Overly Critical? This is not a 150-year-old rifle. This is a new, 2800.00$ custom rifle, ordered as a specific style of rifle, my choosing this builder (Brant Selb), partly based on many on-line recommendations. If you have low standards of quality, that's fine- but I had higher expectations based on price and reputation. Parts price out around 1000.00$ give or take. Yes, it is as bad as I am saying. The lock is not flush with the stock because he was simply lazy and did not remove enough wood to clear a couple internal bolt heads. Look at a Sharps rifle, or Pedersoli, the nose caps are perfect, and these are poured and finished by hand. Mine is not only badly poured, but not even finished- he didn't even bother to finish the shaping, let alone final polishing. And yes, I do know how to do this myself, which is why I am rebuilding the rifle myself, rather than send it back to him, to wait god knows how many years for its return, only to find it in no better shape than I had first received it. He will probably just retire and screw everyone remaining on his wait list, who have deposits out (see above), etc. I will be filing in small claims court in Bend, Oregon. Probably won't win, but I have endless time and money to pursue this. It's no longer about money. It's that he is thumbing his nose at everyone, delivering a shitty product, and then saying too bad-
I'll post a picture of the whole rifle later, do not have a picture on this computer. Sure, it looks fine from ten feet away, just like I look great from across the room, but up close, maybe not so much. I hear a lot of talk of Buy American, Made in America, etc. This rifle is an embarrassment and insult to every legitimate rifle builder out there. Go ahead and order a rifle from him, then write back in three or four years to tell me how you feel.
"Hand Made" is never an excuse for "Poorly Made".
