Amature Gun smithing

Anyone do their own work?

Everything from basic to advance work. Post up your pics and details.

I'm doing basic stuff like filing and hand fitting a beaver tail grip safety into my milspec. Next part is hand checkering the front strap.

 

Before


After


Nighthawk trigger, emc hammer, cylinder and slide light sear spring, and smith and Alexander .220 btgs

 

I do my own stuff as well. My S&W 642 had the most horrible trigger when I got it...heavy as hell and quite gritty. I was disappointed. I looked up Wolff gunsprings and got a few different weights to try out,and decided which ones I liked. Then I VERY gently polished every moving part inside the gun. Any load bearing surface got a go with my polishing kit ( 3400,4200,6000,8000,and 12000 grit paper ). Then I oiled it and put it together...smooth as glass and a nice trigger pull ( still on the stiff side for target,but perfect for self defense ). I've polished the feed ramps in all my semi autos and helped out my brother in law with some issues he had with his pump shotgun. I bought a DWM Luger recently and had that all apart cleaning it. I don't think it had been taken apart that far since it was new,and the gunk and oil residue was excessive in places. Love doing my own work,and knowing how to strip and clean everything I own.

 

Thinking about giving it a try. Need to change out the spring on my SW40ve as a starting point.

 

i have no B&A pictures but i always do my own, unless it has a chance as affecting the my safety and the integrity of my gun or i absolutely do not have the tool and don't want to buy it.

 

I've done a little basic stuff. Polished the hammer sear on my Model 94 to smooth out the action. Replaced the grips on my P229 with the newer E2 style. I plan on replacing the magazine followers on my .22 mags for the P229.

 

Some of those tools and jigs are costly. Make me reconsider doing the work. Good thing the beaver tail jig was 12 bucks, the file kinda ate through the jig.

The front strap checkering jig is pretty costly too.

 

i've got almost all the basic tools for AR's if you need help.

 

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Good to know. I want to start building one soon.

Im the exact same way, not just guns, almost everything I own.

 

Only picture I have of it but this was my first rifle that I got when I was 15, and I did all the work when I was 16.

My Marlin 25n (.22lr), started out looking like this-



-Removed the leaf sights
-Added second sling stud in the forearm
-Free-floated the barrel
-Glass bedded the action
-Bent the bolt handle out (easier to cycle the action)
-Removed the barrel mounting screw and relocated it to the action, replacing the magazine housing screw
-Cut the 7-round magazine down to accept 4 rounds and fit flush with the stock
-Changed out the trigger spring for a lighter pull weight
-Shortened the sear travel
-Installed a trigger stop screw
-Cut off the raised monte carlo cheek piece and shaped a new, taller one
-Obvious camo paint job

Could hit soda cans all day at 100 yards, 200 yards with little effort. Always head shots on the squirrels.

 

Anyone out there got any bob tail 1911? I'm thinking of bobbing mine.

 

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Interesting... I might be. I just want a few more lighten trigger sear spring and maybe the sear and disconnect.

 

Check out these videos. If anyone deserves the title "gunsmith" it's a guy that can do this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01vd7omp0WU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQKs9iPqo_A

There are more videos along this line on YouTube -- search for "Colonial Gunsmith" -- they guy continues and makes the entire rifle, including lock, stock and springs all from scratch.

 

How about this one? I found this 1917 No.1 Mk III* British Enfield on a junk gun table at a gun show. It had been butchered with the stock cut off half-way up the forearm, the barrel exposed and nose cap removed and then swathed in a god awful rust red paint. This old War Horse was screaming out at me to be saved - and at $40 I decided to give it a go.

Before:





And after: She is the 2d from the top on the rack.



Not a perfect restoration, but not bad for my first attempt. She shoots like a champ.

 

Very nice!

 

I've always liked SMLEs. I have a "Jungle Carbine" in the basement (your third down there) that I need to put some new sights on and take out to shoot again one of these years.

 

I really enjoy shooting MILSURPS - the Jungle Carbine is a true shoulder buster.

Here is the companion rack to the one above.



From top to bottom:

Soviet Mosin Nagant M44 Carbine
Soviet Mosin Nagant M91/30 Hex Receiver
Soviet Mosin Nagan M91/30 Sniper
Finnish M39
German K98 Mauser

 

You've got that right -- that hard rubber "recoil pad" is sort of laughable.

I cleaned up an early-war Arisaka 99 once for a cousin. It still had the imperial chrysanthemum intact and was in excellent shape, one fine specimen of an historical military rifle. Unfortunately, it was stolen when he was overseas.