Common Sense and manners..

[Rustystud]

Every good gunsmith I know has the following happen on a recurrent basis.

Someone calls and wants to get their rifle set back or their new barrel chambered ASAP.
Most good gunsmiths are backed up several months with work to do.
Many customers have had their actions, barrels and stocks on order for months.

The caller expects since his job will only take a few hours that the gunsmith should drop his other customers work and pick his up. More times than not the calling customer has his own components. Most gunsmiths sell the components at a small markup but never the less make a little money on the parts. That also insures that the components are of a quality suited for the job. Even with the gunsmiths markup their prices are often lower than the customer can buy from the manufacture or vendor.

Recently I had a guy call about my doing a set back from a 6mmBR to a 6mmBRX. When I told him it would be several weeks before I could get to it, he asked to borrow my reamer and gauges. He said, "I will ream it out by hand". Obviously he does not know much about cutting chambers and I am not about to let him ruin a $152.00 reamer.

Precision rifle work requires expensive machines and tooling. Just like shooting, gunsmithing skills improve with experience. There are many skilled craftsmen out there chambering rifles they all are due some respect.

The purpose of this post was to give you the customer a view from the other side. I know you feel that it generally takes to long to get your rifle worked on.

It is just like the line at McDonalds there always is someone wanting to jump in line ahead of you. I refuse to do walk up business unless it is an established customer.

This post should make your blood preasure go up, it sure made mine go up.

Nat Lambeth

 

[NorCalMikie]

"Lots" of folks think about #1 and screw everyone else. Manners and common sence have gone by the wayside.
If the walk in customer wants it "NOW" just double the price. That "might" make him think about it a little but more than likely it will go in one ear and out the other. Some folks will never get it!
Stupidity on their part doesn't make it an emergency on your part.

 

[queen_stick]

Nat,

This is true an ANY industry. I work in telecom, repairing circuits, and it's the same thing. Customers always have a round about way of saying "drop what you're doing and fix my _______" (Fill in that blank with anything that makes sense in the industry you work in). It's absolutely ridiculous. I'm not one who will take a bunch of crap from someone, and let them try to walk on top of me - I've actually told customers that they're ridiculous, and they need to go 'pound sand' - it usually ends up with a nice talk from my manager, but I don't care.

"The customer is always right".... That quote sucks! Maybe it was true in the past when people had common sense, integrity, and respect.

Thanks for getting me fired up Nat.

Walt

 

[gambleone]

"Lots" of folks think about #1 and screw everyone else. Manners and common sence have gone by the wayside.
If the walk in customer wants it "NOW" just double the price. That "might" make him think about it a little but more than likely it will go in one ear and out the other. Some folks will never get it!
Stupidity on their part doesn't make it an emergency on your part.

Nat, NorCalMikie said it perfect in the last sentence. I see the same thing in the emergency room where I work. Everyone wants in first regardless if we have two codes going on & 3 ambulances waiting. A large number of these people do not even need to be there. You got it, we are paying...

 

[rain164845]

I think you might have been a little harsh with the guy. I mean, surely you could have let him borrow the reamer at least. Everybody knows reaming out a chamber is easy, you just put the new reamer in the old chamber and whack it with a hammer until it fits right?
Joe

 

[CJ6]

I don't think I would borrow out my my tools of the trade to someone that just walked into my place .It's like borrowing your truck to a stranger to haul something. I do think a good line of communication is important between a smith and his clients tho,with realistic times for the work/backlog the smith has. A rush job rarely ends up good for either party

 

[FBecigneul]

The topic is common sense and manners. Taildrag sure didn't display any in his reply so I'll try to be civil.
This whole business of A list for the few and B list or the rest of humanity when dealing with gunsmiths is poor judgement by the customer and the gunsmith. I find it offensive that I must wait while some other guy comes in and gets his job done before mine if I have been waiting. That said, I do understand there are delays because a smith must have to wait for parts and these waiting periods are out of his control. I don't want to be moved ahead of someone because I know the smith more than the other guy either if the roles are reversed. I have personally seen and also heard horror stories where someone had to wait because some guy on the A list went ahead of him. I will not do business with a smith that puts me on an A list because that means some other guy must wait unfairly for my job to be done.

 

[Rust]

I try to deal with my smith a little differently. I call first to see when he'll be available, then spend a few hours driving up, then hand over the rifle or action, new barrel(s) and a PTG M-42 tool steel reamer with a complete pilot set. He understands that if something goes wrong (even the best reamer can break) I don't worry about it and I'll handle the replacement expense, even if he argues otherwise.

The last thing I come equipped with is a blank check, he gets to choose the dollar amount and I tend to add a bit too that.

Funny how I am invariably happy with the fast turnaround and quality of work.

If anyone is serious about their shooting, they need a good working relationship with their smith.

 

[zullo74]

And according to your method, they need to be wealthy too!

 

[farmerjohn]

Rust has it figured out, that is the only good way. Gunsmith and friend should be one word. And no you do not need to be "wealthy" to do business that way. A good smith knows what the going rate in the industry is and has to make his living within those guidelines. If I find myself in a true bind like having a hunt scheduled that can't be changed and something broken that he can't get to, he will loan me one of his rifles. That is what friends are for, to help each other. I help him by giving him my business, he helps me by giving me good service. And yes, I have had some gunsmiths who were not as good as they thought were or for some reason had a bad attitude, you just move on and still be nice to them. Thats the way I deal anyway. JF

 

[jackieschmidt]

Nat, you know me from Benchrest.com, and you know that I own a Industrial Job Shop, specializing in Marine Repair.

We go through this on a regular basis. I have had my phone ring at 2:00 am, with a customer needing something, and I do not have the priveledge to say "no".

Granted, that does not happen that often, but 75 percent of our work is done on a "we need it now" senario. I can arrive at my shop at 6:am on a morning, and my entire schedule be turned inside out by one phone call.

The difference is, we serve a commercial customer base where time down is money lost. You, and other Gunsmiths, more or less service a client base that deals in personal items of "fun". In other words, you work on Men's toys.

It's a shame that there are not more skilled craftsmen to take up the slack, so that customers will not have to hear, "I am behind two months". I know it is tough to have to deal with a customer base that wants everything now. We do it because great sums of money are at stake, either by contract obligations, or employs job security. We have to do what we do in order for the wheels to keep turning. If the wheels stop turning, there can be a domino affect that can cause havoc on down the line.

You might be fortunate in that you do not have to worry about those...........jackie

 

[cliffy]

Instant Gratification is the American way. Doubling your prices for "Rush" jobs will generally turn away business and give you a lousy reputation. It's a dilemma that I faced for many years, and it created a lot of over-time hours. Saying "NO" is not the answer any customer wants to hear. Cliffy

 

[CJ6]

Cliffy I believe as a consumer that you have to take the word NO once in awhile .May not like it but the world does not revolve around 1 person. Patience and respect are due the CRAFTSMAN that construct these fine works of rifles as in other crafts.

 

[NorCalMikie]

It's never too slow to say NO!!

 

[casspir]

If I had an idiot client like that, I would have sold him the Reamar for $300 and told him to enjoy himself. He would be back with an even bigger job for you...fitting a new barrel!!!

 

[jb77]

I would rather take a whoopin than to loan out my tools. No one ever respects your stuff, why should they they have nothing invested.

The last rifle I had built it took my gunsmith 13 months. I talked to him a grand total of 3 times on that build. He knew what I wanted based on our initial conversation, the rifle was sent to him with written instructions and a check. he called to let me know he had gotten all the components and he called again when the gun was complete and asking for final payment.

He was cordial and businesslike each time. I knew upfront that it would take that long. He is very good and since I do not possess the skills he has it was worth the wait.

 

[infantrytrophy]

The difference is, we serve a commercial customer base where time down is money lost. You, and other Gunsmiths, more or less service a client base that deals in personal items of "fun". In other words, you work on Men's toys.

... Yes, but they are really neat toys ...
;D

 

[boogershooter]

No sense getting ass chapped over it .Just tell em your schedule..if they cant deal with it , move on. I dont think a good Smith has to worry about clients..If your good_ your backed up!

 

[cliffy]

Nothing beyond a single-cock BB gun can be considered a toy, until they put an eye-out of commission forever. Even my .22 LR Ruger Pistol can place 20 rounds into a 1" bulls-eye at 75 feet with adequate authority. Guns are NOT Toys! Never consider them as such . . . especially one's commanding 2000 ft/lbs of energy or more at the muzzle. These are "fun" to shoot, but never to be considered as "TOYS." Gunpowder equates to Horsepower. In the hands of a trained-shooter, these potent target-shooters are not designated as unsupervised kid's fare. NRA conducts various and numerous shooting safety classes throughout all levels of discipline, so please sign-up for an appropriate class! cliff

 

[cliffy]

MOST Children love to LEARN how to shoot properly. NRA classes teach JUST that, and the trained instructors teach JUST that. We need more children involved in safe shooting. Dedicated instructors are far from a rarity. Join a shooting club, and LEARN how to handle firearms safely for a lifetime of GREAT shooting. "FUN" involves knowledge of gun safety. Cliffy