What Our Customers Are Saying:

"I owned a very old tubular fed bolt action 410.  It would no longer fire and would not eject the shell.  When Charles gave me the 410 back, he had made parts that no longer existed.  And my 10 year old nephew is still happy to this day with his functional 410.  I doubt it will ever need repair again. 

Charles has worked on numerous modern, brand new and very old diverse types of weapons for me personally.  I have not found an edge or the end of his knowledge."

Emmett Faircloth

"I have used the gunsmithing services of Charles, Chuck and Bryant on 4 separate occasions.  Every time, the service was done efficiently, and I have been extremely happy with the quality of their work.  Charles is very knowledgeable when it comes to just about every firearm made.  He has steered me away from buying certain brands of handguns that he has seen issues with, and for that, I am grateful.  Charles has made my great guns even more amazing using cost effective methods, no less.  He has the perfect balance of listening to what the customer wants, but also the honesty of what is realistically possible.  When he wasn't available, Chuck and Bryant were there, providing the...

"I have been using the services of the gunsmiths at The 1911 Academy for the last three years.  Initially, I had the master gunsmith, Charles Burford, perform a minor repair on my shotgun.  I, then, had a trigger problem on my 1911 that Charles corrected while I watched.   Repairing, or upgrading a firearm, while you watch is not something commonly allowed in most gunsmith shops.  1911 Academy actually encourages your watching while one of them works on your firearm.  Over the past couple of years, the 1911 Academy gunsmiths have upgraded two other 1911 pistols from stock firearms to a custom carry firearms.  These 1911's must be shot to fully appreciate just how amazing a 1911 can be.&nb...

"I met Charles Burford, the master gunsmith at 1911 Academy, at a charity clay shoot. After the first station he took me aside and had me shoulder my gun. He told me the gun was too short for me and I should look into adding an extension that would also allow me to cast the gun. I told him I had been shooting the gun for over 12 years and was a solid shot (I hit 66/100 that day). That said he wasn’t the first one to tell me the gun was too short so I decided to let him add the extension. Once he was done he personally fitted the gun to me and had me shoot a number of rounds at a patterning board until he was satisfied with the fit. What an amazing difference it made! I went back to the same clay range and shot 81/100 and my shootin...

"I recently brought my Kimber Raptor to Chuck for trigger work. He hand-fit and tuned not only an entire trigger system, but was able to point out my need for a shorter trigger and fit that too. My gun now breaks crisply at 3 lbs. and my accuracy has improved since all the work has been done. Highly recommended."
Tommy Blue

"I know these guys from their "previous lives" and they do amazing work. I can't imagine going anywhere else to have outstanding quality work done at very reasonable prices."
Alex Gelb

"I brought in a Colt Defender that could not get through a mag without a FTF. I was told it probably would be a week before they could look at it. Two days later I got a call saying that my pistol was fixed and ready to be picked up. I took it right to the range and put 250 rounds through it smooth as butter. Outstanding, professional experience."
Chris Kenney

"These are solid, stand up, trustworthy people. They do great work and are honest. One can feel comfortable working with them and will get quality results."
Ro Carter

"Walked in and had the rear site on a Glock replaced, while I waited, for $20. Saved me $100 buying the site-pusher. At the range, was sighted in close to zero, and with a few partial turns of the adjustable sight, it was right-on. Defintely happy these guys are in my neighborhood!"

Gregory Lamke

"Consummate professionals, every single one of them!"

Jesse James

"Fantastic service coupled with great knowledge makes this my go to gunsmith shop."

Eric McMillen

“Fantastic addition to gunsmithing in McKinney. I had an upgrade to my trigger on my S & W 9mm done at this gun-smith. They did a fantastic job. Unbelievably knowledgeable and friendly staff. I will definitely be using them again. Thank you Kirk and guys for a job well done!”

Sandra Cason