Handgun Repair Shop, Gunsmith for modern and antique handguns, rifles, and shotguns.
Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern Time zone.
Saturday Noon to 6:00 PM, Eastern Time zone.
Sundays and Holidays closed but may see local customers by appointment only, if normal hours won't work.
Local customers should call ahead before visiting my shop , I occasionally have to go out to run an errand.
Douglas E. Bates owner and FFL dealer.
Pistolsmith. General gunsmithing of most sporting firearms.
Repair, tune, and customize your modern and antique hand guns and long guns.
Handgun repair, revolver repair, and pistol repair. Rifle repair, shotgun repair, black powder repair, muzzle loader repair, musket repair.
Hunting, target, tactical, concealed carry, and personal defense firearms repair and customizing.
Customized 1911 gunsmith. Custom handgun, rifle, and shotgun work.
Member of American Gunsmithing Association since 1996, NRA Annual member since 1984, Life member North American Hunting Club.
The working person's gunsmith. Fees based on actual repairs needed, rather than a large price that is supposed to cover everything (except gun parts) that some other shops charge. My experience has shown that the majority of firearm malfunctions are due to a, relatively inexpensive, small gun part failure. Compare my labor rate of $30.00 per hour to the higher priced gunsmith shops that charge $60.00 per hour or more.
Gunsmithing is not limited to hand gun repair in my gun shop. I do many types of gun repair and gun service. Fitting replacement gun parts for those parts that are worn or broken solves the problem on most malfunctioning guns. Repair or rebuilding of worn or broken gun parts for obsolete or antique guns may be possible, done at an hourly rate on the digital precision machinery in my shop.
I offer custom work on barrel and chamber. Throating, polishing, installing barrel liners and re chambering to the original or different cartridge of the same bore size. I can cut, re crown, and set the front sight back to shorten revolver, rifle, or shotgun barrels.
I do Pistolsmithing, trigger tuning, smoothing and polishing of action, hammer, cylinder and slide for reliability. I also do Concealed carry and tactical customizing and "de horning" bevel work. I can order and install custom stocks, grips, sights, and scopes.
All firearm types are supported. Hand gun, pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, single shot, bolt action, lever action, pump action, semi automatic.
I will NOT work on, repair, stock or order parts for the cheap "Saturday Night Special" guns. These pistols are poorly made from a cast zinc alloy, retailing for approximately $80 to $100. The cast zinc alloy is a relatively soft metal that wears out quickly. By the time they start to malfunction the wear damage is beyond repair and they become unsafe to fire. The best thing to do with these guns when they begin to malfunction is to cut them up and dispose of them to remove them from the firearms marketplace. I used to have the names of the manufacturers of these poorly made guns listed right here. Apparently the search engines picked my site for a source of information on these guns, and I started getting even more phone calls and emails about repairing these guns. I have had to remove the manufacturers names to slow the calls and emails about guns that I do not work on. For another reason why I will NOT support these guns please see www.brandonsarms.org
There seems to be quite a lot of customer interest in antique handgun repair, antique rifle repair, and antique shotgun repair. Collector interest seems to be strongest for cartridge firearms dating from before Civil War vintage through the late 1800's Cowboy era.
One of my antique musket repairs done on November 25, 2006 got local and national media attention when I found a leather pouch containing antique coins from the 1700's hidden in the stock of a 1740's musket. The story was "Gunsmith Unearths Buried Treasure" Posted 2006 12 18 in the Harrisonburg, Virginia, Daily News Record, and "Collector strikes gold with 18th century muzzleloader" posted Dec. 21, 2006 on ESPNOutdoors.com News Hound By J.R. Absher.
Antique gun repair orders have been increasing. Typically about 90% of the repair orders I now receive are for obsolete and antique handguns and long guns that are least 50 years old, while most are 100 to 150 years old and older. Antique gun parts are still available for many obsolete, out of production, and antique firearms. For more information on antique gun parts see my Antique Gun Parts page.
I have repaired many guns for customers who wanted "Grandpa's old gun" to work again for the sentimental value. Other gunsmiths have told them that the "book" antique gun values would indicate that it was not "worth fixing". I have successfully disassembled and repaired old guns that were found in basements, attics, and barns that were so badly rusted that they would not function. I have taken in and completed repair work that another famous big name firearms restoration shop turned down.
Occasionally I have other gunsmiths send me repair work that they do not have the desire, tooling, or maybe the experience, to do themselves. These repair orders have included revolver cylinder timing, spring making, installing barrel liners, and soldering ribs on double barrel shotguns.
I have rebuilt and repaired antique hand guns, antique rifles, and antique shotguns that were manufactured in the 1700's and 1800's. These have included flintlock, percussion, and early obsolete cartridge designs such as early 1800's American, British, and Belgian Pin fire, Rim fire, and Center fire revolvers.
I have repaired antique and obsolete firearms that were manufactured by A. Waters, Allen & Wheelock, AMT, American Gun Co. New York, Auguste Francotte, B. A. Co. "Slocum", Bacon Mfg. Co., Baker Gun Co., Beretta, Bernardelli, Brno Arms, Brooklyn Firearms Co., Browning, BSA, C. Sharps & Co., Charleville, Chicago Firearms Co., Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, Claude Niquet A Liege, D. Border, D. Moore Patent, Dutch Knil, Eastern Arms Co., Enfield, Ethan Allen, Ejercito Argentino, E. Whitney, F. B. Radom, FEG, Forehand & Wadsworth, Frank Wesson, Gabilandos, Garate Anitua, Galand, Gasser, German Reichs, Glock, Hammerli, Harrington And Richardson, Henry M. Kolb, Heritage Manufacturing Inc., Hi-Standard, Hopkins And Allen, Hunter Arms Co., Imperial Metal Products, Interarms, Intratec, Ithaca, Iver Johnson, J. Stevens Arms Co., J. P. Sauer & Sohn, Kimber, L. C. Smith, Lefaucheux-Francotte, Llama, London Armoury Company Kerr's Patent, M. Friede St. Louis, Marlin Firearms Co., Mauser, Merwin Hulbert & Co., Mitchell Arms, Moore's Patent Firearms Company, Murray & Co., National Arms Co., Nepperhan, Ortigies, Oxford Arms Co., Parker, Pieper, Remington's Ilion N. Y., Richland Arms Co., Rino Galesi, Romerwerke, Rossi, Ruger, Sam'l & C. Smith, Savage, Sharps & Hankins, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Springfield Armory, Star, Starr Arms Co. New York, Thomas's Patent, Tikka, T. Richardson & Sons W. Tranter's Patent, W. C. M., W. Moore & Co., W. Richards, Walther, Warner's Patent, Webley, Whitneyville Armory, Winchester, to name a few.
I have also rebuilt modern handguns, rifles, and shotguns, including some that were damaged in a house fire while stored in a "fireproof" gun safe.
Many older rifles and revolvers with badly rusted and pitted bores, such as .22LR, .25-20, .32-20, .38-40, and .44-40, can be made to shoot like new by installing a barrel liner.
Many bolt, lever, slide, semi auto, or single shot action rifles chambered in .22 Magnum rimfire can be relined and chambered to the original .22 Magnum or the hot new .17 HMR cartridge.
An announcement was made at the February 2004 SHOT Show that a new .17 caliber cartridge based on the .22 Long Rifle called the .17 Hornady Mach 2 would be available in late 2004. For more information on the .17 Hornady Mach 2 cartridge see my 17 Mach 2 page.
NRA and North American Hunting Club members qualify for a 10% discount.
Internet firearms purchase transfers.
I accept firearm transfers from out of state FFL licensed dealers and internet auctions. I can accept transfers for customers who live in the western and northwestern regions of Virginia, and eastern West Virginia, that wish to purchase firearms from internet dealers and auctions. I charge $10.00 per firearm transfer fee, plus the $2.00 Virginia resident or $5.00 non-resident NIC background check fee.
After you make payment arrangements for the purchase of the firearm with the seller, send me the seller's name, address, email, fax number, and phone number. I will send the seller a signed copy of my FFL. They will then send the firearm you purchased to my shop. When your firearm arrives I will contact you to set up a time for you to come to my shop to do the Federal and State background check paperwork and pick up your firearm.
Many people now use the web to seek information. This website is currently serving over 3,000 page views to over 1,800 unique visitors per week. Those visitors have used over 250 unique search phrases on 25 different search engines to find firearms information on this site.
I have had a steadily growing increase in the arrival of orders for hand gun repair, and other firearms to repair. Repair orders come in from all over the United States. During the busiest times of the year new repair orders are arriving faster than I can complete the repair orders already waiting on the shelf. About 90% of those repair orders have been for obsolete and antique handguns, antique rifles, and antique shotguns that have had many parts missing and broken. Finding a source for the vintage parts or making the parts and repairing these antique and obsolete handguns, rifles, and shotguns is a very satisfying and rewarding experience, but it is also a very detailed and time consuming type of work.
Around 2003 I found it necessary to announce that I have a waiting list of repair orders. That waiting list has been continuous, I always have repair orders stacked on the shelf waiting. The waiting list has varied only in turn around time, currently estimated at about two (2) to three (3) months. The turn around time varies according to the amount of work necessary on the current repair orders. If I get several consecutive easy repair orders the wait time may shrink, or several consecutive very difficult repair orders may increase the wait time.
I assign each firearm that arrives at my shop to a repair order waiting list according to the date it arrives at my shop. My goal is to have your handgun repair, or other firearm repair completed on a "The first one in is the first one out" basis.
When I receive a repair order shipment the owner's name and address information, and the gun model and serial number information is entered into the BATF required Gunsmith Firearm Repair Log book. I write up a Repair Invoice according to the date the shipment arrived. The incoming repair orders are then added to the stack to wait their turn, when the previous repair orders have been completed.
In order to have your repairs completed in a timely manner, and so you won't be without your gun any longer than necessary, I offer an option for you to submit a "Repair Order Reservation" to get your repair logged on to the repair orders list. Send $50.00 deposit, applied to the final cost, by check or money order, your return shipping address, your email and or phone contact information, a description of the name, model, and serial number of your gun and the repair or customizing service wanted. I will write up a repair order for the date that your deposit arrived and get your repair in line on the waiting list. I will contact you about 7 days before I am ready to inspect and diagnose your repair to allow time for you to get your gun shipped to my shop. Once inspection and diagnosis is completed I will contact you with a written cost estimate for your approval prior to ordering parts or starting the actual repair.
After shipping your firearm for repair, please be patient. Your repair order will be worked on when it's turn comes up, after the previously logged repair orders have been completed, according to it's repair order date on the repair orders waiting list.
Questions, comments or suggestions? Contact Douglas E. Bates at,
Phone 540 833-2569 , Cell Phone 540 746-0194
or send email to,
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