Gunsmithing Need to find a good gunsmith

[MK20]

I am looking to find a good gunsmith that is in the eastern WA, northern ID, western MT, or Portland areas ( yeah, I travel a lot).

I am not looking for someone who just knows precision rifles, but who knows his way around lever guns and revolvers too. I do as much of my own work as I can but having all the jigs and frame/barrel wrenches is not feasible.

I am having a problem finding a good gunsmith in the Coeur d’Alene area. Whenever I ask a technical question to feel out whether I want to ask one of the local gunsmiths to work on a gun, I come away feeling like



It’s not that I’m arrogant, but when I ask you if you can tig a bolt handle on my action before I send it off for nitriding and you tell me that is not necessary because nitriding is a COATING that is done at around 200 degrees in a salt bath and that it couldn’t be done hotter than that because the water in the salts would evaporate, I lose lots of confidence in you. Nitride is not a coating and it is done in a molten salt bath at around 900 deg F. And this is one of the better guys in the area.

 

[mercracing]

Box your stuff and send it to LRI.

 

[MK20]

LRI does 44 mag S&W revolvers?

 

[mercracing]

I know I see lots posts about them doing other things besides precision rifle. I would certainly give them a call and check into what you need specifically

 

[Threadcutter308]

I am looking to find a good gunsmith that is in the eastern WA, northern ID, western MT, or Portland areas ( yeah, I travel a lot).

I am not looking for someone who just knows precision rifles, but who knows his way around lever guns and revolvers too. I do as much of my own work as I can but having all the jigs and frame/barrel wrenches is not feasible.

I am having a problem finding a good gunsmith in the Coeur d’Alene area. Whenever I ask a technical question to feel out whether I want to ask one of the local gunsmiths to work on a gun, I come away feeling like



It’s not that I’m arrogant, but when I ask you if you can tig a bolt handle on my action before I send it off for nitriding and you tell me that is not necessary because nitriding is a COATING that is done at around 200 degrees in a salt bath and that it couldn’t be done hotter than that because the water in the salts would evaporate, I lose lots of confidence in you. Nitride is not a coating and it is done in a molten salt bath at around 900 deg F. And this is one of the better guys in the area.

Oh, and about that “water in the salt bath” thing..........good luck with that.

 

[MK20]

Ok. Thanks. I know that they do good work.

 

[MK20]

Yeah. He is the “competent one” in the area. So many of them are complete fudds. I saw one guy who was cerakoting beautiful Belgium Auto 5 shotguns and then selling them for 500 bucks and proud of how tough his new finish was.
He owned a pretty big shop.

 

[mercracing]

It’s possible I’m wrong and they don’t, but I’ve come to find it’s just easier to send my stuff anywhere when I need something kinda specific then try and find it local.

 

[MK20]

Yeah. I am getting to the point that I am debating just buying all the stuff I don’t have and just doing my own work, but I will probably wait on that until I have a shop where I can set up a lathe and mill as well.