Gunsmithing at Blue Ridge Arsenal

[mparker]

I went to Blue Ridge Arsenal last week just to see the place and talk to the armorer. I had never been there and did not know what to expect.

Review:
- Nice layout
- Fair selection of pistols (I'm partial to Sig and STI 1911s)
- Good selection of stuff for general shooters
- Good selection of accessories and self defense stuff
- Poor selection of parts and accessories for rimfire competition (bullseye, rapid fire, free pistol)
- Not many customers in the store while I was there but the staff seemed more engaged with each other than with a potential sale. IOW a typical LGS ... the guys who charge MSRP (or above) and act like they don't value your business when you drag your butt in during their limited hours of operation, only to be mostly ignored.
- The bright spot was meeting and talking to Jim Carollo, gunsmith.

Jim and I talked about guns generally and my guns specifically, particularly my match grade 22LR pistols. He made no excuses for lack of knowledge about Hammerlis, High Standards, etc. that might need work at some point. We did talk 1911s too. He showed me a build in .45 he did for the owner of Blue Ridge Arsenal. It was similar to what I have in mind for my Nelson Custom uppers and I was impressed with the ascetics and ergonomics. Workmanship was first rate. So . . . I contracted with him to build a 1911-22 for me. Here are the details:

I have two Nelson Custom uppers in 22LR (5" barrels). One has a scope rail and threaded barrel. The other is more characteristic with adjustable open sights and unthreaded barrel.

For the scoped version I have mounted an Ultradot 30mm. I am having Jim build out a complete lower for it with a Remsport stainless frame, and all black Wilson Combat components (ambi-safety, mag release, flat MSH, wide skeletonized curved target trigger, commander hammer, etc.). The grips will be either RoCo or custom made Vitarbos so no mag well will be necessary. I have both and will deliver them to him next week.

Once I've tested it with a few hundred rounds I plan to have another identical build done for the open sight version.

I'd welcome and appreciate your thoughts on my choices; location, gunsmith, frame, components, etc.
My plan was to build a matched pair but, maybe, the second build should be different.

[bikiboki]

My experience at Blue Ridge differs from yours...I've always found the staff helpful, friendly, and attentive - they're all business during the really busy times, but that's as it should be.

I think your assessment of Jim is spot on...he did some work on one of my 1911s and I found him to be knowledgeable, efficient, and a real craftsman. I shoot there one or two days per week and always look forward to a return trip. Here's hoping you enjoy Blue Ridge as much as I do.

Bill

[mparker]

Thanks Bill -
I may join and start shooting there too. It's a bit of a drive but the range was nicer than where I go currently.

Mike Parker

[bryanrheem]

Glad to hear of your experience. A great gunsmith is a great thing! I've also encountered the same thing at BRA where the staff didn't even acknowledge the fact that I was in the store… and when I did seek help, it seemed like I was the jerk…

[casadomi]

Went to BRA yesterday to look at kimber and sig 1911s. I wanted a Colt but BRA was out...salesperson was great-- laid back, informative and not pushy or an arrogant gunshop Rambo. I was going to wait to try another GS but ended up buying a sig 1911 from BRA. All the sales people were friendly and helpful to me, especially for a busy weekend afternoon. Simple: I liked BRA so gave them my business.

[MarcSpaz]

I typically had good experiences at BRA, but I canceled my membership after a bit more than a year, as with the exceptions of no additional charge for range time and the retail sales discount, they were not honoring any of the other member benefits.

Most of the people were friendly, but it was hard to get and keep their attention when the traffic was slow. I don't blame them. You can't be full-on all the time, but you can't ignore people because you're BS'ing with your work buddy either.

Don't know if they upgraded the pistol side yet, but the rifle side was nice with regard to electronic controlled targets and lighting.