• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Maggie’s You know you have a bad gunsmith when....

barnesuser28

Team Herd Thinner
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 24, 2013
105
0
Dickinson ND
I will start it off, you know you have a bad gunsmith when you can cross-thread your muzzle brake/suppressor. :eek:
 
when you see this guru release the FAL's bolt of your buddy, with all the spring's force, on the chambered "field" steel gauge...

...and as respectful rookie all you can say is " thanks but no,thanks: mine work well as is, thanks again"
 
When a 1911 with a comp comes back with a gap between the comp and slide. I'm not talking about the paper thin gap but one that is about .010" or so "you have to have that for lockup"

When the Ed Brown grip safety was installed, the frame wasn't blended to fit.

when you see the front strap checkered and the trigger guard wasn't undercut.

when you get your revolver tuned and the cylinder wasn't timed for each chamber.

on a custom fit 1911 barre---they can't fit a bull barrel, you get your barrel installed and their is a huge gap around the hood "it's supposed to be that way for reliability"

All of the above are crap that I had to repair for customers over the years. When I remember more, I'll provide them.


My all time favorite..."you have to shoot the gun in before it becomes reliable". This one always gets me.
 
The classic "it was missing that screw/mag/scope base/etc" when we got it.
My personal favorite "we didnt screw up the dbm, you just need to bend the feed lips on your mags to make it work.
After ordering a 22" light palma threaded 5/8x24 6 weeks ago, hearing "you wanted a 25" straight taper with no threads, right ?"
 
When the endcap in your suppressor has a .30 cal hole in it because there was .010 runout in the threads .

When you send your pistol in for a new front sight and it omes back with the slide a 1/4 inch shorter , "Thats how it was when it came in ."

When you load a 175 SMK as long as you possibly can in a .308 and still are not anywhere close to the lands .
 
When your out of the box $950 Remington 5R shoots better than your brand new $4000 custom build.
 
when the smith has never seen a muzzle brake and you have to explain it to him and how to install it.
 
Take a lever action in that won't eject and 2 weeks later they give it back with one new part. XXX had an update, we installed for you. It was worse than when we brought it in. Didn't they try it?
 
Once needed a barrel recrowned and the smith pulled out a chamfer/deburr tool from his reloading bench. It was the shittiest crown I had ever seen. Said thanks and ordered the superb tool from Manson reamers.

M1Amen
 
When your scope mounts are installed so crooked, you can't crank in enough windage to sight it in. This was done by a well known and supposedly knowledgeable "gunsmith".
I took it back and he shimmed it straight. Now the scope is off center of the bore.
I'm afraid to take it back to him for fear of even greater damage.
 
1) AD when you release the safety. Surprise
2) When your rifle is accidentally shipped to the wrong address, and the shipper didn't insure.
3) The mags you sent in for test fire aren't returned
4) When it comes back in the wolds cheapest case instead of a pelican.
5) When your trigger shoe breaks
 
His name is Speedy and he moves to Colarado. And your 2 builds.are no longer there and nobody knows where they are. 2 stocks 2 barrels 2 CUSTOM actions. And you paid up frount
 
He moves to Indiana and gives no notice that he's moving but takes ALL of his customers guns with him. (Colorado gun works. Has the same name in Indiana)
 
When the smith flat out says "Why on earth would you shoot a 10mm?, the only calibers you need are .308 and .45"... upon hearing that I walked the 2 blocks back to my house and began searching for a new smith
 
When your smith gives you your rifle back with a two piece home made base and you ask him what happened to your one piece and all you get is well that was on it when you gave it to me



Come to find out he smacked it with a hammer when breaking it from the bedding and bent it so cut it into a two piece and thought I wouldn't notice
 
Last edited:
When you order a 338 suppressor with a custom serial # and the smith engraves it 30 cal and then runs a end mill over it to "erase the 30 cal". Then engraves it 338 but then threads it with the wrong threads to fit my rifle.
 
Anybody ever beat the shit out of a gun smith? Jesus this thread just got me pissed off. I'll add.

When he tells you the muzzle brake needs to be perfectly timed so he puts a screw driver through the brake and proceeds to manhandle it into alignment only gouging the shit out of the brake and bending it rendering it useless.
 
Last edited:
When you pay 150 bucks to have a Savage trued and timed, your money taken, and on the phone "I didn't lap the lugs, true the bolt face, or mess with the timing because Savage's don't need it."
 
When the "Smith" bends/squeezes the frame of your bring back Makarov trying to push the barrel off. Still haven't found a "Smith" to bend the grip back out.
 
How about

" how do you like it, it was my sons first action job, and barrel thread. On your Stiller action that you just asked for the barrel to be threaded."

Or the best ever. We now call this gun smith the black smith. Hey this colt single action army is shooting to the left. (me) Yes sir I bought a first generation one so that it would match my Winchester 1892, I spent a lot of time finding both of them from 1905, I am giving them to my father. Start talking to another guy in the gun shop next to the gun smiths work bench. Start smelling something burning to turn around and see that he has your front sight red hot with a hand torch to "bend it in place". Only to have your friend stop you as you inadvertently did not realize you where drawing your ccw.
 
When you drop your parts off and are told you'll have a complete gun in 60 days...... then pick the parts back up still unassembled 7 months after the original 60 days had passed.
 
when your smith sends you a 22 with written on the barrel in crayon 338 lapua and on the scope cheap plastic scope, schmit and bender. or when you ordered a sendero and get a sporter contour
 
i guess im lucky after reading some of these!!

worst ive had is a smith install a timney in a ruger.... slam fired EVERY time you closed the bolt, no matter how easy you closed it. and he said it must be the rifle....
 
You know you have a bad smith when you give him your wife's TC to put a trigger kit in it and now every time you try to cock it, it slam fires and he claims it'll break in with a little shooting. How the hell can I shoot out orbit won't even stay cocked for a second!!
 
When you take a brand new stiller action in t have the barrel installed and he stripped the threads in the action, then he says its stillers fault. I asked him if he was sure it couldn't have been bush's fault? Grabbed my gun and walked out
 
When you drop off a shotty to have ghost rings installed and get it back to find the fucker walked a drill bit across the nice "marine coat" finish on the receiver and JB welded the front sight on.
 
When you pick up a custom hunting rifle after having it coated with "arctic coat" that was his name for it I suspect it was duracoat but when I noticed the bolt release just came out of the receiver he handed me a small container of mixed small parts and said it "might" be in there I was so pissed I left words escaped me actions were ill advised, I had to send it back to the factory to get fixed right lesson learned choose your gunsmith wisely there is one in fairbanks that sucks big moose balls!
 
When you pick up a custom hunting rifle after having it coated with "arctic coat" that was his name for it I suspect it was duracoat but when I noticed the bolt release just came out of the receiver he handed me a small container of mixed small parts and said it "might" be in there I was so pissed I left words escaped me actions were ill advised, I had to send it back to the factory to get fixed right lesson learned choose your gunsmith wisely there is one in fairbanks that sucks big moose balls!

That douche "bedded" my Savage too. Didn't even take the time to get the barrel centered in the stock. I don't know how he's in business.
 
When your new "Custom" build comes home and has an AD when the bolt is closed on the first round.................
 
That douche "bedded" my Savage too. Didn't even take the time to get the barrel centered in the stock. I don't know how he's in business.


That was the first and last time I used that hacker I did all my business with below zero in north pole or that little shop outside Wainwright you should have seen the muzzle brakes below zero had to to cut off from the hacksmith in fairbanks he had a couple coffee cans full of them just blew my mind!