Well i don't consider my self a smith nor a master. But after 20 yrs as an armorer and small arms instructor. But when i have licensed dealer, whom the brother is a licensed smith hand me a bag with a barrel sticking out of it, and tell it is mine for NADA if i can put it together. I was like a kid in a candy store. grabbed bag and ran for the truck with a smile on my face. The muzzle poking out of the bag had a flash suppresor, and black. Poked my nose into the bag, and i see pistol gripped receiver and seperate stock with recoil spring, whooo hooooo scored a g-3 or cetme.
i got home and had it assebled in 2 min. Some bubba disassembled (sorry wrong word) tore it apart with a hammer and screw driver. I got my jewelers files out and my ceramic stone set and set to work. smoothing out the dents and dings from the bubba-rizer hammer and screwdriver disassembly method.
but long story short, got a perfectly good functioning weapon at no cost, and no paper trail.
moto of story, i got the knowledge to recrown a barrel, did it my self, freinds lathe was usefull. i can rechamber a barrel if need, but don't have the tooling. i can definetly polish a trigger assembly and clean cosmoline from weapons. but i do not consider myself a smith nor a master. I just little ole me who is just trying to survive. I mearly consider myself a weapon mechanic.