About a week ago, I was in need of some relatively minor gunsmithing. I had attempted to remove a…read moreflash hider that was really torqued on and believed I had loosened my barrel. Knowing that there can be issues if barrel/bolt face headspace gets off by too much, I decided it best to have a gunsmith re-torque everything to specs.
I submitted a quote request via Yelp* and within a few hours I received three replies. The first came in at $40 for the fix, the second - which was Barnestormers - quoted $75, and the third just said gimme a call and we can talk about it. Riiiiight...
Because Chuck of Barnestormers mentioned the possibility of my having sheered off the barrel index pin, I decided to go with Barnestormers. I figured that if I had sheered off the pin, I would at least be in good hands, thinking that Chuck is going to do a thorough check to make sure everything is as it should be.
Chuck is friendly enough. He conducts his gunsmithing operations out of his garage which, as I shared with Chuck, reminds me of my own garage, wherein I place something and then can never find it! Chuck did find everything he was looking for when I was there and, while I could criticize his operation and seemingly disorganized workspace, I was grateful that he was cool with my being present while he worked on my AR.
Foremost, let me say that Chuck completed the work on my AR in relatively short order and I am happy with the end result. That said, I was disappointed that as Chuck attempted to remove my barrel nut and delta ring, he damaged the barrel nut significantly by breaking off a tooth or two; really making it an ugly mess!
The teeth on the barrel nut were damaged because Chuck lost control of the barrel nut wrench when attempting to loosen the nut. In his defense, the nut was seriously tight, but I think with a bit more care, he would have been able to remove the nut without actually damaging it. And, it probably wouldn't even have phased me, and I likely wouldn't even mention it here had he had a nut on hand (new or otherwise) to use as a replacement for the one he damaged.
Or, since he did not have a barrel nut on hand - just in case... that he would comp some aspect of the parts and/or labor on my repair work. Instead, Chuck produced a complete new handguard with barrel nut included as a prospective solution, the acceptance of which would result in somewhat of a configuration change on my AR annnd an increase in costs.
Because I did not want the damaged barrel nut put back on, only to end up feeling the need to replace it and incur further costs in the future, I opted for the new "furniture" and to have the issue solved while attention was being given and money being spent. Chuck quoted me $90 for the new, 10" UTG free float handguard, which I trusted and now know was a decent price.
The main issue I take with my experience and the main reason for the less than stellar review here of Barnestormers is that, I calculated $75 for the labor and $90 for the new handguard. So, $165 out the door. And, while I did not specifically ask for it, I did make mention of being a disabled veteran and kinda hoped Chuck would feel compelled to offer a nominal price break for my military service to our country. But, when I asked for a total, Chuck said $200.
Now, because I am the type of person who chooses not demean another man's worth, I paid the $200. I just felt that there was a bit of a bait and switch of sorts and that, if anything, there should have been a discount off that quoted for my being captively motivated to accept the new handguard and consequences of what I perceived to be Chuck's carelessness.
In the end, each of us weighs different aspects of business differently and you very well may disagree with me on this one, but if you decide to go with Barnestormers Armory for your gunsmithing needs, consider yourself informed! I know for myself, I personally will shop elsewhere next time.
Live well. Be well. Cheers!