Gunsmith Wait time

[spartan DSK]

i dropped of my Springfield GI 1911A1 to my gunsmith back in June its now November for a reliability package,trigger job and to have some parts fitted i called every now and then to get an update and well i couldnt get one. Is it normal to wait this long? i understand the smith may be backed up but 6 months seems a little much.

[Geo]

Not normal. Your chain is being yanked.

[jdberger]

Yes.

Forget about the pistol.

When it comes back, you'll hardly remember how long it took to get done right.

Done Fast
Done Well
Done Cheap

Pick 2.

[ar15barrels]

Done Fast
Done Well
Done Cheap

Pick 2.

Sometimes you don't get to pick ANY of those...

[Dr Pete]

Get it back, pay what you owe for work done.
You could become a gunsmith and do the work yourself in that amount of time

[adamsreeftank]

It all depends on the smith.

I've waited Years for guns, but I knew I was a low priority going in. There are guys with short lead-times around, but if you want a specific guy to do the job, then you have to wait it out.

[popeye4]

1. These are unusual times, with a significant bump in demand for anything that has anything to do with guns. Thank the Big O for that.

2. If the gunsmith is good, perhaps he has that much backlog. Or perhaps he has higher priority customers that are jumping in front of you. If he can't/won't tell you what's going on, perhaps it is time to move on.

3. If the gunsmith is old, perhaps he doesn't work very fast.

4. You could get your gun back and wait in another line. Did this guy come with a recommendation? Is he full time? What was your basis of selection? I've had a couple of hacks work on guns in the past; believe me, it isn't worth it to take shortcuts.

[9mmepiphany]

much has to do with how good a smith he is. the better he is the longer you can expect it to take...especially if he isn't a full time smith.

it didn't sound like you were having that much done...wouldn't have been easier to just send it to the Springfield Custom shop. they do nice work and their turnaround is pretty fast.

i currently have a Colt 1991 that i left with a 1911 smith for a full build a couple of years ago and i'm not worried too much about it...i didn't even ask how long it would take or cost when i left it...if i didn't feel comfortable with him to begin with, i would have him do custom work on one of my guns.

he has a regular day job and he's a perfectionist about his work. he's trained with some "big names" and i figured i'd get one of his 1911s on his way up

[bigcalidave]

Oh come on! It can be done right, and be done fast. Seriously, your gun has either been forgotten or the guy just doesn't care what his customers think. Take it back, go somewhere else. Maybe it's because I don't have a ton of different guns but I would be pissed if I didn't have one for 6 months. I also learned how to do almost everything myself now, so it's less of an issue.

[SNEAKS]

Get your gun back and take it to Jim Hoag in the SFV.

[adamsreeftank]

... I could take a gunsmithing course and do the crap myself in that kind of time.

Like any field, there are true experts with years of hands-on experience, and there are guys fresh out of school, or guys who never went to school.

The new guy may be able to do a fine job with whatever "crap" you want him to do, but there is a reason lots of professionals are willing to wait years for some people to do certain kinds of work.

[9mmepiphany]

...and you really don't want to turn a 1911 over to just anyone...there's a lot of weird stuff about amking a 1911 work right.

[gunboat]

I think a personal visit to the shop is in order -- Many years ago I lost a nice m92 winchester when the shop and smith disappeared. If the shop is too busy to do your work perhaps another shop is in order. It is not unreasonable to expect the smith to give you an approximate finish date.
If your job is being pushed aside for the smith to do other work, a new shop is in order. Baring unforseen problems enough time has elapsed to finish your job.