Kind regards....................SoT

 

Son of Thurlo:

I have bought and sold/traded many, many competition guns over the years. I guess I've always been easily tempted away by the newest or latest "it" gun or whatever the new shooting star was shooting. What I've learned is a cliche, "it's not the gun it's the shooter". BUT with that said I have enjoyed owning top quality equipment and having had a few "issues" with dealers and manufacturers, I've come to really appreciate the quality, balance, great service, and dedication that Kolar provides its customers. Many top manufacturers build/design solid, durable guns but few are small enough to REALLY be all about their product and all about customer service. Kolar only builds competition guns and only a few hundred in any given year. They are probably the smallest player, by numbers, in the business yet they really try hard. I'm glad there are still companies around like Kolar and I'm pleased to be part of the Kolar owners/shooters fraternity.

 

I'm glad there are still companies around like Kolar and I'm pleased to be part of the Kolar owners/shooters fraternity.

Me too, brother! {hs#

 

Update: my top lever "issue" happened again!! This time I called and spoke with John Ramagali, "Raggs", and he had me overnight the receiver back to Kolar. Kolar paid for shipping and after they disassembled the receiver they found that because I custom ordered my Max-lite sporting with optional shinny blue barrels and receiver the thinner blueing compared to the thicker normal nickel plating that they use allowed some of the set screws to back out when the receiver got hot from shooting which allowed the top lever locking mechanism to fail. They told me that they have only made three blued received guns and didn't realize that the additional space taken up by the nickel plating could make such a difference. So they re-taped the affected screw holes and put in oversize screws with lock-tite. Everyone at Kolar bent over backwards to figure out the cause of this very unusual issue and to get my receiver back to me in a couple of days. While I'm not thrilled with having a "new" gun have a re-curing fault I am very impressed with the dedication and customer focus that Kolar has shown towards me and my situation. Just a note: Don't order a blued receiver when ordering a custom Kolar. Go with the engraved or plane nickel plated process.

 

I have this same exact thing on my nickel Kolar from time to time. It's the screw that holds the lever down. It's on the inside of the receiver and I believe it is a 5/32" Allen. Very easy fix, but I agree it shouldn't be doing it. I give that screw a quick tightening every time the receiver is off.

If it happens while you're shooting, you can press the lever down with one thumb while pushing it to the right with the other thumb. That will hold the lever open until the next time you close it. Not ideal, but it's a quick fix if it happens while you're shooting.

 

Son of Thurlo:

I have bought and sold/traded many, many competition guns over the years. I guess I've always been easily tempted away by the newest or latest "it" gun or whatever the new shooting star was shooting. What I've learned is a cliche, "it's not the gun it's the shooter". BUT with that said I have enjoyed owning top quality equipment and having had a few "issues" with dealers and manufacturers, I've come to really appreciate the quality, balance, great service, and dedication that Kolar provides its customers. Many top manufacturers build/design solid, durable guns but few are small enough to REALLY be all about their product and all about customer service. Kolar only builds competition guns and only a few hundred in any given year. They are probably the smallest player, by numbers, in the business yet they really try hard. I'm glad there are still companies around like Kolar and I'm pleased to be part of the Kolar owners/shooters fraternity.

Amen. I came within a hair of buying a Max Skeet Light yesterday. Barely used. Great price, gorgeous gun. Even the "base" wood was incredible. There something about the way these guns lock up, mount, and point that just makes them special. The balance is phenomenal - you have to experience it to understand. I have nice guns.... but there's a difference.

It does bum me out a little that you had to pay return shipping the first time. I just had to send one of my Guerini's back and they paid return shipping. It cost me $42.00 to get it to them; I dropped it off at my dealer and they sent it on from there. I don't know if they have some blanket policy or what, but they ship a TON of guns so I trust them implicitly. Regardless, there's no doubt Kolar will take care of you - I just think that they could pick up the return shipping on a warranty repair the first time around.

I still want one I've warned my wife that I will buy one if one of the following conditions are met:

1) First 100 straight in a registered shoot (skeet)
2) I turn 50

Worst case =2.5 years.... but I'm practicing REALLY hard :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

thestumper: Kolar did refund me the money for shipping that I paid on the first return and paid for the second return shipping, both ways, you can't ask for any better treatment than that.