One of my pet peeves is about the guy that comes over with a project he needs done and then starts to tell me how to do it.
Understood, but that door swings both ways. A knowledgeable customer might inquire of the gunsmith how he would approach the job, in order to have confidence in the smith. I have encountered a few smiths who have to lord it over the customer, maybe adopt the "crusty craftsman" persona.
Case in point. I sent a Remington 700 LA .30-06 to a well known gunsmith to be rebarreled to .338-06. I specifically stated that I wanted it to be no heavier than the factory original. When I received it the barrel was about heavy varmint. When I called the smith he haughtily informed me that that chambering required a barrel that heavy. I guess nobody told the manufacturers of .338 Magnums that they had to have a heavy barrel. At a minimum, before starting the job, the smith should have told me that, in his opinion, the barrel would have to be heavier than the .30 caliber factory barrel. I also asked that the lug be pinned. It was not.
Business transactions like this should be conducted with honesty and mutual respect, and good communication. If the customer and smith can't agree, then they should not undertake the job and should go their separate ways. No harm no foul.
