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What can you do if he won't return your rifles. I have been told for weeks they are done and boxed but he does not have money to ship. ( shipping cost were in the price) so I offered to cover cost just to be done, now he will not return messages. Is there anything I can do, or do I just have to wait?

I'm going to give you a good bit of advice that nobody wants to hear.

DON'T BOTHER GUNSMITHS, CUSTOM KNIFE MAKERS, OR TAXIDERMISTS.

You'll find yourself on a schit list that does you no good.




Dave

The longer you wait the less likely you are to get them back. I would be worried that he no longer had them for whatever reason.

You could drop in for a visit.

Wow, this could be a bummer... A good friend had a noted smith "build" a custom .300 H & H.. He had it all, English style open sights, fine wood, everything plus a good deposit... Dropped it off to the guy, time dragged.. Each visit would be it is almost ready... Finally three years later, he swings by the shop, gun is about ready he is told.. The smith was called to the phone and my pal was just looking around, and finds his stuff gathering dust in a corner.. Nothing had been touched in the three years.. He gathered it up demanded his deposit .. He got the $ by threatening to take out an ad in the Rifleman ....

Personally I'd panic. I'd be on my way to him as fast as I could get there.

+1

Time to bite the bullet and deal with this on a eyeball to eyeball level.

Out of state and I am working overtime, don't have time for a road trip.

I'd drop in for a visit if I were within driving distance, if not I'd notify local authorities that this man stole some firearms from me

No sentimental value then; you'll just be out financially.

PM Sitka Deer, he's had a similar experience.

I hate to hear that. In my experience, most gunsmiths are really lousy businessmen. Darcy Echols and Mark Penrod are two exceptions that come to mind, if they tell you something you can bank it but most aren't like Darcy and Mark.

Where at and who?

This is a bad situation. Perhaps a call to the local DA or police (in his town) asking them to investigate a possible firearms theft; but this assumes that you have all documentation and he doesn't have an out.

That is a piss poor business man for sure. Absolutely no excuse to hold onto a customer's product because you can't manage your books. I'm glad I have a world class gunsmith 1/2 hour down the highway.

I don't know the value of the rifles, but I'd be paying a buddy or Fire member to go after them...the longer the gunsmith holds them, the sooner he sells them for cash.

PS: And I'd bad mouth his thieving ass from one end of the internet to the other, starting threads on every gun/outdoor site there is.

Wouldn't that be a felony?

If anyone could get away with it, a gunsmith could...especially long guns,,,,,,,,,,,,POOF gone.

I had a similar situation several years ago, I contacted the State Attorney General who brought a class action lawsuit against the gunsmith. I received a refund of the money I had spent, long after that a package with the gun arrived, the box had never been opened and no work had been done. The guy had strung me along with the stories of the work nearly being done and how well the project was turning out. All lies as he had never opened the package I had sent him.

You're probably fugcked. Time to get the law involved, assuming you have documentation to prove the rifle is yours. Barring that, post his info here and send him a link to the thread and promise to post about your situation on Facebook and anywhere else.



Also, this is good advice:



But since you've been told the rifle is done, that's how you know you got fugcked.