Looking for a reputable gunsmith

giggity · May 4, 2015

I no longer want a 16" barrel so I'm either going to sell it or get a reputable gunsmith to have my 16" AR barrel cut to 14.5" and have a compensator/flash hider pinned and welded. I'm purchasing a complete upper with an 18" barrel soon so I don't feel the need for a 16" barrel anymore. I need to get a rough estimate before I start buying things. Has anyone used or know of a reputable gunsmith?

Thanks in advance

drewhall · May 4, 2015

In for info. I can pin/weld myself but I'd rather not cut and finish. :toothless

jimbobborg · May 4, 2015

giggity said:
Has anyone used or know of a reputable gunsmith?

Yes, but he's probably not near you.

giggity · May 4, 2015

jimbobborg said:
Yes, but he's probably not near you.

Who? Where?

jimbobborg · May 4, 2015

Hatfield's in Manassas, VA. They did the cut-thread and pin-weld job on one of my uppers.

Vile Shadow · May 4, 2015

Scott's in Glen Burnie does good work but you'll be waiting a while. I have an upper that's been there for about 3 months waiting to get headspaced and the gas block aligned and pinned.

Duffy's has an in-house smith as well, and he told me only 2-4 weeks for the cerakote jobs I have for him.

Shamr0ck · May 4, 2015

Plenty of options - depends on where you live and how far you want to drive. I've personally done business with Hafer's, engage and bollingers and would patronize them all again.

In no particular order:

Scott's in GB
Duffys in sparks
Engage in Rockville
Hafer's in Hagerstown
Bollingers in Taneytown.

ETA - I've not avoided duffys or Scott's due to any bad feedback, simply haven't used them. Realized my earlier comment left that unclear

---
Shamr0ck

fidelity · May 4, 2015

Sling Blade said:
Scott's in Glen Burnie does good work but you'll be waiting a while. I have an upper that's been there for about 3 months waiting to get headspaced and the gas block aligned and pinned.

...

Wow, that's long. They're doing an upper build for me, so similar work, and one of the two guys named Larry that I spoke to there said it would only take a few weeks (and I'm only a couple weeks in the queue). Perhaps this was not accurate.

jimbobborg · May 4, 2015

fidelity said:
Wow, that's long. They're doing an upper build for me, so similar work, and one of the two guys named Larry that I spoke to there said it would only take a few weeks (and I'm only a couple weeks in the queue). Perhaps this was not accurate.

A few weeks for some folks is 3 weeks, for others, 3 months :lol:

clandestine · May 4, 2015

Sling Blade said:
Scott's in Glen Burnie does good work but you'll be waiting a while. I have an upper that's been there for about 3 months waiting to get headspaced and the gas block aligned and pinned.

Duffy's has an in-house smith as well, and he told me only 2-4 weeks for the cerakote jobs I have for him.

Was the FSB a virgin non driled version or was it already drilled?

Vile Shadow · May 4, 2015

clandestine said:
Was the FSB a virgin non driled version or was it already drilled?

The FSB was part of a surplus parts kit, so it was already drilled. The barrel wasn't though.

clandestine · May 4, 2015

Sling Blade said:
The FSB was part of a surplus parts kit, so it was already drilled. The barrel wasn't though.

It's going to be a problem. The only proper way to install a FSB with pins is using a virgin barrel and FSB. Unless the FSB is welded up (which will DESTROY even carbide bits) it's not going to be a clean job. It's almost impossible to properly locate where to drill with taper pin holes in the FSB.

Not even ADCO will redrill using an drilled FSB to my knowledge. I have done this work before and it took me all day every time and the FSB still required a refinish.

Vile Shadow · May 4, 2015

That sucks. That thing wasn't easy to get on either.

I told him to order a new bolt if the headspace failed. I guess they'll need to order a new FSB too.

It would have been nice if somebody told me though when I dropped it off.

clandestine · May 4, 2015

Sling Blade said:
That sucks. That thing wasn't easy to get on either.

I told him to order a new bolt if the headspace failed. I guess they'll need to order a new FSB too.

It would have been nice if somebody told me though when I dropped it off.

Did you speak to scott or a counter guy? Unless scott was distracted he would have mentioned that unless you wanted faux pins and had set screws installed on the base of the FSB. If the barrel was drilled already it's pretty much a wash unless you want to have set screws used.

Call and ask to speak to Scott, and see what is going on.

Vile Shadow · May 4, 2015

clandestine said:
Did you speak to scott or a counter guy?

No. It was an older gentleman.

Unless scott was distracted he would have mentioned that unless you wanted faux pins and had set screws installed on the base of the FSB. If the barrel was drilled already it's pretty much a wash unless you want to have set screws used.

Absolutely not. No screws, or "faux" anything. I want it done the right way. If that requires ordering a new FSB and drilling both of them together at once, which if I'm reading you right is the way it really should be, then that's what I'll do.

I'm just grateful you brought that to my attention. :thumbsup:

Call and ask to speak to Scott, and see what is going on.

I did back around late March, a month after I dropped it off. According to the guy I talked to, Scott hadn't got to it yet. They did say they were backed up, so I don't wanna be a pest.

clandestine · May 4, 2015

Sling Blade said:
No. It was an older gentleman.

Absolutely not. No screws, or "faux" anything. I want it done the right way. If that requires ordering a new FSB and drilling both of them together at once, which if I'm reading you right is the way it really should be, then that's what I'll do.

I'm just grateful you brought that to my attention.

I did back around late March, a month after I dropped it off. According to the guy I talked to, Scott hadn't got to it yet. They did say they were backed up, so I don't wanna be a pest.

Try not to be too concerned. I'll help you no matter what. Just talk to Scott and see what he can do. Just tell him you want it taper pinned and he will explain how you can get it accomplished to your satisfaction.

Vile Shadow · May 4, 2015

clandestine said:
Try not to be too concerned. I'll help you no matter what. Just talk to Scott and see what he can do. Just tell him you want it taper pinned and he will explain how you can get it accomplished to your satisfaction.

You've helped plenty. Thank you. :thumbsup:

If you know this, chances are he does too and will likely be calling me with the same things you just told me.

I might give 'em a holler anyhow tomorrow.

giggity · May 4, 2015

jimbobborg said:
Hatfield's in Manassas, VA. They did the cut-thread and pin-weld job on one of my uppers.

Do you remember roughly how much it cost you?

TheGunnyRet · May 5, 2015

Unless the Barrel is an HBAR its useless in MD...I would think it would be cheaper/quicker to buy your pinned 14.5" and sell the 16" or save it for another build???

jimbobborg · May 5, 2015

giggity said:
Do you remember roughly how much it cost you?

IIRC $150.

Looking for a reputable gunsmith

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Active Member

Active Member

Oddball caliber fan

Active Member

Oddball caliber fan

...

Ultimate Member

piled higher and deeper

Oddball caliber fan

AR-15 Savant

...

AR-15 Savant

...

AR-15 Savant

...

AR-15 Savant

...

Active Member

Ultimate Member

Oddball caliber fan

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics