J. White Gunsmithing

17 August 2012, 23:37

ELeeton

J. White Gunsmithing - Closure(?)

After what seems to have been a lifetime, today I received my refund from J White Gunsmithing. He sent a personal check rather than the USPS money orders I asked for but I now have a check.

I have to express my thanks and deep gratitude to all who contacted him in some form or fashion after my original post. I honestly believe that your efforts on my behalf were instrumental in bringing him back to the table. I also owe a special debt of gratitude to Mr. Cal Pappas. He took me under his wing as it were and acted as a sounding board and provided solid advice. I also want to thank the folks out there who provided information about their work on conversion guns. Ellis Brown was especially helpful along these lines.

To be frank, I am a bit gun shy about dealing with a business I cannot drive to in short order. This statement is not meant to call into question any of the good gunsmiths who hang out on these forums. When the time comes to buy a DR my current mindset is to get one new in the box.

Again thanks to all who provided assistance and advice.

Eric

18 August 2012, 02:46

MacD37

quote:
Originally posted by ELeeton:
After what seems to have been a lifetime, today I received my refund from J White Gunsmithing. He sent a personal check rather than the USPS money orders I asked for but I now have a check.

I have to express my thanks and deep gratitude to all who contacted him in some form or fashion after my original post. I honestly believe that your efforts on my behalf were instrumental in bringing him back to the table. I also owe a special debt of gratitude to Mr. Cal Pappas. He took me under his wing as it were and acted as a sounding board and provided solid advice. I also want to thank the folks out there who provided information about their work on conversion guns. Ellis Brown was especially helpful along these lines.

To be frank, I am a bit gun shy about dealing with a business I cannot drive to in short order. This statement is not meant to call into question any of the good gunsmiths who hang out on these forums. When the time comes to buy a DR my current mindset is to get one new in the box.

Again thanks to all who provided assistance and advice.

Eric

Eric considering Mr. White's past integrity I wouldn't draw on that check till it cleared at your the bank if I were you!

18 August 2012, 04:19

ELeeton

My thoughts exactly MacD37. I don't think he is foolish enough to send a check that may be NSF but patience pays in the long run.

Eric

18 August 2012, 05:46

460 wby shooter

I would check into clark customs, he is building double conversions on shotgun actions. I have not seen one of his guns yet but i have one of his 1911's and it is top notch.

18 August 2012, 06:01

cal pappas

Congratulations Eric:
Good always wins in the long run but it may be a bit of a haul to get there. Thanks for the kind words and I honestly believe White would not have been as quick to square up with you without the endless emails from viewers of your post on AR. I'm sure the check is good as he would be a fool to send a NSF check after all this. Your .450-400 at Cabelas is waiting. It was a pleasure knowing you and assisting. In this case, you were Alan Ladd (Shane) and White was Jack Palance (in the black hat, of course). Let's hope White does not do this to another customer!
Cheers, mate.
Cal

_______________________________

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18 August 2012, 06:54

a.tinkerer

Good to see progress

but...

quote:
Originally posted by 460 wby shooter:
I would check into clark customs, he is building double conversions on shotgun actions. I have not seen one of his guns yet but i have one of his 1911's and it is top notch.

...I'd run away from Clark as a source for a double rifle.

Cheers
Tinker

18 August 2012, 07:02

460 wby shooter

Could you explain why? Have you seen one?

18 August 2012, 08:12

a.tinkerer

The rifle in their website photo-shoot marketing spread (last time I looked, a year or two ago) was obviously a disaster.

I simply wouldn't ever look there again, considering the hack-job they put out to press as the example of their double rifle conversion work.

For small change, you can buy a brand new double rifle ready to go with factory warranty.

Cheers
Tinker

18 August 2012, 10:15

MacD37

Take a look at Clark at;

http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/DblRifle.html

18 August 2012, 10:44

460 wby shooter

I am no expert but they look well made and if they are the quality as their 1911's then they should shoot well. They look alot better than what white tried to build

19 August 2012, 01:07

a.tinkerer

There might be a reason that we don't typically see 1911's and double rifles coming off the same production lines.

I own Clark 1911 hardware which I like.

You should have him build you a rifle, then get back to us with an owner's perspective.
That kind of review would definitely hold more weight than my opinion.

Cheers
Tinker

19 August 2012, 01:58

MacD37

Clark is only about 200 miles from me, and I've been thinking about paying him a visit to look at his work first hand, and get a feel of how they handle, and maybe shoot one. He has a range behind his shop a few miles East if Shreveport La.

I'm one who doesn't judge a double rifle by pictures! Handling is a big part of the quality of any double rifle, and if I can pop a few off at a target that will tell the tale! I will say they lok better than any og the shotgun conversions I've seen lately, but I need to hold one myself. If they turn out OK,and worth the $5K I will most likely buy one myself!

....................................................................

19 August 2012, 18:31

460 wby shooter

Mac let me know what you find out, I have been thinking of buying a new sabatti but if the clark is a better double then i would definitely order one from him. I want to buy an entry level double and right now 5,000 is about my spending limit.

19 August 2012, 19:32

MacD37

460 If I get over there I'll certainly let you know what I find. I may buy one myself if the handle well, and are regulated properly!

I may get one or two of the double rifle nuts around here to join me for a little day trip!

......................................................................

19 August 2012, 23:50

460 wby shooter

Thanks Mac

20 August 2012, 00:08

Mike Brooks

quote:
Originally posted by 460 wby shooter:
right now 5,000 is about my spending limit.

For 5K you can get a new Chapuis 9.3X74R or a used one for less.

NRA Life
ASSRA Life
DRSS

Today's Quote:
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, a free cell phone with free monthly minutes, food stamps, section 8 housing, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe and some Air Jordan's and he votes Democrat for a lifetime.

20 August 2012, 00:27

460 wby shooter

True but I want a 470 or 500 nitro

20 August 2012, 20:54

a.tinkerer

By the way these two images are what I'm referring to, from the Clark website.

The fitting on the replacement barrels to the chopped chambers of the original shot barrels is horrendous - and what's going on whith the bulge seen just forward of the barrel joint?
The fitting of the quarter rib is equally disgusting, and you can see globs of unfinished solder at the joint.
For these two views alone, I'd steer clear. This is how he wants to showcase his work.
If it's better than the White job, it's only a small step up.

Cheers
Tinker

21 August 2012, 04:41

MacD37

quote:
Originally posted by a.tinkerer:
The fitting on the replacement barrels to the chopped chambers of the original shot barrels is horrendous - and what's going on whith the bulge seen just forward of the barrel joint?
The fitting of the quarter rib is equally disgusting, and you can see globs of unfinished solder at the joint.
For these two views alone, I'd steer clear. This is how he wants to showcase his work.
If it's better than the White job, it's only a small step up.

Cheers
Tinker

I've seen these pictures as well, but they are very old. The new ones now the fit and finish is much better but there is still a transition from block to barrel joint, but it is better now, and I don't know how old these pictures are either, so I think I'll take a little trip over to see his latest work!