I would like to correct you there. Charlie didn't ride off into the sunset with people's money or guns he never finished. The situation was that he was working out of someone else's shop and that shop owner ended up doing a bunch of work under Charles Prest's name and shipping out not only unfinished guns but guns that he screwed up. After that happened, Charlie ripped him a new one as he knew that he didn't finish certain jobs but yet some how they were shipped out. Shortly after Charlie chewed into him, the owner took the car he gave to Charlie for working for him, soiled his reputation, and kicked him out of his shop. Charlie tried to sue the shop owner to no avail. Defeated, tired, and penniless, Charlie retired into obscurity. I assure you, he never wanted anyone to be displeased with his work. Charlie would have never allowed a job to leave his shop without it being perfect. How do you think he was able to charge such "expensive prices" if he was a hack who would ship out firearms without them being top notch? Before you ask how I know all this, it's because I had to watch my farther's hard work be destroyed from trusting the aforementioned shop owner. I wish the story was more romantic, that my dad somehow left the gun world before he got screwed over or maybe I would have been able to take over his shop. But, life is what it is and I'm sorry you weren't taken care of. I assure you, my dad never would have a been OK with you getting a gun back that wasn't well beyond your expectations. If nothing less I hope this reply gives you a little solace in knowing that the gunsmith you've probably been cursing for the last 20 years had little more to do with you getting back a partially finished gun, passed the fact that he trusted the wrong person and it cost him his existence. Good luck to you and God bless.
Eddie Prest
