One of my hang ups that I am having a hard time getting past is Reeder’s we can’t send your original parts back due to liability disclaimer, which I have to call BS on. I don’t necessarily care if I get the parts back but I don’t like to be treated like I am stupid either, it is an indicator as to what kind of business you might be dealing with.
My issues with Reeder are twofold.
1. His work is cheaper (or at least it used to be) because he does less to his guns. Numerous times I've heard the argument from his fan club that Reeder's work is "just as good" but cheaper. It ain't. He doesn't linebore. He doesn't block the action. He doesn't enlarge the frame window for oversized cylinders. Nobody knows where he sources his barrels and cylinders from but he isn't making them.
His turnaround is quicker because he has a team of gunsmiths working for him. By his own words, all Gary does for the last several years is polish, "engrave" and blue. By "polish", I mean like a gorilla. By "engrave", I mean he places the stencils on the guns where he thinks they best fit and puts them on the EDM. They're all done with stencils, that's why some patterns don't really flow where they're placed. I've seen them run off the edge and others where they just end abruptly.
Reeder's guns are basically just gussied up factory guns. They are certainly not the hand fitted customs you'll get from Bowen, Huntington, Stroh, Harton, the late John Gallagher, Clements, Horvath, Linebaugh or a few others.
2. He's nuts. Gary has a great knowledge of handgun hunting and I appreciate that but he also thinks his way is the only way, no matter the subject. If you question him, he'll go ballistic. I've seen him go off on folks who simply asked about getting their old parts back or sending the gun without them. Gary must have a deal with someone to sell the old parts because he loses his mind over this. The liability thing is just an excuse. For years I watched him talk about what crap the Ruger Old Models were and how the New Models were superior in every way. Then he figured out he could make money converting Old Models to .44Spl. His fan club talked as if he invented the concept.
Back in 2012, my wife and I took a road trip out west. When we were in Flagstaff, I made a point to go to Reeder's shop, in a ratty little strip mall. Reeder was pretty quiet that day but the young guy working there sounded like a used car salesman. There was an old Colt Officer's Match Target in the case. It looked good from a distance. In the hand, you could see that it was terribly pitted before Reeder did a piss-poor job of polishing the hell out of it, doing is "engraving" and then rebluing it. I was disgusted. The visit pretty much confirmed everything I already thought about Reeder and his work.
. Now I need to decide on the customization, I know it is going to be re-chambered to .500Linebaugh, black oxide high polished finish, 6.5” barrel, need to figure out grips, engraving work (which will be minimal) and then pack up the Ruger SBH and send it off to Mr. Gary Reeder.
