Well Gunsmiths kin be upity can't they?

[tallpaul]

I bought a used 617 smith - or should I say traded into one that had the front ramp milled off and a Bomar type rib installed. I wanted to have a Weigand front sight installed that would fix the front sight issue I now have.

I contacted a somewhat local well known smith who does that addition by email with a picture of the front sight area etc only to get a reply that "he would not do work on previously worked on guns" "he had a reputation to protect and that the previously drilled and tapped holes for the rib would still show"

I was a bit miffed- after all I never asked for the other holes to be fixed or to guarantee the other work etc.

I did email him back and state that I never asked him to fix the other holes- I actually want the capability to add the rib if wanted and that yes indeed that the ability to say no to the work was one of the pluses of being self employed and that I hope his work never slows to the point where such a piddly job would look good to him...

Just seemed awful uppity to me and I doubt that I would want him to do any jobs for me at this point in the future. Its a shame since I had a couple I was thinking of sending because of his rep and the closeness of his shop to home.

I wanted to "test the waters" so to speak...

I will just have to mill the slot for the sight myself- if I booger it real bad I can either shorten it or re barrel it

 

[pownal55]

try another smith, that one may just be busy. i refuse to deal with bad attitudes myself.

 

[okie john]

I know a number of smiths with that policy, including Hamilton Bowen. If they only work on stock guns, at least they're starting from something like a known quantity. Nobody knows what some other smith did to a gun before you got it, and anyone who works on it afterwards would get blamed for something he didn't do.


Okie John

 

[tallpaul]

Originally posted by okie john:
I know a number of smiths with that policy, including Hamilton Bowen. If they only work on stock guns, at least they're starting from something like a known quantity. Nobody knows what some other smith did to a gun before you got it, and anyone who works on it afterwards would get blamed for something he didn't do.


Okie John

I could understand that if what I wanted done had ANYTHING to that could effect the outcome of the work I asked for. This WAS NOT the case at all... milling a slot into the front of the barrell where the factory ramp used to be- that was milled off flush with the barrel would not affect the milling of the area 1/4 inch lower at all...

I did not ask for action work or to guarantee anyone Else's work and actually neither his or the existing would in any way hinder or speak for the other.

Just too big or too uppity to want to do the job.

Unless of course there would be a legitimate reason to turn it down that I can't think of...

 

[Drail]

I did pistolsmithing for about 10 years and I can assure you that one of the first things you learn is to avoid at all costs working on a gun that someone else has modified from original. Because most of those jobs will turn into a nightmare simply because there will be issues that need to be corrected that you missed when you accepted the job. A smith doesn't mean to be uppity when they refuse your work. They're just trying to eliminate burning valuable time on the basketcases people bring in every so often. Sometimes the owner is unaware and won't believe you when you tell him that what they want done is going to turn into more than the basic job they have in mind. It's not personal.

 

[bountyhunter]

Originally posted by tallpaul:
I bought a used 617 smith - or should I say traded into one that had the front ramp milled off and a Bomar type rib installed. I wanted to have a Weigand front sight installed that would fix the front sight issue I now have.

I contacted a somewhat local well known smith who does that addition by email with a picture of the front sight area etc only to get a reply that "he would not do work on previously worked on guns" "he had a reputation to protect and that the previously drilled and tapped holes for the rib would still show"

I was a bit miffed- after all I never asked for the other holes to be fixed or to guarantee the other work etc.

I did email him back and state that I never asked him to fix the other holes- I actually want the capability to add the rib if wanted and that yes indeed that the ability to say no to the work was one of the pluses of being self employed and that I hope his work never slows to the point where such a piddly job would look good to him...

Just seemed awful uppity to me and I doubt that I would want him to do any jobs for me at this point in the future. Its a shame since I had a couple I was thinking of sending because of his rep and the closeness of his shop to home.

I wanted to "test the waters" so to speak...

I will just have to mill the slot for the sight myself- if I booger it real bad I can either shorten it or re barrel it

Hence the reason I trained myself to smith the guns I own. There are some good smiths, but not in my area. The ones around here strut like rock stars and charge like brain surgeons.

 

[bountyhunter]

Originally posted by tallpaul:
Unless of course there would be a legitimate reason to turn it down that I can't think of...

He has enough work to do right now.

 

[tallpaul]

Originally posted by bountyhunter:

Hence the reason I trained myself to smith the guns I own. There are some good smiths, but not in my area. The ones around here strut like rock stars and charge like brain surgeons.

I know- I have been acquiring the tools/machines to do so. I have a lathe and a mill now but it is a horizontal mill which is ok for some stuff but I need a good vertical unit.

I'll likely set up a jig and do it myself. I would rather have had it done by an experienced guy but there really is no reason I can not do it myself.

 

[Abflyboy]

Liability is the ONLY reason for a gunsmith to turn down work. Until you've been involved in a frivolous lawsuit . . .

Okie John and Drail hit on it precisely.

The problem with following someone else's work is the magnatude of 'stuff you can't see' that must be addressed or corrected in order to make the final product what it needs to be. The 'final product' entails all aspects involved with fit, finish, and function.

Gunsmiths (the good ones), by nature of the work they do, are VERY detail oriented. Not only is there a substantial amount of pride in workmanship on the line, there is also someone's life on the line.

What you CAN see with your pistol is the front sight has been altered. What you CAN'T see are any alterations to critical components permitting safe and reliable functioning of the firearm.

I realize that you would never blame something that someone else did on the wrong person, but what if the guy's girlfriend down the line from you sustains injury? Our lawyer happy society would go after the last person to touch the gun after they were done with you.

I realize that it is very frustrating to have work performed on used firearms. The nature of the business dictates certain standards be upheld in order to stay in business. He did not refuse your patronage for any reason other than he has had experience (BAD) with guns that had been worked on prior to being brought to him.

Unless there's more to it than already mentioned, don't make him out to be a bad person. If you can stomache the thought, take him one of your other jobs and tell us how good it turned out when he is done.

my $0.02

 

[tallpaul]

abflyboy- there is no way installing the front sight could legitimately be tied to the action on this gun...

the smith's response was condescending and mentioned the pre existing holes in the barrel for the target rib.

There would be no reason to mark the gun for just a front sight install either.

As far as sending any of my other stuff to him- it won't likely happen- for one thing most of my guns are not NIB and I have even changed the grips on most of em

I did not name hime for a reason... he and anyone for that matter can turn down work for any reason they see fit. It just struck me that his reason was BS and uppity in this case.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

TallPaul why don't you just buy a new barrel and install on it? To me that would be the way to go, here is a 6" new:

http://www.e-gunparts.com/prod...chrProductSKU=302370

 

[bountyhunter]

Originally posted by Abflyboy:

The problem with following someone else's work is the magnatude of 'stuff you can't see' that must be addressed or corrected in order to make the final product what it needs to be.///

What you CAN see with your pistol is the front sight has been altered. What you CAN'T see are any alterations to critical components permitting safe and reliable functioning of the firearm.

That applies to ANY gun taken in for ANY work. Any gunsmith who deserves the title should be able to examine the gun and figure out what's been done and what NEEDS to be done.

Then he puts it IN WRITING on the work order and the customer agrees or walks. And if necessary, the gunsmith NOTES on the bill any previous alterations done that are not to spec or may affect safety,

BTW: the same procedure listed above applies to people who fix cars, roofs, water heaters, TV's, and just about any other complicated appliance.

I can't believe there are people who turn down work because they are afraid somebody else worked on it first who didn't know what he was doing..... if he did know what he was doing, they wouldn't be going to someone else to get it done right, would they?

 

[tallpaul]

Originally posted by Bullseye Smith:
TallPaul why don't you just buy a new barrel and install on it? To me that would be the way to go, here is a 6" new:

That is one reason it does not terrify me to try. The sight I want to install is basically installed into a milled slot that starts at the front of the barrel and goes back 1.75 inches. ... http://www.jackweigand.com/interfs.html

If I do the new barrel thing I believe I will go 4 inch...