Waiting on Apache barrel

[Remingtonman]

338-06 and 35whelen in 20-24” with a medium sporter contour for big game hunting.

[Robinhood]

Yes, there already very popular!

My only wish would be to have everyone on the same "Caliber" page!!!! I know it's wont' happen, the cost of the reamers and maintenance is one of the biggest factors!

I would love to buy a CNC with "ready to go" software! Jim would love this!

PS: bore and twist are no problem, just the cartridge choices. You will tie up a small fortune in reamers! And some chamberings , you might have 3 or more reamers!

Dennis

Carbide reamers go a long way for a prefit shop, at least in the high volume chambers.

[MTNMAN5C]

Any new updates from Apache? Been waiting on 3 barrels for over 1-year. I haven't had a single email reply from him....zero updates.

[snowgetter1]

Any new updates from Apache? Been waiting on 3 barrels for over 1-year. I haven't had a single email reply from him....zero updates.
i was able to message him on eBay to get a response finally after over a year wait on two.

[BlueDog]

i was able to message him on eBay to get a response finally after over a year wait on two.

Without getting into details, did he give you any insight or just more promises? I see he has several barrels posted on his eBay store, even some VERY similar to the one I ordered 610 days ago. Pretty d@mn frustrating. I got a compete rifle with all new components, chassis, scope, mount, bipod, ($$$) etc etc etc. just sitting collecting dust, waiting. If I had the money (which I don’t now) I’d just buy a prefit and enjoy it. But now I’m just relegated to curmudgeonly complain about it here. Sorry fellas.

[snowgetter1]

No insight. I just message him that I was amazed that I could see plenty of reviews with "fast delivery" on eBay while long time forum/multiple barrel customers wait. He just said he was sorry and got the barrels done.

[oapstate]

It's been almost 14 months. I've sent him another email demanding production or a refund.

[Hybridhunternm]

I have been eyeballing some of his barrels on eBay...seems like a good price but if everyone is having issues not sure that it’s worth going through it all. Can usually get a good used barrel off of one of these forums to you in a week

[grouse]

He has a Krieger blank of mine and I have not heard a word since December after multiple emails. I also prepaid for all the work. At a loss.

[BlueDog]

He has a Krieger blank of mine and I have not heard a word since December after multiple emails. At a loss.

Sorry to hear Grouse, he only has my money, I guess that’s trying to look on the bright side? I understand being swamped and behind, as I’m usually that way myself. But when I do take on too much, I sure as heck don’t take more on, nor do I actively look for more projects on eBay. IF and it’s a big IF, if I absolutely HAD to take on a few more jobs, I’d feel compelled to work on my backlog first. But I think Jim knocks out the easy ones like a sort of triage, snagging that easy money while those of us are left to wait. (...and wait....)

Sorry about the Krieger. Seriously, sorry.

[Mthomas90]

I still havent heard anything from him. It's been since August I think.
I dont mind waiting but I'd like to be in communication... I'm getting a little frustrated now.

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[BlueDog]

I still havent heard anything from him. It's been since August I think.
I dont mind waiting but I'd like to be in communication... I'm getting a little frustrated now.

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Well, I know it’s not much help, but know that you aren’t alone. I haven’t heard from him in over a year despite several emails. I’m currently on day 632 of my wait, or day 632 of my money being held hostage. If Louisiana wasn’t so far away I’d just take me a little road trip.

I just checked Jim’s eBay listings. Still at it, complete with a barrel listing VERY similar to what a I ordered 1 year, 8 months and 22 days ago. The following was copied direct from that listing:

The barrel will be completed and shipped within 3 - 5 business days

I don’t know wether to be infuriated, entertained, or exasperated. Lol. I have no other way to get this fiasco out my system but gripe on here to you guys. I guess I’ve just become a grumpy old man. (A grumpy curmudgeon that has a really nice rifle with all new parts but no barrel...) Sorry fellas. :-(

[J.Baker]

Well, I know it’s not much help, but know that you aren’t alone. I haven’t heard from him in over a year despite several emails. I’m currently on day 632 of my wait, or day 632 of my money being held hostage. If Louisiana wasn’t so far away I’d just take me a little road trip.

I just checked Jim’s eBay listings. Still at it, complete with a barrel listing VERY similar to what a I ordered 1 year, 8 months and 22 days ago. The following was copied direct from that listing:

The barrel will be completed and shipped within 3 - 5 business days

I don’t know whether to be infuriated, entertained, or exasperated. Lol. I have no other way to get this fiasco out my system but gripe on here to you guys. I guess I’ve just become a grumpy old man. (A grumpy curmudgeon that has a really nice rifle with all new parts but no barrel...) Sorry fellas. :-(

Here's my suggestion...

Send a certified letter requiring signature on receipt and delivery confirmation detailing the following:

1) the date the order was placed
2) specifics of the barrel ordered
3) payment method used and date of charge/transfer if CC or PayPal - or copy of cancelled check or M/O receipt if available
4) printed copies of any email correspondence with him since then regarding delivery times
5) printed copy of current ebay ads showing same or similar barrel.

Jim's a great guy and was a very active member here for years before he started making barrels, so I'm fairly confident in saying he would never intentionally rip someone off. Unfortunately he got in way over his head on this and didn't have a solid plan or process in place on how to run this business and it has been biting him in the rear for several years now as orders slip through the cracks and guys such as yourself get extremely frustrated as a result.

It has to be a little aggravating for you though when you see he's sold 27 barrels on Ebay in the last month. Seems he has no problem communicating with the people he's doing business with on there.

[1953greg]

I believe in good communication,had one ordered from him,but later canceled,can’t stand no communication

im with ya...gave up on apache a long time ago....full refund.....50-75 bux aint worth the hassle!!!!!!

[BlueDog]

Here's my suggestion...

Send a certified letter requiring signature on receipt and delivery confirmation detailing the following:


Jim's a great guy and was a very active member here for years before he started making barrels, so I'm fairly confident in saying he would never intentionally rip someone off.

It has to be a little aggravating for you though when you see he's sold 27 barrels on Ebay in the last month. Seems he has no problem communicating with the people he's doing business with on there.

I’ll try the certified letter route. I’ve got nothing to lose at this point.

And just to clarify, I know Jim’s a good guy and despite being frustrated I never thought that he’s intentionally trying to rip me or anyone else off. I still respect his work, and if I didn’t, I would have taken action to get a full refund by now. I know he’s swamped, and treading water while trying to keep afloat is hard to do. I just wish he’d attack this issue a bit different and come from a “First in, first out” approach. I have a sinking feeling my barrel was either forgotten about, or has been buried in a stack of new customers.

Thanks for the input, and I’ll definitely try.

[grouse]

I got a shipping notification today.

[Mthomas90]

Had you been able to make contact? Or was this out of the blue?

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[grouse]

It was just out of the blue. Had been emailing regularly but no response. Got it today and it looks quite good. I actually just wanted the blank back because I already found another barrel but I’m just glad to have gotten something back. The work does look good.

[Zargon123]

Boy, I'm a little sad to read these comments. My dealings with Jim in the past have been great. I get it though. I was burned a couple times years ago by another big name in the Savage game. Never did business with them again.

Sorry to hear about your experiences, but I'll still work with Jim/Apache. So far he's done 3 barrels for me(2 Sav and one Rem) and I couldn't be happier with the fit, finish and quality of his work.

[raul]

I too am waiting for a barrel. A 308, nothing too fancy. Ordered / paid for March 2018. Last I heard from Jim was October 2018. Now it's May 2019. Quite disappointing.