Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Anyone here dealt with Z Hat custom rifles in MT?

MAybe had them barrel, crown or re chamber a rifle for you?

I am thinking of using them for a project, would like some feedback ad intel though.

THANKS!

MARK

I have, and I advise against it.

I sent them a BRNO ZKK 602 in .375 H&H to be converted to .500 Jeffery. I was quoted a reasonable figure and accepted the quote. What followed was a nightmare of unanswered phone calls, emails and letters. Each time, when I managed to make contact, I was given a different reason for the delay.

After literally years of hassle, I received my rifle back rebarrelled, but weighing less than with the .375 barrel, because the .375 barrel profile had been preserved, resulting in a barrel far smaller in diameter at the muzzle than any barrel maker recommends!

My wishes concerning sights and barrel recoil lug were ignored. I had to ship the rifle elsewhere to get the feed corrected. Now I plan to have the entire job redone, rather than accept the shoddy workmanship I received.

I hope that answers your question.

Only dealt with them on one occasion about ten years ago, a re-barrel & chambering job, but the work was excellent.

I had Fred Zeglin who owns Z-HAT totally re work my Winchester 1895 405 WCF years ago and he did a great job for me.
AMRA

Same question elsewhere.

Landsend, Thanks for the link. Between that and PM's I have received Z hat is off of my list for any work.

MARK

This thread and the other "linked" one saddens me greatly. I have long wanted a .35 Win. So much so, that I have acquired dies, and brass, and ammo. I had thought about contacting Z-hat for the project, given his experience with the 1895 Winnys, but alas, I suppose I'll look elsewhere... Or perhaps, given my age, I'll just fore-go the project.

GH

Mark-were you able to get ahold of Bud?

Dober

Yep, but he is almost 80 years of age and only works when he feels like it now. Could not say that I would even have the gun back in time for Deer season. I got reffered to Z-hat by another smith in MT, but am now of a mind to not go near them.

The guy you sent me to at the shop where Ingwe works is also pretty busy but is the leading candidate right now. Not very talkative or personal, but maybe because he is busy working on guns! I can dig that.

Youngs Guns...Tracee MT

Chris and Dave build some hammers out of their shop.

Mark

Try mike Polazzo in maple valley. He's done lots of work for me, my family and friends and the work is always superb. Good price and quick turn around typically

I don't know about smith's in MT, but when Zeglin left here in the middle of the night, he owed one of my buddies in the blueing business a bunch of $$

I just called him and was quite impressed. Very good chance that I will be paying him a visit in early June to work on two rifles that I want tweaks done to.

Thanks,

MARK

Mark,
I believe he got his start at Beretta in Italy. Like I said his prices are good, wait times quite acceptable, work impeccable. Out of probably 30 guns he had worked on half being a rebarrel or full build I've yet to find a flaw. His action truing and trigger work flat rocks. Not to mention I've yet to hear of a gun he touched that didn't shoot great.

All the better he is 25 minutes from me.

I've used Mike Polazzo many times, class act, excellent smith, and most important prompt!!!

Well, maybe when I am over there getting my rifles worked on the three of us, plus maybe Scott F can grab a pizza together. Looking good for him getting the jobs.

I'd like that. Hard to turn down food with good company.

Are you the Birthday boy today? I see a cake and candles in your avatar! If so, Happy Birthday.

Happy birthday Safariman.

You make it over this way for any reason whether to get your rifles worked or not and I would make it a priority to be free to visit.

So out of curiosity what is the second rifle your thinking of getting worked on besides the Mashburn rechamber

Yeehaw, happy birthday Mark!

My 416 Rigby, CZ550 Magnum, does not like to feed smoothly with pointy nosed bullets. Eats up blunt DGR ammo like a hungry Leopard but sometimes will snag the nose of a Barnes Spitzer so I want to have the breechface mildly coned and/or the chamber chamfered a little while we are waiting on the stock to get finished. Also want to have the whole thing Cerrakoted dark, shiny black. After all of this I will UBC the bore making the whole rifle nearly impervious to bad weather yet maintianing classic styling and looks. Karnis has de Porkified the whole stock, and it now looks like something that would have come out of John Rigby's London shop about 100 years ago. Red recoil pad, Ebony forend tip, steel grip cap, flush fit 'bayonet' style sling swivel studs etc but mostly a re shaping and, thankfully, SLENDERIZING to classic Early high end Brit stylizations with better color and finishing to the stock. I have been PM'ed a couple of sneak peeks at the stock and the wood on mine is quite pretty with much of the grain and colour having been sadly hidden by the factory finishing methods.