Self Smithing

[OS/N]

Anyone still do there on smithing? I do my own trigger jobs, a few barrel liners, and have fabricated a few ejectors and extractors. Never have done drop in parts - back in the day you would take what was there and make it work the way you wanted it to. Well have replaced sights and a few springs with upgrades or replacements but no triggers or etc.

I only have done my own guns though and never worked on anyone elses gear.

Anymore old shool tinkers around?

 

[Captcurt]

I have several books on smithing and have done trigger jobs on rifles and pistols, but most of it has been stock work. Inletting, finishing, glass bedding, even a little checkering. I can checker for about 10 minutes and then I need to do something else. I said I can when I should have said that I could when I could see. No more fly tying either. The books have come in handy a few times. I once glass bedded a rifle and didn't get enough release agent on the metal. One of my books suggested placing it in a freezer overnight. It worked. I put the barrel in a vice, smacked the stock lightly with a rubber mallet and it fell apart.

 

[usaral63]

I tinker......sights,stocks, rehab basket cases, the usual stuff that the ersatz and so called 'gunsmiths' hereabouts would only screw up while charging a small premium! I'll do my own rust blue and browning as well. Had a lot of lousy experiences with those SCMGS (so called master gunsmiths) that took an online or distance learning course the just enabled them to be a 'papered' bubba.

God the horror: I still recall giving away a really nice 95 Winchester that I'd cleaned up polished by hand and wanted tank blued.......the so called 'smith' was instructed clearly to just dunk it.....he did, after lettin' bozo the chimp hit it over and again on a heavy grit wheel................never again!

 

[jdsingleshot]

Rebarreled, chambered, made chamber reamers, restocked, made triggers, made two rifles from scratch (only bought barrel blanks), D&T for scopes, rust blued guns and parts, made screws, whatever needed doing. I'm 75, and this work was spread over 55 years.

This is a single shot .25-20 WCF made from scratch.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

To me, a real gunsmith is someone able to build an entire, good quality firearm from raw steel and wood.

That's not me. I've done some Lego stuff on 10/22s and AR platforms, replaced broken parts, mounted scopes and iron sights, fitted stocks and glass bedded actions, handloaded ammo, etc., but nothing requiring real gunsmithing skill. This CZ527 chassis build is a good example -- no true gunsmithing, just a lot of accessories screwed into place.



Back when there was a smith in my area I could trust, I did a few more ambitious rifle projects where I'd have the smith do the difficult, precision jobs for me.

My Marteenie carbine is an example: I sourced all the parts and did the stock work myself, while my local smith installed and chambered the barrel and put on the sights. Gander Mt. later Parkerized the metal to make everything match, and a local engraver did the stock ID disk for me.

 

[PapaG]

Quite a bit over the years. Originally because I was dirt poor, then because there were no real 'smiths around, and finally, because it is fun and I'm cheap.
13 muzzle loaders built, none from a kit. Trigger jobs, sight installs, dovetails hand filed. Stocks fitted, pads installed and properly ground. A couple moulds made. When I quit teaching high school shop I lost access to some necessary tools for a while.

 

[lightman]

I do minor things. Free float barrels, bed actions, adjust/install triggers, mount optics, install sling studs, ect.

 

[BRatigan]

I lost my mill when I moved south, so limited to all the other stuff. Can do most things.

 

[EMC45]

I have filed/stoned and fit parts, soldered on sights, checkered, shortened barrels (legal ), refinished wood, did action jobs, etc.

I am a factory certified Colt (M16), Remington 870 and Sig Sauer P320 and Legacy Series for my agency as well. Amoring and gun smithing "proper" are 2 TOTALLY different things however.

 

[NMexJim]

I took a few machine shop class geared towards firearms - mills and lathes - so I could do barrels and muzzle brakes. But, I was also the idiot that ended up with “grandpa’s old gun“ and the ‘hey, this guy likes to work on old double barrels”.

I’ve seen some real messes both in metal and wood. I’ve really enjoyed much of the work. One learns a lot quickly, but there have been a couple of pieces that took way too much time, research, and assistance from some very good machinist friends. Expensive fixes we never made a dime on. You kinda never know until you‘re up to your elbows. I had one old Stevens that took nearly a year to find parts and get repaired. No was was a $30 shotgun worth it. But, none of it was never about money. Just enjoyment of firearms and problem solving.

I’ve gotten too old to mess with it much anymore. I have a gunsmith buddy that hates shotguns, and we still trade a little work. When he gets backed up, then we get him caught up. A good place to waste a day or two In good company.

 

[.38 Special]

Yes, but I know my limitations. Routine stuff on routine guns gets taken care of at home. Fancy stuff on special guns gets farmed out to someone who has done it more than a few times.

 

[tark]

I have made several guns from scratch. All copies of Remington rolling blocks. I made everything but the barrels, springs and screws. A 45-70 rifle was made from 1045 steel and a 30-06 from 4140. Both professionally heat treated. The 45-70 passed a 50,000 PSI proof and the 30-06 was prooved at 85,000 PSI with a German 7.62X63 proof round.

It is 3;45 AM and I need to go back to bed. Will post pics tomorrow.

 

[tark]

Here are a few guns I have made. The first pic is the receiver of my 30-06 roller. The second pic is the 06 along with my 45-70. The third pic is a group photo. The pistols are a .22, a .357 and the largest is a .45 PITA. ( 45-70 case cut to 1 1/2 inches. ) I rust blued the guns at home. On the two rifles everything is scaled up a bit from the originals The sidewalls of the actions are thicker, the breechblocks are narrower, ( for shorter, stiffer pins,) and the pins are 9/16' instead of the original's 7/16" This makes for more weight, both guns weigh in at 10 1/2 pounds.

I originally decided to build these because I was mad at a gun writer saying that rolling blocks weren't really all that strong and that the design just wasn't strong enough to be chambered in a modern higher pressure cartridge...like a 30-06. Wanna bet?
With enough beef, good steel (4140) and proper heat treating, I believe a rolling block action can withstand any cartridge.

Now I will direct your attention to the last pic. The round on the right is a Remington 150 Gr. factory load. The case on the left is after firing in my rifle. These is no sign of "action stretch or spring" and the expansion of the case at the web is barely .002" The fired cases cab be run into a full length die with almost no effort. A sure sign that you are feeding a rolling block too much pressure is this: The hammer will cock very stiffly or not at all. You can cock the hammer on my gun with the backside of your pinky and the fired cases fall out of their own weight.

Before you ask, the cat is a replicant. What? You think I could afford a real cat? Dave DeLaurant will doubtless get that. ( Hi Dave! )

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Before you ask, the cat is a replicant. What? You think I could afford a real cat? Dave DeLaurant will doubtless get that. ( Hi Dave! )

For heaven's sake man, never turn your back on a cat with a gun!



I'm pretty sure Tony here was another fine Tyrell Corporation product.

 

[doubleh]

I call it tinkering if you can't build a complete gun. I can "assemble" a complete AR but don't own all the tools required for a bolt build and am no longer interested in doing so. I can and have made various replacement parts, muzzle brakes, stocks, etc. over the years but am still a tinkerer.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I only do it on less expensive guns I own as I tend to not be very good at it. Basic stuff, no problem. More in depth, I’ll give it a try and see and just hope I don’t screw something up.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

For heaven's sake man, never turn your back on a cat with a gun!

View attachment 1179016

I'm pretty sure Tony here was another fine Tyrell Corporation product.

View attachment 1179018

Especially if they can walk through walls.....

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Especially if they can walk through walls.....

Cats can all do that to some degree. They just have trouble finding the door into Summer.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Touche!

 

[tark]

Cats can all do that to some degree. They just have trouble finding the door into Summer.

Well, at least they grok that an armed society is a polite society.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Well, at least they grok that an armed society is a polite society.

I hear Isher has the best Gunshops.

 

[small town life]

While directed at this thread I'll make some statements.

Shotguns are not my cup of tea let alone something I have much knowledge about other than shooting quail!
Pistols, (mainly semi's, not 1911's) I can do a fair amount of repairs (replacing parts and/or upgrading), but no true fitting (only minor barrel fitments).
BA's, are new to me building (mainly savage 110's), but not from scratch.
AR's, well by far the easiest to do!

While I MIGHT dip my toes in the online area of not so much of smithing it could get me somewhere to an ACTUAL in person school of smithing? I'm 58, have 6 kids (4 still in school), a wife, live in the middle of nowhere, long ways from everywhere and would LOVE to get to a good gunsmithing school!

 

[BBBBill]

an ACTUAL in person school of smithing?

Check out the NRS summer gunsmithing program. It is offered at several community colleges/trade schools around the country every summer. Quite a few different classes taught by really good instructors. Off the top of my head Lassen Community College,Trinidad State Communty College, Montgomery Community College, Colorado School of Trades.

 

[AK Hunter]

I'm a retired tool & die machest & I play in woodworking to stay busy after retirement. So if it's metal or wood I can repair or replace it.
I have built kit guns AKA (ghost guns) for the last 20ys or so. I can parkerize, blue, cerakote, or bake on finishes & do a lot of repair on wood stocks. I have made new parts & can make enhanced AR firing pins from normal firing pins.
But I only work on my guns & totally refuse to work on any others guns.