Daryl,
I hate the fact I have to post this message but I humbly feel some of the facts have been lost in this case.
Many on this thread have asked how we handled your greivance. Well here are the facts.
1. PURCHASE: You contacted us wanting to purchase a sea service musket. Because you stated that you had a limited income (due to a private issue), but wanted to get involved in the Black powder muzzleloading hobby like your brother. I wanted to help so I gave you a sizable discount on your musket.
2. ALTERING MUSKET: When you received it you were very happy. You then significantly altered the musket: cut down the barrel, brazed a sight, blued the barrel, and filed/altered the breech plug.
3. PROBLEM: After firing it numerous times you discovered fouling in the threads and report it to me and the world. I asked if you altering the breech had anything to do with it... a question you were quite offended at. So I took it at your word it was the thread gap was the issue. Your concern was the fouling and gap would eventually allow gases to vent out the breech over time.
4. EXCHANGE/REFUND: We immediately offered a refund upon its return, even though you had significantly altered the piece beyond repair (costing us hundreds of dollars). HOWEVER instead of a refund you asked for ANOTHER MORE EXPENSIVE musket as an exchange! (1728 French Musket) Considering the original deep discount, it would be been at a significant loss if we did this. Therefore we refunded your payment. In fact we also refunded the shipping as well which is against our return policy.
5. INSPECTION: We then inspected our existing stock and did not find any with thread gaps. We then contacted the Manufacturer (we being a vendor) of the issue and they attempted to discover what happened and analyze how to improve checks. However of the hundreds of muskets we have sold they issue appears is unique to this musket alone.
6. TESTING/PROOFING: In addition we wanted to test your theory about venting gases out the breech. I handed it over to someone to test it with more experience than me. I apologize for the confusion on how many grains would be used in testing this thread gap issue. I deal with thousands of clients a year, and we sell thousands of products including hundreds of muskets annually. I was not playing any "game" or purposefully misleading as you suggest. I simply forgot the total of grains I said we would test it with.
7. RESULTS: We tested it using the old British proofing standard of firing with double load (170gr.) and double patched ball. This was done a number of times, then the barrel was left for four months to allow any fouling to work. The barrel was fired again a number of times recently in the same way. There has been no issue with the breech yet, even under these elevated conditions. We intend on leaving it for another 6 months and try again.
8. IMFORMED YOU: I informed you yesterday of the results so far and you responded by suggesting the person who tested it didn't know what he was doing... the old British proofing standard wasn't good enough... that I misled you on the grains being used, and so on. I explained to you, we are not testing the PSI strength of the metal. That was not the issue. We are testing to see whether the fouling thread gap could cause leakage of pressure and firing it at this amount over the period of a year or so should provide answers. Your tone concerned me and that is when I discovered this message thread.
Daryl. After we did not approve an exchange for a more expensive musket you seem to go from speaking highly about many of the good qualities of the musket to "even the swivel screws" are not good enough. On reading your posts I cannot help but feel you view your credability somehow attached to this issue and that you may have lost your objectivity over the matter. You had a concern and we are testing it. That's it. That all.
MEMBERS of the Muzzleloader Message Board,
As a vendor I do not know what more we could have done in this case:
We discounted the item in the first place on compassionate grounds.
We immediately refunded the client everything even though the piece was significantly altered.
We took action by notifying the manufacturer.
We did not find the issue was systemic in our inventory.
We have done a number of tests based on a common proofing standard to address Daryl's original concern and the breech has not caused problems yet even though it is being fired well beyond normal use.
Have we handled this all wrong? I know one thing the road to hell is certainly paved with good intentions.
Daryl. I know you will be very angry when you read this post, which I am sorry, but I had to present our perspective on this issue since more questions have been raised in this message thread, than answered. I have great respect for you and I am not trying to challenge you to some sort of message duel. That said I am sure I will feel your message wrath and we will be portrayed as the no-nothing bad guys.
Sincerely,
Robert
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