I think that's what drives most of us to pick up tools. The good guys are extremely busy, and the bad guys you don't want to touch your stuff. - dan
Gunsmiths gone bad?
- Thread starter HeadDamage
- Start date
I think it is important to remember to use a gunsmith who specialise's in what you want done, if you can find one. You don't want a "tactical" gunsmith working on your Rigby double rifle, or a pistolsmith fixing your trade rifle.
heavyBullet
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Just off the island of MTL
I was really hoping someone in the Montreal area was going to voice up and say they knew a Great gunsmith.
Has anyone had experience with Paul at Snapshot on the South Shore of MTL ????
- Location
- North-Central Quebec
You have to tell us what you want done. You see, every good gunsmith has his specialty. My mentor Jacq Rioux (Fabrication 10-X) is considered by many top competitive shooters to be Quebec`s top pistolsmith and one of our better rifle rebarrelers. However, he has only limited experience in other matters such as blueing, stockmaking and working on doubles. He can do OK work on those but there are specialists who do better. For example, Lusignant in Ste-Hyacinthe for blues or Heptmeyer in the townships for stocks and fine doubles. There are others, it just depends on what you want done.
No - because after he had my BRNO ZH201 for 7 months I decided to go and get it back from him.
I know another gunsmith on the South Shore, but not long enough to offer an opinion on the caliber of his work. You do realize the impact of answering such a question, right?
David Henry
CGN Regular
- Location
- West of the big road
Gunsmith Bloopers
Dont take things too seriously fellas I'm sure Rolls Royce has forgoten to put the plug in the oil pan more than once.
Here's a couple of instances in my past that at the time seemed the last straw but in retrospect are most comical.
I was working in Lethbridge with the late Ron Propp about 1980 and had just replaced the lop lever spring on a Savage single shot 12ga and all that was left to do was tighten on the buttstock. Simple right.
Well at some point Savage came up with a plastic stock that they called "Tenite" and as I was getting the tension just right, the stock shattered into one hundred pieces on the bench infront of me. Not a replacement to be found anywhere, had to buy the customer a walnut one. He wasn't happy because the wood didn't match his Tenite forend so I had to get him a replacement forend as well. A $5 repair job that probably cost me$100 at the time.
Further embarrasment whilst on the subject of buttstocks we had in about the same time a custom stocked Remington 1100 trap gun with all the angles and dangles just to fit the shooters face the way he had ordered, but inspite of a fancy fitting handle the owner complained about the recoil and wanted a mercury dampening device buried in the butt. Simple stuff right.
Bored the hole just right, slid in the recoil reducer and turned a wooden plug to fill the void behind it. Then added a little epoxy and tapped it into place with the hammer.
With the most undeniable sound the stock split into two pieces and lay there to be observed by all, I could have filled a bucket with puke. But instead spent the next few days making a new stock free of charge.
Alas' the cost of education is allways high.
I,m sure fellow CGN gunsmiths can top these humourous moments with antics of their own, so why not share a few so we can all have a laugh. David.
Dont take things too seriously fellas I'm sure Rolls Royce has forgoten to put the plug in the oil pan more than once.
Here's a couple of instances in my past that at the time seemed the last straw but in retrospect are most comical.
I was working in Lethbridge with the late Ron Propp about 1980 and had just replaced the lop lever spring on a Savage single shot 12ga and all that was left to do was tighten on the buttstock. Simple right.
Well at some point Savage came up with a plastic stock that they called "Tenite" and as I was getting the tension just right, the stock shattered into one hundred pieces on the bench infront of me. Not a replacement to be found anywhere, had to buy the customer a walnut one. He wasn't happy because the wood didn't match his Tenite forend so I had to get him a replacement forend as well. A $5 repair job that probably cost me$100 at the time.
Further embarrasment whilst on the subject of buttstocks we had in about the same time a custom stocked Remington 1100 trap gun with all the angles and dangles just to fit the shooters face the way he had ordered, but inspite of a fancy fitting handle the owner complained about the recoil and wanted a mercury dampening device buried in the butt. Simple stuff right.
Bored the hole just right, slid in the recoil reducer and turned a wooden plug to fill the void behind it. Then added a little epoxy and tapped it into place with the hammer.
With the most undeniable sound the stock split into two pieces and lay there to be observed by all, I could have filled a bucket with puke. But instead spent the next few days making a new stock free of charge.
Alas' the cost of education is allways high.
I,m sure fellow CGN gunsmiths can top these humourous moments with antics of their own, so why not share a few so we can all have a laugh. David.
Good to hear these stories from the other side of the chequebook. While there are undoubtedly incompetent 'smiths out there, maybe we need to be reminded that, from time to time, even the good ones have a bad hair day. Thanks for sharing some of your embarrassing moments, David.
Stuart
StuartBeen there, done that, Dave.
Not as a gunsmith though. As a goldsmith.
Nothing like blowing up a customer's "diamond" re-tipping claws because it was actually a zirconia.
Or having a wedding set crumple on you during a resizing because it has been re-sized about a hundred times before and is mostly solder now.
Best though, was a watch. This was back in the early '90's. I hated doing repairs on anything but jewelry, but my boss kept handing me stuff and saying, "A buck is a buck. Fix it." So I fixed watches, glasses, whatever.
Anyway, this one day, he hands me a watch. One of the arms that holds the pin for the wrist strap is broken off. The customer wanted it soldered back on. It was his Dad's watch. His dead Dad's watch and they wanted for the afternoon so that he could be buried with it.
I told the boss it couldn't be done. It was likely white metal with gold plating. No solder was going to fix it. He told me to lead solder it.
Now, I had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling. But you know, at that time in my life, the boss is the boss, you do what he says.
So I took the movement out, and the crystal, and set the parts up to solder.
As soon as I touched flame to that stuff, the pot metal liquefied. It ran out in a stream, leaving only a mircon thick shell of gold wavering on my soldering board.
I f***ing near vomited.
A harsh breath sent the gold shell to oblivion.
I was so sick with dread, I still can't describe it.
After a long - and tortuous - consultation with the customer, we made a wax of the watch bezel and cast it in brass. It was then gold plated and the movement and crystal installed.
I still have nightmares about that watch.
Not as a gunsmith though. As a goldsmith.
Nothing like blowing up a customer's "diamond" re-tipping claws because it was actually a zirconia.
Or having a wedding set crumple on you during a resizing because it has been re-sized about a hundred times before and is mostly solder now.
Best though, was a watch. This was back in the early '90's. I hated doing repairs on anything but jewelry, but my boss kept handing me stuff and saying, "A buck is a buck. Fix it." So I fixed watches, glasses, whatever.
Anyway, this one day, he hands me a watch. One of the arms that holds the pin for the wrist strap is broken off. The customer wanted it soldered back on. It was his Dad's watch. His dead Dad's watch and they wanted for the afternoon so that he could be buried with it.
I told the boss it couldn't be done. It was likely white metal with gold plating. No solder was going to fix it. He told me to lead solder it.
Now, I had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling. But you know, at that time in my life, the boss is the boss, you do what he says.
So I took the movement out, and the crystal, and set the parts up to solder.
As soon as I touched flame to that stuff, the pot metal liquefied. It ran out in a stream, leaving only a mircon thick shell of gold wavering on my soldering board.
I f***ing near vomited.
A harsh breath sent the gold shell to oblivion.
I was so sick with dread, I still can't describe it.
After a long - and tortuous - consultation with the customer, we made a wax of the watch bezel and cast it in brass. It was then gold plated and the movement and crystal installed.
I still have nightmares about that watch.
That's it...
In general, when you have found a good one, you stick to him. But, if you are lucky enough to have access to a machine shop and you have a little time on your hands, it is one great hobby.
I've had work done at SC gunworks and never had a complaint...
The gunsmith at the old United did a few things that I wasn't all that impressed with ...
And the local smith here in Bancroft did some rifle work for me that I was actually pretty happy with.. He's gonna get a little more work from me when I get back...
And Gunnar has a gun on it's way to him.... I'll see how he does...
The gunsmith at the old United did a few things that I wasn't all that impressed with ...
And the local smith here in Bancroft did some rifle work for me that I was actually pretty happy with.. He's gonna get a little more work from me when I get back...
And Gunnar has a gun on it's way to him.... I'll see how he does...
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
I was impressed by David Henry's work, I will probably send him more stuff. He's very fast and he actually returns email !!!!
The local jobs that I have gotten done have been a shade disapointing. Depending on what I need it is sometimes well worth paying extra in shipping.
The local jobs that I have gotten done have been a shade disapointing. Depending on what I need it is sometimes well worth paying extra in shipping.
Had some work done years ago by an old timer in High Prairie, AB bythe name of Marsh Evanaulf. He did fantastic work, however he has since passed on. Had work done to my pride and joy Husqvarna by KS Arms in Edmonton about 10 months ago. The work was horrible in my opinion and he greatly diminished the value of a fine firearm. I will never recommend him, nor will I ever have any work done by him again.
Chris
Chris
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Yup, Mick is super accuraate, and super fast turnaround.
between him and paul reibin the get the majority of the business from Ft. Mcmurray I suspect.
David
I waked into Lawson's in Fredericton a couple of years back to pick up some projectiles and low and behold, he was behind the counter with a steel rod down the bore of a firearm. On top of that he was hitting it with a carpenter's hammer pushing out a stuck projectile. 
The man showed no shame whatsoever.
LAWTONS
down the bore of a firearm. On top of that he was hitting it with a carpenter's hammer pushing out a stuck projectile. The man showed no shame whatsoever.
LAWTONS
I’m kind of lucky in this area. One of my dad’s best friends is a gunsmith and one of my neighbours is too. They both have all the tools and let me use them because they like to see someone interested in doing it so they will tell me how a job should be done and then show me how to do it properly while pointing out my mistakes. It saves on gunsmithing bills however if I don’t know what to do I take it to Doug at Ellwood Epps. I haven’t had a problem with his work or service.
David Henry
CGN Regular
- Location
- West of the big road
Gunsmith Bloopers
I love the watch story, My uncle is in the undertaking business and he has some classic tales. David.
I love the watch story, My uncle is in the undertaking business and he has some classic tales. David.
- Location
- St. Joe's Island, Ont
The guy complained? Nowadays people would kill for a good walnut stock over that Tenite crap. They can't even get $10 for those ones on Ebay nowadays. Not sure why Savage even went that way, they look friggan ugly in my eyes. I think some of the 311's and model 24's wore them as well as the 220's and Stevens 94's.
I waked into Lawson's in Fredericton a couple of years back to pick up some projectiles and low and behold, he was behind the counter with a steel rod
The man showed no shame whatsoever.
Oh my ....
short way for time and money 
