Fiasco at the gun shop (true story)

TCW · July 14, 2001, 03:41 AM

Thanks for the replies regarding the magazine follower problem.

The inside of the magazine is pretty dirty (I bought this gun used and the guy did not take care of it!). I think I'll also order the Brownells steel follower just for the heck of it.

What a fiasco at the gun shop where I got this extension installed on my 870 express! After they had taken two weeks to install it instead of the "one week" they promised, and after they charged me $35.00 instead of the $20.00 they quoted over the phone, I went down to pick up the gun. I noticed that the new Choate plastic orange follower was sticking when I pushed it in. One of the gunsmiths took of the extension right there...and when he unscrewed it, the spring shot out like a bolt of lightning, flew across the counter and nailed me right between the eyes. I got a one-inch gash that was instantly bleeding! "Sorry...I'll get you a band-aid", he said as he was still messing with the gun.

While he was still trying to get the spring back in, I was standing there with blood dripping down my nose!

I noticed that my new mag extension now had fresh scrapes where the spring had made contact on the way to my forehead

. One of the other employees eventually got me a band-aid. He put the old follower in, followed by the new plastic follower, followed by the rabid spring, handed me some shells and let me try shooting it in their range "on the house"

. Well, it jammed and I went back and told him to just use ONE of the followers, so he took it to his bench and I took cover.

I could still see him behind my barricade when he was unscrewing the extension. When he finally got the extension loose, the spring launched it like Apollo 11! Up into the wild blue, striking metal tools, bouncing on the cement floor and landing safely in a pile of cobwebs. One small step for gunsmiths, one giant leap for my insanity.

After mangling my gun further, he put the factory follower in without the second follower behind it. This led to more atrocities in the firing range, but I won't get into that right now.

Before I left, I bought a bottle Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black to repair the damage inflicted to my gun.

Hope you enjoyed my story!
TCW

July 14, 2001, 03:59 AM

Oh my!

Quote:

Before I left, I bought a bottle Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black to repair the damage inflicted to my gun.

I think I would have made that purchase elsewhere.

Al Thompson · July 14, 2001, 06:02 AM

TCW - I would never let them work on anything I have again. That's waaay beyond the pale.

Giz

Dave McC · July 14, 2001, 07:33 AM

Find a real smith and let these Keystone Cop imitations alone.

Anyone smart enough to feed and dress themselves know those springs are compressed, and will SPRING out when released. Get away from these lackwits before they qualify for a Darwin Award.

Aluminum black works on aluminum,what part of an 870 is aluminum?

hksigwalther · July 14, 2001, 07:41 AM

Just curious. How come you didn't install the mag extension yourself?

hksigwalther · July 14, 2001, 07:44 AM

Never mind, just saw your original post on another thread.

Ledbetter · July 14, 2001, 09:20 AM

This is not a criticism of you my friend. In the time I have spent waiting for shoddy work to be done on my guns, I can generally buy the right tool and learn to do the job myself with the help of others or from a book. (But no machining, etc.) I have found that no gunsmith cares nearly as much about my guns as I do.

Regards.

TCW · July 14, 2001, 02:39 PM

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies. I do feel pretty stupid letting the scenario continue as it did. They will never touch my guns again. That spring dang near took out my eye!

Dave, you made a good point about the Birchwood "Aluminum Black"...the mag extension is a matte black finish STEEL. Any suggestions for touching-up matte steel? Doesn't Brownwells have some kind of balck paint?

Keep your safety glasses on,
Tom

Dave McC · July 14, 2001, 07:18 PM

It's been a long time since I cold blued anything, but here goes....

In a well ventilated area:

Clean the surface to be touched up with alcohol.
Using a piece of old T shirt or similiar, daub on the bluing until the area is covered. Wait the time prescribed on the bottle, and flush with cold water. Clean it up and oil lightly.

The finish never quite matches, but usually runs close enough. How glossy it is depends on the finish on the metal.

Read the directions and cautions carefully. This is a potent chemical.

Time and use has added a few "Character Marks" to my shotguns. Mostly I just live with them....

C.R.Sam · July 14, 2001, 09:44 PM

TCW, good grief ! Have you by chanced discussed this fiasco with the store owner ? Not the manager, the owner. Or was it the owner who scarred both you and your gun ? If that had happened in my place I would be wettin myself and doin all possible to appease the injured customer. That "gunsmith" would be getting remedial training, or job shopping.

Sam

blades67 · July 14, 2001, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Aluminum black works on aluminum,what part of an 870 is aluminum?

The receiver.

DML · July 15, 2001, 12:41 AM

Excuse me, but the receiver on the 870 is steel. Depending on the age and model, the only aluminum part is the trigger housing.

TCW:

You didn't pay this Bozo did you? If I damage a part like a magazine tube extension, I install a new one. Sometimes a scratch on a guns finish is difficult to prevent, but what you described is inexcuseable. :barf:

Geez! What would they say if they blew your head off? Oops just doesn't seem to cut it.

Point Blank · July 15, 2001, 03:58 AM

Sorry bout you gun,got a good laugh at your story telling though!!!!

Cosmoline · July 15, 2001, 10:42 AM

Isn't that the one where Larry get his head stuck in a reloading press, then Curly tries to nail up a picture with some nice pointy cartridges?

**4V50 Gary** · July 15, 2001, 11:48 AM

Must be a salesman pretending to be a gunsmith.

They read a few Duncan Long books

and then they think they know what they're doing.

It's outrageous that they even charge you after what happened. I'd think they'd give you it for free considering the injury you suffered due to their negligence.

xraymongral · July 19, 2001, 09:46 AM

Most defintly talk to the store owner and have them get you a new extension, sans scratch marks, and have them pay for it to be installed by a compitent gunsmith.

Please be kind enought to post name/location of this smith so we can be for warned.

Alleycat · July 19, 2001, 10:13 AM

"Give me my gun. NOW. And the parts. NOW. Give me my money, NOW. Goodbye."

Steve

July 14, 2001, 03:41 AM	#1
TCW Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2000 Location: PRK Posts: 430	Fiasco at the gun shop (true story) Thanks for the replies regarding the magazine follower problem. The inside of the magazine is pretty dirty (I bought this gun used and the guy did not take care of it!). I think I'll also order the Brownells steel follower just for the heck of it. What a fiasco at the gun shop where I got this extension installed on my 870 express! After they had taken two weeks to install it instead of the "one week" they promised, and after they charged me $35.00 instead of the $20.00 they quoted over the phone, I went down to pick up the gun. I noticed that the new Choate plastic orange follower was sticking when I pushed it in. One of the gunsmiths took of the extension right there...and when he unscrewed it, the spring shot out like a bolt of lightning, flew across the counter and nailed me right between the eyes. I got a one-inch gash that was instantly bleeding! "Sorry...I'll get you a band-aid", he said as he was still messing with the gun. While he was still trying to get the spring back in, I was standing there with blood dripping down my nose! I noticed that my new mag extension now had fresh scrapes where the spring had made contact on the way to my forehead . One of the other employees eventually got me a band-aid. He put the old follower in, followed by the new plastic follower, followed by the rabid spring, handed me some shells and let me try shooting it in their range "on the house" . Well, it jammed and I went back and told him to just use ONE of the followers, so he took it to his bench and I took cover. I could still see him behind my barricade when he was unscrewing the extension. When he finally got the extension loose, the spring launched it like Apollo 11! Up into the wild blue, striking metal tools, bouncing on the cement floor and landing safely in a pile of cobwebs. One small step for gunsmiths, one giant leap for my insanity. After mangling my gun further, he put the factory follower in without the second follower behind it. This led to more atrocities in the firing range, but I won't get into that right now. Before I left, I bought a bottle Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black to repair the damage inflicted to my gun. Hope you enjoyed my story! TCW

July 14, 2001, 06:02 AM	#3
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	TCW - I would never let them work on anything I have again. That's waaay beyond the pale. Giz __________________ http://www.scfirearms.org/

July 14, 2001, 07:41 AM	#5
hksigwalther Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 1998 Location: NE OH, USA Posts: 3,198	Just curious. How come you didn't install the mag extension yourself? __________________ - Ron V.

July 14, 2001, 07:44 AM	#6
hksigwalther Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 1998 Location: NE OH, USA Posts: 3,198	Never mind, just saw your original post on another thread. __________________ - Ron V.

July 14, 2001, 09:20 AM	#7
Ledbetter Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2000 Location: California USA Posts: 4,533	This is why I won't let others do things I can learn myself This is not a criticism of you my friend. In the time I have spent waiting for shoddy work to be done on my guns, I can generally buy the right tool and learn to do the job myself with the help of others or from a book. (But no machining, etc.) I have found that no gunsmith cares nearly as much about my guns as I do. Regards.

July 14, 2001, 07:33 AM	#4
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Find a real smith and let these Keystone Cop imitations alone. Anyone smart enough to feed and dress themselves know those springs are compressed, and will SPRING out when released. Get away from these lackwits before they qualify for a Darwin Award. Aluminum black works on aluminum,what part of an 870 is aluminum?

July 14, 2001, 02:39 PM	#8
TCW Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2000 Location: PRK Posts: 430	Hi everyone, Thanks for the replies. I do feel pretty stupid letting the scenario continue as it did. They will never touch my guns again. That spring dang near took out my eye! Dave, you made a good point about the Birchwood "Aluminum Black"...the mag extension is a matte black finish STEEL. Any suggestions for touching-up matte steel? Doesn't Brownwells have some kind of balck paint? Keep your safety glasses on, Tom

July 14, 2001, 07:18 PM	#9
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	It's been a long time since I cold blued anything, but here goes.... In a well ventilated area: Clean the surface to be touched up with alcohol. Using a piece of old T shirt or similiar, daub on the bluing until the area is covered. Wait the time prescribed on the bottle, and flush with cold water. Clean it up and oil lightly. The finish never quite matches, but usually runs close enough. How glossy it is depends on the finish on the metal. Read the directions and cautions carefully. This is a potent chemical. Time and use has added a few "Character Marks" to my shotguns. Mostly I just live with them....

July 14, 2001, 09:44 PM	#10
C.R.Sam Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 12,858	TCW, good grief ! Have you by chanced discussed this fiasco with the store owner ? Not the manager, the owner. Or was it the owner who scarred both you and your gun ? If that had happened in my place I would be wettin myself and doin all possible to appease the injured customer. That "gunsmith" would be getting remedial training, or job shopping. Sam

July 15, 2001, 12:41 AM	#12
DML Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2000 Location: Aridzona Posts: 257	Excuse me, but the receiver on the 870 is steel. Depending on the age and model, the only aluminum part is the trigger housing. TCW: You didn't pay this Bozo did you? If I damage a part like a magazine tube extension, I install a new one. Sometimes a scratch on a guns finish is difficult to prevent, but what you described is inexcuseable. :barf: Geez! What would they say if they blew your head off? Oops just doesn't seem to cut it. __________________ Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.

July 15, 2001, 03:58 AM	#13
Point Blank Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2000 Location: Armpit of the South...Atlanta Posts: 516	Sorry bout you gun,got a good laugh at your story telling though!!!!

July 15, 2001, 10:42 AM	#14
Cosmoline Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2000 Posts: 1,080	I've seen that one! Isn't that the one where Larry get his head stuck in a reloading press, then Curly tries to nail up a picture with some nice pointy cartridges? __________________ "Know that the pistol has no value, we practically don't use it. We need grenades, rifles, machine guns, and explosives." Mordechai Anielewicz, April 23, 1943

July 15, 2001, 11:48 AM	#15
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,838	Must be a salesman pretending to be a gunsmith. They read a few Duncan Long books and then they think they know what they're doing. It's outrageous that they even charge you after what happened. I'd think they'd give you it for free considering the injury you suffered due to their negligence. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

July 19, 2001, 09:46 AM	#16
xraymongral Member Join Date: June 24, 2001 Location: Michigan Posts: 90	Most defintly talk to the store owner and have them get you a new extension, sans scratch marks, and have them pay for it to be installed by a compitent gunsmith. Please be kind enought to post name/location of this smith so we can be for warned.

July 19, 2001, 10:13 AM	#17
Alleycat Member Join Date: April 24, 2001 Posts: 90	"Give me my gun. NOW. And the parts. NOW. Give me my money, NOW. Goodbye." Steve __________________ "Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws." --- Publius Cornelius Tacitus