Crooked crown repair job from NAA

[Goatpacker]

Has anyone sent their mini in for repairs of a crooked crown and got it back yet? If so can you post some pics, before and aft if you have them. Otherwise if you have sent one back for the fix, how long has it been?

[[email protected]]

I have sent mine in to have a crooked crown/offset bore problem addressed (amongst other things) and have received it in return from the repair department.

So below was one of my replies in the crooked crown thread. My experience goes back to 2013 as you will note from my link within the reply below. As you can see, I sent my revolver to NAA to have the canted crown fixed after the Hand Aft fell out while I was at the range back in October 2013. I also asked for a LR cylinder and purchased it from them.

Good to hear this is being corrected. This was my experience: http://naaminis.com/smf/index.php?topic=3058.msg47243#msg47243

You can see a few others chimed in and related they had the same experience.

I did end up sending it back earlier this autumn because the Hand Aft broke off inside and fell out at the range. I asked if they would address the muzzle/crown since it was in for repair anyway. They fitted an entire new barrel and refinished the firearm. The new barrel bore centering, crown and muzzle are still visibly imperfect but it is at least close to square and centered and not canted like this- /.

When I received the firearm from NAA the crown looked pretty good. The LR cylinder was charged to me and was timed perfectly. The repair manifest showed that the Hand Aft was replaced, the entire barrel was replaced and the LR cylinder was fit.

But... unfortunately the new barrel itself is canted (I thought the bore was a little off centered at first) and the sight blade is offset. Well, now its gone as it came loose while I was shooting and is hiding in the gravel at my local conservation department outdoor range. But its now obvious how offset the milled slot for the blade is and you can see how offset the new barrel is. Yes that's right, it broke again and it gives me the opportunity to show you the "repair".

Here are the pictures of the crooked barrel/canted crown repair:

http://s11.photobucket.com/user/vladamiraaron/slideshow/NAA%20Mag

[heyjoe]

wow that is really bad

[Goatpacker]

You have to be kidding me! They sent that thing back to you like that? I'm glad I elected to fix the problem myself. Those pics need to go straight to Sandy.

[[email protected]]

wow that is really bad

It is bad but the lighting of my work bench really highlights it. To my eyes it looks worse now than before the most recent range trip. The brushed finish in normal light makes the barrel and body look much more in line however. The milled slot for the sight blade is glaringly off center regardless of the lighting (as was the blade before it jumped ship).

[[email protected]]

You have to be kidding me! They sent that thing back to you like that? I'm glad I elected to fix the problem myself. Those pics need to go straight to Sandy.

Nope, no kidding. It is the way it arrived... more or less (pun intended).

[Goatpacker]

I would send those pics to Sandy via email with your story.

[[email protected]]

I would send those pics to Sandy via email with your story.

I'll call Monday because I need to send it in for a new sight blade now (and hopefully new barrel with it centered this time).

I was hitting center of mass at 7 and 15 yards at the range!

I just put it up and went back to shooting my SW Model 10-5 and Nagant.

[OV-1D]

 OHHH............ that's one of those left handed guns for a blind man . Extra close belly gun .

[Dinadan]

I find it hard to believe that NAA actually sent the Mini back like that. Maybe someone in the shop set it aside to finish replacing the barrel later, and someone else thought the job was done and sent it away.

[Goatpacker]

Maybe so but seeing that they have Quality Control engineers they should be the last eyes to see it before it goes in the box. That gun in that shape is inexcusable especially being that that was their second chance to get the product right for the customer. I'm sorry but I would be really pissed if that gun was mine.

[[email protected]]

I find it hard to believe that NAA actually sent the Mini back like that. Maybe someone in the shop set it aside to finish replacing the barrel later, and someone else thought the job was done and sent it away.

It is worse than when it arrived from NAA. This last range trip was the first time I've fired it since it was returned to me. I've returned from the range without the sight blade and the barrel looks as though it's turned even more. The milled slot for the sight blade is obviously offset. It was that way when it arrived and it was canted like: / when sighting down the top strap. The barrel was always turned a little. It is now worse since shooting it. I commented as such (see my reply to "heyjoe"). No kidding.

You should have seen the barrel this one replaced if you think this one looks ridiculous and unbelievable.

[[email protected]]

Maybe so but seeing that they have Quality Control engineers they should be the last eyes to see it before it goes in the box. That gun in that shape is inexcusable especially being that that was their second chance to get the product right for the customer. I'm sorry but I would be really pissed if that gun was mine.

I'm really frustrated, not particularly angry... I am exasperated.

[[email protected]]

I know I'm not being questioned but... I know it looks unbelievable.
I'm not a whiner or a complainer, I understand that crap happens. I haven't spent the last year posting nasty messages. I asked a few questions concerning the quality because my revolver hasn't lived up to the reputation.

So far I have grips that rock back in forth in the frame when the trigger is pressed, the Hand Aft broke out of the gun at the range while shooting and it was thus inoperable and broken, the original barrel bore was not centered to a painful degree, the original crown was canted like this: / when looking across it and the barrel itself was cut at the same angle, the rear sight notches are visibly uneven (not that they are usable) and after it comes back from repair the new barrel has its sight blade installed off center (really really off center) and the barrel is not even with the frame, I shoot it at the range (100+ rounds) and the blade falls off and the barrel looks like it's backing out of the frame. These are truthful and valid complaints. My pictures are no worse or crazy than the other pictures posted in the crooked barrel thread by other customers.

This is the last I'll say about, the question was asked, just thought you'd all like to hear my experience. If it's resolved I'll give and update, if not, well, I'll keep my mouth shut and move along.

[Dinadan]

Vladamiraaron - sorry if I sounded like I thought you were being untruthful. What I was trying to say was that I think there must have been some mix up at NAA. Like Goatpacker said, they should have had better quality control. No gun smith could have possibly have thought that the barrel on your gun was replaced satisfactorily; I was trying to imagine a scenario where that gun would have left the shop in that condition. Once again, I apologize for sounding as if I were questioning your veracity.

[OV-1D]

I know I'm not being questioned but... I know it looks unbelievable.
I'm not a whiner or a complainer, I understand that crap happens. I haven't spent the last year posting nasty messages. I asked a few questions concerning the quality because my revolver hasn't lived up to the reputation.

So far I have grips that rock back in forth in the frame when the trigger is pressed, the Hand Aft broke out of the gun at the range while shooting and it was thus inoperable and broken, the original barrel bore was not centered to a painful degree, the original crown was canted like this: / when looking across it and the barrel itself was cut at the same angle, the rear sight notches are visibly uneven (not that they are usable) and after it comes back from repair the new barrel has its sight blade installed off center (really really off center) and the barrel is not even with the frame, I shoot it at the range (100+ rounds) and the blade falls off and the barrel looks like it's backing out of the frame. These are truthful and valid complaints. My pictures are no worse or crazy than the other pictures posted in the crooked barrel thread by other customers.

This is the last I'll say about, the question was asked, just thought you'd all like to hear my experience. If it's resolved I'll give and update, if not, well, I'll keep my mouth shut and move along.

  Mouth shut , no way I'd want that one fixed plus a freebee gun to boot just for the aggravation and the public relations fix . They better start making things better at that plant because I smell lawsuits from something really bad happening somehow , lets face it NOBODY is checking the production models if they were they would have found that in test firing station . Like I've said over and over QUALITY over QUANITY , too fast generally means too bad in any production line .    Give'em heck there Vladamiraaron , P.S. too long a name . Oh one more thing good help is hard to come by these days so that's why the owner needs to pull up the sleeves and get dirty .

[heyjoe]

no one doubts you Vlad.  i for one would like to hear how this comes out. Goatpacker is right forward those pictures to sandys email

[Kevin55]

Wow, Monday morning repair? Moooore coffee needed.

[PaducahMichael]

My future NAA purchases - which were planned to happen very soon - are now on "hold" until this kind of report becomes a thing of the past.

I had planned to buy 2 more Earls and a Sheriff....but now I'm afraid of buying a can of worms along with the firearms.

I usually buy from the internet, so I don't have a chance to inspect guns before I receive them - and I don't need the hassle of returning a brand new gun for such obvious and rudimentary defects.

I hope Sandy gets things back on track! I want more minis!

[RogueTS1]

YIKES.........................

[Sandy]

Admittedly, experiences like this are inexcusable.  Please contact the factory to give us (another) chance to make this right.

[heyjoe]

there you go Vlad. give them a call tomorrow.

[Goatpacker]

Looks like the "man" that can make immediate changes happen is just as shocked and concerned as we all are. He has spoken out on this matter and I would be willing to bet that the next gun that goes in the box headed towards your house will have his fingerprints on it.

[n9znd]

  That is about as bad of a NAA as I have seen.    I have had several with bad crowns but I just redone them myself with good results and they shot great after words.   That Mini is a train wreck.  Not sure that I would even want that one back.  Maybe they should just replace it for you.    I will only but sight seen in a Gun shop now.  Although I check the little LR I bought last weekend and was as happy as I could be as far as checking it completely out I found out the pin was jumping out after I shot 15 rounds through it and after cleaning it.   I installed the new Cylinder pin 2 days ago.    NAA was on it and 2 days after the phone call the pin was in the mail.    NAA WILL make it right.   Jim

[Goatpacker]

I think NAA will get these issues fixed for sure. I also feel that they will be having "Donkey Bar-BQ" at the factory tomorrow fully catered by Sandy himself!

[PaducahMichael]

If I were in Sandy's shoes, I would start a program of including an "INSPECTED BY XXX" paper slip inside each mini that is packaged. That way if there's a problem, they'll know who to retrain.

[maxmerc]

I had a crooked crown repaired by NAA about a year ago. Took about three weeks.
Before the crown 8 of 10 shots would keyhole. After repair maybe 2 of 10.
Looks much better.

[redhawk4]

That's certainly very poor, but ultimately you have to judge a problem by how it finally ends, rather than when you are in the middle of it - as long as people are genuinely concerned and still trying to fix it you have to give them a chance. Having said that, when it's your gun, it is jolly frustrating and the part that's hard to get over is the fact that a gun that's been to and fro for repair somehow never seems to be loved like one that was right from the get go.

If I had the choice I think I'd prefer they gave me a new one at this point, that way it's much easier to forget the problems the first one gave you, when you own a new one that's functioning and looking like it should.

[RogueTS1]

Just got off the phone with Customer Service and a smith about the non square crowns/muzzles. They apologized and stated they will get my two guns shipped and squared away as quickly as possible. They gave me the UPS shipping number and asked me to send ASAP. Took all of 5 minutes, was pleasant and satisfactory.

Well done in my opinion. Based upon past NAA experience the problem will be rectified quickly and proficiently.

[[email protected]]

Update time!

I mailed the firearm on Monday the 3rd and it was returned to me Tuesday the 11th. It would have been at my house Saturday the 8th but FedEx held it two days in a KC FedEx center because it wasn't "scheduled for delivery" yet .

I called Monday late morning and simply explained I was a customer and had a firearm in need of repair. No details offered by me and none asked by NAA, just a friendly and succinct instruction to pack it, post it, reference an NAA shipping account number and send it in with a written note as to the nature of the problem. So I did as instructed. I wrote a quick note as to what was needed and it's past repair history, what I wanted, and packed it according to instruction and went a few blocks to a UPS store and the next day NAA had it.

NAA completed the repair and it looks brand new again. The barrel was replaced and a new sight installed. The bore is centered in the barrel, the barrel is square, it is fully threaded into the frame and the muzzle crown looks great.

NAA through in some extras and they didn't have to do that, it was very nice. It would have been fair to repair the firearm to spec as it was originally manufactured. That is what a warranty is, and if that is the bargain that is upheld it is fair enough. They really went above and beyond and I fully expected to be contacted and pay for a certain upgrade I had requested just as I had paid for the .22lr cylinder that I had requested the last time it was sent in for repair.

Thank you for the great customer service and the extras.

I haven't put it through its paces yet but rest assured I'll put some rounds through it soon. If anything goes south I'll let you know. I do not expect anything like the past two experiences, I truly believe they were anomalies. I know it looks bad and folks have been seemingly coming out of the woodwork with problems as of late. I believe there were some issues with attention to detail and QC was a bit lax as evidenced in allot of the photos reporting the same type of issue and the now infamous NAA tech statement, but with the volume of firearms sold, the problems reported via this forum are probably a drop in the bucket. Lets hope so and lets hope it's sorted.

So again, thank you. Hope to hear good reports from others who have sent theirs in for repair and then I hope to not hear anymore about it.

[I]

Oh man, this must be a contender for some kind of "hard luck fiasco" award

Don't get sour, know it's hard. I've had a couple of "problem children" sent back, but that's really rough.

My bet is as a buyer that you probably won't know what was said or done. I suspect some people got a few choice words and some more lessons.

Working as someone who did machine work, let me tell you that you don't see the "in house progress."

My worst mini went back three times because I was beating the crap out of it. NAA will make it right, please enhance patience by tell them your issues.

Some of the stuff "out of the spout" needs work, but it's for life. Life warranty is the toughest chain a company could put around their own neck.

Best luck, don't give up. You'll have something to bestow.

[Goatpacker]

That is great news and the type of thing I wanted to hear when I started this thread. I hope that it is now all that it should be. Like I said earlier on this thread, I bet the gun you have in your hands today has Sandy's finger prints on it and some "you know what" got chewed.

[PaducahMichael]

Yessir!

That's the kind of report that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. You don't see that level of customer service much anymore. In fact I would be hard pressed to think of any other company who can meet this excellence!

[RogueTS1]

That was fast! I just sent mine in last Thursday I believe. It may be back much sooner than I was thinking. Customer Service, as usual, was quick and to the point about getting the issues squared away. Per previous experience I expect the two will be delivered quickly to my front desk secretary and in my hands ready to go.

[TwoGunJayne]

Never seen anything different from NAA customer service.