Remington 514 Restoration: A Minor Setback

M

Mosin-Marauder

New member
Went to the Gunsmith about 2 weeks ago to see if my 514 had been reblued. It had. The pitting on it was so bad he couldn't get the finish I wanted, he said it was now a "brushed finish" looks semi-matte. If you look closely you can see the some pits but It's nothing too major and to be honest I expected it. It looks pretty good. It will contact nicely with the stock and the mirror finish I have on the bolt. There was a minor (major? ) setback, though.

The day I first saw it he said I "couldn't take it home because he needed to reinstall the rear sight". Okay, not like anyone has doubted my ability to turn screws before. I left and came back a full week later.

Turns out the rear sight was somehow lost and he is in the process of ordering ordering a new one. He thinks it may be at the bottom of the bluing tank. Okay, just a rear sight no problem, as long as he pays for it. So, again, I am denied being able to take my gun home. Pity too, I wanted to see it into it's newly refinished stock.

Overall I'm not too satisfied with the current progress of this project. $100 was the total cost for everything for 5 weeks of waiting. I'm thinking I'll be able to take it home by Friday of this week at the latest. Barring any more unforseen circumstances, of course.

I hope to have pictures up as soon as I get it resembled (literally 3 screws). I promise, no crappy cell pictures either, getting some good ones in good light.

Have any of you experienced something similar to this? I'm positive this isn't a common thing?
 
Aside from the lost rear sight- do you really want a 'hurry up' job done for your money, or would you ruther have the guy take a little time and put a little pride into his work?

I don't think I've ever had a Smith lose a part before. However, I did have a shop hose me out of a 1911 hard plastic case and a spare clip- that sure rubbed me the wrong way.
 
That's the thing, it looks like a hurry up job. The bluing honestly looks a little sloppy. Smears, pits still showing. I hope that when I get it it will look better with an oiled rag over it. I'm not mad, I just can't justify it taking this long for this result.
 
When sending firearm to a smith ..m

I alway say Return when you schedules allows. Never been disappointed, yet.
 
For excellent bluing at reasonable price and two day turn around contact Mel Doyle, Plummer I'd. This man is expert in his field. But I guess I am too late for this project.
 
$100 to reblue an old rifle that had (IIRC) a good bit of surface rust and pitting? That seems to be not unreasonable to me, nor the time frame. I definitely think the pictures will help that determination.

Losing the rear sight is not what I'd expect, and I would expect the smith to pay for a replacement for sure, but it sounds like he's on top of that.
 
For excellent bluing at reasonable price and two day turn around contact Mel Doyle, Plummer I'd
Click to expand...
Mel has retired from bluing, his apprentice Sam Chapman has taken over the bluing/refinishing business. He does very good work.
 
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