Good cheap gunsmith?

[phathom]

I'm looking for a good affordable gunsmith. Here's the deal.
My Father in law has a small .25 Sterling that my wife loves, but the safety is broken on it. He said she can have it, but doesn't want to give it to her with a broken safety.
I'm more than willing to pay someone to fix this so she can have it.
Can anyone recommend me a good gunsmith that won't charge me more than the gun is worth to get it fixed? It's functional otherwise.

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[raftman]

A budget gun like a Sterling is one you may be better off trying to fix yourself. The Sterling pocket .25's and .22's are discontinued, and so a gunsmith may be un-inclined to take on a project if he/she perceives that replacement parts aren't readily available. At least that's been my experience when I've wanted work done on a pistol whose manufacturer ceased to exist some time ago. What's more, any repair at all beyond something extraordinarily simple would probably cost as much if not more than the gun is worth, as the Sterling is basically a $100 gun.

From having had a Sterling myself (the .22 version, however, not the .25), the safety is extremely easy to accidentally flip from the off position to on and vice versa and isn't all that reliable. Not that it matters as the pistol is not at all safe to carry with a loaded chamber and discharges upon dropping are relatively widely reported with the Sterling, even when dropped on soft surfaces like mattresses.

As far as gunsmith recommendations, I'd give ya some to try and ask but I haven't been satisfied with the few gunsmiths I've dealt with and couldn't recommend them. I suppose I can say for sure to avoid the guy at Beaver Creek Armory. I had a repair I needed that was much simpler than yours and he ruined the gun beyond repair.

 

[phathom]

Interesting. I think I'll look into trying to find a spare parts kit for it and try doing the work myself. Also about Beaver Creek Armory, I had them do some of the finishing work on my AR15 I built and they did everything quick, cheap, and while I was there. Everything with it works great and looks great, maybe it's because they do them more than others

 

[Izzy]

I don't know what modle you have, but NUMRICH has some parts for Sterling Arms http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=407

 

[raftman]

maybe it's because they do them more than others

That may be, but I had a PPK clone, and the PPK isn't exactly a complex, highly unusual gun, but I do suspect he deals with AR's far more commonly so you're probably right.

All I needed was to have the spring-loaded trigger guard replaced; and I was new to guns at the time and didn't have the confidence to do it myself. He said it would be done in a week, he took several. When I got the gun back, the slide would no longer move at all along the rails without using extreme amounts of force (like hitting it with a mallet). He pointed out that this could be because the frame is cracked, and claimed that I must have brought it in with the frame cracked. However, when I first brought it in, the slide would move just fine, and he saw this himself as he inspected it and appraised how long the job would take. An issue of that sort is one he would have noticed right away if it were the case when the gun first came in and he would probably not have taken up the project. A new trigger guard for a pistol with a cracked frame is something of a fool's errand. And he didn't even install the trigger guard correctly, it is now permanently affixed in a position halfway between all the way up and all the way down. He "graciously" didn't charge me for the work.

 

[phathom]

Thanks Izzy. It looks like they have the parts for cheap and not too bad on the shipping. I'll see what all needs to be fixed on it, like if there's any springs needed to be replaced or anything as well and order it up.

 

[Izzy]

 

[phathom]

Well update.
Apparently all the parts were there and accounted for, started messing with it and got the safety fixed.
BAD NEWS: While messing with it and having to take the trigger bar/lever on and off a couple times, the hook that goes into the trigger itself broke off. I found the part online to order it, but it lists new style and old style for the parts. Obviously you would look at the serial number, but I have no idea how to decode it and determine if it's an older model or newer model.

 

[Izzy]

Numrich Customer Service. They have always been good to work with in the past.

[email protected]

Part of owning guns is fixing guns.
It is no diferent than owning a car.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[phathom]

Ya, I just wish there was a way to lookup the serial number to tell if it's an old model or new model. I think from reading history on the company that it's an old model. I just want to make sure I order the right part for it. I might even pickup an additional mag as it only has the one too.

 

[Izzy]

If you E-mail Numrich at the link obove, they will help you figure out if you have an old or new model.

Like I said they are great to work with.