Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Contacting Robert Gradous

I started a build with Robert in December 2014 and since November off 2015he has not returned my calls or emails. Any help or suggestions appreciated. Thanks

I know that he has been working to expand his shop recently. I don't have any advice for you but he's alive, well, and working.

Please see other "Gradous" thread in the classifieds.....things are not well!!

Some folks were able to get their parts back.....

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...8/Robert_Gradous_contacting#Post11157518

I just saw this and its funny I talked to robert 3 times todya without knowing any of this was going on. last fall I sent my parts into him. I just wanted a barrel install. He got my parts and promptly called me and sent pictures showing my parts were damaged because of my piss poor packaging job, mainly the trigger had poked through the box. At that time he also looked over everything really close and suggested a couple things he thought might be happening with my gun, he said it looked like a stock pillar had been crushed, I look at my stock sure enough its crushed slightly. He also found that a scope base screw had been tightened into the barrel threads.

back then he said the project would take about 6 weeks to complete. So that would have put me sometime in november. I wasn't worried about it so I didn't call to bug him. january rolls around and he calls to say its done he is just going to fix the trigger for me. He said he would call me later that day when he ships it out. I didn't hear back. I still wasn't worried about it.

Then a week or so ago I sent him an email asking about it. He said it has been done for quite a while except for the trigger repair. So today actually he called and confirmed with me every last detail we talked about. He asked me about packaging etc. He called and said he had it all packed up and ready. Later today he called again and said he was dropping it off at the post office and sent me a picture of the tracking label to my phone. He also said to make sure and let him know if there were any problems.

What I think has happened in the guy simply got too famous. I don't think you will find a guy that is more detail oriented than he is. seriously who the hell is going to examine an action and figure out a stock pillar crushed? YES people can get caught up too much in the details. The problem with that is it overwhelms them if they start to get too busy and they kinda shut down. I think he tries to make sure everything works rather than making sure what he does works and to hell with everything else.

a guy like robert simply should raise his prices until he keeps pace with a level of work he is comfortable with. $600 for a barrel install? he doesn't charge that but hell I might have paid that much. I haven't had trouble getting a hold of him, but when I have talked to him he is very through and conscientious about the work being done. I haven't gotten the gun back yet so the real question is how its going to shoot.

Well, dealing with idiots like cumfullofcowboys would likely make anyone a bit nutty.

I hope you get your gun and it works well. Still a bit confused about a November completion and its May and you still don't have it? Also in your post you say he has your gun but you are examining the stock!!! Very Confused

cant imagine being in business and to busy to return calls or emails thats just an excuse that I cant tolerate.....

I just sent in the barreled action. So I had the stock the whole time. Yeah it should have been done long ago. I am sure if I called and bugged him more or asked where it was he would have got it done sooner. He has returned my calls and emails can't speak for others.

Steelhead your funny but I am trying to figure out how I am a difficult guy to deal with. Yeah things could have went better, but my impression of Robert is he is ver conscientious out his work and most importantly the end result. I am not annoyed or irrated

Taxidermist follow this same general pattern it seems. A local taxidermist was extremely talented and learned from one of the best. He decided to branch off and start his own thing. At first, all was well, low prices and outstanding service/quality. As his reputation grew, so did his business. His wait times and prices continued to grow as well. He was forced to hire people to do some of the more menial tasks. At this point, he would do all the tough stuff and detail work. Time passed and I watched him get busier and busier. He worked seemingly day and night for a few years and the very first thing that began to suffer was customer service. He wouldn't return phone calls, emails, etc... When you were able to reach him, he wasn't very friendly and often was downright rude. His wait times increased, his word meant nothing. It was obvious that he had dependency issues with drugs and alcohol. His life was falling apart. Business suffered and the quality of his work also suffered. People's animals were "misplaced", orders were "forgotten". More and more, phone calls, emails and texts were ignored. His business fell apart and closed.

The same general thing happens to businesses both big and small, just look what too rapid growth has done to Cabela's.

Pretty simple stuff...
Under-promise and Over-Deliver. Don't leave people hanging. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Even a mildly talented guy could make a heck of a living.

Him being conscientious and one of the best rifle builders in the business is not what this thread is about, his communication skills and being more up front about his delivery times are the issues.......if he would just under promise and over deliver you wouldn't hear all the negativity, but you can't leave your customers in the dark and expect things to go on smoothly forever!

I have done business with Robert in the past. I will not do business with him again nor will i recommend him to anyone. There are too many quality smiths who WILL deliver a quality product in a timely manner. He is a talented builder but the other stuff is not worth dealing with.

I am surprised it took this long for someone to finally post this type of thread. Glad they did. Its been a long time coming.

Gotta say I'm surprised to be reading this regarding Gradous. Never had work done by him but know he was held in high regard around here for years.

Are the problems mostly with communication, build times, both?

Looks like he should stayed a pig farmer.

Too many folks think it takes chants and SERIOUS talent to make a rifle shoot.

You are truly one miserable sonuvabitch.

It never fails, someone mentions COCK or CUM and there's RobJordan.

I have read nothing both good things about him.But this is starting to worry me ,I sent him parts for a build a couple of months ago.For the people with problems with him,has he ever not returned your parts when requested?

BOTH