Kevin Blevins flintlocks

[ADK Bigfoot]

The stock is to short, the tang is chipped, the sight is on crooked, the in-letting is bad and filled with putty, and You say He's a good builder?

I did not say that he was/is a good builder. Read my post. I said the gun was well finished, wood and metal. The gun is functional and reliable. It has a few faults. I said "Kevin is great to talk to and deal with. I learned a great deal during our discussions and would consider him someone I would like to sit down and have a drink with. He is honest and trustworthy, and a gentleman. "

I thought my post was objective and complete; I did not make a public judgement about his work. I described what I received. At his price point, he is better than others' work that I have seen. At no point did I expect a $5,000 Alan Martin.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[William Hagewood]

Wonder if he maintains a web page. I would love to see more of his work.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

Go toe Contemporary Longrifles. That is where I found his work. There are usually lots of pictures.

Here is a link: Longrifles


ADK Bigfoot

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

OK, with that being said, here's mine. I had been contemplating a French fusil for a few years when I caught a thumbnail of a gun Kevin had built a few years earlier. I asked him to copy it but with my specs. 5 months later I got exactly what I asked for. A simple fusil that I think looks fantastic and functions flawlessly. I could not be more pleased.
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A fusil stocked in curly maple just looks wrong historically to me lol, but nice gun and it seems Kevin did great work on it. There is a place for fairly priced, quick builders. Not everyone can afford a 4K gun and be willing to wait 3 years (or more) for it to be built.

 

[stevew]

Kevin is very knowledgeable about southern Appalachian style rifles. I contacted him about what I wanted and he was very help full in building my poor boy rifle. The price was more than fair and he had my rifle done in less than 2 weeks. My want has changed and I am now wanting a Fowler and as soon as I make up my mind Kevin will be the guy I call. I will try to post a pic of my 40 cal poor boy.

 

[olskool]

let me say this, Kevin is knowledgeable, and he can be nice. i have one of his rifles in a previous post, it is a very nice gun and shoots good. this year i wanted another and contacted him, he said he had just the gun i wanted almost finished but would have to cut the barrel down a little to get the length i wanted. i told him to send me photos. he said no wait till i cut and finish it and then he would send me some photos. he did send the photos, and i text him and told him i did not like the gun and maybe he had another. he cussed me out in several messages like i was a dog! i have never heard such a thing from somebody that supposed to be a businessman! i then told another friend about this and his guns. the friend told me a couple of years ago he bought one of his guns and when he got it, it had several issues. the front sight was croocked and it looked like somebody hit the muzzle with a hammer, and a couple of other things, he said Kevin told him that was just the way it was and would do nothing! i am not trying to blast a man and tear him down, he can do excellent work. but he has a problem! all i am saying is beware!

 

[duca]

let me say this, Kevin is knowledgeable, and he can be nice. i have one of his rifles in a previous post, it is a very nice gun and shoots good. this year i wanted another and contacted him, he said he had just the gun i wanted almost finished but would have to cut the barrel down a little to get the length i wanted. i told him to send me photos. he said no wait till i cut and finish it and then he would send me some photos. he did send the photos, and i text him and told him i did not like the gun and maybe he had another. he cussed me out in several messages like i was a dog! i have never heard such a thing from somebody that supposed to be a businessman! i then told another friend about this and his guns. the friend told me a couple of years ago he bought one of his guns and when he got it, it had several issues. the front sight was croocked and it looked like somebody hit the muzzle with a hammer, and a couple of other things, he said Kevin told him that was just the way it was and would do nothing! i am not trying to blast a man and tear him down, he can do excellent work. but he has a problem! all i am saying is beware!

Walk away!! He cursed me out also!!! He owes me money Since June of this year and I don’t think I’m going to see it. What a shame.

 

[olskool]

Walk away!! He cursed me out also!!! He owes me money Since June of this year and I don’t think I’m going to see it. What a shame.

wow! thank you, at least now i don't feel alone. and he sent me a photo of a giant buck laying down in a pasture, quite obviously a professional photo. he said he took it on a phone in his back yard in NC! then he told me how there was a wreck in front of his house and a woman was killed and he spent hours in the woods looking for her head! and he found it. no doubt he has issues! i don't mean to put him down but others need to know before they owe. and what they are in for if they deal with him,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[olskool]

Here we go again. Seventeen polite and civil exchanges contemplating the skill, merit, and integrity of a particular craftsman and someone tries to make it a rugby scrum. Yeah! Let's turn this into a bashing thread! Nothing but accolades until one gun turns up with some legitimate issues and one member says "let's go back three days & dwell on the negative". ADK, I totally agree with you. Your assessment of the experience you relate is fair and constructive to the conversation and you presented it quite well. Thank you. Kevin is a very prolific builder, kind of like the Beatles churning out albums in the sixties. As I remember not every song was a hit on "Sargent Pepper". I'm not making any excuses. ADK, it is my impression that you are obviously disappointed but still find the gun acceptable. Is this correct? Have you mentioned anything to Kevin? I certainly understand your position and sympathize. Considering what I know, my take is this; Kevin builds a quality practical working man's gun and no matter how simple, makes it look beautiful. He offers it at a price that I feel is more than fair. I don't see many other guns going at Kevin's price point with the caliber of wood that he uses. And he delivers a custom gun in less than 6 months. I see a lot of very positives & only one negative when I look back over this thread.

no, you are wrong! i held my experience with him over a year before i said a word. not bashing anyone, in fact i hate to do it. the gun i got from him is a good one. but like i have said above he has problems! mental issues, and others have stated that also. i have experienced the man calling my mama a $##@@! in a text. have you ever debt with him? go ahead deal with him if you like, but you have been warned.

 

[Alaskagrizz49]

I’m compelled to share my personal experience with Kevin Blevins, after revisiting this thread and reading updates posted here since last July. One that I too, have kept to myself since receiving the Tulle I ordered from him last summer. I must also preface this post by saying that I share this regrettably, doing so only after reading several experiences similar to my own…which means that mine is not an isolated case. The man is definitely a competent experienced builder, one very knowledgeable and truly amicable…when he wants to be and it suits him. But I too, have issues concerning how he interacts with his clientele. As others here have stated, his work is generally acceptable, although my front sight is also off and leaning right. I received my Fusil actually a week or two earlier than promised. In that process, however…I was blatantly ignored in further attempts at communication, only attempting to clarify a few questions he swore he had previously answered, when in fact he had not. When I finally did hear from him (this happening on more than one instance)…I was thoroughly cursed out and belittled. I’m by no means a shrinking violet or “Karen”, but have never been treated or talked to in such a gruff unprofessional manner…especially as a customer! There were some minor deviations noted after my gun arrived, differing somewhat from photos provided as an example prior to placing my order. The price I paid I consider fair for what I received. May others contemplating doing business with him, simply proceed further better knowing what one might expect. Again, I post this bearing Kevin no malice or contempt whatsoever. He is simply very intolerant of questions after the deposit is received, is needlessly very abrasive and quite confrontational. I would not hesitate to again purchase a gun previously built by him if found for sale, but would have to pass on ordering another one based on my prior experience. My Tulle appears to be quite historically correct and worth the price I paid for it financially…

 

[adkmountainken]

well i ignored this long enough i wish i could have grabbed Kevin by the neck and pulled him through the phone after several name calling tirades and the most unprofessional attitude i have ever saw in a builder. on the last call he asked me if i was retarded now mind you my wife is a Director at Liberty which is a company that helps mentally ill and/or disabled people. i have never in my life been talked to by another man ( without consaquences! ) that way and bit my tongue due to he had my payment in FULL at that time. had the balls to say maybe he would ship it when he had time!!!! hope he is reading this because if i ever did see him he would understand how wrong he was and how ya better think twice about talking to people like he did!!! i shared the text messages that he sent with another member on here who can verify such. ONLY thing i can say the rifle is very nice and i promptly sold it to my buddy when i got it because of the way Kevin handled himself. how about a cup of coffee Kevin????

 

[Alaskagrizz49]

adkmountainken,

I most definitely used allot of restraint when writing my post above yours, and do now really regret doing so! I could not, more whole heartedly agree with your unthrottled post regarding your experience with Kevin. As a Marine vet, I shared that overwhelming feeling you had…wishing more than anything, that I could pull that rude, far beyond unprofessional a^*hole right thru the darned phone! I now see the line, both in front of…and behind me. That of several others…all lined up, wanting to hand him his a^* to wear as a hat!!!! And I, like you Ken…still have all those unbelievably rude texts and emails too! Kevin, karma is a real b^*+h…”what goes around, will most definitely come around”!! If I was within 1000 miles, I’d have been makin my big diesel smoke…headin straight towards Lansing, NC to “hand you your a^*”!!!! Yer darn lucky I’m over 4000 miles away in Alaska, pal!!!!!

 

[Adkarcher]

Odd to see the negative interactions with Kevin based on my experience with him. We spoke 2-3 times by phone, several emails and texts and all were good. I think one night we spoke for over an hour on the phone and half of it was not even about muzzleloaders, but the history out in his area and stuff like that. I picked the gun up in person, we met about halfway between our houses and he was very friendly. And this was actually after turning down the first gun he offered to sell me, one he had ready to go - it was a .50 cal and I wanted a .54....which I eventually had him build for me.

As others have said, his work is very good quality and I am very happy with my gun. Thankfully my experience was positive.

 

[Grimord]

Odd to see the negative interactions with Kevin based on my experience with him. We spoke 2-3 times by phone, several emails and texts and all were good. I think one night we spoke for over an hour on the phone and half of it was not even about muzzleloaders, but the history out in his area and stuff like that. I picked the gun up in person, we met about halfway between our houses and he was very friendly. And this was actually after turning down the first gun he offered to sell me, one he had ready to go - it was a .50 cal and I wanted a .54....which I eventually had him build for me.

As others have said, his work is very good quality and I am very happy with my gun. Thankfully my experience was positive.

That was my experience with Kevin also. The guy must run hot and cold.

 

[Rawhide67]

I don't have a dog in the fight here as I've never interacted with the guy. However, it seems there are enough very negative experiences to indicate a problem. But, it's his income and his business. If his interpersonal skills don't ruin his business, I guess he can do as he wishes.