I took my Model 14 to a gunsmith on 11/30/13. It needed a new ejector rod (slightly bent) plus a double action trigger job & smoothing of the trigger face. They've had the gun since 11/30/13 and I called to check on things a month ago. They said they were waiting for the ejector rod from S&W and asked that I be patient.

We're coming up on three months now so my question is: Does this seem reasonable to you? The only work they did for me in the past was a "strip & clean" on my vintage Model 38. That was done in about 30 days and I was very satisfied. I'm about to go pick up the M14 and take it elsewhere. Am I being unreasonable? Thanks.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Depends....

Did they give you an approximate turn around time?

If they really are waiting on the part from S&W then I really don't see how it is their fault.

Sounds like a long time to me but I've heard of some nightmares when it comes to getting something back from
gunsmiths. Never had that problem but I don't have much experience. I did have a big problem getting a boat repaired several years ago.

They did not give me a specific turnaround time & my experience, albeit limited, is most of these guys get thing done in about six weeks.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Call s&w and see if the part is available.

S & W repairs boats?

I have a Super Blackhawk at Gary Reeder's. Estimate was 10-12 months.

Boone Trading Company estimated 1-2 weeks, took 3 months for ivory grips.

Another smith taking 2 weeks for a reblue of 2 Colt's. Told me he was having problems after 4 days and it would likely take two weeks. Been 1 1/2.

A local smith working on 2 SAA replacing hammer & trigger on 2 first generations. Been about 1 1/2 weeks, so far. Prior job took 5 days.

So, I guess it depends.

I know it sucks being out a gun for three months. If these are reputable guys that do good work it may be worth it the time.

Also consider some gunsmiths see increase in business from fall until spring due to hunters. Then from spring until fall those turn around times are less for same work.

My experience with most gunsmiths tells me that, if they gave you a turnaround time, you should figure it will be at least twice that. You should probably figure the estimated cost will about double too. And the more you ask 'em about it, the longer it will take!

I would go pick up the gun and have them call when the parts come in. Who knows, they may go out of business before they complete the work on your pistol.

I agree. If S&W has the part and its available in a short time, then the gunsmith is blowing smoke up your dress and I would go elsewhere. If the part is hard to get, then I would be patient or as Bozz10mm stated, pick up the gun and have them call you when the part arrives.

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James Redfield
LM #497

I should think the gunsmith would have straightened the slightly bent rod and gone ahead and done the action job.
I know a lot of work today is halted by hands thrown in the air at the sight of slightly bent or otherwise 'off' parts. The only solution they know is new parts before anything else can move forward. If it truely needs another ejector rod, the original can't be fixed, a K-frame ejector rod can't be that hard to come by,,,,does it have to be a factory new one?.

I'd see what if anything has been done so far.
They might have smoothed the trigger face and that's all,,, Waiting for the part before doing any action work.
Maybe nothing's been done at all yet and It's just been sitting there. That wouldn't be unusual either in todays world.

At that, you just have to decide if you want to wait, or get it out of there.
If you rescue it, then you have to decide what the next move is and if it goes anywhere else for the same treatment.

My gunsmith always said "pick it up in one week". Most of his repairs were $20. Sadly, he passed away a couple of years ago. I got a Smith ejector rod from Midway a few months ago in three days.

Not for nothing but a SLIGHTLY bent ER can easily be straightened by a GS in about 10 minutes or less. A trigger job is not a big deal either. So unless your GS is VERY VERY popular and has a huge back log of work, I would think that over two months is kind of long. I do know some of the TOP DOGS in the GS profession have massive back logs of work, but do not know your GS's business. If he is not too far away you might just stop in some day soon because "you were in the neighborhood" to see what's cooking.

I have to chuckle; there is a great gunsmith around here. The guy is so overworked lately that I dropped off a revolver for an action job in mid-August and got it back around new years. Oh, and they have a sign up now that says they're not accepting any new work because they're so backed up. So, yea, along with the rush to buy all these guns, there's a huge backlog of people wanting work done on them. That's my opinion anyway.

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But then, what do I know?

After some do it myself work,perhaps a wait and expenditure might be worth considering.I have a 29-2 which was having cylinder jump with full loads.I read many threads here and other places about replacing the cylinder stop spring with a Wollf high power spring.I studied Kuhnhausens book an a couple of videos and set out.I carefully got it into pieces and then replaced the spring,managing to launch only one to outer space.Luckily I bought the 3Pak.Thinking I was through the worse until I tried replacing the rebound spring.Even though I went to reduced power I couldn't believe how difficult it was to simultaneously compress the spring and place ot behind the retaining spring and lower the block.That part alone took..6 hours!Springs were flying every where and I was about to consent to the shoulder surgery I have put off for 8 years!But now I'm smiling and can't wait to try it out! But next time it goes to S&W and I'll shoot something else. A good gunsmith earns his mone

3 months is about normal for the 'smith I use.

You need to understand many gunsmiths understanding of time...a few days means a few week; a month means many months, if you hear six months or more start thinking about your gun as gift to a gunsmith.

With that little jab at some gunsmiths, I do know a few gunsmiths that treat their profession as a real job and not a hobby. Their turn around times are what they tell you which is often quick. They do great work. They tell you the truth and not just what they think you want to hear.

When you find a gunsmith that is in that latter group use them and recommend them to others. These gunsmith have earned and deserve our support.

I do worry that great gunsmiths are a disappearing breed.

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Bill Bates

In 40 years in the shooting sports, I have come to the conclusion that gunsmith years are inversely proportional to dog years.

I have had dozens of revolver and auto pistols customized or repaired by some of the finest gun smiths on the planet over 50 years. In common they share a generous turnaround time because......they were among the best......they had high demand for their work......they were just a one guy shop.....and they get it right every time. I have waited years for work on 1911 autos and custom revolvers and though sometimes frustrating for the wait, in the end I was never disappointed with the outcome. A guy who takes the time for EVERY customers project is well worth the wait, WHEN he is a guy at the top of his game. Bums, excluded from my comment/observation, and inevitably, are an exception, sadly there are posers. Choose carefully and remain patient, a good smith is worth the wait.

Cheers;
Lefty

I have an outstanding gunsmith. I never question his turn-around time, when it's ready, he calls. He has had, however, one of my pistols for over 12 years now. I asked about it 3 years ago, he pulled it out of his safe, untouched. I left it with him. I don't rush him.

Hell son...you must be a patient young fellow, with a very objective future. God bless you.....and twice your gunsmith if you paid him in advance.

Cheers;
Lefty

One thing to NEVER tell a gunsmith or a mechanic...

"I'm in no real hurry."

Anything over a month should be returned to the customer. There's no need to take that long. If your backlog is that large, why not tell the customer up front?

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Freedom isn't free.

Good advice!
I have a M10 PPC gun that has been being customized and transformed into a house and fun gun for my wife. The gunsmith working on it is a friend, and to his credit, if I need something done in a hurry he does his best to accommodate me, however, when I left the M10 with him almost 3 years ago I told him to take his time, no rush, no big deal. He's worked on it off and on, like a hobby piece. I think it'll be done in the next few weeks.

On the other hand, he's also doing a full build on a Colt 1991A1 .38 Super for me. It's a big job, it's having 3 barrels fitted to it (9mm, .38 Super, 9x23) along with all of the other work. He's had that gun since last spring and it is almost done, we're down to discussing finishes. He could have had it done sooner but I told him not to rush as we had a lot of family stuff going on last summer and fall.

I don't complain because I set the tone for the time frames. Plus, his work is worth the wait.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

When I was still doing a lot of work , I wouldn't take the piece in till I was able to work on it. Kind of a 'will call list',,I was pretty particular about the jobs I took in anyway but they could still pile up if I was to let them.
I kept my customer base very small anyway. But they can shower you with things to do very quickly once they get to liking your work. So you have to keep control of things

This way, the customer hung onto his/her gun till I could actually get to it instead of it just sitting here.
Many 'smiths and engravers don't like to do that as they feel they may loose the 'job' by not having the gun in hand.

Once it's turned over to the 'smith,,the customer by nature has a feeling & a reasonable expectation IMO it's going to get at least some attention to it's needs. There is really no reason for the gun to be tagged and set in the corner for a couple years.

There's only so many hours in a working week and to do your best you have to specialize at least somewhat.
Being a general 'I can do everything' gunsmith is great, but trying to prove that day in and day out will leave you drowning in backlog. Just not enough time to complete everything.


Either that or really pick and choose your jobs/customers to avoid big back logs.


I too had projects that sat for years and never got done too,,,but they were my own personal gun projects,,not from any customers.
Now that I'm (kind of) retired, it's time for me to pull them out and finish them up.
Hope there's enough time left..

After reading all the posts here I am GLAD I do my own GS work!