Anyone know anything about carolina precesion rifles? Their rifles look interesting but wanted to know if anyone had info good or bad about them.

John Lewis runs Carolina Precision Rifles. Nice guy and does good work. He has built several rifles for me over the years. Only negative I can say is he is slow getting things done.Rick.

Thanks for the info. Maybe now he would be slow and and need the work? Do you still have the rifles he built for you? If so can you post them so we can see the rifles along with their info. That would be awesome! You can PM me if you want.

PM sent.Rick.

You have a PM but in a single word ----DON"T!

All quality gunsmiths are going to be slow in the eyes of the customer. We are at the mercy of our vendors and quality work takes time. Most quality gunsmiths are backed up several months or years.

Nat Lambeth

I sent him a REM 700 BDL which I bot new and wouldnt hold a group under 2" with a good scope and from a bench. I thought it should do better than that.

He was advertising an "accuracy tuneup" for factory rifles at the time. It was awhile ago so I'm not sure what all it was supposed to include. It took a very long time for the work that was supposedly done. Communication skills were very poor, terrible really. I could not tell that any work had been done on my rifle at all when I got it back. It took 3 times longer than he quoted. He'll never touch another rifle of mine again.

And BTW, the accuracy was not improved on that rifle, not even a little.

NB

Sent him a barrel for rechambering and an action to fit it to. No difficulty with the project! This was several years ago. The work was performed in a timely manner and performed quite well. Would use him again for a project. Good work does take time amd your patience is important. He is hard to contact since he is pretty busy and returns phone calls on his schedule. Good work and reasonable pricing!

I have a question. Why does it take a "quality" gunsmith who promises a maximum two week turnaround six months to deliver the rifle AFTER I take him all the parts (New barrel, stock, and chamber reamer) to do the job and lay them right on the work bench in front of him?

I just don't buy the we're at the mercy of our vendors and customers need to be patient argument.

The work I had done by John was excellent, but as noted he was much slower than I expected. When I got my rifle back he had lost some screws that went with my Buehler rings and bases. Never did get them back. May not seem like a big deal but the rings, bases and screws were supposed to be Black-T finished but the rings and bases were finished, just no screws. Had to order the screws direct from Buehler and have them finished separately. I wouldn't use him again.

"allen day>

Posted 21 November 2002 08:50
In the Carolinas, I'd give my custom rifle business to John Lewis ahead of anyone else.

AD"

http://www.cprifles.com/

You need to remember Allen is both a celebrity and a living legend ... I'm sure he'd be moved to the front of the line by many rifle-makers.


I don't think anyone doubts that John is a talented machinist, the problem comes with his general lack of business acument, the in-ability to follow thru on committments and the apparent lack of being able to tell what month or year it is.

I don't know if he's disorgaized & forgetful or dumber than a box of hammers or

John Lewis used to work for Kenny Jarrett.

Post some pictures of the CPR rifles boys!

I would not trust this guy for nothing. It took me 28 months to get a barrel job done by him and he put the wrong barrel on. This guy has every excuse in the book and then some.
BEWARE OF THIS GUY!

This is mine --- built on a MCMillan MCR-T SS action, Sunny Hill bottom metal, Pac-Nor Match-Grade gain-twist barrel, Remington trigger, McMillan stock ---- I provided every single thing component for this rifle and all he had to do was make it. Quoted me no more than 10 weeks. I made the mistake of paying 50% up-front. Well after the 10 weeks had past I decided to call and check the status --- he had "misplaced" my barrel and hadn't touched the rifle and ask what he should. I "mildly" suggested that he might have called me instead of wasting almost 4 months --duh! I sent him a new barrel --- time goes by and well over a year later (after literally dozens of unanswered phone calls) I finally had enough and told him to send me his bill and whatever parts he still had. I should also add that he lost the Remington trigger I'd sent (and charged me retail to replace it), he lost the set of Talley mounts I had sent (I told him to forget it) and he never painted the stock (let me add he bedded the barreled-action so crooked it was hard to get the floor-plate open and I had a local stockmaker fix it for me ---- I should add he charged me for eveything he had done despite the fact he didn't do everthing he agreed to do --- I paid it just to get rid of him.

The good news is the rifle shoots great and as I hoped, I picked up some additional velocity with the gain-twist barrel and it shot 165gr, 180gr and 200gr Nosler Partitions well under moa. The bad news the whole process left such a bad taste in my mouth the gun just sits in my safe as everytime I take it out it reminds me how badly I got taken. Here are some pics --still unpainted.











The bolt came fluted from McMillan

This 'smith sounds like a real screwball....Anyone would be crazy to send him work after seeing the number of negative posts here.

This thread is starting to show a pattern!

DB Bill,
How did you get your stock from McMillan like that?
Also, do you know if Pac-Nor still offers gain twist barrels?
Thanks,
JessG

He rebarreled me a nice 358 winchester but he was so increably slow. I have had whole rifles built in less time then it took him to rebarrel this one.

I have read a few articles and put two and two together and figured out he was a gunsmith who chambered an improved cartridge without setting the barrel back, requiring bullets to be seated extra long to FF and wouldn't fireform factory ammo.... I would hope he has figured out how to improve a cartridge by now.

DB Bill,

I love the look of that McMillan. Can I get some more info about it?

It's just one of their stocks before they put the "swirly" on it or before they paint it --- called a "painter" and I don't know if they still sell them.

I'd be glad to sell you this one but it's inletted for the McMillan MCR-T action --- basically the same foot-print as the Rem 700 (short) except for a cut-out on the left side for the bolt-release.

All painted stocks look like that before they are painted. There is no pigment used to give them color. All you see is fiberglass and resin.

Sometimes the guys use different colors to fill the stocks so thats why you see some green and purple in there.

Can they still be bought this way?

Thanks,
JessG

A couple coats of stain clearcoat over the top of that, and I'd hunt it.

you know if one was careful I bet they could make something with kind of a carbon fiber look to it

Well i have never heard him promise fast turn around. The only fast turnaround he has guarenteed was the VHT rifle. He has done work for quite a few people I know oner the last 12 years including myself. All will tell you he is slow. But his work is top of the line. If you want fast go to Burger King. Fast isn't what gunsmithing is about. Hell the mans website has been the same for as long as I remember and he tells you on it that he dosn't get in a hurry. Great Smith. As with all be patient. I realize it is hard to do but that is just the way it is!!

I've seen better work but it was acceptable.Took him 13 months to fit a stock.I sent him all the parts.I will pass.
dave

When a 'smith says 8-12 weeks you don't expect well over a year especially when he has all the parts --- and "loses" some expensive ones....... take your pic ---- is he to dumb to make an estimate, is he unethical enough to put other work in front of yours or does he just not give a crap.

What about "All of the Above"??

How, in the name of All that's Holy, can you "lose" a barrel?? There're kinda big!! Life's too darn short to play Russian Roulette with a custom gun project.

NB

Partagas, I have watched him chamber for AIs and he does set the barrel back. Don't know what articles you read but they were not correct.Rick.

They were written quite awhile ago, like ten years or more so he probably has changed or I inferred incorrectly.