Maximis228 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I'm looking at upgrading from my open Glock to a full steel gun. Looking for peoples experiences with Akai or Cheely. I'm looking for a 9mm Major build. I will be shooting both USPSA and 3 Gun. Plan on running major in 3 Gun. Let me know the pros and cons of your personal experiences with the guns or builders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rc51g Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I would think u cant go wrong with either one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilBunniFuFu Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Both have pros and cons. Both have good and bad reviews. Biggest question is who is closer to you? If you ever have any problems how much of a hassle would it be to get the gun to them so they can fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximis228 Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 I'm in the chicagoland area. So either way im screwed on that front with either builder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxbat Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Both are great company, but having one near you would be a tremendous benefit, as shipping these guns is EXPENSIVE... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Matt Cheely builds great guns. He is also a very stand up guy who delivers outstanding customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) True, but Akai will stroke it for you Edited April 15, 2015 by kneelingatlas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdm3 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I have no experience with Akai so can't speak to that. But I did get a 9mm Open gun from Cheely a couple months ago and so far it's been 100%. Took a risk and had my kid run the gun the week I got it at Area 2 and not one issue. Matt was super responsive throughout the process and delivered right near the quoted time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chowellacsbd Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Just had Matt do two slides and a grip for me. Top notch work. Great guy to deal with and fast too! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximis228 Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 What was Matt's turnaround time for a complete open pistol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Last I heard he was still quoting 8 months on a complete build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Matt and his work are top notch. Give him a call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titandriver Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I've three Akai's and just picked up one of Matt's pistols recently. IMHO the Akai's are better looking cosmetically but the craftsmanship is equal between the two. All four of them shoot like a house afire! You cannot go wrong buying from either, but Matt will get back to you pronto if you have any questions, and that is worth a LOT in my book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Hello: Check with Shooters Connection to see what guns they have in stock. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmj3 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) Hello: Check with Shooters Connection to see what guns they have in stock. Thanks, Eric I bought one of the CKarms open guns from SC a few months back and have been happy with it so far. Nicely configured, nicely priced and ready to run out of the box plus in stock and no wait. Only change I've made is swapping the offset mount for one that's almost centered & added a gaspedal. No problem with the mount, I just wanted to see how I might like the cmore being centered. Edited April 15, 2015 by fmj3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 No info on Cheely Very happy with the Akai pistol I own Shoots 100%, accurate, smooth , flat , runs and runs and runs Nicest exterior finish work I've seen, inside is correct also Like the rest have said, you won't go wrong with either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigblock455 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Not sure how many 3 Gun Matches have major power factor. Most just shoot factory 9mm ammo, sub-minor or minor ammo not major 9mm ammo. If the matches you want to shoot are the same be sure you get a gun that can shoot minor and major. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk18 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 (edited) Not sure how many 3 Gun Matches have major power factor. Most just shoot factory 9mm ammo, sub-minor or minor ammo not major 9mm ammo. If the matches you want to shoot are the same be sure you get a gun that can shoot minor and major. This is good advice, make sure and talk to your smith, make sure he can set up your gun to run major and minor loadsAnother +1 for Akai here as well Edited April 18, 2015 by Mk18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadyscott999 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I am pretty partial to Akai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TONY BARONE Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Matts work is top notch, produces quality parts and he also is an excellent shooter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk94 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 +1 for Akai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clawson2011 Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 +1 for Matt Plus he is a Forum dealer here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B45C22 Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I'm sure you would be fine with either. With gunsmiths, I have found that it takes a certain personality to do it well. Kind of like engineers and accountants. The drawback to that personality type is that along with the aptitude to be a good gunsmith, also comes the uncontrolable inability to manage schedules. It seems like every gunsmith out there has issues with customer service, and it pretty much all stems from not being able to be accurate with timing. Sure, there is a lot of stuff that happens "out of house" - Finishing, parts manufacturing, etc, but my opinion is that most of that could be handled better than most gunsmiths do it, and communicating accurate timing information could be better than any of them do it. If they tell you 3 months, don't get your panties in a wad until 6 months have passed. If they tell you a year, it is just because they have no idea when it will be, and they feel like that is enough time that "anything could happen in a year". Be smart, buy used here in the forums. Let someone else take the hit on the initial price and wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fayetteflash Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 If Matt builds it, I'm sure it's a quality item. I've seen his work and it seems solid. I have had an Akai gun since well before I joined the shooting team and am always impressed with the craftsmanship and quality. I'm about to so shoot my original single stack and can't wait. After about 25,000 rounds it is still super tight and accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimitz Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) I own a small custom woodshop and while I specialize in aquarium cabinets and canopies I'll make just about anything .... when talking with a potential customer I ALWAYS talk about schedule first and tell them the same thing - "if you are looking for your custom piece to be ready on a certain date you'll want to have someone else build it for you ...." Also, it's not really about the ability to manage schedules but more that it's just impossible to predict with any certainty how long it will take even if you've built a similar item before .... most still have me build their one-of-a-kind 'thing'. Quality has a way of trumping schedules .... I work as fast as I can to get it done but I never apologize for how long something takes to build .... ($4,995.00 & 16 months) Edited April 19, 2015 by Nimitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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