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
There are plenty of people out there with delusions of grandeur, calling themselves "gunsmiths". I've met a few guys who do good work, but I consider them to be more technicians than smiths. Great gunsmiths are fantastic toolmakers, and I've only met one of these guys so far and that was Wolf here in Edmonton. I remember him showing me a double-set trigger mechanism that he made from scratch with only hand tools, it was very well done. I asked him if he needed an apprentice, since I was almost done school, and he flat out told me that I don't want this job and that I probably would be out of a work when the liberals take away all the guns. He was a really neat guy, too bad he retired.
 
The old GUNCO shop run by George pohl, a premier gunsmith,here's my story. I took a drilling there to have the claw mounts fixed. I would get to Ottawa every 4 months and enquire how it was going and always saw it in his rack. Soon he'd say, After 18 months I went back and it was still in the rack,covered in dust. So I asked for it back and he said in his nice accent" You can't rush these things you know". I took it to one of his student Siggy Trillis and it was ready in 2 weeks. End of story. Both are dead now,too bad. JITC
 
PGW has done excellent work for me.

After them, I don't think I've met any others I trust.

I remember having a new Remington which had feeding problems-a warranty issue.

Well, I sent that gun to 3 different Rem warranty smiths and none of them could fix it. I think the follower was changed twice.

The last one I sent it to said "it is not bad, there is a problem with it , but it feeding as well as it is going to...."

When I told him that I wouldn't accept it back, he then suggested maybe I wasn't loading it properly and that if I was willing to drive 200 miles he would show me how!:mad:
 
Everybody, and I do mean everbody, has messed up at one time or another. Every gunsmith has had a customer who was dissatisfied for one reason or another. Some have more complaints than others. Gunsmiths, like their customers, are individuals. Some are just plain better than others. Some are easier to get along with than others. Some are limited in their abilities while others are more versatile. I'm sometimes amazed that some have any following at all.
Some gunsmiths know a lot and some think they do. Some will admit when they don't know something while others will make something up. Depending on the type of work you want done, gunshows or competitions are the venues to check out. Regards, Bill.
 
We have had some doozies.... so we have now resorted to importing some help...

Late april we have a swiss gunsmith moving into our shop (directly from Europe) where he has been contracted to set up a complete "gunsmith centre" so we can have 4-6 European gunsmiths working here at once....

I am tired of having our stuff butchered.

JR
 
The Late Ron March built my Custom Rem700 sniper Rig and he did an excellent Job.

GrensVegter (Longshot's Ace Machinist) here did a sweet repair job on a bolt handle I had come apart.



SKBY.
 
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I'm not a Gunsmith, but send me all your guns and I will see what I can do.
I only work on high-end AR's and prohibited military firearms :) Send lots of ammo as well....I do lots of test firing .................
 
I've had both good and bad experience with gunsmiths. About 12 years ago I purchased a new barrel for my M1 Garand and needed it installed. I have a friend who absolutely swore by a gunsmith in Calgary by the name of #### Peach(sp). So I thought I'd give him a try, I sent him the rifle and barrel and 8months later I still hadn't heard a thing. I finally got the rifle back, took it out and shot it with some factory ammo and it worked. When I stripped the rifle for cleaning, I discovered that he had on hand tightened the barrel to the rifle.

This caused an enormous problem trying to shoot reloads. Off to Dlask to fit the barrel properly. Go to go, no problems. A couple of years later I sent a takedown Winchester M97 to Dlask to have the barrel cut back and smoothed out for Cowboy Action. They told me I needed a new barrel and they would get one. After 5-6 months I phoned them asking on the condition of the gun and they said they couldn't find a barrel. By doing a simple internet search I found 4 available within 20 minutes, I emailed the info to them. 4 months and 3 phone calls later where they put me off each time, one day a courier showed up with my completely disassembled shotgun in a box. Not impressed, no excuse, no explanation.

A year or so later I tried Dlask to adjust the sights on a Ruger Vaquero. It was shooting 5" to the left. I provided them with all my load info and sent them the gun. When I got it back it shot 6" to the right. I was left with the impression that they couldn't be bothered with firearms repair these days, just manufacturing.

I would like to compliment AC Douglas in Saskatoon, a friend and I have sent them 3 Winchester 97's in the last 2 years to prep for Cowboy shooting and they do great work.
 
Sent a swede mauser to Don's Gunsmithing just outside of Rocky Mountain House, to get it drilled and tapped for weaver bases. As well as a Ruger 77 for a timney trigger. The swede looks like he knocked down the reciever with a bench grinder, then splattered cold blue on it, no atempt at even a bit of fine grit polishing. Then the weaver bases are trying to cover that up. Then the 77 with the timney never fired right, the sear was dragging a touch and that would slow the firing pin enough to cause misfires. Usually when a coyote was in the crosshairs.

Dave Henry on the other hand, took care of that problem, and has since gotten all the business i can afford to take to him. A+++ gunsmith if there ever was one.
 
Lee Enfield said:
The problem with gun-smithing is that it has to be right the first time EVERY TIME.

How many machinists can do that?
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When you work in industry doing custom machining with exotic materials, it has to be done right the first time EVERY TIME.

There are good machinists and there are incompetent machinists. Same as gunsmithing, same as any other trade.

Personally, I do my own work. I have the tools in the garage and if I can't get it done there, I take it to work. :D What they don't know doesn't hurt them.
 
I've yet to meet a gunsmith I can look square in the eye and trust enough to put back in new-ish condition my 2 beloved pellet rifles (the one I learned with, my first gun, and the one my godfather gave me on my 10th christmas, both of which are priceless to me). In short, I've been sitting on 3 broken guns for years because I can't find a good gunsmith I can meet and learn to trust over here.
 
Back in the 90's there was a small gun store near my place, I bought several guns there and was a good client. One of the co -owner was claiming being a gunsmith. One day I bought an SKS and wanted to remove the stock. Not knowing how to do it ( I do know now) I brought it to that 'WANNA BE`. He took it to the back store, and about 20 min later was still there so I went to see what was going on. When I entered the shop, he had my rifle by the last 5 inch of the barrel in a regular bench wise , and he had punched out one of the barrel/stock nose cap lock pin by half, and was holding the pin with a pair of wise grisp he was banging on the wise grips with a hammer to pull out the pin. The barrel was springing up and down like a saussage. The pin was badly damaged, and there was some wise marks and scratch on the barrel, front sight, and bayonet mount. Was I ever mad !!!

I ordered him to give me back my gun as it was, he started to talk about billing me for his time I told him to F**K OFF and never being there after.

Not too long after I heard that he screwed up, and left his partner with the broken pots. They closed store not too long after.

I sold the rifle at a gun show (at loss due to the damage done to it).
 
Jack Onefreychuk in Kamloops did some great work for me on removing rust and re-bluing my .22, making a replacement for a metric threaded nut and bolt for a handstop, and pinning some P85 mags. Good service, good price.
 
Splatter said:
Del Selin in Vernon has done some minor stuff and I've been very happy
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I was going through the "Exchange of Pistols and Revolvers" forum and I noticed that DelSelins in now a member/friend here (yayness!!).

They threaded a couple of muzzles for me and removed a couple of barrels from actions. Time and charge was always reasonable.
 
I can share with many here through several years of trial and error, watching shops close left and right and downright frustration with extra long waiting periods.

Good gunsmiths get a reputation that keeps them busy if they want to be.

Bad gunsmiths find out very quickly as word spreads fast. Your reputation and business will die almost immediately.

There are also many smiths that fit in between.

This is what caused me to eventually learn the trade myself. Slowly step by step I've been accumulating the knowledge and experience so that one day when my services are offered, it will be done right or it will be sent back because it cannot be done right. I'd rather have a job be done by a competent person or not at all. That way you get your money's worth or it didn't cost you anything.
 
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