C.A.R. Firearms

Awesome service, called in about getting some night sights installed on an XDm and originally got a time quote of a few days if I dropped it off in the afternoon. When I actually got the shop, they had a little extra time and just installed them on the spot — was in and out in about 15 min. Plus, their install prices were lower than other gun shops I got quotes from. Will definitely come here for my future gunsmith needs!

Been going to CAR for years. Great people and amazing service.

I brought two M&P Shield to get the trigger and sights replaced. They really took care of me. They estimated the pick up time to be one month, give or take. I called about two weeks in to inform them I was leaving to Hawaii and needed to rush it. Come to find out the guns were all ready to go. As good as it gets and there isn’t many gun smiths around.

I have been going to C.A.R. Firearms for years. They can tackle the most common of tasks and can also dig in to unique platforms or new platforms that do not have a lot of information available. I am always confident my expectations will be met. More often than not, they are exceeded.
Fred is magic with a trigger. He has performed many trigger jobs for me with amazing results. He can even drastically improve a trigger they say can’t be improved. He really understands the geometry of the firearm and what type of trigger you like and can customize to your needs.
Christa is very knowledgeable and keeps you updated on the progress of your project and her knowledge base minimizes any surprises that could arise… even with expeditionary projects.
It does not get any better than C.A.R. Firearms!

I was as novice as can be walking into their shop the other day, but I can’t tell you how great they’ve been in helping me pick the right firearm, shooting classes — even how to go about getting my CPL.
I’ve been to shops before to consider a purchase but never felt as well taken care or and properly guided like I was here. Christa in particular is amazing but the whole team has been incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and huge help.
I can’t recommend them enough!
You frankly won’t find people more happy to help you find the right gear and give you a great price at the same time.

I have been a customer of C.A.R. Firearms for about 1.5 years now.
Though I live in Bellevue, WA, a distance away from them, they are my most favorite and only acceptable choice for gunsmithing services.
It all started with my Russian-​made Vepr 7.62×54R rifle that needed a custom-​made muzzle brake and a matching threaded bushing, as well as a vented aluminum handguard by KREBS Arms installed. Fred said: «No problem.» A week later, it was all complete. The threaded bushing was welded to the tip of the rifle’s barrel, the latter was re-​crowned, and the whole thing looked a million bucks! Everything was done with the utmost of precision and care. NOT a single scratch or scuff on the rifle’s surface. Everything looked impeccable.
Then, Fred and his team threaded the barrel of my Vepr 308 rifle, as well as installed a muzzle brake and an aluminum handguard by Carolina Shooters Supply thereon, and, AGAIN, the job was done impeccably!
Then, Fred threaded the barrel of my Vepr II 5.45×39 rifle, timed and installed thereon a custom-​made muzzle brake, vented the rifle’s original handguard and skeletonized its original stock by Robinson Armament. Again, the rifle looked like a miracle!
Next, Fred did for me a nearly impossible task. He milled on the slide of my Soviet Makarov pistol dovetail-​shaped cutouts and installed thereon a set of night sights. The rear sight peace was machined to match my pistol’s slide. The pistol’s material was so hard, that Fred and his team ended up breaking a whole bunch of European-​made cutters, which took a lot of time and effort.
Finally, Fred threaded the barrel of my Savage Mark II BSEV rifle, re-​crowned the latter, and installed a muzzle brake thereon, as well as did a wonderful trigger job.
Just to give you an idea of Fred’s skills and abilities. When it comes to gunsmithing, he is GOD himself! I have NOT met a better gunsmith in my entire life!
On top of the above, Fred and his wife Christa are great people to deal with, they have exceptional customer service skills, and charge VERY reasonable fees for their outstanding work.

I’m sure everyone has read the other reviews. So it’s no secret that this shop hands down is one of the best gunsmiths in town. From the moment I walked through the door they made me feel welcomed. There is so much knowledge and experience here that I could spend all day here just listening.
I had them work on a Desert Eagle and my Tec-​9. Both guns have been sitting for 10+ years and u can just imagine the shape they were in. They did deep cleaning and replaced some hardware. Both guns turned out better then expected.
Now this is no ordinary place. They do custom work here to. So definitely a place for u to check out

I’m sure everyone has read the other reviews. So it’s no secret that this shop hands down is one of the best gunsmiths in town. From the moment I walked through the door they made me feel welcomed. There is so much knowledge and experience here that I could spend all day here just listening.
I had them work on a Desert Eagle and my Tec-​9. Both guns have been sitting for 10+ years and u can just imagine the shape they were in. The did deep cleaning and replaced some hardware. Both guns turned out better then expected.
Now this is no ordinary place. They do custom work here to. So definitely a place for u to check out

I needed some quick work done and these guys truly came through for me. Fred and his staff were as friendly and professional as they come. Five stars all the way! Have a gunsmithing need? Call them, now.

Fred and his crew at CAR are some of the best people I’ve worked with.
They help out the home gunsmith, perform a lot of services that are top notch, and are just downright friendly people.
I had an XD where the sight from the factory was just plain stuck. The front had sheared off, a pusher wasn’t budging it, and it was starting to warp the hammer of the last person who attempted to take them off (a gunshop). Fred had a little trouble with it too, but managed to get them off by using a cutter (Something I’d never do on my own as I’m sure I’d cut into the slide). He had my XD wearing some new Trijicon HDs in no time with very little cost to me (I provided the sights).
A few days later, I needed their services again to get some Shield sights off (I was having a bad streak with sights). He let me take the holding tool home so that I could perform my own work on the striker block. When I returned the next day, he installed some TFOs I provided and once again charged me very little compared to what I’m used to for sight changes.
I wouldn’t hesitate to use CAR for any of my firearms needs. If they can’t do the work, they’ll find you someone who does.

This place I was referred to by outdoor emporium. i have some chrome/​stainless steel parts I needed to put on my glock. these guys took 5 – 10 min & charged $ 20.they are good @ what they do (gun smith)! I gave it a 4 star because there’s no big signs or banner for the store, because it’s in their garage. but overall good guys with a lot knowledge about guns !!! Good luck finding the house hahahah

They did a nice job installing ghost ring sights on my 870. The customer service was great. They’re nice and helpful. My only critique is that it took a long time to get my platform back. It might have been because they’re so popular and are backed up. I don’t know. Other than that, they seem to do great work.

I would like to thank my fellow Unilocalers who helped me find C.A.R. Firearms! They do excellent work for reasonable prices (gunsmith-​ing and FFL) and are patient (and knowledgeable) with new guys like me that bombard them with questions even though they’re swamped with work. I wish I had more money to throw at them…

The owner and the staff are super friendly and they really make sure everything is right.

Excellent work on a revolver I brought here. Casings were hanging up in the chambers and Fred fixed it up for an obsurdly low price. Very friendly and attention to detail is outstanding.

Ring the bell on the garage’s door and you’re granted entry into a room full of machines and devices that will make your firearm (s) better than they were before. Had to get some night sights on my Glock 19 installed and Christa handled the stock sight removal and install of my Ameriglo tritiums. Took special care and put masking tape on any potential pressure/​friction points while the slide was in their installation tool. Fred was able to take a few minutes from another project for the fine-​tuning/​laser boresighting to make sure my gun was going to be on the money at 25 yards. I was in and out in about 10 minutes. The price for my install was only $ 25. Some other places charge almost double than that. Very friendly people. I love my Glock and will take it and any other guns of mine to get truly professional work done by them. I think there is a consensus with other Unilocalers that they are the best!
–

In an effort to add more value to my reviews, I’ve focused on looking for reasons to not award five stars so as not to appear to be a Pollyanna — in terms of being nice. In this case I would be offensively wrong to do so based on my experience with Fred and Christa of C.A.R. Firearms. I’m not really sure I can add much more beyond what Samuel C. and others have already said, but I’ll try anyway.
Customer Service — not only was the team highly responsive to my email inquiries, but they were very accommodating on schedule; for those of us who have relied on gunsmiths in this region for years, finding a highly accessible, available, and responsive smith can be difficult-​at-​best. And both via email and in person, I found Fred and Christa to be absolutely delightful to work with.
Quality — «you don’t pay until you’re satisfied» is the motto of C.A.R., and it shows in the level of quality they put into their work. I’ve had plenty of work (and re-​work) done over the years, and there’s nothing at all that is anything other than the highest quality that has come out of the team for the work they did for me.
Pricing — when you find a quality smith, it can be rare enough that you find yourself paying out the proverbial nose for it. Fred and team are exceptionally affordable, so much so that feeling guilty that you got too good of a deal *might* occur when you leave.
Intangibles (expertise, candor, etc.) — I could have put this under the quality of customer service, but I think it deserves its own section. I love it when people challenge my assumptions and take opportunities to help educate me in a non-​condescending way. I probably spent 45 minutes talking to Fred about all things not-​related to my work, and he shared his passion on quality parts and builds to where he kept cycling into the back to share some of his personal works with me. Fred’s as much a quality teacher as a gunsmith, and the teamwork he and Christa deliver together can’t be faked. These are quality folks, and you leave a bit better for the experience.
So they get the full five. Why? Because they deserve it. And if you’re looking for a quality shop to entrust your firearms to, they should be in your top one.

Just went there today and I loved how friendly everyone was! I had sights put on my Springfield xds he was very detail oriented he checked the alignment several times he seemed to really care and, gave me a lot of thoughtful advised on my concealed carry. I was asked to do a follow up with him to see if the alignment was a success or not and, he would appreciate if I would call him regardless. I really felt like this is the only place I will have any work done from now on and would recommend to anyone who would like someone to take care of firearms as if they were their own. I would just check him out if you need advise.

CaR Firearms is the best gunsmith in the Pacific Northwest. Fred, the lead gunsmith is one of the most meticulous people you will ever meet. Just about everything he does is perfect. From a simple barrel cut down, to a complex rebuild of an entire rifle. If you have the work done at CaR, it will be done right and exceed your expectations. Fred did some work on my rifle last year, and I was blown away by the quality when I picked it up. What also was shocking was the low price tag for the quality of work done. My muzzle brake was installed level to the thousandth, which is not something that every gunsmith out there will do for you. The molyresin paint was perfect, without any defects in it at all, including under the handguard, where you wouldn’t even normally see a mistake and most other gunsmiths would also just leave them because they aren’t visible without some work to take the handguard off.
I would trust Fred to work on any of my firearms and trust his opinion above that of anyone else out there. No matter if it is my high end competition rifle or the pistol I carry every day, and trust my life with. Fred will make sure that you are taken care of, it is done not just right, but perfectly. If you need something done, and want it done with the utmost care, CaR Firearms is where you should take it.

For many months I have had many questions answered by Fred and for many months Ive told him things I had planned/​wanted done. Well when It finally came time Fred was helpful with all the info on my desicions for parts/​work I wanted done and he was ever so patient with me (I being someone highly impatient). Fred did an outstanding job with an amazingly reasonable price. If anyone has second thoughts about this place, dont. You’ll walk into his shop not knowing him and you’ll walk out feeling like you’ve been friends forever, and you’ll leave with only the best work done to your firearm. CaR Firearms will always have my gunsmithing business.

the folks at this business/​shop are true professionals. very knowledgeable and always willing to help. not to mention are amazing at fabrication.

I’ve used C.a.R. Firearms twice for work on my firearms (night sights and Apex Trigger kit installation). I found their service outstanding, quick, and reasonably priced. I would highly recommend their services to anyone needing a gunsmith.

The best gunsmith in my book. Fred is a complete honest guy that I would trust any of my firearms with. His price and services are great, and is always eager to help. Definitely recommend CAR firearms if you’re looking to do any work to your guns, especially hydro dip (I think that’s what it’s called) painting and trigger work!