I Hate Gunsmiths

[ASH556]

Some of my personally-experienced gunsmithing foul-ups; all from very popular and "reputable" shops:

-A Remington BDL stock I send to be re-finished that came back with a 6" crack they swore they didn't do.
-A CZ 452 (not the one I currently have and have posted pics of) that I had threaded 1/2 x 28 and the threads were way too long.
-A Browning Buckmark bull barrel that I had threaded and they were supposed to move the front sight back...front sight installed a few degrees off.
-Very recently an AAC 51-T brake pinned/welded by a local precision rifle shop. Mount threads damaged to the point that the suppressor canted upon lockup causing endcap strikes.

[JRB]

#1 - It's one thing to have the skill set for quality hand-fitted custom work.

#2 - It's another thing to be able to accurately estimate both time and effort - making sure you accurately gauge how long it'll take you to get something done, and estimate price accurately enough to
a) Keep the lights on
b) Make a living doing it
c) Have repeat customers

#3 - It's yet another skillset to maintain proper business acumen and be able to handle the bookkeeping, billing, shipping, etc. with a business.


The gun world is rife with people that have some measure of competence in #1 and think that means they're fucking god at #1. Then more Dunning-Kruger sets in and the rest is a shit show. This describes most 'Gunsmiths', I've found.
The gun world has a few folks that are truly goddamn good at #1, but suck somewhat or completely on #2 and #3. They tend to struggle and while the work is good, even ardent supporters of those businesses/individuals will be frustrated by long leadtimes and inaccurate cost estimates.
The gun world has precious few that are truly godlike at #1 and are blessed with either the skillset or the additional business support to handle #2 and #3 well - and those precious few will STAY busy.
Separating the latter two types from one another is the bigger challenge, I've found.

Replace 'gun' and 'gunsmith' with 'Car' and 'Tuner/Engine Builder' and the same is true all around.

[Totem Polar]

I had one guy modify a wheelie to "true DAO," based on my specific instructions, among other custom modifications. I secifically requested that the SA notch be machined out internally. Gun cones back, and I discover that the hammer bob is all that was done, during a function check—despite my clear request, the gun can still be cocked (with no hammer spur). When called on it, all I got was a bunch of argument about "nobody ever does it that way." Fuck that guy.

Another smith’s custom work wouldn’t light off primers other than Federal reliably; a great, light trigger, but suboptimal for my needs. We deadlocked over my having to pay to ship it back and fix it.

Another smith strung me along on a wait list game for over 7 years, then retired, announcing that he had completed his list. I’m here to say that he didn’t, but whatever. It would have been nice to have put that gun on someone else’s long list if that’s how it was going to go. Custom knife guys can be just as bad, btw, but that’s for another thread.

This is why I’m so gung ho about new wheelies like the K6s and the Night Cobra; at least I’m dealing with a company/factory and not a single guy if the product fails to perform as advertised. Now that I can get sights and a smooth, sub-10lb pull (PLENTY light, IMHO) out of the box, forget S&W, along with some ‘smiths. JMO, so long as the rant thread is open anyways.

[OlongJohnson]

Nationally-known smith and manufacturer of high-end shotgun stuff that happens to be local to me installed its own trigger group in my 1301 housing. It was immediately obvious when I got it home and started inspecting it that the should-be-flat parts were not flat. Amazing that they could ever have failed to notice.

That's my one and only experience with paying a gunsmith.

I've accomplished some results I'm pretty happy with on my kitchen table and in my garage. I know I'm paying the heck attention to what's happening. Every. Single. Time. And if I don't like it, I can stop the train and make changes before it goes any farther.

[donlapalma]

I tried using a local gunsmith once. He asked me to meet him at his shop. He never showed. Never texted. Never called. Nothing.

[JRB]

I tried using a local gunsmith once. He asked me to meet him at his shop. He never showed. Never texted. Never called. Nothing.

Which was likely a favor to you, considering.

I'll bet that no-show saved you hundreds of dollars if not thousands, as well as untold hours of frustration.

[ranger]

I have been blessed with good gunsmith experiences.
1) I have never used a big name smith so never had any of the long waits. (edit - I have recently used Accurate Ordnance in Winder GA for PRS like work and they were a pleasure to deal with!).
2) Back in my USPSA days, a local machinist at the aircraft plant dabbled in gunsmithing - he helped me upgrade two Paras (P14 and P16) - nothing too fancy but installing SA magwells and BOMARs. Fast and reasonable. Still have the Paras - yes they run.
3) Now I shoot at a local club and one of my mentors is a highly skilled shooter hobbyist - between the two of us we can deal with M&Ps, Glocks, and ARs.
4) Have a local gunsmith who helps me with AR upper builds - great work, fast, and cheap - all 3!

[farscott]

My experience with gunsmiths has been mixed. I have had very good experiences with John Harrison, starting from when I lived about fifteen minutes from his shop and he was not nationally known. I own the first pistol of his to be featured in a gun magazine. Being local and not in a hurry led to great outcomes. If you need 1911 work, John is as good as there is, but the wait now is long.

One spectacular oops was with a well-known finisher whose work did not match the work order and the front tritium insert was broken when the pistol was taken from the shipping container. The pistol was made good, but it ended up taking much longer than it should.

Nowadays I only buy used customs that have been well vetted or guns like the Beretta Elite LTT, backed by people who really understand and live by the importance of customer service.

[Totem Polar]

My experience with gunsmiths has been mixed. I have had very good experiences with John Harrison, starting from when I lived about fifteen minutes from his shop and he was not nationally known. .

John was a stand-up guy when I dealt with him.

[theJanitor]

To be clear. I LOVE custom pistols, and I like interacting with quality gunsmiths