Just beside myself now.

[fastsporty77]

I sent my great grandfathers shot gun off to a so called gunsmith in N.C. http://www.housersgunsmithing.com/
He quoted me a price of 150.00 dollars to inlet a new stock and forearm I had sent along. The old stock was badly damaged by my grandfather back in the 50's and he did a home repair with fiber glass some time later.
Any way this gun smith also said it would be a 6-8week turn around and I went ahead and went with him on the job.
Packed it all up and insured the hell out of it and sent it UPS.
he gets it, says he's working on it now for over 20 weeks. Then after several attemps to get ahold of him he sends it back with no bill.
In the same box I used, USPS with no damn insurance.
Needless to say all is there but the damn barrel!
A small corner of the package is torn and after I call him he swears it was in there.
So no barrel off a 100 plus year old shot gun at has been in my family for 4 generations.

what would you all do now?

[Bear]

That sucks. Go get a new shot gun and pay him a visit.

[Markcuda]

Well, at least now I know what gun smith I will not go with:whistling1:
I would be so pissed that I could not see straight:asshat:

[fastsporty77]

Iam.

[polarbear]

Did you report the broken packaging to the post office? If so, you may have some recourse against them to at least get "a" barrel. It won't be the original barrel, but at least you have a complete gun.

As for the gun smith, they may have an organization to report him to. I'd try to make his business suffer a little if I could.

Sorry to hear about the gun though, I have one that was my grandfathers as well. I would be heartbroken if something happened to it.

Kenny :polar:

[aintgotnun]

Make sure you post this experience and his web link on as many other forums you can. People read and hopefully he'll lose some business from this VERY shameless display of business.

[ErnieS]

If indeed, the barrel came out of the package during shipping, the post office has a shotgun barrel that they would like to send to its owner. Packages take an assigned rout from shipper to destination and at one stop on that route, your barrel is sitting in a little room. If the package has a tracking label on it, the post office can follow it from place to place and probably find your barrel. If they can't, it's likely that the gunsmith is trying to screw you and THEN you should go the revenge route.

[kd5cqt]

Ernie is right. This incident would have ha a marked tendency to piss me off, too, but I'd give the P.O. a chance to help first, then I'd go to work in frying this gunsmith.

[fastsporty77]

I have contacted the Postmaster directly today. She promises me she will do all she can to try and find it if it was lost during shipment.
If I found it for sale via the web yes.....
If it is found, Please dear Lord...

[aintgotnun]

I hope this works out for you and the postmaster is able to locate it. It had never occurred to me that the post office might be able to track it down. Now I know.
I’ve got a couple of old rifles with some very sentimental value to me from my grandfather. I know how bad I would feel if they got lost or stolen from me.

[aintgotnun]

Have you heard anything yet?? Keep us posted.

[fastsporty77]

Nothin yet.

[fastsporty77]

Loosen hope now about finding it.

[fastsporty77]

I bought a replacement for the gun now. Never heard anything about the org. barrel ever being found. I know better now.

[ms_tapestry]

Dang I'm sorry. . . that sucks!

[fastsporty77]

Yes but i have to have the barrel to restore it as close to org. as I can now and going up to the guy that lost it is not going to help me in anyway. I would spend to much time in jail, loosen everything if I were to do that.

[Rewind]

I sorry to hear this happend. I can't believe this guy didn't insure the shipment.

[fastsporty77]

And after I bought a replacement, I sent him the cost sheet and I never heard another word.

[fastsporty77]

I found a gun smith in Clear water, Fl. that assured me v ery well he can and will do a great job on my shotgun. Whew I'm relieved to find him.

[Rewind]

Good deal!!!!

[fastsporty77]

Good deal!!!!

Yes it is too. a total stock and forearm fit and finish with also fitting the barrel
and making it all functional again for an est.ed cost of $600-$800.00 and about 6 months to a year on it in time. He also knows a guy that does amazing work in cold blueing and case hardening.

[fastsporty77]

Update. The gun is about 60% in letted. I also contacted the guy who will be doing the slow rust bluing and case color hardening and he does amazing work too. so far so good!

[Rewind]

Good going!!!!

[fastsporty77]

Well I can't wait till it is finally done and back home where it belongs. I have not shot that gun for well over 20 years now.

It will be amazing to do so.

[fastsporty77]

Also have talked to the guy I'm going to have do the metal work on this.
Rust blueing the barrels, The recievers going to be heat blued and the side plates, triggers and barrel latch color case hardened. The metal guy is here in Fl. so that's way kewl also. I may then have some engraving done on it too.

[fastsporty77]

Update:
One side of the replacement stock out of Cal. was over cut for the side plate. The gun smith doing the restoring has to extend the side plate to make it work now. He is going to have it microwelded to fit. Needs to be about a 1/16th of an inch longer to work. It will be very hard to notice afterwards. No choice but do that or start over with another stock, glad there is a fix to it.
It is coming along.

[MegaGlide]

I'm late to the party on this, but is the bbl damascus?
I didn't see that mentioned, but if it is, you want to be sure not to fire it with smokeless ammo when you get it back.