Gunsmiths must hate me

[Ron Eagle Elk]

I've contacted two gunsmiths by telephone and e-mail to have my Remington 700 action trued and a new barrel installed. Neither of them have returned my calls or e-mails. Are reputable gunsmiths that busy?

Any suggestion on a reputable smith somewhere close to Olympia/Tacoma that will do quality work?

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[jonn5335]

I'm sorry I can't point you to a good gunsmith in your area only some advice ask to see other guns they have worked on / built there are a lot of so called gunsmiths out there that do piss poor work don't ask me how I know this. you might be better off sending it to a gunsmith that works on long range rifles only it might cost a little bit more but well worth the peace of mind

 

[nubus]

You might do best to have your barrel in hand. Some of the guys I work with aren't interested in ordering/educating a client on what barrel, what finish, what length, etc. That way you won't blame them if they helped you pick out something you don't like in the long run.

 

[Ron Eagle Elk]

John5335, maybe the guys doing shoddy work are the reason the smiths with great reps don't have time to call/email back.

Nubus, I have a threaded, short chambered barrel (Shilen) laying next to the rifle as we speak. I wouldn't mind having the barrel shortened by 2 inches and recrowned, but thats really not a biggie or a deal breaker. The gunsmith is responsible for his craftsmanship only, not those of the barrel maker, trigger maker, or my bad choices. I also understand that quality can take some time, so once I find a gunsmith with a good rep, then I have no problem with him doing things in an appropraite amount of time. If you have any ideas about who, in this area (I don't mind driving a ways) I'd appreciate a hint.

 

[lamrith]

Ron,
Did you happen to try the Marksman, it is only a few min from JBLM. It may be worth just driving over and bringing the weapon. I know that thier phone are busy as is the shop. I have never tried to call the gunsmith, but I see him out front working with customers all the time when I go in to use the range. Seems like a very good guy based on how he is with customers.

 

[netcarrier]

Hi Ron,
Here is a Guy that know Custom Rifiles; Holland Shooting Supply, 711 Avenue "H", Power, Oregon 97466; Phone number 541.439.5155 Holland's Gunsmithing & Shooters Supply His name is Darrell Holland.
Hope this helps,
Tony Portland, Oregon Area

 

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Lamrith, Is that in Pyallup? Haven't tried there. I'll make a trip out Monday for a talk.

netcarrier, Sent Darrell an e-mail about the work I needed done. Will wait and see.

Thanks for the help. Any others with a suggestion?

 

[Mark W.]

I heard tell they all got together and had a meeting. You were the topic on hand. I guess you didn't make the vote...


J/K

 

[deadshot2]

You've hit on the key reason. Regardless of the trade, those that are good, and have a great Customer following, will always be busy. Doesn't matter if they're a carpenter, roofer, plumber, mechanic, or Gunsmith. Those that have run off all their customers due to crappy work, surly attitude, etc, will always be able to "get right on it". The exception to that will be those who have just recently gotten into the business and are building a clientele. With them it's best to get a reference or two to see if their work will meet your expectations.

I got to the point that I just do all my own work, whenever possible. I know the standard I want met and if the work doesn't come up to that level then I know just who to blame

 

[lamrith]

@Ron- yes it is. 512 and canyon road. Acrost the street from albertsons, behind taco del mar

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Mark, it must have been only the WA gunsmiths as I got an answer from Darrell Holland down in OR.

lamrith, I'll be making a quick trip to Puyallup this afternoon to check it out though.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Hmmm, Allison & Carey in Portland had my barrel shortened and recrowned for me within 24 hours. Called me the day after I dropped it off to come pick it up.

If you are talking quality custom work I highly recommend Delta Gun Shop in Colville, WA. Go to their web page for pictures of rifles they've built or modified. Real artists.

 

[Ron Eagle Elk]

ZZZeke,

Shortening and recrowning the barrel is a pretty easy task, especially for a shop. Trueing an action, finish chambering and installing a barrel do take some time. For quality work, a couple weeks or more is no problem for me. I can always shoot my Garands at 300 yards for giggles.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

ZZZeke,

Shortening and recrowning the barrel is a pretty easy task, especially for a shop. Trueing an action, finish chambering and installing a barrel do take some time. For quality work, a couple weeks or more is no problem for me. I can always shoot my Garands at 300 yards for giggles.

That's why I mentioned Delta Gun Shop. They are a couple hundred miles away, but they do amazing work. They completely restored my Remington rolling block, they did the barrel, metal finishing, repairs, stocks, etc. I don't know if they are taking any new work. Lsat time I talked to Jim up there he was swamped. But if I wanted some quality rifle work done I'd be calling him.

 

[DEADTIME]

Welcome to the world of gunsmiths, they take an A-hole test as part of becoming a gun smith. I wish I had a 20 for every jerk gunsmith I've run in to. Had one gunsmith tell me he wanted 300 bucks to thread a barrel. Had another tell me his minimum for looking at the gun was 250 bucks, had another refuse to work on weapon because it wasn't.....these are his words "special enough".

Finally found a fellow ex army lifer who noticed my dog tags and after chatting treats me like a real human who wants to give him money.

Unfortunately the gunsmith world is full of ego driven A-holes.

 

[MarkAd]

Try J&T Express in bremerton. I like them,They do good work.I don't have the number so you can call Boerner's Gun shop and they will be able to give it to you.

 

[PBinWA]

We need a gunsmith review section here - like the gun store review section. That would certainly be a useful section.

I have a couple of guns I want barrel shortened and/or threaded but other than Tornado Tech. (looooong wait times) I just don't know who locally to trust.

 

[MountainBear]

Welcome to the world of gunsmiths, they take an A-hole test as part of becoming a gun smith. I wish I had a 20 for every jerk gunsmith I've run in to. Had one gunsmith tell me he wanted 300 bucks to thread a barrel. Had another tell me his minimum for looking at the gun was 250 bucks, had another refuse to work on weapon because it wasn't.....these are his words "special enough".

Finally found a fellow ex army lifer who noticed my dog tags and after chatting treats me like a real human who wants to give him money.

Unfortunately the gunsmith world is full of ego driven A-holes.

You really should get a wider swath of experience before making comments like that one. I for one am not an A-hole. Neither are most of the gunsmiths I know.

Like any self-employed profession, a gunsmith has every right to turn down your work. Maybe he doesn't specialize in it, maybe he doesn't have the proper tooling, maybe he doesn't like that kind of job. Personally, I price myself out of or refuse several types of jobs. I don't like the stress of working on high end shotguns. One slip of the screw-driver and I can be paying an engraver to fix it. Its not worth my stress. I don't care to work on old Colt double-action revolvers that are out of time because the timing system is a six-sided (literally) pain in the butt.

As to the OP, any gunsmith that is any good will have a back-log. Most of the good ones I know are generally at least a month out on most jobs, some even more. Specialists with good name recognition are often a year or more out. It would be great if they were better at returning emails and calls, but often they are one man band shops and every minute he spends on the phone or computer is making him further behind. As has been mentioned, any gunsmith that is a butcher will generally get a poor reputation and be out of business quick. Gunsmithing is not a get rich job, which explains why I take seasonal jobs in Alaska during the summer.

Good luck on your project! I hope it turns out to be everything you want it to be!

 

[Ron Eagle Elk]

As of this afternoon my rifle project is to wait. While I was mowing the backyard today, some *%&&(&^^% shot my Springer Spaniel while my pup was playing in the front yard. He was hit with either a pellet or a .22, bullet isn't out yet. A neighbor said he saw a kid riding a bike with a gun strapped across his back.

Seeing as how the pup is my best bud, he takes priority. In the meantime, thanks for all the suggestions. As soon as things smooth out, I'll restart the project.

MountainBear, I don't know any gunsmiths personally, but I do know several makers of fine bamboo fly rods, and for years I made custom furniture. Craftsmanship is a man hour eating, skill utilizing endeavor. Unfortunately, if we charged what our experience, training and talent are truely worth, nobody could afford us.

I used to turn down work, as do my rod making friends, because some projects just aren't in our skill set or the job is a total PITA. That being said, I always felt I owed a potential customer a return call or e-mail, even if it was to tell them I couldn't accept their work at the moment.

REE

 

[lamrith]

Ron - I sincerely hope your pup makes it thru ok.

WTF is wrong with people to shoot a puppy?