TVM Woes! :(

[Smokey Plainsman]

Gang I got in my first “custom” long rifle today, a TVM Tennessee rifle. Came home from work at lunch super excited as I got an email from UPS showing delivery. I get home and gingerly open the package, my heart pounding!! Well, this is the first thing I see emerge from the bubble wrap and newspaper clippings:

Alright... not a huge deal... nothing a little cold blue won’t fix right up. No biggie! But then I see THIS:

Minus the natural spots of rust around the crown (non issue) it all looks good and normal right? Well it would be... but I ordered ROUND bottom rifling!! Yes sir, I got the invoice right here and during the order process confirmed with TVM they’d be using a Rice A-weight round bottom rifling barrel. Even say so on the invoice plain as day.

Aside from that, the inletting for the sideplate and lock are lackluster, even borderline amateurish. There are clearly evident chips and gouges around the lock especially. It’s livable and I wouldn’t complain much about it but man... what a massive disappointment about the barrel.

Guys I’m just venting. 8 months of waiting and just under $1800 all said and done... yikes. I’ve emailed TVM letting them know about the issues and sure hope they make this right. Guys I’ll keep you all updated. Thanks and take care,

-Dillon

 

[Brokennock]

Sorry to hear it. Little "issues" can add up to big disappointment fast. Through in the wrong barrel, which I assume you paid extra for, and I know I'd be pretty upset.

They replaced the barrel on my smoothrifle when the original owner discovered that the dovetail for the front sight had bulged the barrel wall to the inside creating a tight spot in the bore. I hope they at least replace the barrel for you.

Please keep us posted.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Are these made in India?

 

[Bearkiller]

Are these made in India?

Nope. Supposed to be made in Mississippi....https://www.tvmnatchez.com/?vmlightbox=image5q7

 

[Britsmoothy]

I must of missed something but I don't see where they say they make them there.

B.

 

[Stony Broke]

I certainly wouldn't have expected to see all that daylight between the front sight and the barrel either! Perhaps they have hired a new guy to do some assembling that needs some instruction and experience.

 

[jdw276]

I certainly wouldn't have expected to see all that daylight between the front sight and the barrel either! Perhaps they have hired a new guy to do some assembling that needs some instruction and experience.

Did matt sign the top of the barrel or did you ask him not to? Heard he signs all he makes unless asked not to.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
That is too bad. That whole muzzle arrangement and assembly is awful. The rod extending beyond the muzzle, the nose cap showing gaps in the inlet and possibly epoxy filler, the gap between the rod and cap, the poor fitting sight. Not to mention the wrong barrel. Photo below shows what that area should look like.

dave

 

[nit wit]

That is odd! I have a M Avance and it's well done. New employee?
Nit Wit

 

[jdw276]

That is odd! I have a M Avance and it's well done. New employee?
Nit Wit

I would think if he signed it, that is the quality check. His guns are good guns and well made with pride of ownership and signature.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Sorry you got a sub par gun. I would send it back And demand a refund.

I have two guns I assembled from kits from the old TVM back when they were called Tennessee Valley Manufacturing. Had to send one stock back that was cracked. The next kit a smooth bore, the stock had several knots in the wood. I made both guns work but looking back I should have sent them both back. I won't ever buy from them again.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
Tennessee Valley Manufacturing is owned by Jack Garner and Tennessee Valley Muzzleloading by Matt Avance. The first is in Corinth, MS, the second is in Natchez, MS. They are different companies.

dave

 

[45man]

Very sad. Making a rifle right takes a lot of time. I was in demand but would have made no money but Log Cabin would have. $1500 for one of mine and after 6 weeks I might get $200, not going to happen. Then to get the wrong barrel. Crown looks chopped out. The sight came out of a recycle bin.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Very unfortunate and a bad statement about whichever TVM did that horrible job. You would be justified demanding a refund. Personally, I would not risk a rebuild.

 

[Huntschool]

I have seen and handled several of Matt's guns and all have been of excellent quality. I own a fowler from him which I acquired second hand and the fit and finish are excellent for what the gun is. I would have liked a lower RR channel but what the heck..... For the price and finish it shoots like a "Haint".

As asked, is it signed by him on the top flat ?

I must agree the nose cap work is not good. The longer RR is nothing to me as I make mine a bit longer any way. The front sight does have a problem. Wrong barrel, well thats another story.

From what you have shown and said I would follow up your email with a phone call.

EDIT: After some thought, I think it would have been better to have either not posted your remarks until after you made contact with Mike or left the name out of the post. I would think TVM should have been afforded the opportunity to respond to you before you put this on a public forum.

JMHO.....

 

[jbwilliams3]

Did you get a response from them yet? That looks pretty similar to most of the other TVM guns I’ve seen, incorrect parts notwithstanding. That gap between the rod and barrel is an idiosyncrasy with TVM guns. I’m sure it’s done for expediency and cost savings. Rod protrusion and the poor fitting front site? I would guess to be sloppy and not intentional. I would think they would have used an iron tip on the rod, also.

It appears - idiosyncrasies aside - that TVM makes useable and good shooting guns based on the number of folks on this forum who rave about them. They filled a great niche in the market, though $1,800 is getting up there in the price range where a custom builder out there would build a mountain rifle. I hope you end up getting what you like in the end.

 

[azmntman]

I would think TVM should have been afforded the opportunity to respond to you before you put this on a public forum.

Disagree:
....They had the opportunity as they packaged the rifle and sent it anyway. SOME newbie may be ecstatic to receive this, for the $$ not many would, a Lyman or CVA is better put together. I have never dealt with them and see many high praises BUT I HAVE HEARD OF THIS BEFORE. "Alton" (where he go?) paid for an upgraded wood and got a downgraded different species of wood. He was cussed by many for bringing it up each time a post about this vendor came up, he said Matt basically told him to pound sand (I too would bring it up every time I could). based on Alton's experience alone I would still have my $1800.00 in my pocket. Take heed.....

 

[EC121]

Looks like a typical TVM rifle. They are a production shop making many rifles a month not a one man one-off shop. More than one person works on a rifle. They help fill the gap between T/C and Lyman and the one-at-a-time custom builders. Without knowing what options you ordered the only thing to be upset about is the money difference in the barrels. There is probably $5-600 wholesale in parts. So there was $1300 in labor for the various people in the shop and profit plus overhead cost for the company. The more they turn out in a month the more they make. This isn't art it is production.
Sometimes when you buy a pig in a poke, there is a little pig manure in the bag with the pig. I have had my share. That and the 8 month wait is why I quit ordering and started shopping for finished rifles. I also get more bang for my buck. One time I went with a friend to pick up a rifle he ordered from a supposed custom builder. The gun was a wreck. He took it home, removed the metal,sawed the stock up into firewood, and wrote off the $1500 he paid for labor.
I call it tuition in the college of gun collecting.
You probably still have an excellent shooting rifle.

 

[rich pierce]

I’m not in favor of excoriating vendors. They really cannot defend themselves. Anything they say will cause an uproar. Everyone should know by now that TVM makes quality shooting rifles the new fashioned way. There must be 2000 posts here on TVM with varying degrees of satisfaction running from adulation to disgust. Much is in the eye and knowledge of the customer. For generic longrifles roughly approximating a particular style of originals, they usually offer great wood and a serviceable gun at a decent price. Nobody knowledgeable about and crazy for originals is going to be looking at TVM as their first choice. For shooters and rondy folks you get quality you need from TVM. All the issues with this gun are cosmetic and architectural except the form of rifling, which I would not care about. I hope the OP isn’t posting all this in order to get leverage or revenge. I believe in equality of mankind, whether vendor or customer. Not a vendorist.

 

[Ames]

I wouldn't accept it.