Gunsmith John Carduner (Please - Actual Customer Feedback Only)

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  • Xoticbass

    Member
    Feb 16, 2011
    94
    I contacted John Carduner after getting into trouble by detail-stripping my girlfriend's favorite gun - a Manurhin (Walther-licensed) PP. I had a hard time getting all the tiny internal bits of the gun to fit together properly, and opted to have an expert correct my mistake.

    John was that expert - prompt and professional, and as friendly as he is knowledgable. He ultrasonically cleaned and lubed the gun, in addition to re-assembling it, and did so in a very short amount of time for a reasonable price.

    I wholeheartedly recommend his work, and have already suggested him to a friend who needs a gunsmith to look at his pistol.
     

    rsj1231

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 24, 2013
    1,174
    Harford County
    John is probably one of the nicest and most knowledgeable people I've met in the firearms industry. Not only did he bring my Sig 1911 back to life, he explained the whole system, tips and tricks, different nuances between manufacturers, cleaning recommendations, literally left no stone unturned.

    I brought him a Sig 1911 that I purchased what I thought was new, and upon taking it out for the first time it would not fire. Hammer cocked back, trigger pulled, hammer dropped, nothing.

    We exchanged a few emails and phone calls, met at Freestate and I handed it over. About a week and a half later it was complete. Everything is now functioning perfectly and I even had the hammer, extended magazine release and trigger cerakoted black.

    You will not be disappointed with his services. Guaranteed.
     

    Fantastic1

    Member
    Aug 1, 2014
    1
    I met John through my local range and arranged to meet with him. After a great conversation, I left him 3 of my 1911's to work on, 2 Delta Elites and a Kimber. First off, John kept me in the loop every step of the way as he worked on my guns. He made suggestions that I frankly hadn't even thought of but absolutely wanted. Without getting too verbose, I am thrilled with the work and with the man. My Delta Elites are easily the finest I've ever shot and I've shot dozens. The triggers are insanely smooth and crisp! I'd recommend John to anyone, so long as the extra work doesn't prevent him from working on more of my own guns!
     

    Drmsparks

    Old School Rifleman
    Jun 26, 2007
    8,441
    PG county
    John has worked on 3 projects for me now. Some standard jobs and some "you want to do what?" work.

    A restoration job on a well shot Colt/Ithaca National Match (CMP hardball gun). Barrel, bushing, trigger job and more. Making it right for competition. All that's left to do is a blue job, but I need a GI colt slide for that first so it can bee a hardball gun or a restored WWII.

    He tuned my Rock Island 1911. It started out as a tactical and meandered back to a more stock looking but hot roded 1911a1 gi look. It's my "heavy" 3 gun and zombie shoot gun. Trigger job, remove ambi safety, reliability work, tighten the action, etc.

    for the "what?" work, I had picked up a WWII remington rand slide with all the guts. I had him fit a barrel and assorted parts so that I could switch the top ends on th eRock Island and have a WWII looking pistol to shoot for fun and for CMP as issued matches. Similar to what I want to do with the NM pistol but I need to find a wartime colt slide for that gun.

    All of Johns work has been impeccable. He has a passion for the platform and will go to great ends to see if your pistol meets all the design specs and all angles are spot on. It will work right and be exactly as designed when he is done with it.

    If you appreciate 1911's you will appreciate John's work.
     

    D.Dasher

    Member
    Mar 14, 2012
    44
    Custom 1911

    Hello all ,here are a few pictures of some custom work John did for me. 1911 Commander in 38 Super.The workmanship is outstanding as all of Johns work is and the customer service aspect of the build was outstanding,as oppesed to check off boxes on a build sheet and drop a check in the mail.The photos dont do the fit and quality of the build justice.Excellent work as always,Thanks John.
     

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    D.Dasher

    Member
    Mar 14, 2012
    44
    More 1911 pics.

    Here are some more pictures from the last post,the second 1911 is a SlabSide Commander in .45acp,the workmanship and fit is outsanding as on the 38 Super.Artwork in Steel.
     

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    chale127

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 5, 2008
    2,616
    Brooklyn, MD
    I need to go see him, i want to get a .38 Super barrel fitted to my 1991 9mm...then have the Engine Turning done to the chamber like yours
     

    gamefan86

    Member
    Mar 5, 2012
    33
    Whiteford, MD
    I had John do some work to a Springfield 1911 that had some issues. He kept me up to date on his progress and what issues he found with it. I haven't had the time to shoot it yet, but I can tell that the work he did is amazing. I recommend John Carduner if you need work done to your 1911.
     

    Abulg1972

    Ultimate Member
    I had John work on my Smith & Wesson pre-28 Highway Patrolman. The cylinder was locking up and wouldn't swing out without forcing it. Some internals had worked themselves loose, and that ultimately resulted in a bent cylinder pin and bent ejector rod. John was able to straighten those parts and bring my revolver back to perfect working condition. Turnaround time was 4 days from meeting with him to him letting me know that the work was done. Price was reasonable. I wouldn't hesitate to call him again.
     

    D.Dasher

    Member
    Mar 14, 2012
    44
    S&W M25

    Hello all,I purchased a used S&W M 25 and sent it to John for the usual Clean,Inspect,Lube,and a action/trigger tune up.Upon inspection John found a timing issue that needed to go back to S&W for sevice,many thanks to John for handling this for me,as I would not know how or where to start for factory service.The finished weapon was returned to me a few days ago and what a night and day difference.The double action is most improved and the single action trigger is perfection,John also recomended and installed a wider/taller rear sight blade,big help for my less than perfect eyes. The project started out as " John can you do something with this trigger" and turned into a real pleasure to shoot. John thanks again.
     

    MDB270

    Member
    May 12, 2012
    4
    More great work

    I had John go through my 1911. He found a few issues that he explained in detail to me and I feel confident they were resolved correctly. I will be back for my next upgrades!!
     

    Tomfowl

    Member
    Oct 14, 2010
    18
    Towson
    Last Tuesday, I met John at Freestate gun range as I wanted him to make some changes in a Wiley Clapp CCO that I had recently purchased. I had John replace the thumb safety with a Wilson Combat bulletproof safety , the trigger with a Wilson flat trigger and to replace the thin grip bushing with standard bushings.

    John gave me a estimate as to the cost and held the price at the estimate. He said the work would be done in a little over a week as he did not have the thumb safety in stock. I received a call from John exactly one week later and
    my gun was ready to be picked up. He brought an exampple of a 1911 he had buiilt and I was quite impressed with his skill. I would recommend him for 1911 work as his turnaround is in weeks rather than months and he does good work.
     

    pilotguy299

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 26, 2010
    1,809
    FredNeck County, MD
    I would just like to add my positive feedback on John Carduner's gunsmithing skills, and what a pleasure he is to deal with.

    I contacted John a few weeks ago about a hammer follow issue I was having with a 1911 I had built. I have built a few before and had been able to work through previous problems, but this one had me totally puzzled about how to correct it. I contacted John and he said that although he could not work on the gun for me, that he would be willing to help me identify the problem, and give me directions on how to correct them.

    After I took the gun apart, John took the time to go over the parts with me, show me how the parts interacted with each other, and showed me where the problem was. He helped me to select a better part of the couple that I had brought, and talked me through putting the gun back together, and to properly function test it.

    When I got home I went right to doing everything that he had suggested, such as reshaping the hammer strut and making the trigger more perpendicular to the trigger bow. The slide is much easier to move, and even the trigger pull feels a lot better after I worked on it. I ordered a replacement sear from a vendor he had mentioned to me, and It feels like a completely different gun.

    I couldn't be more pleased with how the gun feels and functions, and it is all due to the suggestions and guidance that John provided. I have worked with a lot of gunsmiths in my personal and professional life over the last 30 years, and John Carduner is without a doubt the most knowledgeable and personable gunsmith that I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
     

    rbird7282

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 6, 2012
    18,533
    Columbia
    Met with John to go over work I wanted done to my Ruger SR1911.
    John went over the pistol and explained the work he suggested.
    First and foremost, I was having a feeding issue that two trips back to Ruger customer service did not fix. John performed a reliability job, a trigger job and tightened up a few tolerances. He also installed several aftermarket Ed Brown stainless parts that I had purchased. After picking up the pistol, I managed to get it to the range the following day (last Sat.) and what a huge difference! Shoots outstanding, trigger pull is now at a crisp 3lbs., and not one FTF issue. John was easy to work with and his work is outstanding. I would highly recommend him.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     

    harleykarley

    Member
    Feb 4, 2016
    1
    Good Kimber .45ACP made Perfect!

    I was recently introduced to Mr. John Carduner. I am very impressed with his spoken knowledge of firearms and most impressed with his varied and extensive skills in the workmanship of the firearms he has worked on and produced!I have a USA Kimber .45acp that needed to be brought up to the next step!
    Mr. Carduner accepted the job after a 1 hour
    plus meeting with me to checkout the gun, discuss what I wanted done and gave me a time frame to do the job and the price for his services. Mr. Carduner stayed in touch with me during the time frame, which he meant, on the progress of the gun and came in at his quoted price!
    The only thing that that surprised me about Mr. Carduner's work was that he brought my USA Kimber .45acp up TWO STEPS for the quoted price! I am a 30
    year retired veteran of the military and I highly recommend him to work on anything you have, in the field of Firearms, to your total satisfaction!
     

    71Chevelle427

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 19, 2015
    3,298
    B'More County, Maryland
    So, on 3/7/16, I picked up my new Remington R1 1911 at a great price ($550 from JLOWESGUNS.COM, also an IP here). Normally, they're $700 or more, just about anywhere...

    Anyway, I was not pleased at all with it...Wouldn't chamber a round out of any of 8 or 10 mags I took with me to shoot it the first time...and then my rear sight fell off... I can laugh now, but wasn't very happy.

    See thread here: http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=190742

    It also appeared to have the wrong recoil spring in it. Anyway, several fellow MDShooters replied with various ideas, tips, and suggestions, and all are/were appreciated.

    I also got a PM from John Carduner, aka trikshot, owner of 1911 Precision and an IP here on MDShooters. It wasn't a solicitation for service, or parts, but instead was something that's not normally done by anyone anymore, which was an offer to meet me at Freestate and inspect and make measurements on various things on my new gun, to give me the information that I'd need before sending it back to Remington. The offer was to do this all for free, with absolutely no expectation of getting work out of it. I thought that was awesome...and gladly took him up on the offer on Friday, 3/25.

    First off, let me say John is very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. He doesn't talk AT you like some gun "people" (FFL, retailer, gunsmith, etc.) do, and he truly listens to your concerns, and seems to genuinely want to help you.

    Like someone said elsewhere, plan to be with him for 45-60 minutes. He explains his background, explains what he is checking, while doing so, and makes you a part of the whole process.

    So, first thing was to measure the factory short looking recoil spring....it was 18#. Then he measured the Wilson 18# spring, which is roughly 2 inches longer....it is also 18#. We both decide that it really isn't worth the extra effort on disassembly/reassembly with the much longer spring, since it's compressed rating is exactly the same. So, there's one issue solved.

    Onto the feed issue I had...
    He finds a burr on the actual feed ramp of the lower receiver, and also says the barrel is too close to the feed ramp, causing an almost overlap situation, that creates a step, more or less. Says I should polish the feed ramp, and remove the burr, and also the match barrel needs to be set at proper clearance...beyond my comfort level, so...into the memory bank.

    I tell him how it seems to be kinda harsh on recoil.
    He tells me to hold the gun, and immediately sees that the trigger is too short, for my big fat hands...says I should have a longer trigger, because when I am in a ready to shoot position (with my hand) my trigger finger had to be curled away from the trigger to not have my whole finger inside the trigger guard. It alters my grip, I guess making it slightly looser, and more felt recoil is the result.

    So....at this point I'm curious, and although he is already a busy guy, I ask him if he'd want to do the things we discussed...

    He agrees and met him back at Freestate yesterday. Gun looks great, trigger feels awesome, and recoil does seem fine now...no issues with feed whatsoever, and I went with the straight trigger, rather than a curved one...for no reason other than it makes sense that if your squeezing from any part of it, it has to be flat surface. I'd think it meant better consistency...

    So I ended up with:
    - Caspian Skeletonized flat trigger, custom fit, obviously, no more vertical slop like the factory one.
    - Increased extractor tension
    - Polished frame feed ramp and removed top burrs
    - Increased gap between both feed ramps

    I added the Hogue wraparound finger groove grips prior to him seeing/touching the gun.

    Price was very fair IMO, and was completed over Easter weekend. Delivered Monday afternoon as promised.

    Shot it and it feels much better with the larger trigger. Fed great, and my only regret was not bringing enough ammo....as usual.

    Thanks for the great service and quality work John.
     
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    Jmurman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 21, 2007
    1,504
    Perry Hall
    I was having some issues with my Springfield Loaded. My groups were getting larger and larger. My 12 yard BEST groups with hand loaded ammo was 4" Really unacceptable.

    I was pointed to John from some of the guys on this board.

    I contacted John, we met up at Free State and he suggested what should be the best fix. I knew I wanted to accurize my Springer so I went ahead with a trigger job, new fibre optic adjustable sights, new Ed Brown hammer and work on the beaver tail, and most importantly I feel is a custom fitted heavy duty barrel bushing.

    The work was done right on time as he said, and sighting in with blasting ammo, I was immediately in the black.

    Id recommend John, for sure.
     

    moojersey

    Sic Semper Tyrannis
    Sep 7, 2013
    3,006
    Cecil County
    I was having some issues with my Springfield Loaded. My groups were getting larger and larger. My 12 yard BEST groups with hand loaded ammo was 4" Really unacceptable.

    I was pointed to John from some of the guys on this board.

    I contacted John, we met up at Free State and he suggested what should be the best fix. I knew I wanted to accurize my Springer so I went ahead with a trigger job, new fibre optic adjustable sights, new Ed Brown hammer and work on the beaver tail, and most importantly I feel is a custom fitted heavy duty barrel bushing.

    The work was done right on time as he said, and sighting in with blasting ammo, I was immediately in the black.

    Id recommend John, for sure.

    I have only heard great things about John Carduner. I have never met him, but reviews and pictures of his work speak loud and clear "quality".

    I know you have already had the work done, and John is a great choice. In the future consider contacting Springfield Armory first. Their customer service is excellent. They really are a step ahead of the competition in the customer service arena. The reason I mention this is that if you are having problems with your firearm they generally fix it for free and pay shipping both ways. Save money on issues like this then use it for John to do some sweet customizing.
     

    jumpinjonne

    Member
    Feb 4, 2016
    6
    3 Mile Island PA
    John, I couldn’t be more pleased with the results…….the new trigger brought tears to my eyes it was so nice and the accuracy brought tears to the eyes of the guys I was shooting with….it performed flawlessly….ran maybe 200rds until darkness took over…..I’ll be taking her to class this week….in preparation for Sundays match.

    I really wasn’t sure what to expect….but your work went way beyond what I thought was possible in performance. I’m very pleased.

    Can’t thank you enough……give yourself a raise and take the day off with pay.

    Let me know when your schedule permits…and I’ll send you my 10mm

    ***For those considering Johns services...I can assure you that you wont be disappointed...John was a true professional from start to finish. He took a mass produced, mediocre Rock Island 2011 9mm and transformed it into a precision machine that far exceeds higher end firearms...I was not expecting such a improvement...didn't even know it was possible. Just really nice work across the board....Johns prices were very fair...components used are top end...his initial assessment was thorough and precise. His ability to interpret what I wanted was amazing....as we only communicated via phone & email.
    I have 100% trust in Johns ability and will be sending him ALL of my other handguns for his analysis, recommendations and master craftsmanship.

    John Carduner is a good man....at a good price for some great work...dont hesitate....picture's to follow.
     

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