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Old November 26, 2011, 08:21 PM   #11
Asgardnz
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Join Date: November 4, 2011
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 35
Many years ago I spent thousands going to a couple of gunsmithing schools. Their courses were not very good, but did give me a perspective on what I needed to be a gunsmith.
Most importantly- learn how to use machine tools and welding equipment seperately before learning any gunsmithing. There are all sorts of skills from general machining/welding you may not get at a gunsmithing school.
Acquire a lot of books including old ones on gunsmithing and stripping and assembling guns.
Get the catalogues from gunsmithing suppliers. There you will find the special tools and jigs needed for specialised work as well as ideas for working on actions.
Buy junk guns at shows to work on first. The more you pull apart the more design issues/faults you can recognize. You will see where parts have worn and caused failures or where the gun has been butchered. The most valuable experience I had at gunsmithing school was in stripping down completely 40 handguns. I now own about 180 handguns, so when someone complains about a problem with their handgun I've usually had experience with my own.
I also bought Chinn's book on automatic mechanisms- now available on disc as well as the series The worlds fighting shotguns, submachineguns.....as I like to play with automatic weapons. I also collect military firearm manuals.
Be prepared to use ideas and parts from other sources. I used to strip photocopiers and computer printers for round metal stock and spring material. I designed a simplified Mac10 select fire mechanism based on ideas I got from photocopier mechanisms. Disposable cigarette lighters are a good source of small springs for extractors. I used to strip old American typewriters for spare screws.....
I never got good machining skills, so I tend to build simple guns, most often using milled and folded parts with a few turned pins. my favorite rifle is an Australian Automatic Arms .223 semi auto I have- repairable in my home workshop as its made of sheet metal. On Youtube somewhere is a video of an Uzi semi auto pistol I machined up a drop in open bolt full auto conversion for. And they said it couldn't be done! It's firing blanks for a film job. All parts made on a small mill/drill machine.
I do not have a talent for machining and refinishing/polishing guns bores me silly, so I will never be an all round gunsmith. My skills and passion is for mechanisms and an eye for parts that are bent, worn, badly designed or otherwise out of true. I once bought a revolver from a pistol club very cheap as its cylinder kept jamming. A local respected gunsmith could not fix it. Once I got it, I first dissassembled the cylinder, as that's the easy part. As I laid the parts out I noticed the cylinder pin roll thump, thump accross the table. It was bent- a quick straighten, reassemble and I had a perfectly functioning revolver for $75 that was worth $300.
Don't fear specialising in a particular area of gunsmithing if you are good at it. In the early 80's I worked at Pachmayrs in LA. My job consisted of fitting beavertail grip safeties, barrels, bushings and slides on 1911s. I did nothing else...actually I lie, I did fall in love with 1911s!
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