stonecutter2
Member
See post #32. He got the gun back, albeit in much worse condition than when he dropped it off.
See my post above.
See post #32. He got the gun back, albeit in much worse condition than when he dropped it off.
See my post above.
For what the gun is worth, any attempt at compensation probably is outweighed by the time/cost to go through the process.Go to small claims court. File the case for twice the value of the gun and see if he settles before you go to court.
For what the gun is worth, any attempt at compensation probably is outweighed by the time/cost to go through the process.
Wanted to add...I would keep on him to replace the missing parts.Update:
I talked to him on the phone first thing this morning, and he offered to make it right by replacing the gun. He swore up and down it was an honest mistake and he wanted to make it right. I told him I'd let him know what I decided after I talked to my step dad.
I told my step dad about the offer to replace the gun, and also mentioned I was considering called the sheriff and the ATF, but wanted his opinion. Basically, he was ok with it if I wanted to call the ATF, but if I could get a gun out of him also, all the better. He was understandably upset, it being his grandfathers gun.
So I went into this guys shop, and guess what he has waiting behind the counter? If you guessed the Remington Model 10, you guessed right.
But it gets better. So he has the gun, apologizes profusely for the 'mistake' and informs me it's a wall hanger. He replaced a couple parts, but the receiver rails are so worn, along with the barrel lugs that hold it to the receiver, it'll never be safe to shoot. I expected as much when I dropped it off. Now here's where it gets even more fun. Its missing parts. The clamp that holds the magazine tube to the barrel is missing, the trigger pin is missing, and the slave screw for the stock is missing. He's going to look for them, or order them if he can find any.
Oh, it gets better still. For some unknown reason, he decided to take a wire wheel and strip off ALL THE PATINA on the barrel. 88 years of finish wear and patina, gone because of some idiot. I can't even consider him a gunsmith, despite his 01 FFL and brick and mortar store. He's clueless, and a liar.
I'm still considering the idea of telling my tale to the agent at the local ATF field office in Grand Rapids. His incompetence may be senility (the guys got to be in his 70s) or maliciousness
I'm glad I got the gun back, even in its current state, but I'm still not satisfied with the outcome.
If any one wants to know the name and address of thus place, so they know who to avoid, PM me.
Pretty sure gander mountain closed some of their in house gun smiths while giving people back incomplete guns or boxes of parts while still charging them for incomplete work.Many of the 'mom-n-pop'/lone individual gunsmiths that I've tracked down are in fact greatly lacking on skill, experience and knowledge. I always immediately ask them where they went to school and if they tell me, "Oh, I just watched the armorer's VHS tapes a couple years ago", then I walk out the door. You'd be surprised to know how many little-local gunsmiths did no more than that.
And this is a good reason to opt for the gunsmithing department of a big-box retailer like Gander, Bass Pro, or Cabela's, even though the modern trend is to hate big-box anything. The fact is, they are large enough to know that their reputation requires real knowledge and skill in that department of their company, disciplined enough to never deal as shoddily and criminally as the OP's little-local guy did, and they are wealthy enough to fund any remedy if ever the need arises.
The little-local guy, even if he's the most skilled gunsmith on earth, can make mistakes that he might not be able to shell out the cash to remedy.
I do most all of my gunsmithing these days because too many of the little-local guys don't know what they are doing. When a job is beyond me, I call the Bass Pro in Denver and ask Bart what he thinks.