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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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9
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25702
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Sat August 27, 2011
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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78% of reviewers
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None indicated
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5.8
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Description:
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Custom Muzzleloading Firearms
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Spot
54 Cal.
Registered: June 2005
Location: Northwest AR
Posts: 1590
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Review Date: Sat June 14, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Beautiful wood, fit, and finish. Excellent quality.
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Cons:
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In my experience, the builder can be rather tricky to work with.
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I am very happy with my Carolina Smoothbore. Actually getting the gun was somewhat tricky.
I placed an order for a Carolina Smoothbore with Premium+++ maple, Chambers Colonial lock, a particular style of patchbox and a barrel that I had delivered directly to him. At the time, he said it would take no more than two months.
Over the course of the next year, I only heard from Jackie when I contacted him first, and was always told that my gun was near completion and would be shipped very soon. I was hearing horror stories from other people about Jackie, so I became a bit concerned. I eventually asked for my parts as a project to complete myself, and was sent a walnut stock with my barrel inlet into it. All in all, this experience could have been better, but it could have been worse too. I did not lose any money on the deal.
About three months later I ran across a Carolina Smoothbore that Jackie had listed for sale. With the exception of the barrel, this gun was identical to the one I had ordered. I contacted Jackie about the gun and was told he had built it for a customer who had been unable to take it. I bought the gun and am extremely happy with it.
It is my opinion that the gun I bought was actually the gun I ordered, since it is exactly what I ordered and was built in the same timeframe. I believe there must simply have been some confusion on Jackie's end.
I certainly recommend his work, based on the gun that I own and several others I have handled. I would recommend buying a gun he has already built rather than contracting for a gun to be built. That's what worked for me.
For all the trouble, I am very happy with my Jackie Brown gun. I have heard stories from people I trust that had far less happy endings than mine, but it all worked out okay for me.
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ronrryan
45 Cal.
Registered: April 2005
Location: Venice, FL
Posts: 564
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Review Date: Sun June 15, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Good lines, good components
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Cons:
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Long wait, confusion on order specifics
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Yes recommendation is QUALIFIED. I waited a very long time and did not receive exactly what I ordered, but the 62 smoothbore has a wooden patchbox, L/R Queen Anne lock, oct/rd barrel, nice hardware. Buttplate is slightly eccentric to stock. Finish dark, OK. I sent gun on to fix a bad fit of breechplug to barrel, needed barrel shortened slightly and ventliner installed. Rod not properly fitted or finished. I was one of the unfortunate ones to order during a very bad time in Jackie's life, many problems health and personal. I have heard from others who ordered earlier that were VERY satisfied. He seems to be a very ethical gentleman, in all my conversations with him. If you could visit the shop it would be a good idea. OTOH, I know many have ordered from TVM, no complications, excellent products, price quite similar. Good smoke, Ron
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62flint
36 Cal.
Registered: October 2004
Location: eastern va
Posts: 74
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Review Date: Wed June 25, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 1
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Pros:
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price
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Cons:
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you get what you pay for, poor fit finish and the barrel was crap.
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fit and finish is terrible, Jackie made the barrel. Bore was off center and he bell mouthed it to hide the problem.
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riverrat43
40 Cal.
Registered: December 2004
Location: South Alabama
Posts: 164
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Review Date: Wed August 6, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 1
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Pros:
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Honestly cannot think of a positive thing to say
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Cons:
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Timeliness of delivery, accuracy in building what was ordered.
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Ordered a smoothbore in Aug of 06. Promised delivery in 30-45 days. After every excuse under the sun recieved the gun in May of 08. Not even close to what I ordered. Returned it the same day. Recieved a PARTIAL refund a year later. Now, 2 years later still waiting for the other 2/3 of my money to be refunded. Do not walk away from ordering from Mr. Brown...RUN!!!!!!!
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Pierre a' Fusil
36 Cal.
Registered: November 2005
Location: Maryland by the Patuxent
Posts: 95
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Review Date: Tue November 4, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Some aspects good to very good, Pricing lesson - "if it seems to good to be true.....it is"
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Cons:
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Poor wood finish, mediocre metal finish, imprecise component fit
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Disclaimer - this is the only custom built I've ever ordered- for myself.
Many of my experiences are mirrored in the other reviews. Seems like a nice guy, but there are too many examples of gaps between his representations and reality to ignore.
I ordered my J. Brown Smoothbore in Fall 2004 and received it approximately 4 months later. It was inexpensive by the market standard of the time. The barrel seems fine. But the mounting of the metalwork was a bit sloppy. Mounting Pin holes were knocked in a bit, the lockplate was slightly uneven, the heel plate even lacked a cleanly filed edge on one side (it was left rough sawn). Browning was slightly uneven and the wood finish was much worse. Although the woodwork itself was competently done, the finish included drips, rubbed-off high spots, etc. I managed to clean-up most of the cosmetic issues. Mechanically there have been no problems for me yet, and it shoots well.
The presence of a few odd scratches, for instance beyond the lock screw, reminded me of something. In an Arthur Conan Doyle story, his detective deduces the failing condition of a subject by the condition of his very expensive, heirloom pocket watch. It is covered with odd scratches and suffers from other signs of neglect. He concludes that the owner had both suffered psychological problems, as well as financial hard times. As always, the deductive method prevailed in this work by Doyle. In the real world - Caveat Emptor !
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Cheyenne
40 Cal.
Registered: August 2004
Posts: 177
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Review Date: Mon October 5, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Pricing and delivery time
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Cons:
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That I didn't contact him sooner!
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Decided to get a smoothbore and was torn between getting a TVM kit, or some other, then I happened onto Jackie's web page. Sent an e-mail inquiry and got a prompt response. Basically said whatever I wanted with a quick delivery time. I decided on his Carolina gun but wanted a longer 46" barrel and a different type treatment at the muzzle than he normally does. Got a quote, price was hardly more than a standard "kit" price, and delivery time was "two weeks"!
Ok I was doubtful of the delivery time, but when I asked Jackie about payment, he said I could give a deposit, or wait until he was ready to ship to send payment! Well, long story short, he delivered in the time frame stated and the gun is really nice. Smooth rifle, as it has rifle TG and cheek. One thing I contacted Jackie about was the butt plate and entry thimble....looked as if on the Carolina gun these were options, Jackie told me he'd be happy to take more money, but these were standard on the gun.
It shoulders like a dream. I highly reccomend Jackie Brown.
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CharlesP
32 Cal.
Registered: March 2007
Posts: 12
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Review Date: Thu November 19, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Price, customization
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Cons:
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Rough barrel exterior, small inletting gaps here and there
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I ordered a Carolina Smoothbore in the white from Jackie back in 1999. Was not "in a hurry" for it, and he delivered it to me in a reasonable time (can't remember how long it took, maybe 8-10 months?). He delivered exactly what I ordered, with shorter LOP, wooden patchbox, and buttplate. While not museum grade workmanship, the quality was high and especially reasonable for the price. The stock has some pretty curl, the balance is just right and it shoulders well. The front sight was slightly off center, which a little filing fixed. The forward barrel pin came off, so I re-brazed it. Only gripe was the rough exterior finish of the octagon to round barrel, took a lot of sanding to smooth it out.
Am very pleased with it, it was well finished except for the barrel so I had only to carve, finish sand, stain, and oil it and ended up with a nice gun for a VERY reasonable price. Mr. Brown was pleasant in my dealings and I had no problems. In light of others folks' concerns, I would suggest buying a completed gun that you can view, handle, and then decide on.
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silly goose
40 Cal.
Registered: December 2010
Location: Greene Co. NY
Posts: 172
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Review Date: Sat April 23, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Price
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Cons:
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I havent built a gun yet, but think i could have done as well.
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I've only had my .62 Carolina Smoothbore for a week, so this cant be a thorough review. When I contacted Mr Brown, which was several times with all types of questions, he was quite prompt and courteous and went out of the way to answer all questions. I have read reviews from other boards, as well as the ones on this forum and can't say that I wasn't aware that there were issues. I purchased my gun, which Mr Brown had as a return from another customer, so there was no waiting. There were questions posed about the fit of the gun, and I was reassured that if it didn't fit, it was fully guaranteed, and he would make one for me that did. When the gun arrived, the toe had a small chip, and the toe plate was slightly bent. I contacted Mr. Brown and advised him that I received the gun, and asked him about the best way to go about fixing the toe area. I have since sent another email, with no response. Prior to its being mailed, I inquired about actual barrel diameter, so I could order all accessories needed to get her ready for turkey season. I was told the barrel had a bore diameter of .625, so I ordered 19 guage wads, which were made for a .626 bore. I had her out yesterday and other than the wads being a lil on the tight side, and me not being able to get her to fire consistently(this is my first flintlock), she patterned excellent in my opinion, and no, I'm not gonna give percentages of shot in a so and so circle. Anyway, with some help from forum members I started to fool with her a bit, and found that I could not put a 1/16" drill bit through the quoted 1/16" drilled touchhole. After chucking the bit, it went through the hole almost effortlessy, so I'm assuming there was a small burr from "coning" the touchhole from the outside, which appears to have been done with a drill of a larger size. I haven't had a chance to try her out since removing the burr. I also mic'd the bore, which was actually .615, so I ordered the correct size wads. Not because the other ones didn't work, but because when I use this gun for bunnies, I don't need to be breaking ramrods trying to force wads that are too big down the bore. Hopefully the new wads will produce as good a pattern as the large ones. While I was fiddling, i removed the trigger assembly and shimmed it up, so as to stop it from rattling around from a loose fit. I'm fond of the finish Mr. Brown used on the wood. I'm not so impressed with the barrel browning, I don't know if he was going for an "aged" look, or what, but the browning is quite blotchy, and irregular. I have to say that if I can get this gun to fire reliably, I will be quite happy with it. I have since fixed the toe area, it was a fairly small chip, so I just removed some wood to even it up and filed and bent the toe plate to match. I think you get what you pay for with these guns. I will say that if Mr. Brown spent two more hours on the gun, it would be a great gun, and look great. But I don't think any extra time is spent on wood/metal fit or finish. But then again, you would pay more for the gun. I'm not real impressed with the lack of contact after the sale. I'm not sure I like tinkering with a "new" gun, but it does give it more of a feel of it being "mine". To close I will say this. If I was thoroughly thrilled with this gun, I was going to have Mr. Brown build me a smallbore to match. I think I will have a go at building my own, I know I will make mistakes, but they will be mine, and I know that it will be the best gun that I could make.
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duca
32 Cal.
Registered: December 2007
Location: Hamilton twp, NJ
Posts: 48
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Review Date: Sat August 27, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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I orderd the Carolina smooth bore back in the mid 90's and got the aged look. wood to metal fit was not the greatest but I did order the aged look. the only problum i had was the touch hole liner. I remove it and made my owen. I also fine tuned the lock. This gun is sure fire! It has nice wood and is a pleasur to carry. 20 gaege
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21,998 |
| Products |
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