Gunsmith

[Thomass]

I am getting ready to pay a gunsmith to put my rifle together, cut the crown on the new barrel etc.... and so on and so on. Reading a lot of these post some people are talking about gunsmith ripping people off or just gunsmiths in general doing bad work. How can you find out if a gunsmith is really good before hand? I mean you can ask for references and of course he could give you numbers to 10 friends, brother-in-laws, neighbors etc or just 10 people he built good guns for and leave off the other 20 he built bad guns for. You can read there web page and that can be a line of bs..so how do you really tell? I have found the one gunsmith that I am thinking about letting build my rifle but there is always that thought of...gee I am going to spend all this money is he really do a good job?

When trying to figure out what stock, barrel etc he was right inline with what to buy as 90% of the other gunsmith but that does not mean he can build it right...HELP!

 

[billmo]

Ask a lot of questions and do your best to get proof of the answers. Bill

 

[AlNyhus]

Thomas: If you and the 'smith haven't worked together on a project before, you really need to do some homework. If you're using a well known accuracy 'smith, you will have no problem finding people he's done work for. But that's not to say that some relatively unknown but talented 'smith can't do work that's top shelf either. That's where the rub comes in.

You may want to consider posting his name here and asking people to p.m. you with their comments. That way, you can sort things out w/o the 'smiths name being needlessly drug through the mud over a deal that may have been as much a fault of the customer as the 'smith. Also, what kind of project are you doing?

I really cringe when I hear all this 'smith bashing going on. Do some deserve it? Sure. But too many times we only hear one side of the story...and maybe not the whole 'one side' at that,'ya know? Buildng a custom rifle is a collaborative effort between 'smith and customer. And as such, both parties have an obligation to hold up their end of the deal.

When I see people hopping from one 'smith to another with every rifle they build...the red flags go up big time.

One of the best things a person that's interested in accurate rifles can do is to find a 'smith you can work with, develop a good working relationship with him and commit yourself to working as hard as you can with him so both of you can achieve your goals.

Good shootin' and have fun with your project! -Al

 

[vonb]

Before choosing the 'smith I did, I talked to each of the potential 'smiths to try and gauge their help. Some were too busy to help and some were eager to help even while busy. I then went to the forums on the 'net and looked to see who owned the 'smith's work that I chose. I individually inquired with each as to how happy they were with his work. 99% of the people I talked to were happy with the 1% being unhappy.

The 'smith I chose was chosen due to the above as well as providing me a _detailed_ quote before any work was even done. He also took the time to call me and explain what he does. His backlog is about a 7 month wait which I'm OK with as long as everything is done right.

As a last note, one of way of gauging a person's work in my opinion is looking at the classifieds. Most people don't sell accurate guns. If you see a particular 'smith's work changing hands frequently, that may be a red flag. I also like shops where that one 'smith does all the work and is not shared b/t several guys in the shops. This creates backlog but at the end of the day, he is the only one responsible should something go wrong. Lastly, if the 'smith offers an accuracy guarantee, I expect him to stand behind it.

 

[Thomass]

The gunsmith I am looking at is: If any post anything about him please show respect to the builder and only post facts not hear say. Thanks

Mike McIntyre
McIntyre Precision, Inc.
www.mpirifles.com

 

[NeilNE]

I don't think you can find a more honest person than Mike Bryant!!!

 

[EdwinD]

Neil,

you need MORE than honesty in a gunsmith.

You need a TIMELINE!

WHEN will the work be completed? ,DEADLINE)

That seems to be a common problem.

Be upfront!!

 

[butchlambert]

EdwinD,
Evidently you have not dealt with Mike Bryant. If a man is honest, he will give you a timeline subject to having the components on hand. If he ain't got parts, he can't build a rifle. Mike is honest, timely, a craftsman, reasonable on price, and you can take what he says to the bank.
Butch

 

[EdwinD]

Butch,

my post was not directed to any gunsmith personally.

My post was directed to gunsmith's generally.

HOWEVER, everyone does have prorities, including me and you.

TIMELINES is the biggest problem!!

 

[butchlambert]

EdwinD,
I use to be the original Barrelman. I sold 1200-1500 barrels a year to the trade and individuals also. I dealt with many gunsmiths. As you know some of them don't know what the truth is. What I am trying to point out is a timeline is all screwed up if any one supplier can't make a deadline. This is beyond the smiths control. If you supply all the components and are given a time frame, I believe the smith is obligated to follow it. We need to realize that we need to order our components early- 8-16 weeks for a barrel, 6-12 months for a receiver, 4-8 months for a stock, and then the little things. At this time with all these things in hand the smith can start.
I started in June to build a hunting rifle for my son. I started with a new discontinued Remington Mod 7 in 7WSM. I sold the stock and barrel, I ordered a John Pierce firing pin assm. and a Shilen barrel. I had a good recoil lug on hand. I bought a Brown Precision stock off the internet. I had a Shilen trigger on hand. The middle of Aug. the barrel came in. I trued the receiver and chambered the barrel. I am slow working on my own stuff. I piller bedded the stock and added a limbsaver recoil pad. It took me until the middle of Sept. to get this far. I sent the components to Walter Birdsong for a matt black teflon and the stock out for body work and paint. The stock and barreled action came in last week. I assembled it over the weekend and I will go to the range tomorrow. If we are lucky, My son will have it by Christmas day. I feel that I was lucky to have it done that fast and I did it myself and had nobody else breathing down my back for their rifle.
Butch

 

[Rustystud]

Good Gunsmiths don't need to advertise. The quality of their work, and their timelyness will quickly be reconized. They will have to limit their intake to prevent long waits for their customers. I don't know of any gunsmith who makes money holding your gun in their safe. Customers not knowing what they want and changing plans in mid stream cause more delays than having the work done in most cases. One way to know the quality of a gunsmiths work is to look at his customers wins or talk to his other customers. Any Good gunsmith will give you the names and numbers of customers who have had work done by him on a gun in the same or simular shooting discipline as you are seeking him to do for you. Most actions take a 6-17 weeks to get. Most quality barrels take from 2- 22 weeks for delivery. Most custom stocks take from 2- 20 weeks for delivery. As Butch said once the parts are in hand most gunsmiths should be able to get your rifle back in a week or two. I do not advertise anymore. Most of my customers are repeat customers. Most of my new customers are referals from my existing customers. I tell customers to make an appointment with me to talk about a rifle project. We work up a rifle plan, including all the components. I try to talk with them by e-mail or by telephone during the build process. If they are repeat customers I order their new components. When the components come in I ask that they send me their rifle. I do my best to get them back to them in 30-60 days. If a gunsmith does inferior work it will take little time to be all over the internet. A gunsmith can have a 1000 satisfied customers and only 1 dissatisfied customer. Everyone will know about the dissastisfied customer.

Rustystud

 

[EdwinD]

Butch and Rustystud,

I do not intend to hijack this thread.

However, I understand the scenerios you both have illustrated.

On the other hand, some of us have NUMEROUS actions, barrels, triggers, stocks, reamers, and other needed components etc. to complete many rifles.

Additionally, we know precisely what we want.

A REALISTIC timeline is nice!

Edwin D.

 

[JCinCalif]

" thank you guys for having this site and the chance to find Mike Bryant, as of now he gets all my work, no time frame needed."

Another words, you don't care how long it takes for the work to completed?

 

[butchlambert]

John,
I think that he is saying that Mike did such a nice job for him he would be willing to wait. I don't think his words were wait forever.
Butch

 

[JCinCalif]

Thanks for your response Butch. Mike has built a couple of rifles for me and is working on a couple of more now. I'm willing to wait also, but I guess my patience gets the best of me sometimes!

 

[mikecr]

Too bad that happened to you Lynn.
I had very similar issues with a builder touted as though great -in this thread!

 

[butchlambert]

We know who it is don't we Lynn. He made it awfully hard on the good smiths as he left a stink. I'm not talking about Lynn, I'm talking about the smith.
Butch