Perhaps this might offend some here, but in my opinion, health issues (even death) are no excuse. A business (small or large) that receives the property of others should have a succession plan. Failure to do so is lazy and unprofessional, period.

[Bill: A surety bond guarantees that a business/contractor completes the work it/he was hired to do. Ever heard of a contractor advertise his business as "bonded and insured"? Yeah, that's what I am talking about.]

-Victor

I couldn't agree more. When Jerry Kaiser, of KP Firearms, passed away, it took me almost a year to get a rifle and the scope that was to be mounted for me, back. As I recall, the ATF required an attorney to review the "Book", and make the arrangements. It was a nightmare, for me and dozens of others.

I once had 7 guns on consignment & the owner on the store passed away. Everything in the store went into the probate court. It took 2 years to get my guns back. And to get them back they had to re-register them back to me at about $60/gun.

Victor, I don't think most people would think a surety bond would be necessary for a repair on a shotgun. I sympathize with anyone who is victimized by a gunsmith. I have been in that situation before, lost one gun and almost lost others. I think a trip to Ilion would be in the cards for anyone with guns at Del Gregos. Not because of their reputation, which is good, but because of the time period.

To me, there is a big difference between someone who just dies with no notice or anything, ie: gets struck by lightning or a bus, or any other way, fill in the blank. Vs. the case of a known serious illness, it is in everyones best interest to make arrangements for the return of customers possessions and clear them out of the backlog. There is no excuse for sitting on the stuff.

This is a pretty serious topic, for sure! We are all human, so can die in an instant without notice.
Add to that, most of the really good gunsmiths are pretty old, and a lot closer to that inevitable instant.
Sounds like a discussion worth having.

I have called and left a message. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I’d love to hear them

My go to gun dealer and ffl here had a stroke recently and a friend had some guns on consignment with him. Made for a tough situation. If all else fails and it were me, I'd call the ATF. Granted, they may create a new set of problems

Yeah. They’ll come and shoot your dog, then arrest you, then maybe they’ll sort it out.

Try Plans A-Z first.

-Victor

"We're from the government, we're here to help you." :nono: