To answer your question, No, you are not getting a good deal.
It better be a VERY nice GH to be worth $3k and the $1k or so your VH might have been worth.
I hate to hear about things like this happening. It is really uncalled for and gives everyone else a bad name in sort of a way since if it happens once, someone is extremely hesitant to want to work with someone else.
Being a one man operation, I can understand that things take time, but 4 years? And then what is transpiring now is something else!
I would insist on your gun back, in whatever state it may be in AND your money in full. If they cannot, an explanation as to why would be nice. Providing that the gun is not butchered up in some way, there are many gunsmiths that could pick up the pieces I am sure.
If the gun is "gone" or butchered, sure... take the GH he is offering. But also get your money back since you are out money and a gun.
And if the gun is no where to be found... yes, report it stolen to the ATF right away. They will no doubt have some answering to do to the ATF and also that record of it being stolen will follow the Serial number for a long time.
Recently a couple of very high grade LC Smith guns were pulled from an auction house because they were discovered to have been stolen back in the 80's or something.
If you get a report filed on it, who knows, you may get your gun back some day.
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B. Dudley
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