What would you do ???
:(about 7 months ago when i first became a member here on HKpro i made my first clone build purchase from a member here. I purchased what i thought was a SW 93 rec & a"HK factory 8.5" .223 JA date coded barrel & trunion" well now 7 months later my smith calls and tells me it is not a factory barrell & that it is so out of spec he cant even install the handguard, & the threads and sight assembly are totally jacked up. When this member emailed me out of the blue asking me if i would be interested in his rec, & barrel he assured me it was a factory 53 barrel. I was new to all of the buying & selling via HKpro, so when i recieved the rec, & barrel i was none the wiser as to wether it was factory or not, it has been @ the smiths every since. I am just now finding out i have been screwed out of $300. (price of the barrel). I have all the communication documentation via emails of the transaction. My question is what am i supposed to do ? I have made tons of transactions via hkpro all of which have been positive, i even posted positive feedback for this fellow, but i now feel something is wrong. Opinions on what i should/could do would be great :(:(:(:(
Last edited by FRANK; 07-09-2009 at 10:42 AM.
Thats a tough spot to be in.Have you talked to the guy about this new problem? Is it possible he really didnt know what he had and misrepresented it to you? Is it even possible the smith has inadvertantly switched barrells with another build or something in the shop?
May be one of those deals where you chalk it up to experience? Good luck and hate to hear about the problem here.Please keep us informed as I am sure you will.Theres another side to this as well that may shed light on it?
I'd say PM the seller first thing, find out what they knew. They may not have know. Take the civil route first and try to settle it that way. There are to many people that want to jump and start a pissing match right away. Keep this updated to help build a history and as a good report or warning.
There is a very large range of knowledge of gun parts out there. I know a small amount and could only spot a factory part if I have it in my hand, as that is all i have right now.Yet some on this board can spot a fake/airsoft/clone just by looking at a pic.
Ted Nugent on deer hunting.
He was being interviewed by a British journalist. The journalist asked,"What do you think the last thought is in the head of a deer before you shoot it? Is it, `Are you my friend? Or is it, Are you the one who killed my brother?'"
Nugent replied, "They aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, 'What am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away.' They are very much like the French in that way
Get it back from the smith. The first thing to do if confirm what you have is genuine and not misrepresented by the seller. Please post pics and it will be easy for the members here to confirm it is correct.
Like Phoenix mentioned some of the members here have handled hundred of factory barrels and will easily be able to determine if it is genuine and not abused.
Its possible that your smith is not familiar with a particular build. Better to give the benefit of the doubt to the seller until proved otherwise.
thanks guys for your opinions, i think i will have my smith send it to me as he said he would, then i will look it over to make sure it is the same one i had sent to him& hadnt been rearanged or acidently put wit someone elses kit, then i will post pics here on hkpro so some of you more experienced guys can look @ it & give me your opinions, then i will decide wether to contact the seller, thanks again
There are definitely some pieces of info missing here. I have two original HK53 barrels, neither have normal "JA" type date codes like carriers and bolt heads do. One is "1F 1T", the other is "1F CA". Both are marked "178" indicating 1 in 7" twist, I think they all are. They also have two proof marks, one is the typical Nitro Eagle that's to the right of the "1F 1T" markings, the other is on the tapererd transition from the barrel to the trunnion contact area.
They both have the "JF" script characters on that taper as well.
Newer barrels have a different type of coding on them - they start with a triangle or maybe a triangle in a circle, and then a 5 or 6 digit number, I think preceeded by a K. New MP5 barrels have this similar numbering on them.
But the part about "can't fit the handguard" is odd. The barrel doesn't touch the handguard. The mounting point for the handguard is attached to the cocking tube. A barrel so large that the handguard won't fit over would also mean that the cocking tube mount won't fit either. A barrel that much different would would be very conspicuous. Has the gunsmith had it for 7 months and is just now looking at the parts?
Did you get the barrel and send it to the gunsmith, or was it shipped straight to him?
If you did get it first, did you look at any of the stampings near the chamber end so you'll have an idea if the one he sends back is the one you actually bought?
Once you get it, post some pics of the chamber end where the engraving is. And of the threaded end as well. We'll know if they're real or not. I've got one sitting right here to compare with.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
This is the first email regarding the barrel situation from my reputable smith.
"You included two barrel assemblies. One is a cut 33 barrel and one sort of resembles a 33 barrel modified to work as a 53 barrel.
The already modified barrel has a few problems. The front sight isnt installed very good and it is installed in the wrong place. It is located too far back for the forearm to fit. Also the portion of the front sight is machined to the wrong length.
I believe it would be best to modify the cut 33 barrel to work as a 53 barrel and not use the already modified barrel."
I then asked him if he was sure it wasnt a factory barrel & this is his response
"It is definitely not a factory barrel.
It is not even a dimensionally correct converted 33 barrel.
One of the most noticeable problems is that you cannot get the 53 forearm on it as the front sight is too far back and keeps the forearm from fitting.
The threads are not done on it right at all, the flash hider should about butt up against the front sight, there is nearly a 1/4" gap there. The front sight is also not a 53 style sight.
If you want it sent to you so you can try to get your money back let me know and I will mail it to you."
Ok, that would be a problem. When you get them back, put up some pics. I'll give you measurements of what they should be, you can compare them to what you have. It might be "fixable" but at what cost?Originally Posted by samot
here is the ad as written on GB for the barrel,
Professionly mfr. HK 93/33/53 8.5" barrel with trunion, barrel is original JA german date coded, threaded & comes with original flash hider. Bore is mint.Finished in factory HK black enamel. Great for your SBR project without destroying "original barrel".
Was i wrong for thinking i was buying a original JA date coded 53 barrel ??
Only in that 93 and 33's have 15.5" and 16" barrels. You weren't buying a 53 barrel, you were buying a cut down 33 barrel.
Unfortunately the sight mounting boss and threads were installed in the wrong location. But it sounds like the threads may actually be in the right spot. If there's a 1/4" gap between the end of the flash hider and the front sight, and the front sight is so far back that the forearm can't be installed, maybe moving the front sight boss will fix all of the problems.
You were still sold something that wasn't done correctly, but it might be salvageable.
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