Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Ryan Kelsey/ Diablo Custom Rifles

I thought I would start a separate thread after seeing that there are many of us that have been lied to and ripped off by Ryan. I am MANY years into this and out a rifle and some money. I am gathering the emails, texts, and various paperwork to contact the State Attorney General and the ATF to open a formal complaint against him.
I was one of the first to jump on the “Campfire Special” with him and it has drug on for years. I have kept my mouth shut publicly mostly until now, but I am finally fed up enough to take action against him. So many broken promises and excuses. So many deadlines that Ryan himself set up and then broke. Last May he texted me that my rifle was finally done and he would ship it on his next trip into town. The guy must never go to town, because that is the last I heard from him. I am absolutely positive that my rifle is lost, stolen, or simply botched beyond repair.
No more lies, no more broken promises. I am preparing to go after Ryan with the full force of our legal system. I did not ask for this fight...I don’t want it. Here we are though...I pity the trouble he has caused himself.
I think this thread could be of some benefit to show he has done it to many others as well. Please contact me either through this thread or PM with any similar experiences with Ryan Kelsey and Diablo Customs.

A few links, that you likely may have, I'm sure there are a few in there that took it in the shorts

Take it for what it's worth from a guy with too many posts, but I can read sign.

Good luck and nail the bastard.


Diablo

Diablo



His reach around guy Adam32.

Adam32

Been remiss to post publicly in hopes that it might help my cause of getting my action, but fuggit. Enough is enough.
Purchased a Pierce action from Ryan which he had for sale here in the fire with the intent of him doing the build. However, when reports of more than the usual ‘smith issues began surfacing, I asked for my action to be sent to me. Ryan stated that he had used it on another build “ as I said he could.” He apparently was confusing me with another, as that conversation never occurred. Supposedly there was a replacement ordered and on it’s way to me. That was many moons, shaggy dog stories, and unreturned communications ago. Bitch of it is, when I spoke to Pierce yesterday, they have no record of any orders from Ryan or Diablo customs. Very nice gentleman at Pierce summed it up nicely - “I am really sorry sir; it seems as if you have been screwed.”

Good for you guys. I didn’t realize how lucky I was. Hoping for a good resolution.

I have recently been texting him about some work he didn't do right the first time and didn't do right the second time. He did offer to do it again (misaligned flutes and muzzle brake) but I have decided to cut my losses and pay to have it redone locally.

As a heads up, I sent him an extra $35 to cover insurance (and specified in writing) the first time and he failed to insure it. I specified that he insure it the second time when he sent it back to me and he failed to insure it. I have told him a couple of times that he should not ship anything to anyone unless it is insured. He says if the customer wants shipping insurance that's on them. Okay, fine. Then he should tell people that before he ships.

Sambo,

You must be livin' right to have actually had him send a rifle back to you twice. After it took him 3 months from date of completion of my rifle to actually drop it off at the post office, I wasn't about to tempt fate again and have him fix the issues with it, happy to pay someone locally to work on it.

As I mentioned in the other thread, he started my build last April, and supposedly had it ready to drop into the MacMilan stock when it got there, but that took another three months, then three more months to mail it out. What was funny is that a couple of times he actually printed shipping labels from his computer and sent me the tracking number, but no rifle was shipped.

But I made a real nuisance of myself, called, texted and emailed him weekly until I guess he got tired of me and decided it would be easier just to send me the rifle. Looking forward to getting it back and seeing how it shoots.

Good luck to everyone still waiting,

Tim

Apparently I am an idiot for knowing what a scumbucket he is. Akin to Judd and FredIII and JeffO, but WTF do I know.

It’s all fixin to come home for him Scott. My ducks are lining up nicely. Thanks for the links above. The ATF and State Attorney’s love patterns and history when building cases. Ryan’s goose is WAY past cooked.

Let me know if I can help. I can't stomach a crook.

Thanks Scott

Sorry you gents have to experience this. If I were a couple of states closer to his locale - I'd happily take a drive on your behalf.

deer hunter, count me in on being scammed. He has a rifle and my money and now will not even return emails or phone calls. He is about to get a big surprise sprung on him...

Keep the correspondence coming, guys! Many have contacted me via PM as well. Ryan has systematically screwed a pile of us. Many Federal Laws may have been broken here. In this day and age of heightened scrutiny, the ATF and State Attorney Generals Office will take this extremely seriously.

You seem to have a lot of faith in atf and AG . Is there any cases to prove this.

I have a lot of faith in doing the right thing. Not cheating people, lying, stealing, etc...karma always comes around full circle.
If you don’t have a dog in this fight, move along. Many of us are out a bunch of time and money.

PM sent

I have witnessed his misdealing in person.
He sold me a scope that he didn’t own. I paid him and received a scope from another person. After talking with that person in Oregon that sent the scope. He stated he sold the scope to Ryan after I paid Ryan. Ryan had sold it to me as LNIB. Not even close. I would say 50% of new. Scratches and dings throuought and scratches on glass. Finally got my money back after 2 months of his lies.
I witnessed a full custom build that Ryan did for a guy. The guy ordered a 338 Ultra to be built with all new parts full custom aftermarket parts, a $4500 build. I took a look at the rifle after the guy said it shot horrible. The action was was used (big time), a Remington take off, and Ryan had never put the 2nd part of the 2 part Devcon steelbed in. So it was still moldable putty in the stock. And I New the guy that had sold the used stock and trigger on LRH forums. The rifle was Cerakoted. The Cerakote was the best think about the rifle. In my opinion about $1000 in parts and labor. I don’t think the owner of the 338 ever got a refund.

In my experience with Ryan. He is not a person I will ever trust nor his work. He buys used parts to build rifles and sells the rifles as being new custom builds after Cerakoting. He has no honor. Just my opinion. Be warned. If you do business with Ryan Kelsey (Diablo Custom) 99.8% sure you will not get what is promised.

Brian

Not on here looking for a bashing simple letting people that I am not running from my problems. I have made some poor choices in life and as stated by others it has come full circle and now it is biting me in the ass. I am not proud of the things I have done. That being said I have begun repaying people back. A couple people in this post in fact. And I will continue to do so until all issues have been resolved. Thanks

Brian, no offense but your story is not accurate. Not in the slightest. You have been misled. And yes he did get a refund.

BS

More pathetic lies from a pathetic individual. These are the same hollow words you uttered some months back...possibly a year ago. Nobody buys your BS. No one. The line is long of good people you have deceived and ripped off. The only reason you have even responded is to buy yourself more time. I know your game...others do too. We are coming Ryan....legally. There is going to be plenty of time to dwell on your wrongs from inside a Federal Cell. It’s up to you how many years. I would suggest you think long and hard about your next moves. Our documentation is long. Is yours?

I’ve made my intentions clear and I am doing the right thing by owning my mistakes and making things right which is what I’m doing. I have started paying the nessasary people back weather you guys believe it or not. I’m not running from my problems like a lot of others would do.
It’s kind of odd how big of a difference all of you talk to me in person versus on here to the public. Everybody is understanding and polite in person then on here to the public making threats and being a badass. Didn’t make sense. Deerhunter, you being one of the people I have talked to in person and agree to give a refund,which is on its way tomorrow.
Honestly I deserve all the bad mouthing you guys are giving me, no denying that. Yes I have all corespondents from the people I’ve had issues with but there is no need for it. I’m out of the gun business FOREVER. I’ve turned in my paperwork to both the state and atf. My ffl is expiring in June and will not be renewed. My machines and all equipment are sold. Ive found out the hard way that I am not a business person. But like I said, I fill that I am doing the right thing by owning my mistakes and making things right with the appropriate people.