Gunsmith recommendation for adding iron sights - Vancouver BC area

Bartledan

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Hey there, all.

After learning a hard lesson about even premium scopes, I'm adding irons to my hunting rifle... perhaps more than one.

I need a gunsmith who can reliably drill and tap 4 screws holes, top dead center, in the right places, and not poke through to the bore.

I've used one guy in the past who did a great job, but a picatinny rail install took 8 months. I've already got the sights but not the screws.

Who would you guys use?

Thanks!

D
 
I've heard only good things about http://www.bitsofpieces.com/ . However they are very busy and in the middle of hunting season it could take a month before you get your rifle back.

Edit - "After learning a hard lesson about even premium scopes". Also care to explain what happened?
 
It's a Browning BAR. I have the factory browning irons in hand. Forgot to get the screws, but I've got the sights.

The parallel slab sides should make "top" easy, even "dead center" of "top dead center"... if a long table milling machine is being used.

Are there any other gunsmith recommendations?
 
Dlask?
Rustywood?
Have not tried but I've only heard good things about both.

I'd be tempted to glue them on.... :)
 
I don't know if Dennis does d/t work, but I would recommend him to anyone. He did some fantastic work to a model 700 I used to have, and the response time was exceptional. He posts on here as "guntech". He's on the Island if I'm not mistaken
 
Barry is capable of doing great work if you don't mind considering your gun an RRSP deposit.

You can get it back when your retire.

When he gives approximate completion dates....he's being very lenient so as not to scare you away.

Just a heads up.....but.....I've had a few things from him that turned out quite good.
 
Barry is capable of doing great work if you don't mind considering your gun an RRSP deposit.

You can get it back when your retire.

When he gives approximate completion dates....he's being very lenient so as not to scare you away.

Just a heads up.....but.....I've had a few things from him that turned out quite good.

Amen to that Chuck.
The fella runs on a different schedule than most.
Don't try calling him once every three months either,the squeaky wheel don't get the grease.
I hope to have my rifle someday before my eyesight is gone and I'm in adult diapers.
Are you allowed to own firearms in a care-home?
 
What has he done that's bad?
In my case I met him in person to go over the work done and we agreed on the price and the work but when I got the gun back, he had made changes to the plan and never bothered getting in touch to talk about it.
He had my contact info and I had emailed him a few times after each due date that he suggested.

I wanted a non painted, picatinny rail mounted to a barrel in a scout position on a stainless .357 Rossi lever action.
The plan was to use the rear dove tail as an anchor point and then drill and tap another screw mounting location forward of that towards the barrel band. I was hoping to figure out some way of even using the barrel band as an anchor point but Barry said it would be easier to just drill and tap. The reason I wanted the rail forward is so I could trail carry the gun in one hand without interference from the rail or any optics mounted on the rail.
I also got him to drill and tap the receiver for a side mount Lyman Peep that I provided and asked him to make the rail scalloped or tunnled in the middle so that the peep sights could be used over the rail.

What I got back was a black ,non picatinny rail mounted to the rear of the dovetail location and then drilled and tapped into the receiver above the chamber area. The rail and the protruding screw heads that he used is also too high to use the peep sight at it's lower settings.
The extra scratches on the gun that he installed for free while doing the work was another bonus but would have been overlooked had things gone better.

The only good thing I can personally say about Barry is he did have the common sense not to ask for any money when I showed up to pick up the gun....

I can deal with long waits but basic communication or lack of is something that I don't tolerate.... especially if there are changes to the plan or some other issue that has come up.

 
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