Vintage Firearms Inc

Vintage Firearms Inc doesn't do general gunsmithing. They work on fine double-barreled shotguns—the kind that require actual knowledge of how these guns are supposed to function and look when finished. All four gunsmiths specialize in double gun work, and they understand the difference between a quick fix and a repair that will hold up for another hundred years.

6791 Old 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546

They work with clients all over the country. If you can't visit in person, they can provide packing materials and instructions to ship your gun safely to the shop.

• •VFI Certified — Their most popular service. Full strip, ultrasonic clean, and inspection of all mechanical systems. Springs, sears, hammers, and firing pins get inspected for damage and wear. You get a 90-day mechanical warranty. This process fixes sticky safeties, gummy triggers, and ejectors that won't function. $275 for action clean; $100 for forend iron.

• •Safety Issues — They handle stiff, loose, or malfunctioning safety buttons. They also convert the dangerous "widow maker" three-position safeties found on L.C. Smith guns (where the rear position is actually fire mode).

• •Trigger Work — Ultrasonic cleaning often improves trigger crispness and pull weight dramatically. They can tune triggers to your needs and repair single selective triggers to function reliably.

• •Ejector Timing & Repair — They fix spring issues, sears, ejector hammers, and maintain a large inventory of replacement parts for most makes and models.

• •Engraving — Master engravers on contract can touch up worn, damaged, or "soft" engraving to factory condition. Price by quote.

• •Case Color — They prepare your action and work with Turnbull Restorations for world-renowned bone and charcoal case coloring with expedited service and reduced costs.

• •Rejoint Side-by-Side Shotguns — They square up the breech face and bring barrels tight on the standing breech. Averages $550–$950.

• •Top Lever Adjustment — Brings left-of-center levers to proper right-of-center position for correct barrel locking.

• •Hinge Pin Tightness — If barrels wiggle when open, they make them tight again. Averages $240–$380.

• •Measurements — They check bore diameter, choke constriction, and minimum barrel wall thickness before any alterations. Safety is the priority.

• •Chamber Lengthening — Most vintage guns can be upgraded to shoot 2¾" modern ammunition safely. $80 per barrel.

• •Forcing Cone Extension — Extends the taper from the typical abrupt 5/8" to 1½", which noticeably reduces recoil and pellet deformation while protecting original wood from cracking. $100 per barrel.

• •Dent Removal — Many dents come out without disturbing the blue finish. ~$60 per dent.

• •Choke Alterations — They open existing chokes from the breech end with precision tooling that keeps the cutter on the bore axis. Most gunsmiths incorrectly approach from the muzzle, risking off-center chokes. $150 per barrel.

• •Rib Repair — Vintage ribs were soft soldered and sometimes come loose. They properly relay ribs, often without requiring a full reblue. Price varies.

• •Slow Rust Blue — Fine shotgun barrels get proper slow rust bluing that protects the metal without softening lettering or stamps. $475.

• •New Barrel Sets — They fit new or replacement barrels to existing receivers, creating matching 2-barrel sets with matching serial numbers and engraving. They stock barrel sets for most American vintage side-by-side shotguns.

• •Full Restoration — Strip old finish, draw out years of accumulated oil, inspect for hidden cracks, repair flaws, and hand-rub oil finish layer by layer until pores are filled. $750.

• •Crack & Split Repair — Structural repairs designed to hold up through recoil and decades of use, not just cosmetic fixes.

• •Checkering — They recut existing checkering to original quality or add new checkering to uncheckered wood.

• •Recoil Pad Installation — 3 hours of work fitting and shaping the pad perfectly. Vintage pads, reproduction vintage pads, and modern pads available.

• •Stock Bending — Hot oil stock bending with superior equipment and methods. They bend hundreds of stocks annually. Minimum $250.

• •Restocking — They have $25,000 worth of fine walnut blanks in inventory. Completely new stocks built to your shooting dimensions and wood choice, with historically correct shaping, checkering, and details. Starts at $2,700.

They review the entire gun from butt to muzzle and provide a detailed estimate to restore every aspect—wood, action, barrels, screws, and mechanics—to factory new condition with historically accurate finishes.

They maintain an inventory of Fox, L.C. Smith, Parker, and Ithaca guns with broken or short wood purchased for their actions and barrels. These can be restocked with premium wood, choked to your specs, and restored to new condition. Two-barrel sets available (26", 28", 32"). Master engravers can create custom engraving.

They fit custom hard trunk-style cases to your gun with reinforced saddle leather in high-wear areas. Cases include nickel snap caps, oil bottle, ebony or rosewood cleaning rod, brushes, jags, and swabs.

3-day professional inspection that tells you what you have or are buying. They measure barrels, stock dimensions, and spot hidden repairs, problem triggers, illegitimate restoration work, and restocked guns misrepresented as original. They have proper tools and decades of experience.

• •Shop Rate: $105 per hour with a $70 minimum bench fee. All estimates provided before work begins.

• •Turnaround: Usually within a few weeks.

• •Expertise: The owner, Jay Shachter, oversees custom restorations personally. This is a gunsmith shop that understands market value and how modifications affect the selling value of your firearm.

• •Warranty: VFI Certified guns carry a 90-day mechanical warranty.

They know vintage shotguns inside and out. If your fine shotgun needs work—whether it's a safety issue, loose ribs, worn engraving, or a complete restoration—they have the skill and inventory to handle it correctly.