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TVM,What's The Attraction?

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Leatherbelly

36 Cal.
Joined
Aug 1, 2005
Messages
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I don't get it.Are they inexpensive(I wanna say cheap)? I just went to their site (first time) to check them out.(fowler) To me, they look awful thick in the fore end and the inlets look sloppy. Lots of wood under the lock panels. So big that they could drill a half inch ramrod hole! I see a lot of guys buying them.Why? How much are they? To me,they look like their wood supports the barrel,not visa versa. Good parts are used but I don't care for the wood work.
TVM seems to fill a void somewhere. Must be cost, dunno. :idunno:
 
Mine is a rifle, and not a smoothie, but looking at my rifle and the pictures of some of the rifles on the site, the one I have seems so slim in comparison that it is unbelievable. Now this is just one example, but I like mine and will buy another someday when I get the money. Looks greta, shoots great, and it was made exactly the way I specified that I wanted it. The price wasn't cheap, but it was reasonable.
 
Leatherbelly said:
1) "...I wanna say cheap..."

2) "...they look awful thick in the fore end and the inlets look sloppy..."

3) "...Lots of wood under the lock panels. So big that they could drill a half inch ramrod hole!..."

4) "...To me,they look like their wood supports the barrel,not visa versa..."

5) "...I don't care for the wood work..."
I don't have any TVM fowlers so I can objectively make this unbiased reply:

You looked, you saw, and posted a whole list of negative comments, making it very clear that you wouldn't want one.

Are you going to post your preferred brand and photos for us instead?
 
I see a lot of guys buying them.Why? How much are they?

They are able to have a quicker delivery time than most builders who generally have a waiting list of one to several years. TVM delivers usually anywhere from 6 months to 8 or 9 months from what most are posting.
 
When I ordered mine in 2009, it was cost and delivery time. The inletting on my rifle was very tight. You're right about the amount of wood.
 
:dead: :v: I have a Tennessee rifle from TVM and I have a Fowler on the way. I'm very pleased with the Tennessee rifle I'll let you know about the Fowler when I get it. I can see that you have made up your mind about them from just a photo instead of actually holding one. Compared to my modern guns they feel slim in my hand and mine handles well and shoots better than I can. I can pick apart any builders gun even with the limited knowledge that I have, but I would choose to look at the good points instead and take the gun as a whole instead of nit picking.
 
They sell a lot because their workmanship is good, parts top quality and the price is reasonable for the quality. Simple fact: quality work at a reasonable price sells! Are they the cheapest ? No. Are they the absolute top of the line ? No. Are they good quality at a reasonable price? Yes . :hmm:
 
They fill an important need, for rifles/fowlers soundly made with good parts, reflecting originals more closely than factory offerings. For the customer who is not a student of originals, but wants a longrifle or fowling piece that generally fits the period, they work.
 
RB,
I've never checked out their site till yesterday.The site shows a fowling gun that looks awful.The lock mortise inlet appears hogged out with a dremel! The inlet is rough around the edge with gaps.BUT...I hear great things about them so I'm wondering.RB,it wouldn't be fair to show my fowling piece(a custom)with these. No comparison. I will if you want tho.
I've heard how great Toni and Mat are to deal with. That's a good thing.
I'm not trying to slam the guys that buy them. By what I've seen on the tvm site,the "fowler"looks rough and that has lead to my comments/questions.
Do they sell different grades of guns? I see they have awesome looking wood.
Has this subject been hashed over before on here? My buddy is looking for an inexpensive alternative to a full custom smoothie. Maybe the Chambers kit is an alternative.1k for the kit,1k to assemble.(plain)
 
Guys, the man is just making an observation, of course he has not held one in his hands. why are you blasting him? Some of you do the very same thing on here with the Indian guns..geesh...He was just asking a question. Is it getting that we cant even ask a question anymore on here with out getting lambasted?
 
You really can't make an assessment of workmanship from an online photo and it isn't fair or reasonable to try.
My buddy, Greenmountainboy, owns, I'd guess maybe 6 or 8 TVM guns, rifles, fowlers and pistols. I've had occasion to examine all of them inside and out. I have found areas where a bit of wood filler was used to close a gap but I certainly would not call the inleting crude or sloppy. Sanding and finish of the wood is not done to the finest possible quality but these are standard working man's guns, fine carving and engraving is available for extra cost and I've no doubt that if one pays for a high grade gun they will get what they paid for. In the standard grade, basic gun, one gets a reliable shooter from a maker who fully backs his work and will fix any complaint without argument. They are true custom guns in that when placing an order one can specify any style and components one may prefer.
All things are relative and what TVM offers is a relatively good gun at a relatively good price with relatively quick delivery. There any many, many TVM owners on this site and how many complaints have you seen? :idunno:
 
I agree, the photo's on TVM's site for the fowler are not good. Why they choose to use those particular photo's are a mystery to me. I also do not have a fowler, I have the TVM Early Lancaster that I am very happy with. The inletting on my gun is beautiful and I love how slim and trim the whole gun is. I only have the one, but there are lots of photo's on theis forumm of TVM firearms. I would encourage you to view those to see additional examples of TVM's work. As I understand it with TVM you can specify exactly how you want your gun built, you want it slimmer or less wood around the lock panels you can order it that way. They really do good work, and want their customers happy.
 
I for one wasn't trying to blast him, and apologize if the OP thinks I was. Just passing my observations as they relate to the one and only TVM-built gun I have had the chance to handle and shoot. Like has been said, the plain versions like mine aren't the fanciest guns, but I like plain guns so I'm not afraid to take them out and actually use them like some friends I have who have modern customs but are too scared to take them to the range, much less hunting because a scratch will "ruin the value". I have nothing against any other builder, and fully expect to buy a fancier more decorated gun someday, but for now, I want plain, reliable, and accurate. I know all those qualities can be rolled into one gun, but not with my current paychecks. And seeing those friends I mentioned who are afraid of actually shooting their guns has made me not want any gun that I can't afford to damage slightly through normal wear, because if a scratch will make me not use it, then I shouldn't be spending whatever it costs just to hang it on my wall either.
 
Agree...the closest thing to any 'blasting' done was what appeared to be a list of negative opinions about a TVM fowler on TVM's website. The OP was simply asked to offer up his preferred brand and photos instead.

While I don't happen to have a TVM fowler, I do have a TVM .62cal smooth rifle, and I assume TVM's quality of stock work would be the same for fowlers.

A10121062cal10Pointersomedarker.jpg


041412D-OpeningDayTurkeyCroppedCloser.jpg
 
I own several TVM rifles and a fowler so feel qualified to answer some of your questions. The only TVM long gun with "too much wood" I have is the fowler. It's well proportioned enough that at most I'd call it "a bit robust". Still it is under 7.5 lbs. All the others are light ranging from about 5.75 lbs up to 7.5 lbs. I was generally picky with mine and got exactly what I ordered. They are all slender especially compared to factory rifles. My EL .50, for instance is only 6.5 lbs.

All inletting on mine is first rate with parts being tightly fitted; no gaps whatsoever. The stock finish on mine ranges from excellent to superb. They are well sanded, buffed, stained and sealed. Function and accuracy is as good as it gets.

On the other hand you DO have to be very specific when you order; they are, after all, custom guns. The pics on their site are terrible and mostly represent their default production. And like anything produced by the hand of man, there are the rare defects. However TVM stands by their products and absolutely will make sure you are satisfied. Each one, even of the same type gun, will be a little different from it's twin. they are not machine duplicated so there's no way minor differences can't help but be common. Of course you can specify size, toe, heel, lop, etc. You can in fact specify until you have something clearly not 100% the school it represents.

They are not cheap but the quality is right up there. Their kits are arguably the easiest builds for the unschooled hobbyist.

PICT0389-3.jpg


Here's one of mine; slender and nothing in excess.
 
I just went to the site to see what all the fuss is about.

Do you all realize that those pictures are magnified X 10 or more? Bad idea on TVM's part. It makes the tiniest fault look huge and totally out of context. That lock inlet probably looks perfect under normal circumstances. I've seen this phenomenon with other guns and products. My locks look polished out pretty good until I put them under the scrutiny of a digital camera. Even the tiniest flaw looks huge and when trying to fix them using a human eye I can't even see them well enough to fix them.
 
I am pretty particular about the lock mortise and the lock to barrel interface. I've seen other maker's guns that were carved and had inlays, but the lock wasn't well installed, and the wood around the lock wasn't done right..., and you could tell the maker took a precarved stock, got the lock to "fit", and then moved onto the "fun" stuff, the carving. I'd rather have a plain gun done right than an ornate gun done wrong, but you see the same basic mistake for sale on the TOTW site. And those are "custom" guns and often cost $1000 more than the TVM rifle or gun.

Now you could suggest to your buddy to get a Chambers kit, OR you could check out getting a TVM gun "in the white", and your budddy could slim up the stock and the wood around the lock and opposite. Doing the final reducing and sanding and finishing would save your friend some cash.

LD
 
I live in North western Canada so getting to handle one of these is pretty much unlikely.Rb's gun sure has nice figure.Wow!..that figure really "pops". Sorry to bring this topic up. Get's some people really sore,I guess. He likes the look of a Chambers Smoothrifle without the rear site.Looking for more options.Roundball,the fellow that built mine is away so I'd like to ask him if he would mind if I put his build up for scrutiny,comment or critique.It's on the "other" site if you care to have a google. "Leatherbelly's Fowling Piece" Fore end is slim like a birds leg.50 inch pipe,holds like a rifle.8 1/2 Lb. with a flint.
 
leatherbelly, I think the reaction was more from the wording rather than the intent. there are alot of folks on here that have and use TVM and stand by that product. from what I understand the customer service is head and shoulders above the competition so it makes alot of sense.
While I do not own a TVM myself I have a couple friends that do, and from what I have seen they looked good, though I am in no way an expert in these things! I would like to see a pic of your fowler though as well as who you prefer as a builder just a reference point. whether its an apples to oranges comparison or not. eye candy is always nice! :thumbsup:
 

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