Goons Gunworks Query

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Would anyone happen to have the mailing address for Mike Brackett / Goons Gunworks? I inadvertently deleted my contacts list. He has not answered Emails or Phone messages for several weeks. And had a Walker of mine for a few months.

Thanks in advance,

John V
 
Can't help you. I have also sent him emails and private messages about some work I want done and he hasn't responded.
Someone came through in another Forum, there are a few more people he's not responded to that I am in contact with, I'm writing the Georgia better business bureau if he doesn't respond by the end of this week. Frankly, he BS's on the turnaround time, takes your money in advance and you're at his mercy, a month ago I got him on the phone and he said "Next week"... has not responded since.
 
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I thought I was the only one that was less than impressed with his actual turn around time verses what he quotes. It took several calls from me to finally get him to send the gun back, I didn't care if he finished it or not.
 
I thought I was the only one that was less than impressed with his actual turn around time verses what he quotes. It took several calls from me to finally get him to send the gun back, I didn't care if he finished it or not.
Did you get it back finished? Or, at all?
 
Yep it came back finished, but you shouldn't have to argue with someone to get back what you already paid for. He quoted me 2 weeks, but at 6 months I said enough.
 
While I have not had any work done by him, many folks on this forum swear by his expertise.
With all the recommendations he gets, he may just be swamped.
He posted on Thursday so I guess he is OK.
Maybe its time to take on an apprentice.
There seem to be fewer and fewer of the posters on THR that were regulars just a few years ago.
I just hate getting old but prefer it to the only other option!!!
 
Well, I tried calling John this evening but got no answer. His Walker is with 2 other Walkers which are with 3 Dragoons (total of 6 in this group). The Dragoons were finished today and the Walkers probably Mon. or Tues. I'll be in the shop tomorrow as well so John, try me again.

As far as 2 weeks, I've never told anyone I could do this in 2 weeks.

Thanks Ephraim!! Appreciate your input. I am swamped and working on copy for a much needed website update.

For what it's worth, I'm trying to get all the "normal service " revolvers done by September (old and new orders).

Mike
 
Mikes price point was always out of reach for me.. though I was working on fixing that. After raising prices it looks like they always will be... So cant speak from first hand experience.

That being said.. A little common sense might go a long way here. A gunsmith.. ANY gunsmith.. With a 6mo back log speaks for itself. He DOES need an apprentice... Especially given that none of us will be around forever, and wisdom lost is sometimes lost forever. BUT... Again, a smithie that is covered up and taking forever speaks for itself, in the very same way that one setting around bored out of his scull should speak to people...

Which one do you REALLY want???

Pro tip: The guy that takes forever has too much work on his hands for a REASON.. he must be doing SOMETHING right.
 
Mikes price point was always out of reach for me.. though I was working on fixing that. After raising prices it looks like they always will be... So cant speak from first hand experience.

That being said.. A little common sense might go a long way here. A gunsmith.. ANY gunsmith.. With a 6mo back log speaks for itself. He DOES need an apprentice... Especially given that none of us will be around forever, and wisdom lost is sometimes lost forever. BUT... Again, a smithie that is covered up and taking forever speaks for itself, in the very same way that one setting around bored out of his scull should speak to people...

Which one do you REALLY want???

Pro tip: The guy that takes forever has too much work on his hands for a REASON.. he must be doing SOMETHING right.
Mikes price point was always out of reach for me.. though I was working on fixing that. After raising prices it looks like they always will be... So cant speak from first hand experience.

That being said.. A little common sense might go a long way here. A gunsmith.. ANY gunsmith.. With a 6mo back log speaks for itself. He DOES need an apprentice... Especially given that none of us will be around forever, and wisdom lost is sometimes lost forever. BUT... Again, a smithie that is covered up and taking forever speaks for itself, in the very same way that one setting around bored out of his scull should speak to people...

Which one do you REALLY want???

Pro tip: The guy that takes forever has too much work on his hands for a REASON.. he must be doing SOMETHING right.

My Pro Tip: I've worked under contracts for the majority of my life. When you take a job, you give realistic time frames, show up on time and don't take on jobs you can't deliver on when promised and you communicate.
 
Well, I tried calling John this evening but got no answer. His Walker is with 2 other Walkers which are with 3 Dragoons (total of 6 in this group). The Dragoons were finished today and the Walkers probably Mon. or Tues. I'll be in the shop tomorrow as well so John, try me again.

As far as 2 weeks, I've never told anyone I could do this in 2 weeks.

Thanks Ephraim!! Appreciate your input. I am swamped and working on copy for a much needed website update.

For what it's worth, I'm trying to get all the "normal service " revolvers done by September (old and new orders).

Mike
Yes, i see you called last evening after i'd retired for the night. Perhaps a Voice Message would have helped. I am traveling today but will call again monday.
 
You shouldn't be surprised for a small shop to be hard to get a hold of. Every time he answers the phone he has to stop working on someones revolver.
Long lead times should be expected. It's not like ordering a box of something off a shelf from Amazon. It's going to take some time, and if the guy is any good there are going to be folks in front of you already waiting.
I know we all want instant gratification, and answers as soon as we think of the question, but this is a case where finding some patience and just waiting are likely the best course of action.
 
I sent one gun to Mike a few years ago, an 1860 Uberti. It came back a work of art! Seriously it is the smoothest revolver I have ever handled, modern or black powder. I will never part with it, except to hand it off as an heirloom. That said, it took soooo long to complete, that I made the decision not to have more guns slicked up by Mike. If you have a popular web blog, or a highly viewed youtube channel, you may get some special considerations (that's just good advertising, and not unusual), but the average enthusiast needs to understand that you will get a miracle gun if you send it to Mike, but don't stick to initial timeline estimates. Send a gun that you are willing to do without for a year or so, and you will not be disappointed. Goons Gunworks is not a ripoff! Mike is sincere in his estimates, but, they tend to be unrealistic. Life can get in the way of timelines. I agree he needs an apprentice. When can I start?
 
Thanks for your support Ephraim, Kevin, Stormson, Malachi. As I've posted before, all of these revolvers are as individual as people. New ones are by far the easiest because of excellent production by both Italian companies. That being the case, some show up with a loose arbor on occasion still (all get fixed immediately). You never know what you're going to find. Obviously, the older the revolver is, the more problems likely to show up.
Many of these problems are taken care of with the action setup I've developed over the years. That being the case, I'm slowly but surely catching up to a more reasonable turnaround time. Of course, innovation doesn't happen overnight. Development takes time (I do that in my "spare" time). I believe the actions in the revolvers that leave here currently are some of the finest actions in any S.A. today. (In an Italian reproduction?! . . . YES!!) One way to try and compensate for a longer wait is to incorporate whatever is "new" in the shop which is at this time, an action shield. Mr. Venable's Walker is already setup for that (as are all in that group of revolvers). This shield keeps any fragments and most of any fouling that may find it's way down the hammer slot from entering the action.
The extent of the service I do is rather vast and vast takes time. My intention is to put the finest S.A. revolver in your collection ( whether realized or not).

Got to get back in the shop,
Mike

Thanks Noelf2! (I'm faster now than then by the way!! Lol (I may have been part time even . . ?)) Anyway, glad you have a treasure now!! I'll admit I'm not a good secretary!!
 
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I'm sorry - I have no dog in this fight as you might say, but in the 21st century you guys are using landline phones for communication?!? At least this is the impression I get from reading your posts...
 
I'm sorry - I have no dog in this fight as you might say, but in the 21st century you guys are using landline phones for communication?!? At least this is the impression I get from reading your posts...

Yes! I don't own a "cell" phone (my wife does) so I am not encumbered by an electronic device that seems to be in front of everyone's face these days, even at the dinner table. My land line telephone is for me to use when I want to talk to someone, and I "h8 sum1 u dont no" texting in an abbreviated language, so I don't text, nor do I have to receive texts. I am also using a desktop computer rather than a laptop, tablet, or cellphone to access the internet.

I'm a dinosaur and perfectly happy with that.

Regards,

Jim
 
Well, I understand that... But from a gunsmith perspective - either you give your clients a landline number, or a dedicated cell phone number that never leaves the shop. But as a owner of a firearm currently in possession of the said person, as a guy that payed money forward for a said service, I DO want to be reached easily. It's just in my interest to do so. And when I know that the said person may try to reach me in the near future I will make sure to answer any unknown numbers that show on my phone screen. And guys, do acknowledge the fact, that a guy that is offering some kind of service will NOT memorize your phone number. And he will NOT put it in his phone's memory. It's just a random number that he could not answer at the time for some reason. He might try to call back, he might forget to call back... It's your job to make yourself available when he tries to contact you, not his.
 
I'm sorry - I have no dog in this fight as you might say, but in the 21st century you guys are using landline phones for communication?!? At least this is the impression I get from reading your posts...

What's wrong with land lines? I'm a Luddite by nature and like my landline. My stereo equipment doesn't have blue tooth - so what?
 
Yes, I have a cell phone. Yes it's with me all the time. Yes I missed a call in June (I'm in a freaking shop. It gets loud sometimes!!). I called the O.P. back the next day. For 51 secs. I talked to him (I assume, I don't leave long messages). I'm sure I told him (if we talked) that the group of Walkers/Dragoons are coming up and his was one of them. I missed his call 2 days ago and here we are. On a public forum.
I will apologize to all here for all future times, I do not call to give updates to your "baby" ( I'm way too busy.) If you miss me, text me, if you can't text me, email me. I have no emails or texts from the OP since I texted him in April. 1 missed call, 1 returned call , another missed call 2 days ago and here we are.
Is this sufficient? I have records. I've talked with Ken (we are ok).
As a reminder, John's Walker will be finished Mon. or Tues. (I'm not as clairvoyant as some are so I can't tell you exactly when I'll be done. If it were simple, maybe so . . . )

Mike
 
Well, I understand that... But from a gunsmith perspective - either you give your clients a landline number, or a dedicated cell phone number that never leaves the shop. But as a owner of a firearm currently in possession of the said person, as a guy that payed money forward for a said service, I DO want to be reached easily. It's just in my interest to do so. And when I know that the said person may try to reach me in the near future I will make sure to answer any unknown numbers that show on my phone screen. And guys, do acknowledge the fact, that a guy that is offering some kind of service will NOT memorize your phone number. And he will NOT put it in his phone's memory. It's just a random number that he could not answer at the time for some reason. He might try to call back, he might forget to call back... It's your job to make yourself available when he tries to contact you, not his.

As I stated, you might be in the 21st century, but what did you do in the 20th century before the Internet? Most of us relied upon snail mail for catalogs and ordering parts for any number of different firearms the same way. We never had a problem with that as that was how business was done, and parts or accessories did not arrive in 2 days via USPS Priority Mail. These days, everyone wants instant communication and results from that.

We have lost the virtue of patience. Amazon and others have made it so as to get next day service as the norm, and when it doesn't happen, we get pissed..

Slow down. Life is not going to pass you by just because you might have to wait a bit.

I am selling a newer 1851 Pietta Navy grip assembly to a gentleman in Alabama. It has taken 4 weeks to get the simple task of completing the deal with an 82-year-old guy, and it is just what it is.

Regards,

Jim
 
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I was probably the last person to get a flip phone and the last person to get a smart? phone. Why would I want to have someone call me while I was at the range, driving, out hiking or playing golf?duh?? My children finally shamed me into buying them. We still keep a land line with an answering machine and only give out that number to anyone we think might sell our number to the scammers. We let the machine answer the land line even if we are home and then delete all the messages from the nice folks wanting to change our electricity supplier or notify us that our SS numbers are being held for ransom. Only our friends and family have our cell numbers so we seldom get nuisance calls on them.
 
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