Getting back old barrel?

[jdawson]

So, when I got my rifle rebarraled i didnt get my old barrel back...My buddy got his rifle rebarreled as well, requested it back, and never got it back, I needed a cheek piece put on, only four holes needed to be drilled then finished, he asked how soon i wanted it back, i told him asap (meaning in like 15 minute), then he said, ill call u in three or four days! ***? are gunsmiths @ss holes or what? i could have drilled the holes myself. but i want to give business to these places.

Gunsmiths seem to be like a michanics shop! I can get it if the guy was swamped and couldnt drill the holes right then, but its a hole in the wall place, in a small town, and he could have simply just done it and got it over with.

what am i missing here? should i pick up the trade and do crap myself? seems to be the case with everything else in the world...

 

[sp6x6]

Just because it is a small shop,does not mean hes not busy.Do you have a long bussiness record with him? That usually speeds things up.I live in a town of about 15-20,000 and it takes a month for a dentist appointment,and most everyone is 2-3 weeks out,mechanics. You should absolutely get your old barrel, unless it was part of a trade.

 

[jdawson]

yeah, he probably is busy, but even so, four holes? he doesnt rebarrel guns either?? but it says "gunsmith"? anyway, just a small shop i stumbled upon and i wanted to give it some business..finally its not windy, and where im from its windy ALL THE TIME, 40 plus.. so, i just wish it wouldnt take four days to get a cheek piece put on..

so i should have gotten my barrel back, as well as my friend.. ill be making some phone calls... thanks

 

[sp6x6]

It is nice that you support local business.I do the small gun work stuff myself,and have learned along the way, I am a builder and have shop and space,lot of wood working tools.

 

[grit]

Many "general" gunsmiths don't rebarrel. Or, they send rebarreling out. A half shot our factory barrel has no real value. Certainly less value then the cost of shipping. 99% of the barrels I take off are in a pile on the shelf. For the most part, it is assumed they are scrap. Requesting a barrel back and not getting it is another matter.

Expecting any business to drop what they're doing and "just drill four holes" for you is unrealistic. You are in line, always. If you needed the job done now, you should have asked. He might have done it as a courtesy.

Make your expectations known and they will most likely be met.

 

[jdawson]

ok thanks... Im sure if i did mention for it to be done now then he would have, just took me back that he said 3-4 days.. is this the usual in rebuilding fire arms? barrels, stocks, etc.

I currently have a 7x57 interarms mark x that i would like rebarrelled and chambered in something different. not sure what my options are, hoping a 30-06 but also would like to fit it with a tactical stock as well..but cant seem to find a place that can do it. at least my searches online have have lead me no where.

with a project like this, am i looking at almost a yrs wait? my last rifle took roughly 10 months.. all that was done was a new barrel and some minor changes, glass bedding, box mag, and scope was put on it. this was done in an area of a million ppl or so..(tyler texas) so i can see how it would take a while, but i live in a small place where the total population of ppl in the state is 550,000.. just concerned. ive read articels that say no matter what a rebarreled gun shouldnt take any longer then 4 months..

what is ur take on all of this... thanks for insight.

 

[J E Custom]

So, when I got my rifle rebarraled i didnt get my old barrel back...My buddy got his rifle rebarreled as well, requested it back, and never got it back, I needed a cheek piece put on, only four holes needed to be drilled then finished, he asked how soon i wanted it back, i told him asap (meaning in like 15 minute), then he said, ill call u in three or four days! ***? are gunsmiths @ss holes or what? i could have drilled the holes myself. but i want to give business to these places.

Gunsmiths seem to be like a michanics shop! I can get it if the guy was swamped and couldnt drill the holes right then, but its a hole in the wall place, in a small town, and he could have simply just done it and got it over with.

what am i missing here? should i pick up the trade and do crap myself? seems to be the case with everything else in the world...

I will not defend "All" gun smiths but some are much better about communicating with the
customer and explaining the conditions of the transaction.

First= If he honers his schedule to his customers he will not work something in unless he is at
a good stopping point.

And remember, 1 half of the relationship is up to the customer.

If you ask for your barrel back, you should get it back. Most used barrels are gunk and only
good for some tool making or as some have stated "Tomato Stakes". others that have not been
used or very little have some value and can often be sold to recover some of your cost.

Normally the best thing to do is set down with the Smith with a list of what you want done
and what you expect from him, If you can't agree "RUN"!!!!!!!

There are some excellent gunsmiths on this site and all you have to do is look for them.

J E CUSTOM

 

[jdawson]

well noted...thank you for ur comment. I think im learning that with precision rifles, perhaps i would want him to take his time, build it nice and slow, without stress to give me back a true rifle...gun)

 

[jackem]

I just had this discussion with the gunsmith I'm working with. I tried to trade him the unfired factory takeoff barrel and he pretty much told me he would scrap it so it had no value to him tho' he thought I could maybe sell it.

I'm looking into/for that factory-barrel-take-off market as we speak.

As for time the gunsmith doing the work seemed fixed on 120 days which I agreed to after being told 6-8 months by a local smith. Just doin my time day by day...

Jack

 

[rscott5028]

Communications is a two way street.

Not all "smiths" are well versed in the needs of long range shooters. Some might even be considered hacks. The ones that contribute to this forum are pretty much in tune. And, their work/reputation is out there for everyone to see.

You've had a couple of reputable smiths who are good communicators/contributors to this forum respond to your thread.

I got fed up with local smiths who didn't return calls before the sale. I figured they wouldn't be any better after they got half or all of my money/materials. So, I started doing my own work.

Guess what. It costs a LOT more to do it yourself, and takes nearly as long to get all of the tools, materials, time to do my own work. BUT... I always know where I stand.

-- richard

 

[grit]

Communications is a two way street.

Not all "smiths" are well versed in the needs of long range shooters. Some might even be considered hacks. The ones that contribute to this forum are pretty much in tune. And, their work/reputation is out there for everyone to see.

You've had a couple of reputable smiths who are good communicators/contributors to this forum respond to your thread.

I got fed up with local smiths who didn't return calls before the sale. I figured they wouldn't be any better after they got half or all of my money/materials. So, I started doing my own work.

Guess what. It costs a LOT more to do it yourself, and takes nearly as long to get all of the tools, materials, time to do my own work. BUT... I always know where I stand.

-- richard

Mostly, I communicate with myself okay. Sometimes I forget to tell me things I later think I should have told me. Or, mabey I did tell me and just wasn't paying attention?

 

[orwapitihunter]

I pretty much agree with all the replies. The take off barrel is your property. If you requested it back you should have received it back. But I, like most smiths see little to no value in most of them. Think of it like this, the oil in your truck is yours, but most places changing oil don't even think to offer it back to you when you have it changed.
As far as the cheek piece install, maybe he had other stuff in line before you maybe he didn't. If 4 days was an issue for you then you should have asked if sooner was an option. If he had things ahead of you maybe a few dollars to cover a little overtime in the shop would have left everyone happy.
Finally as far as long build times. When I have all the parts it takes me about 3 days to finish up a build. The big wait is parts. The last call I made to Hart was 8 to 10 weeks for a barrel. Brux was running 10 to 12. Those are short waits compared to some. Sometimes they hit their quote sometimes they are a few weeks off. I explain that to the customer and give them a best case completion date and also up to a month longer. If something unexpected happens I let them know. And occasionally a smith gets the perfect storm, when parts for several builds/jobs all show at the same time, and half a dozen walk in small jobs show up too.
I'm sure there isn't a smith on here that hasn't worked through the night trying to meet a delivery time and keep his customer happy.
As far as being an *******. I'm sure my wife would answer yes to that several days a month.

 

[J E Custom]

Mostly, I communicate with myself okay. Sometimes I forget to tell me things I later think I should have told me. Or, mabey I did tell me and just wasn't paying attention?

Now, That should be in the humor section.

It also hit very close to home.

Thanks for the laugh grit.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Gene]

When I tell my regular smith I want the barrel returned, he writes it on the ticket. I usually buy a blank and take it to him for cutting and chambering. I always tell him I want the barrel stub with all the manufacturers i.d. on it. Some barrrel makers will not look at a return without it.