doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Opinions on Ivory Beads in Californil

Buddy who was a novice on the Parker Gun scene bought from them what was supposed to be a 16 gauge with a factory beavertail forend. He had the gun for awhile before I saw it, when he showed it to me I pointed out that it didn't have the reinforced lug so there was no way it could be factory. He ordered a letter, and sure it enough, it didn't letter correctly. Called them up and they pretty much said he'd had the gun too long even though they'd claimed it was factory. They did nothing, he still has the gun, and can't sell it because he paid a premium for the supposed beavertail.

Bought a nice gun from them and they were helpful, but I received the gun and the ejectors did not work together but did work independently. Notified them and they said all worked fine before shipping and did not know what could have happened. I kept the gun and will get it fixed , but there was no way the ejectors worked and then did not after shipping. My gunsmith agreed with me.

I do not know if they check one ejector at a time, if so then they did not misrepresent but I expect other wise.

I have a story to tell also, but, instead, I will give a piece of advice from a bluehair. "Buy the gun, not the dealer. Bad dealers sell good guns and good dealers have to sell bad guns." How else would they get rid of them?? I will do business with Ivory Beads and dozens of other dealers, but I will know what I am buying. Jim and Jerry are gun dealers and I'm glad they're here to handle this stuff. I see them at the Vintagers and enjoy their displays.

John, if you're selling the Golchers, give me a call 301-972-0740 Murphy

I called Ivory Beads last year about a Grant sidelever, curious if the stock could be bent upward to fit my face. ''Not advised,'' was the answer, though the bend would have been half of an inch. I found another Grant and came away impressed with them for having waved me away from that gun. I just wish that a few gunsmiths were as honest.

I have never bought anything from them but have spoken with them on several occasions. In one conversation with them I told myself I wouldn't be buying anything from them in the future. It is not that they are dishonest, but in this particular conversation, I was told things that were simply not true about L.C. Smiths and he was talking as if he was in the "know". It proved to me that he didn't know much about the internals of a Smith and a red light went off in my head about them since then.

Just to tell the rest of the story, I was interested in a High grade L.C. Smith they had and in the midst of talking about the gun we discussed the common cracks behind the side plates. I was then informed by them that on Crown Grades and higher, Hunter Arms placed double side plates on the guns thus allowing more metal to wood contact and it eliminated the cracking problem. THis is bogus and it never happened. I should have told him so, but just told him I was no longer interested in the gun. Mis information bugs me to no end, and this tale was just that. Just make sure you know what your buying and inspect the gun in great detail as soon as it arrives...keep in mind that some dealers are gun dealers 1st...not necessarily gun collectors or for that matter, not very knowledgeable about the products they attempt to sell.

I have bought one double rifle from Jim and Jerry. I found them to be perfect gentlemen, and I certainly would do business with them again. They are very personable and friendly. I enjoy seeing them from time to time at Las Vegas or the Vintage Cup.

No dealer or buyer knows everything. There are a lot of urban myths circulating. I don not believe either of them would intentionally misrepresent anything, although we all can make mistakes. To condemn them for passing along some urban myth about a L.C. Smith goes beyond my limits. After all, the buyer bears some due diligence responsibility in every transaction. You can't just stand there being a Pollyanna.

Jim and Jerry are ok by me.

Curl

Curl,

I guess I should have been more to the point in my last post. In this conversation I am speaking about, it was not simply a passing of the same urban legend as it pertains to the side plates of L.C. Smiths. It was stated that from vast personal experience taking them apart and inspecting them, that he learned this. Now if your told something you know isn't true, and the person who's saying it says he's seen it time and time again and backs it up with his vast experience with them, would this not cause a red light to go off?

It sure did for me. Nothing personally against them, as they are very polite and I enjoy looking at their site, but after that conversation, I have made the decision to not buy from them. To perpetuate something that is a false when in the same breath you say how your someone with knowledge on these things won't fly with me.

This may seem like a rather small detail to base my decision on, but I am fickle about whom I deal with. Once something goes awry in any deal, I am very leary of ever doing any business again with that person. Your mileage may very...to each his own...etc...

From eightbore - "Buy the gun, not the dealer. Bad dealers sell good guns and good dealers have to sell bad guns." How else would they get rid of them??"
Anyone can have a good reputation selling nice, good guns. It's the guns with warts that will define the nature of the seller - whether he knows his product, and whether he's willing to study it thoroughly, and describe it accurately. Pricing isn't the issue. The buyer ultimately defines the price

A Wise old man and sometime gun seller once said to me that no dealer ever examines a gun in his inventory to the same level of detail that a buyer will look at that same gun. This same man, now deceased, also noted that no one knows all that much about every gun he might sell as a buyer does about a gun for which he yearns.