Gunsmiths gone bad?

Have you had problems with work done by a gunsmith?

  • No

    Votes: 163 41.1%

  • Yes

    Votes: 234 58.9%
  • Total voters
    397
Mick McPhee in Kamloops is a machinist, custom barrel maker and precision gun builder second to none. The man is obsessive compulsive about making things perfect and his shop is so neatly squared away it makes me nervous. (his 1942 Pratt&Wittney rifling machine is frikken COOL) I'd rave about him more, but I'm afraid you'll all want to go to him and my own projects will take longer.

I also hear fantastic things about Dennis Sorenson "Guntech" in Brentwood Bay and Bill's guns in Burns Lake.
 
Dennis Sorensen is A-1 in my books. I have used Dave Jennings in the past, he has always done well, but is not a real accuracy nut. I had a certain smith whom I shall not name do a simple job for me, and he screwed it up royally, and then tried to charge me for his incompetence. Last chance he will ever get to do anything for me. There are some very fine smiths in various places in this country. I live about 6 blocks from Gunnar, he's a great guy, and a skilled pistolsmith. Regards, Eagleye
 
The one big problem I have had with a gunsmith has been a simple miss-interpretation problem. I thought I communicated my desires clearly, and he thought he understood me clearly; but when I got the gun back, and saw the notes he made while we were talking, it was clear, I hadn't made my point.

Oh well.

Guntech has done excellent work for me (and will again, when I can afford it), Del Selin in Vernon has done some minor stuff and I've been very happy, and I've had work done at Corlane/Rockymountain Rifles. If I had known about Guntech or HWMNBN, I wouldn't have used Corlane's.
 
Gunnar at Armco saved my 1911 front sights TWICE (2 different 1911's) :evil: AND with fantastic results. Never a disappointment.

The rest ? I do my own smithing.... :rolleyes:

:nest: Barney
 
cosmic said:
Well - I guess everyone has their bad days.. I had Jason Spencer do two minor jobs for me, well within the capabilities of someone with his background. Both jobs were flawed. Not sure I'd let him have another go at one of my pieces.
Click to expand...

The problem with gun-smithing is that it has to be right the first time EVERY TIME.

How many machinists can do that?

Yes, I've had my own frustrations with gun-smiths.

The true definitions of a gun-smith are:

"someone who can do something, but won't" :eek:

"the amount you feel you need something is inversely proportionate to the speed of completion" :runaway:
 
I’ve had awful experiences with gunsmiths! My first gunsmith done job was an 870 barrel I had shortened in 1982. The smith cut it with a hacksaw, drilled and tapped the front sight hole, screwed in the sight and dremelled the extra screw length flush to the barrel, what a mess. My second job, done of course by a different smith, was a scope mount installed on a Mauser action. By the time I got the rifle back there were 9 holes in the receiver. He said he couldn’t get it on strait! 1992. Next smith, shorten an 1100 barrel and install rifle sights. When the barrel was returned, looked good. Try it out, 3th shot the rear sight fell off. 5th shot the choke tube came flying out the side of the barrel 2002. I saved the best for last. I had a Rem 700 that I shot a lot. After several thousand rounds, over the course of a decade, I thought I would have it redone into a heavy barreled precision rifle. Bought all the best stuff, Mike Rock 5R barrel, Macmillan A5 stock, H-S bottom metal, Badger Brake & Lug. Then I started looking for a smith. I searcher for about a year until I found a smith I felt confident with, a guy outside Truro N.S. who apparently specialized in precision stuff. Checked out his references, got a price then sent him the parts. Eight Months later I got a great looking rifle! I put a scope on it then noticed I could only just zero it. The barrel had a pronounced “downward” slant. I was disappointed however I thought it might have been the action “out” or something. I took it to the range, 1&1/2 inches groups with ammo it liked, at 100 yards. The rifle shot ¾ inch before I spent three grand on it! I sent it back, he re-bedded it. Didn’t do squat. After a long battle the smith would do nothing other than insisting that I was not capable of shooting the rifle any better than 1&1/2 I gave up. I wanted him to shoot it but he would not do this in my presence. He would shoot it privately but I was not allowed to be there, and he insured me he would get nice ¼ inch groups. Since I haven’t believed in Santa in a long time I gave up on the rifle, I considered it an expensive lesson. I do my own stuff.
This is my experience with gunsmiths. Now everything I have to do, I research it and then I do it myself. The problem with this is that many of my friends now want me to work on their guns. It does put beer in my fridge though, so I guess it is not that big a problem.
That is not to say there are not good smiths, just that I haven’t delt with any. Recently my shooting partner had a job that required a mill, I don’t have one so he sent it to Dark International. I was very impressed with the work completed! I would send stuff to that guy! Another smith I met recently, his name escapes me, but he works for Para and moonlights as a smith in Ontario. He is very knowledgeable and his work appears first rate. I’d also get him to work on my guns. And of coarse Gunner in Prince. Those are the only people I would send my stuff to. I am sure their there are many more great, knowledgeable smiths out there however; there are a lot of metal “butchers” who can talk the talk, but can not walk the walk! Overall I am very disappointed with the smiths I have done business with in eastern Canada. My $0.02
 
mr randy doucet in northern nb is great on rifles.
lives in tabusintac nb.
made me up a nagant pu (enema at the gates nagant sniper)
soon to make me a pem nagant.
takes time but you cant get good work fast.
nuff said
 
Gunsmiths gone bad

I have had nightmares from a few so called gunsmiths here in B.C. I use the term Gunsmiths loosley! If you got all the good gunsmiths in B.C. together you would have trouble filling a Volkswagon Jetta.
 
My gunsmith makes house calls, is never on time, #####es the whole times he's there about me not having the tools he needs, screws my coffee up all the time and always leaves more parts laying around after he leaves then I had before he got there.
 
Just like any other profession ... some are better than others, some are highly skilled and experianced and do exceptional work, ... and some are just barely competent at all.
 
Though I only had a small job done there (but done well) the reputation of MD Charlton (north of Victoria) on handguns (especially S&W) is very good!
 
I was talking to a guy the other day that told me a horror story about a local smith and it got me thinking about some crap work that I've either seen or been victim of over the years. No problems with Craig's work :)
 
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