Gunsmith - WTF?!

ninepointer

ninepointer

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Since I'm installing a scope on my 10/22, I had to remove the Williams receiver sight that was installed a few years ago by a pro gunsmith. First thing I notice is that the front screw on the receiver sight turns very easy, has lots of crud on it (loctite?) and does not back off, it just turns. "Oh well, must have loosened up, hope I didn't snap it!", I say to myself.

The rear screw is in tightly and backs off as I would expect. So I remove the sight and notice that the front screw does not extend through the body of the sight into the receiver. It turns out that the front screw is actually a shorter and smaller diameter screw that was epoxied or loctited into the hole in the sight as a dummy screw:eek: Why you ask? Because what the gunsmith did was align the rear screw on the sight with the forward hole in the receiver. In other words, there was no hole in the reciever under the dummy screw. The receiver sight was only held onto the gun with one screw, the rear one:eek: Oh yeah, there was also lots of red crud smeared under the sight, so I guess he glued it with some red loctite for good measure:rolleyes:

So I wonder, "Why would the gunsmith do that when then are 2 screw holes in the sight and 2 screw holes in the receiver that are supposed to match up?" So I line up the holes as they are supposed to be, but I see that the sight no longer matches the contour of the receiver! WTF?! I found the answer when I spotted the model number on the underside of the sight. The gunsmith had installed the Williams sight that is made for a Ruger 44 and not the one that is made for the 10/22. According to the Williams website, these sights look similar but are NOT interchangable. Instead of re-ordering for me the correct sight, I guess the gunsmith went ahead and did a make-fit job using the wrong sight:mad:

Sure, I could have originally bought and installed the sight myself (its not rocket science), but I didn't mind giving this gunsmith work because I always liked this guy. I'm dissappointed:( This is the kind of job that I might expect from Bubba in his basement, but not from a pro:mad:
 
Are you referring to a receiver sight mounted on the top of the receiver using the scope mounting base screws, or one mounted on holes on the left sidewall?
 
Easy enough to fix - just get a Williams Guide Rear Sight and install it yourself. Shouldn't be hard to sell the .44 sight.
The good thing is that the 'smith didn't drill an extra hole in the receiver in order to mount the .44 sight. Sounds as if a workable job was done of getting a sight on the .22 on the spot.
 
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tiriaq said:
Easy enough to fix - just get a Williams Guide Rear Sight and install it yourself. Shouldn't be hard to sell the .44 sight.
The good thing is that the 'smith didn't drill an extra hole in the receiver in order to mount the .44 sight. Sounds as if a workable job was done of getting a sight on the .22 on the spot.
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Yeah, but then he would just have the same sight as everyone else. This way he has a custom, one-of-a-kind installation........
 
gunrunner100 said:
Did you provide the 'smith the receiver sight or did s/he order it for you?
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It was the gunsmith who ordered the sight for me, after I'd left him the gun in the spring and told him, "There is no rush whatsoever, hunting season is a long time away." I would have been happy to wait if he had to re-order the correct sight.

Sorry for venting. My initial post was right after I had removed the sight and I'm afraid that I've already made a bigger deal out of this than it really is:redface:. I might drop by the gunsmith's this weekend, but I'm not going to bust his balls over this matter. I'd be happy to give him the sight back in exchange for a box of ammo or something. Or I'll ask him for the correct screw(s) and I'll put the sight up on the EE forum.
 
This is definitely not professional. He is counting on you not knowing what it is going on.

This is a problem when there is no proper certification process - anyone can call himself a gunsmith and there is no professional code of conduct.

If a mechanic rigs a part for an Accura RSX in you Accura TSX, will you accept that??

I will NOT be polite with him. You depend on him to order the correct part - he ordered the wrong one. Not knowing it is the wrong one or too lazy to figure out it is wrong, or knowingly to save time and money to rig the wrong one on your firearms, either way he did not earn his money. You pay him for his knowledge and time - and he failed.
 
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It was the gunsmith who ordered the sight for me, after I'd left him the gun in the spring and told him, "There is no rush whatsoever, hunting season is a long time away." I would have been happy to wait if he had to re-order the correct sight.
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he should have told you imo

as green tips said
f a mechanic rigs a part for an Accura RSX in you Accura TSX, will you accept that??
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I just might but I better be given the choice !
 
There is absolutely no excuse for this. I can understand if you were in a hurry and he had consulted you first, but the situation being as it was there was no excuse.

I am surprised you still refer to him as a "professional".
 
I can maybe see and understand everything, except for the gluing in of the "dummy" screw.
That looks to much like he knew he was doing something wrong and was hiding it, IMHO...
 
shazam* said:
I can maybe see and understand everything, except for the gluing in of the "dummy" screw.
That looks to much like he knew he was doing something wrong and was hiding it, IMHO...
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+1.
He should have called you and told you he had to order the sight. You already told him there was no rush.
The screw glued in is all the proof you need he tried to sneak it past you.
I'd be going back and asking for a full refund.
 
"...already made a bigger deal out of it than it really is..."? I totally disagree. Having someone try to pass off that sort of crap as "gunsmithing" is beyond deplorable. It's no different than some of the slip-shod work I've had other tradesmen attempt to have me accept as "professional" quality. Anybody who pulls that kind of stuff is dishonest, and is a discredit to everyone else in their field of work.
 
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