Selecting a Pistolsmith

In a world of compromise, I will not. This is written to help the gun owner and not intended to offend anyone. Anyone can become a "SMITH", all that is required is a class 01 FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSE. At one time there were about 285,000 licensed FFL holders, at this point in time there are around 75,000. There is no licensing criteria to become a Gunsmith or a Pistolsmith. There are no Quality of Work Certification certificates that are required.
I regret the burden is on you to seek out a "SMITH" for your needs, it will not be easy. There are many SMITHS that bought a reputation with advertising money, sure they can buy that reputation but a person must earn it and maintain it. There are many Pistolsmiths that are earning big money just working on a 1911 pistol that is almost 100 years old, and some do some very nice work. There are SMITHS that do all their work using major machines, and without these Bridgeport Milling Machines and Lathes, they are out of business.

The following are questions you must ask, if you are looking for a Pistolsmith you must know if that person works as a full time SMITH and for how long has he been doing this. After all your life depends on your questions and your decisions. Always ask how long the SMITH has been working on your particular model and how many he has already worked on. Do not be shy, its your life that depends on your selection. Ask if he's a full time SMITH.

ALWAYS ASK HIM THESE FOUR MAJOR QUESTIONS,
1. WHAT DOES HE RECOMMEND ????
2. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE ????
3. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ????
4. DOES HE SUB OUT THE WORK TO SOME ONE ELSE ????

There are some additional questions you could get into such as will he be available by phone ??
and ask to speak to a few of his customers. You could always ask him how he learned his trade. Ask whether he has been featured in a major publication through out his career and or by what organization. Remember once you decide to let some one work on your handgun, your life is at stake. There are so many wannabbee SMITHS out there TROLLING FOR WORK that have very limited qualifications, do not make a quick decision unless you feel confident in the persons QUALITY OF WORK, REPUTATION, HONESTY, ATTENTION TO DETAIL.

Ask if the FFL is under his name or is he working as a Smith under some one else's FFL and at what location. To see how right I am just ask people if they have had a gun ruined by an incompetent wannabbee SMITH. I am not trying to offend anyone, this is the real world. I am just trying to make you aware of what you are really getting into. Aesthetics are wonderful but it is what is on the inside of a handgun that is so important, thats what really counts.

If you see a price list that offers you different levels of refinement at different levels of pricing, a RED FLAG SHOULD GO UP IMMEDIATELY. Why not do it right for one price like I do.
I went into a gun shop about 15 years ago, the owner was a good friend of mine. In my left hand he put an S&W revolver and said this is my $75.00 trigger job, and in my right hand he put in another identical S&W revolver and said this is my $45.00 trigger job. I worked the actions and they were identical everywhere. He refused to tell me what the difference was, he laughed and walked away taking both revolvers. I asked the SMITH working in his shop that actually did the work, who was also a friend of mine what was the difference and when we were alone he said the ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THE KIND OF CAR THE CUSTOMER DRIVES.

Teddy Jacobson