Has anyone had experience with Mark Skaggs of Skaggs Gunsmithing? I am particularly interested in having him rebarrel and install a 3 position Mauser safety.

Thanks,

This should tell you all you need to know:



If you want cheap, well, he is that.

If you want quality, look on the gunsmitjhing forum. There are some very good smiths that post and they won't break the bank.

He rebarreled a mauser for me in 7x57 - did a great job - I love it.

I would recommend him to anyone.

He rebarreled a VZ24 to 257 roberts for me, and I'm extremely happy with it. He was great to work with and his turn around time was very fast. (less than 2 weeks for mine). I'd recommend him (and have many times) without hesitation. Several of my buddies have used his services and they have been equally happy.

Weagle

quote:

Originally posted by rem721:
This should tell you all you need to know:



If you want cheap, well, he is that.

If you want quality, look on the gunsmitjhing forum. There are some very good smiths that post and they won't break the bank.

Can you elaborate? I'm not sure I get what you're saying. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by weagle:
He rebarreled a VZ24 to 257 roberts for me, and I'm extremely happy with it. He was great to work with and his turn around time was very fast. (less than 2 weeks for mine). I'd recommend him (and have many times) without hesitation. Several of my buddies have used his services and they have been equally happy.

Weagle

Same here, great guy, very nice work.

barreled my 30/06 on my 1943 Sauer & Sons. Quick turnaround and the gun shoots good for me (adams & bennett barrel - i supplied)

He has done some really nice work for me before as well. He is a great guy to deal with. He will use any barrel you want and do a good job.

Mark rebarreled a Turk mauser to 35 Whelen for me and he did a great job of it. He always kept in contact via E-mail to let me know the status of the job. As soon as I save up some cash for another rifle, I'll send another one off to him to rebarrel it to 9.3x62.

Back on mute.

I've dealt with Mark on several different projects, and every time he comes through just as he said he would. I even referred my dad to him to rebarrel a rifle to him and my dad was pleased as well.

quote:

Originally posted by rem721:
This should tell you all you need to know:



If you want cheap, well, he is that.

If you want quality, look on the gunsmitjhing forum. There are some very good smiths that post and they won't break the bank.

Guess I'm just dense. But aside from that (ughhh!) Weatherby slant-type forend tip with the (double-ugh!) line spacer, that pic doesn't tell me much.

He doesn't live far from my home and I just recently discovered him.... I am lucky to live around some really decent gunsmiths here in So Oregon....

Mark did some work for me on a CZ that I have to yet pick up.. price was fairly reasonable even for locally... he is a real bargain for some of the prices you big city boys pay...

Being at his shop, you have the luxury of seeing some of his other work.... I'd say you are definitely in good hands with Mark...and his pricing and turn around should be pretty atttactive also...

Well, even on AR, we haven't heard complaints about his work. Oh, people whine like burnt dogs over his prices, but his customers seem happy enough.

THAT should tell you something, shouldn't it?

Rem721....
Rem721....
???

quote:

Originally posted by The Slug:
Rem721....
Rem721....
???

I suppose if your idea of a nice rifle is a Turkish mauser with a forged bolt, fitted with a re-threaded Remington 700 takeoff barrel in a Richards Microfit stock, then he's your man.

He is cheap though.

Looks like a nice rifle for the user. Some people have beer tastes and a beer budget, can't fault them for that.

quote:

Originally posted by Badboyz:
Looks like a nice rifle for the user. Some people have beer tastes and a beer budget, can't fault them for that.

Nope, you can't. That's what my pic was all about. They say a pic is worth a 1000 words, but not around here, lol.

No need to be defensive, I was just asking what you were seeing that I wasn't.

It seems that different people have much different expectations of what custom work should be. I personally see nothing wrong with using inexpensive parts to put a product together as long as the client knows what they're getting and agrees to the specs and price. If I wanted a very high-end product I'd make sure I specified that and got references from a smith that has a history with that type of work.

To me it looks like a decent, functional rifle but you know what they say about opinions.....

I wasn't defensive.

I do agree that if that is the product you seek then he seems capable and has satisfied references right here.

I think all smiths have their strengths and weaknesses. Mark doesn't do blueing, but will do teflon. He doesn't do wood stock work as a rule, but will open up a barrel channel for you if he replaces a barrel with a thicker contour. If you want a good, workable rifle built for hunting, without the bells and whistles, he can certainly very much satisfy you.

If you want nice checkering, engraving, metal that looks like it grew out of the wood, etc. get in touch with Mr. Wiebe, Mr. Anderson or someone of that ilk. They are different expectations with different price tags and wait times. Both have their places, I have both. As a rifle person, I shoot both with great fun, but I am not going to take the original Fajen exibition english walnut the same place I take the Richards.