Jumping the Gun.

[Gunn Smithy]

It's happened here and I unfortunately was almost a part of it. What I'm talking about is the assumption of what you read or have read on line just has to be the truth, no matter what the truth actually is. I felt like such a jerk for being a part of that and simple apologies are never quite enough to fix the matter. What I am referring to is a person's status. As an individual, a manufacturer, salesperson, company head, poster, you name it as they all apply. There is a company known as Classic Cannons, and also known as other's as well like Scale Artillery. The reason for the lengthy amount of names, rather domain names, is that each and every idea Austin Gillson has come up with he has thoughtfully decided to at least get his name in the pot to more or less secure the moment he has come upon an idea, you know, the sell-able kind with the purchase of a domain. I actually was sort of part of one of his as I'd been looking for a stainless Thunder Mug. Not the small ones you see on Ebay, but a monster of at least a foot tall with a 10" golf ball bore, 4" at the muzzle and 6" at the breech with handle base and ramrod. Austin did all he could to try and comply with my wishes, but it came down to the fact I wasn't going to take a second mortgage just to fund the purchase of materials necessary for its construction. So with Austin's advice I chose to go the more conventional route with an appropriate steel alloy and Austin met and exceeded my dimensional requirements and then some. It was the first one of this type that he had done and did an absolutely beautiful job on it.

Well, the finished Thunder Mug weighed enough to do some serious damage to itself from the normal shippers we are all familiar with so he looked around and saw a steel bucket (around the 5 gallon size) that he had received steel balls in (cannon fodder no doubt) and decided to ship it in that container. Due to its weight and only one way to carry that weight, it guaranteed that the package would remain upright the whole way and not to be stacked on a shelf or other packages where it could fall. As suspected it arrived sitting flat on the floor of the UPS truck and was carried by the handle upright the whole way to my door. The balance of units he made much to the same description gave rise to the name Bucket of Thunder.com.

His work is flawless and he is a man of his word. Things do crop up in life that we all have to deal with as does Austin, but he never forgets a customer nor leaves him/her hanging. And what ever wait one might go through be it for materials, supplies or just family emergencies, the finished product is well worth any sort of wait one may encounter. My personal wait times were all under a month except for that stainless attempt that I backed out on. (they don't give away stainless it seems).

So check out Classic Cannons or Scale Artillery and give Austin a call. He is a wealth of information if nothing else and is a joy to talk to. That and he's not just fixed on a few select models as he'll take on just about anything save a full scale Dictator mortar or the German Super Gun that was supposed to be able to hit England from Europe. Yes there are upper limits to what can be made, but he has made some really big stuff before and will in the future. Again Austin, a public apology for jumping the gun and assuming things that were NOT true. Not only not true, but never have been true either. You are a stand up guy I've had the pleasure to know and to do business with. Keep up the good work. Smithy.

[Georgian]

Smells trollish to me.......http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fu...hp?tid/280099/

[Gunn Smithy]

That specific post is one that I was talking about. I read it and read too much (way too much) into it, doing like others sitting on the sidelines unaware of the situation and yet making judgments like I was King or something. If people gave people the benefit of the doubt and didn't let others think for them, this post would have never been placed at all. One bad report probably takes a couple dozen good ones to fix and then that is not necessarily the end of it either. Folks that don't know should keep to themselves and hush up. Those that have had experience should have the whole truth before spouting off on a matter. Not very many people fit into that last group at all. I can safely say that now, I do fit into this last group or at least have a good, better than average understanding of it and so I did speak out in a positive manner as should be done when it comes to this person.

You know I've been a Ruger owner ever since my 21st birthday when I bought two stainless Ruger double actions. While shooting sass I heard and read all of these horrid Ruger horror stories about pawls and transfer bars breaking. Other Ruger specific gun jams and the like requiring a gunsmith's utmost attention prior to going afield with their product. So I jumped on the bandwagon and spread what I'd read to others as well as stocked up on numerous extra pawls and transfer bars. I NEVER had one single problem with Ruger. Not one. Ever!! A new model of Ruger is presently getting trash talked in these blogs and I simply ignore it. If I'm presently on my 64th Ruger I've ever owned (don't know how many for sure, but it is a very large number) and each and everyone of them were perfect right out of the box, then why on earth did I pass on any of that bogus information. NO reason whatsoever.

Same with Austin. Of all the times I've dealt with him he has been honest to the letter, fully explaining his plan of construction, cost of materials, length of labor and final cost to me and has above all stuck to his word and I ended up with a very special product that I could get nowhere else for as great a price as I did with him. So no I will not nor cannot ever get into a situation where I blindly read a blog and trash a person without any reason as is happening here. By the way. I guess you'll have to draw me a picture as to what the trolling means or is supposed to mean as I don't get it? Smithy.

[maillemaker]

Gunn Smithy are you Austin Gillson?

Your writing has the same style to it.

Steve

[Gunn Smithy]

No maillemaker I am not. I am a former customer (and future when I figure out what I want and can get away with my wife on), and I would hope to be considered one of his friends. So much negative posting goes on on these sites I always find it rather refreshing to get one that is not negative. It's just like my Ruger example. I'd be willing to wager that of the Ruger specific posts, most that are read happen to be regarding negative experiences with the company or one of its many products. I should, no I will start to post happy, well satisfied purchases on site's such as this and maybe others will as well? Wouldn't that be a change? Smithy.

[OutlawJoseyWales]

The O.P. certainly has an odd way of writing. I couldn't tell WHERE this was going until the 3rd paragraph.

It would be much easier, yet MUCH less dramatic to say, "I got a great deal on a cannon from XXX. I was worried about it because of bad comments."

Boom, there you go.

The problem that I see in the link is something that is common with 1 man operations. In the business world, communication is key. If you have a problem and can't fulfill and order, hire someone (of just do it yourself) to send the client a message, "I'm sorry, my ______ has broken down and I will do the work as soon as possible." It's amazing what can be "fixed" with a simple phone call. Just amazing. I make calls every day and I have 3 jobs.

How about, "I'm sorry, I couldn't build your XXX as fast as I thought due to situations beyond my control. Here is your money back." That's hard to do when it's already been spent it though. BUT, it'll keep you outta' jail.

[maillemaker]

This is one of the reasons back when I was making and selling medieval armour that I never took money up front.

There was always a risk of getting burned if a customer backed out when a product was ready but it was a "fail safe" way to run the business since at no time was any customer ever out of money and I was never "on the hook".

Steve

[Hawg]

It's happened here and I unfortunately was almost a part of it.

You posted the exact same post on at least one other gun forum. So, did it happen here, there or somewhere else? Sounds suspicious to me.