Rainier or adco pin and weld?

[flyboy1788]

Ive heard decent things about both so it seems like a toss up but any input is good. Also, for those of you that have had a comp pinned and welded, will I pay extra if i make them install and time the comp before they pin it? I wouldn't think it would matter, but just curious. Only takes a minute if I had to wrench it on there before sending it in.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[boombotz401]

I just had my lgs do it, save on the shipping cost. It's a pretty simple job


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[M4Guru]

Got to be a local shop that can do good work...

I've got a local guy if you have to ship it that does absolutely stellar work.

Where are you?

[TMS951]

I have pen sonar expierince with rainier arms and was happy with the results.

While I have never dealt with adco they have a great reputation.

Who is closer to you/ offers cheaper return shipping?

[Campbell]

Don't overlook any competent machinists in your area, as mentioned above, simple procedure...

[seb5]

Over the years I've had ADCO do maybe 6 pin and welds without issues. My local shop wanted more than they did. After carrying the 14.5 for over 20 years I just wanted mine like those..........but that's for another thread.

[jurassic]

I would like to find someone who will tig weld with stainless rod, no need for grinding and touch up bluing when done right. I'm not a fan of mig welded blobs that have to be ground off.

[sidewaysil80]

I used ADCO once to pin a gas block and enlarge a gas port on a short barrel project. They did a great job on the gas port but neglected or forgot to pin the gas block. I called them and explained that I paid for both services and only one was performed. They sent me a return shipping label and performed the pinning with no further issues. Great customer service.

I've used Rainier Arms for several tasks since then and all have been done with no issue and great customer service to boot. I purchased one of their 18" match barrel for a DM project but never got around to finishing it. I called them because I was concerned of losing the accuracy guarantee since it took so long to finish project. While they concurred the barrel was out of that guarantee/warranty timeframe, they offered to build the gun as that would allow them to extend the warranty going forward. I paid a nominal fee and sent in my parts.

The gun came back with a quick turnaround and I took it to the range to test. It shot like shit. It was guaranteed sub moa and it was shooting 9" spreads at 100yards. So sporadic that I couldn't even zero the scope. I called them that evening and they sent a prepaid shipping label and RMA. They replaced the barrel in under a week and the gun shoots sub-moa if I do my part, as well as feed it match ammo. While they had it I pointed out that the ejector pin on the bolt seemed to walk out a little and didn't seem tight enough. They said they would look into it, but clearly they didn't. The day I reshot with new barrel it still had some play and after about 2 boxes of ammo the gun stopped ejecting. Low and behold the ejector pin had walked out and the ejector failed. I notified them and they assured me they would send a replacement pin and if it was too small (i.e hole out of spec) they would replace the bolt. About a week went by with no pin, so I called them and it was "re-sent". It showed up and fit fine; the gun is now amazingly accurate and has had no reliability issues whatsoever. The other thing that pissed me off was the charging handle. It appeared to be ground down or seriously scuffed when they initially built the gun. The ear that you pull back has about a 1-1.5mm perfectly straight vertical strip of rough/exposed aluminum. Its purely cosmetic and negligible at best, but I'd love to know how and why it happened. After all, they were sent a box full of brand new componets to assemble and I got back blemished charging handle.

Sorry for the long LONG read. But those are my two unbiased experiences of both places.

[556BlackRifle]

I used ADCO once to pin a gas block and enlarge a gas port on a short barrel project. They did a great job on the gas port but neglected or forgot to pin the gas block. I called them and explained that I paid for both services and only one was performed. They sent me a return shipping label and performed the pinning with no further issues. Great customer service.

I've used Rainier Arms for several tasks since then and all have been done with no issue and great customer service to boot. I purchased one of their 18" match barrel for a DM project but never got around to finishing it. I called them because I was concerned of losing the accuracy guarantee since it took so long to finish project. While they concurred the barrel was out of that guarantee/warranty timeframe, they offered to build the gun as that would allow them to extend the warranty going forward. I paid a nominal fee and sent in my parts.

The gun came back with a quick turnaround and I took it to the range to test. It shot like shit. It was guaranteed sub moa and it was shooting 9" spreads at 100yards. So sporadic that I couldn't even zero the scope. I called them that evening and they sent a prepaid shipping label and RMA. They replaced the barrel in under a week and the gun shoots sub-moa if I do my part, as well as feed it match ammo. While they had it I pointed out that the ejector pin on the bolt seemed to walk out a little and didn't seem tight enough. They said they would look into it, but clearly they didn't. The day I reshot with new barrel it still had some play and after about 2 boxes of ammo the gun stopped ejecting. Low and behold the ejector pin had walked out and the ejector failed. I notified them and they assured me they would send a replacement pin and if it was too small (i.e hole out of spec) they would replace the bolt. About a week went by with no pin, so I called them and it was "re-sent". It showed up and fit fine; the gun is now amazingly accurate and has had no reliability issues whatsoever. The other thing that pissed me off was the charging handle. It appeared to be ground down or seriously scuffed when they initially built the gun. The ear that you pull back has about a 1-1.5mm perfectly straight vertical strip of rough/exposed aluminum. Its purely cosmetic and negligible at best, but I'd love to know how and why it happened. After all, they were sent a box full of brand new componets to assemble and I got back blemished charging handle.

Sorry for the long LONG read. But those are my two unbiased experiences of both places.

Just curious if you contacted Rainier and asked them why they sent back your brand new charging handle with cosmetic damage?

That kind of crap pisses me off. I had an expensive watch serviced and received it back with gouges on the caseback where the clumsy watchmaker's tool slipped. After my complaint they replaced my caseback. Rainier should've done the same if they messed up your charging handle. Probably too late to file a claim now though.....

[flyboy1788]

Hmmm, seems like the companies make a good effort to take care of the customer. Everyone f*cks up occasionally, its how you go about handling it that makes the company. As far as local joints, Im a bit leery of local gun smiths. More often than not you have no idea of their reputation. And I think I will stick with companies whose specialty is dealing with guns. Im in the west burbs of chicago. Naturally ADCO is MUCH closer... So perhaps return shipping wont hurt as much. Either way, $40-60 is nickels and dimes compared to what I've already spent on this upper and what I will spend on ammo.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sidewaysil80]

Just curious if you contacted Rainier and asked them why they sent back your brand new charging handle with cosmetic damage?

That kind of crap pisses me off. I had an expensive watch serviced and received it back with gouges on the caseback where the clumsy watchmaker's tool slipped. After my complaint they replaced my caseback. Rainier should've done the same if they messed up your charging handle. Probably too late to file a claim now though.....

If it was a fine watch or something of value (in the sense that cosmetic blemish affects worth) then I certainly would complain. But this was purely cosmetic and has little to no effect on the rifles value. Being honest, it wasn't that big of a deal to me...but since I was being 100% honest in my review, I thought it worth mentioning.

[Scoby]

I've used ADCO numerous times. My experiences have all been great.

The last time I used Rainier for gunsmith services it was for a 14.5" DD barrel, barrel nut, gas block, tube and a ACC Brakeout muzzle device that I needed pinned / welded.
They did a great job on everything but, the barrel nut, which was trapped by the pinned MD, was used and a few of the ears were rounded off.
I was pissed. They sent me a hat and a shirt for my trouble.

I've purchased from them since, great shop, but only items that didn't require gunsmith services.

ADCO all the way if you need services.