Guys, JJP at Champlins is extremely good at what he
does, no doubt. But he is a man with a LONG waiting
list. Who else in America can we consider for any/all
double rifle work? I know of one member here who uses
www.griffinhowe.com - and I seem to think there's a guy
in Colorado maybe named Yale. I think John Maples has
a sound reputation in Texas. But anyway, whose names
and contact numbers, [and web sights and addresses]
can you all post? I think this info is good for all of us.
I keep trying to get Trevor Proctor www.ttproctor.com
to move over here, but sadly I am not doing well in that
effort. He'd be a fine to choice to send our rifles to.

You might consider Nick Tooth in Ozark Mo.

http://elephantandcastle.biz/gunsmithing.php

Jack,

I'm not sure the term "competitor" is the best catagorization when talking about highly regarded peers who in this case happen to have similar expertise with double rifles... My suggestions would be to look at Kirk Merrington in Kerrville, TX; Duston Mount in Houston, TX; and don't forget about Butch Searcy, but of course he is understandably focused on his manufacturing business and would not likely have the time to take on a project. My experience is that all of them (including JJ) will take the time to understand your requirement, patiently answer questions, and give you realistic timelines. I'm sure there are a few other qualified sources and if I were trying to find one of those others, I'd ask one of those I've just suggested (including JJ).

Regards,
Emory

Like Palmer said Nick Tooth is first rate.

Nick Mankinson is also very good,

David Yale was a good self trained double man but is simi-retired (last time I talked to him he was moving to grand junction)

I know Kirk and he is a better shotgun man than double rifle man, but he can do it.

Ken Owens used to do most of Westley Richards repairs here in the US.

quote:

Originally posted by Emory:
Jack,

I'm not sure the term "competitor" is the best catagorization...

Regards,
Emory

Hi Emory,

I politely submit that if two or more persons want the
same customer(s) those two or more persons are
competitors with one another. That does NOT mean
that the relationship between them is automatically
going to be unpleasant. I guess If one guy is "in the
game" and his back log is two years, then two more
"smiths" become popular and every body's back log
then hovers around 6 or 7 months, no one really gets
hurt from a business stand point, and the customers
"win" because they get the same quality of work in
far less time. Maybe in such a case the "competition"
has zero effect on the first "smith's" wallet....

quote:

Originally posted by LJS:
Ken Owens used to do most of Westley Richards repairs here in the US.

So, who is NOW doing the WR work?

Dustin is Purdey's man in the USA.

He has done work on my rifle. I know that Dustin and Sean are fine gentlemen. They do outstanding work.

Dustin does not do regulation work.

Jack,

No argument with your discussion about theories on competition. I'll share what partly shaped my comment and possibly muddy the water a bit...

Neither JJ nor Butch could commit to a project on a schedule I was trying to achieve. Butch suggested trying Kirk, but Kirk had some known conflicts that would come into play a few months down the road. JJ suggested that if Kirk could start, he could pick up in a few months to complete. That all worked to my complete satisfaction. Stopped by Kirk's shop and saw some great work in progress. As 505ED noted above, Kirk does lots of fine shotguns and seems to be better known for that. I paid more attention to the double rifles he was working on and as I recall he had 4-6 on hand. Seems there were extra barrels he had almost finished for an H&H (or possibly WR), also think I recall a receiver he had milled from stock that was near completion and a couple more "believe it or nots". The work was impressive, and he took the time to show me about the regulation process with some barrels he had soddered up for a trip back to the range...

Anyway, competitors? Certainly in some sense. But I don't think its quite that simple.

Regards,
Emory

Duane Wiebe is another one who does high-quality work. He can do any work on a double rifle, including building one.

And I thought Wiebe was ONLY a bolt
action guy, this is good news!

We've identified a decent number of men

here. This is good for all of us.

There is some adage that I cannot clearly recall about getting the work done well, or fast, but not both.

Dan,

I think the adage is, "Good, fast, cheap? - Pick two".

Regards,
Emory

You can have it done FAST, GOOD, or CHEAP. You get to pick two.

quote:

Originally posted by Emory:
Dan,

I think the adage is, "Good, fast, cheap? - Pick two".

Regards,
Emory

Beat me by a femtosecond, Emory!!

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
There is some adage that I cannot clearly recall about getting the work done well, or fast, but not both.

Dan,

If two men are equally skilled at a task, the

addition of the second man causes no loss of

quality, but should cut down on the customers
wait time. Am I missing something?

Ken Owen does not have a web site, but he is still doing gunsmith work. He is in Tennessee. I think he does good work, but I am biased since I have a couple of his doubles. He is very fair with his prices, but he does expect a fair price for his time and skills.