a word of advice

[Ridge_Runner]

you guys around va, stay away from this guy. poorest smith I ever dealt with
http://www.oneshotadventures.com/custom-rifles.htm
RR

 

[JD338]

RR

Thanks for giving us the heads up.

Care to elaborate a little more as to why?

JD338

 

[DrMike]

Wonder how his hunting concessions are run? I see he is directing people who book for a number of hunts into the Kootenay region of BC.

 

[FOTIS]

Good to know.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

RR

Thanks for giving us the heads up.

Care to elaborate a little more as to why?

JD338

well had a minor job for him to do, just a setbck and install a brake, used the wrong reamer, throated it wrong, brake was loose. I tightned up the brake, today I went to remove the brake to fireform some brass, put a rod in the slot of the brake and just bumped it with my hand,and the barrel broke loose. now I'm lookin at tightening the barrel and possibly re-indexing the brake. and he thought I was rude to him for giving him grief about his work, shoulda just shot him!
RR

 

[DrMike]

Ouch! :evil: Sounds as if the top dog didn't oversee what was done by a rookie!

 

[usmc 89]

Sorry to hear about the incompetence, good smiths are becoming harder to find these days. Seems like since the long range craze hit there are all kinds of "custom rifle builders" out there. My gunsmith has been doing it fulltime for the last 30+ years and yes it takes him awhile to build one but I can guarantee you he is the guy working on it and its not leaving the shop until its 100 percent correct! Bull mountain rilfe company. 1-406-656-0778. Randy melvin.

 

[JMUPT]

I've had Jack work on 3 different rifles, first he put a brake on a 300 RUM, next he bedded a remington 700, and the last thing he did was to reset the headspace on a savage 270 WSM that I bought used. All three of these were done in the last 18 months, and were completed within 10-14 days of me dropping the rifles off. The workmanship was excellent, and his rates were very resonable and were either at or under his qouted price. I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience, but my dealings have been the exact opposite.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

I've had Jack work on 3 different rifles, first he put a brake on a 300 RUM, next he bedded a remington 700, and the last thing he did was to reset the headspace on a savage 270 WSM that I bought used. All three of these were done in the last 18 months, and were completed within 10-14 days of me dropping the rifles off. The workmanship was excellent, and his rates were very resonable and were either at or under his qouted price. I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience, but my dealings have been the exact opposite.

my advice to you is keep using him, but he will not ever touch another one of my rifles, making a mistake is forgivable, but trying to BS his way out of it then lying when that doesn't work tells me alot about the man.
RR

just wanted to clarify why I posted this thread, it wasn't just a mistake or a misunderstanding, a friend and I both took rifles out to jack, he had just added a brake to a win. model 70 classic stainless, and it appeared to be an ok job, though the brake was only finger tight. So he took the win, and I took my gibbs.
ok, the friend had had a boyd's stock installed with a new pad by another smith, the stock cracked and it was replaced by the maker, so he wanted it bedded, and the pad put onto the new stock, simple job.
I had had another smith to lengthen the throat on the gibbs, and he botched it up, so I needed that fixed and a brake installed,jack said he had to set back the barrel, he quoted me a price which I thought was a lil high but wanted the rifle done. so I told jack if I was gonna pay for a reamer I wanted it cut to a standard gibbs but with a neck length of .270" instead of .308" that way I could use lapua 30/06 brass for forming.he said no problem, and I also requested a holland brake. I handed him a loaded cartridge and asked that the chamber be throated .030" longer than the aol of that round, again, no problem
3 months later I get the call that its done, I already had the new 30/06 cases by that time, went and picked up the rifle and got it home, just for curiosity I tried a 270 case in it, it chambered, so it wasn't what I requested, checked the brake it was loose so I tightened it up.
tried one of my rounds that I had safely used in the rifle before, and blew a primer, throat was .040 shorter than I requested.
the friend also informed me that jack charged him 50.00 over the quoted price for his work, because he installed a new pad instead of putting the almost new pad from the old stock on the new one.
went back to jack and he said that he ordered the right reamer, wasn't his fault, I requested to see the spec sheet on the reamer he ordered, he didn't have one, he talked with a guy over the phone and the guy assured him he had the reamer I wanted. he then orered another throating reamer andI waited 2 more months.
once he was finished, I wasn't happy with his work but didn't say anything till I went to remove my brake the other day, and the barrel started screwing out of the reciever, that was the last straw.
sorry for the long rant, but when a guys says he has 25 years experience at building rifles and makes that many errors working on 2 rifles, it needs to become known to others.

 

[Desert Fox]

RR, Wow, that's just pure incompetence. Having a loose barrel is very dangerous. This guy is putting people's life in jeopardy without regards. I can't blame you for being upset.

Good smith is like good car mechanic. They're hard to find. My smith Jim Gruning kept a file of every rifle he'd worked on. Every detail of the build is on the file, including all critical measurement of the chamber, headspace, throat etc. You get free maintenance once a year although you can always bring your rifle to his shop at anytime to be service at no charge. He deals with a lot of LE and Military people, and built snipers rifle for them. He treat all build the same way as if your life depends on them. He is not cheap, but he's worth every dime.

 

[usmc 89]

Cheap and quick turn arounds are not words you want associated with a gunsmith.

 

[Woodycreek]

Thanks for the heads up RR. I'm still looking for a good Smith in Va

 

[SJB358]

Thanks for the heads up RR. I'm still looking for a good Smith in Va

Same here! They are like Bigfoots in this area. Scotty

 

[Ridge_Runner]

ok, just had the barrel tightened up, now the holes in the top of the brake are at 11:30, so now the brake needs indexed, found out another tidbit of info on old jack, he claims 25 years experience, he started smithin in '98, only thing he's done for 25 years is sell cars!
RR

 

[Guest]

RR,
Sorry to hear about your experience. I'd be upset too. It's what you could expect from a Car Salesman with the Slick Willy Sales Pitch. They never have a problem taking your money just don't return with a problem. He certainly doesn't display any integrity.

Don

 

[Ridge_Runner]

just recieved a refund of 400.00 from the guy, so I'm guessin he knows he screwed up
RR

 

[Guest]

That's one way to admit you messed up!!

Don

 

[SJB358]

That's great he did stand up to his mistake. Can't find many folks like that anymore. Scotty

 

[Oldtrader3]

RR, glad that the guy made it right by you finally. That is a lot of stress to go through, getting that worked through to some satisfaction.