My mission as a gunsmith and artist is to provide top quality gun repair and restoration.  All my work is guaranteed.  I also realize many people cannot afford to pay what  it will cost to make a gun as perfect as possible. I will try to work within your budget.  In the photos section you will see a Civil War era Starr revolver, welded, ground, repaired, polished and reblued. It was not done to the finest degree possible, as the owner had limited funds.  But the gun is complete and working, 95 percent of the rust pits are gone, and the barrel is no longer split in three places.  And it is an attractive blue.  To have made the flats flatter and the edges more crisp would have cost 2 or 3 times as much.

I have worked in five gun shops in three states.  I have had the great fortune to apprentice with Lester Cox of R.S. Elliott Arms Co. in Kansas City.  I worked with Tim Ward of Ross Sporting  Goods in Farmington New Mexico.  I worked at Simmons Gun Specialties in Olathe Kansas.

In the past, a few of the great gunsmiths in the Kansas City area have taught me many  things about Gunsmithing, like Warren Moore and Chuck Ward, and Jim Hughes of Independence.

After 40 years in the business working full time, and 6 days a week, 64 hours a week, for the last 25 years, I feel I have learned what is necessary to provide professional service of a high order.

It is impossible to describe all the services I provide.  Please ask me via e-mail or phone if I can help you.

I do everything from simple repairs to full restorations of guns in hideous rusted broken condition  most other gunsmiths will not touch.  I build custom rifles for target, hunting and combat.  I do the same for shotguns,  revolvers, and automatic pistols.  Trigger jobs, hot bluing, wood work, extensive repairs, rust blue, parts made, fitted, and hardened.  Accuracy work on all guns.

I have excellent and reliable sources for case hardening, charcoal bluing, engraving and Damascus refinishing.  Please view the photos on this website, built and maintained by Michael Cox.

I can create a detailed photographic essay of the restoration of your gun.

Many guns are not worth the cost of restoration.  Some are not worth the cost of repair.  Families often pool funds to restore a favored gun once owned by a grandfather.  This is worthwhile if the gun will be retained by the family.  Sometimes a historical piece will leave a family if there is not enough value placed on it.  If it is restored properly, it will never be placed in a closet, to be abandoned and uncared for and forgotten.

I counsel each depositor of a cheap gun as to the inadvisability of spending $500 to $1500 on it to make it new. Often not wise.

Most often the price is of little consequence, as it might be the only thing left from grandfather.

Whether you  have  a .22 rifle that needs a firing pin, a .45 auto that won't feed, a Smith revolver that needs a 7 lb double action job, or an anti-sniper rifle made for your department, I can do whatever. And don't  forget that Parker in the closet.

Michael Allee         mallee@gunsmithingonly.com



 

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