Top 10 Gunsmithing tasks

4T4MAG · March 19, 2012, 05:07 PM

What would the top 10 gunsmithing tasks be? As a gunsmith what tasks/projects are you asked to do the most?

jmorris · March 19, 2012, 05:26 PM

Cleaning
Scope mounting
Trigger job
Barrel threading

At the top followed by everything else.

Scorch · March 19, 2012, 06:12 PM

Repairs/parts replacement
Operating issues (FTF/FTE/misfires, etc)
Cleaning
Scope mounting/boresighting
Trigger installation/trigger jobs
Recoil pad installation
Rebluing
Barreling
Chambering
Wood refinishing

Jammer Six · March 19, 2012, 06:37 PM

Brakin' out the Dremel an' havin' at that feed ramp!

Actually, anything that starts with the statement "my buddy did some work on this for me and..."

Slopemeno · March 19, 2012, 09:51 PM

For me?

DCI (disassemble, clean, inspect)
Recoil pad/LOP
new bead/replace broken off bead
Drill and tap for scope mount (bolt action rifles, Savage 99's, etc)
Reblue
cut and crown (rifles)
cut to 18.5" and install high vis bead (shotguns)
lengthen forcing cone/alter choke
trigger job (rifles, DA revolvers, 1911s)
beavertail on a 1911
silver solder front sight and reblue (1911s)
Wichita rear sight install (1911s)

wildfowl4444 · March 27, 2012, 11:32 AM

Recoil pad installation and scope mounting are the bread and butter around here. Still a bit of rebluing, but not as much as previously.

Gunplummer · March 27, 2012, 12:16 PM

I am pretty much out of it now, but over the years it changed a lot for me. You can see variation in the answers on this thread. A lot of things affect the type of work you do. Sometimes it is just the area you are in. A guy a few miles south of me is deep in a shotgun only area and does not do much rifle work at all. Changes in Game Laws, changes in gun laws, movies, a large influx of cheap rifles/ammo, and probably the most influential is magazine articles. I would say the #1 consistent job for me overall was checking out inherited, auction bought, or"The guy owed me money" guns. This covered handguns, rifles and shotguns. Other than that the job type frequency really changed a lot for me.

oneoldsap · March 27, 2012, 06:02 PM

Repairs
Refinishing (Wood & Metal)
Recoil Pad Installation
Drill & Tap
Scope Mounting
Trigger adjustment & installation
Cleaning
Inspecting
Sighting In
Appraisals

Superhouse 15 · March 28, 2012, 12:35 AM

Revolver trigger work
Scope install/boresight/bases/mounts
Clean/lube/inspect
Semi auto trigger/action work
"I took this apart and cant get it back together, all the parts I could find are in this bag"
Change/zero sights (non-scope or red dot) including inserts
Touch up blue/rust removal
Glass bed and/or free float barrels
Butt pads and stock work
Shorten barrels on shotguns
Aftermarket parts builds (AR,10-22, AK, Siagas)

James K · March 30, 2012, 07:08 PM

At one time it was drilling and tapping for scopes. But today, almost all factory rifles come drilled and tapped, and ex-military rifles are collectors items, so that job is not called for as much. Same with shotgun recoil pads; once a staple of the gunsmith's work, lighter recoiling guns and factory pads have cut out a lot of that. Scope mounting and bore sighting are still common, but even those jobs are now usually of the DIY variety.

For the general gunsmith today, I think more exotic jobs, like machining muzzle brakes, glass bedding and free-floating, and trigger/safety installation and alteration are common.

Due to various pollution laws and OSHA regulations, few small gunsmith shops will do rebluing any more, so that is another bread and butter job that the nanny state has taken away from the average gunsmith.

Of course there is always the brown bag full of parts of the revolver "my kid took apart", but taking on those jobs can be tricky. The customer not only wants you to put the gun together, he wants you to make or find any necessary parts, like the hammer, trigger, and cylinder, and put them in for free as a goodwill gesture. And when you give back the gun with a bill for $75 - a third what the labor cost - he tells you that the "old POS" isn't worth that (you told him that at the beginning) and to put it in a dark place.

Jim

Gunplummer · April 1, 2012, 05:28 PM

Yeah, you are right on that one. "Nobody took this old double apart, something must have broken inside". Fresh scarring on the screws and bent springs inside.

hooligan1 · April 1, 2012, 05:33 PM

Which one of you fellas are interested in "truing" an old Mauser action, and rebarreling it?

Rifleman1776 · April 2, 2012, 08:22 AM

"Hunting season starts tomorrow. I want this fixed by yesterday."

Double Naught Spy · April 2, 2012, 11:46 AM

One of my shooting buddies is a retired gunsmith. A lot of what has been listed so far are what he described his job being 90-95% of the time. It is what he calls "Gunsmithing Lite."

IIRC, his most numerous tasts were scope mounting, buttstock pads, cleanings (field and total take down), and trigger jobs. The number one complaint of his smithing concerned scopes. He would mount and bore sight the scopes and explain that the owner would need to refine the sighting at the range before hunting. The hunter would have a bad outing and return the gun complaining that it wasn't sighted properly...and it wasn't, but not because of the gunsmith's work. Either the hunter didn't finish properly sighting in the scope to the rifle or did so with one type/load/weight of ammo and hunted with something completely different.

Beyond these were often minor repairs and cosmetic enhancements.

He said that every now and then he would get in some challenging gunsmithing task, but by and large, the majority of what he did didn't utilize much of his training - hence the moniker of "Gunsmithing Lite."

March 19, 2012, 06:12 PM	#3
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Repairs/parts replacement Operating issues (FTF/FTE/misfires, etc) Cleaning Scope mounting/boresighting Trigger installation/trigger jobs Recoil pad installation Rebluing Barreling Chambering Wood refinishing __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

March 19, 2012, 06:37 PM	#4
Jammer Six Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 827	Brakin' out the Dremel an' havin' at that feed ramp! Actually, anything that starts with the statement "my buddy did some work on this for me and..." __________________ "Huh?" --Jammer Six, 1998

April 1, 2012, 05:33 PM	#12
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Which one of you fellas are interested in "truing" an old Mauser action, and rebarreling it? __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

April 2, 2012, 11:46 AM	#14
Double Naught Spy Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX Posts: 12,717	One of my shooting buddies is a retired gunsmith. A lot of what has been listed so far are what he described his job being 90-95% of the time. It is what he calls "Gunsmithing Lite." IIRC, his most numerous tasts were scope mounting, buttstock pads, cleanings (field and total take down), and trigger jobs. The number one complaint of his smithing concerned scopes. He would mount and bore sight the scopes and explain that the owner would need to refine the sighting at the range before hunting. The hunter would have a bad outing and return the gun complaining that it wasn't sighted properly...and it wasn't, but not because of the gunsmith's work. Either the hunter didn't finish properly sighting in the scope to the rifle or did so with one type/load/weight of ammo and hunted with something completely different. Beyond these were often minor repairs and cosmetic enhancements. He said that every now and then he would get in some challenging gunsmithing task, but by and large, the majority of what he did didn't utilize much of his training - hence the moniker of "Gunsmithing Lite." __________________ "If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011 My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

March 19, 2012, 05:07 PM	#1
4T4MAG Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2009 Posts: 162	Top 10 Gunsmithing tasks What would the top 10 gunsmithing tasks be? As a gunsmith what tasks/projects are you asked to do the most?

March 19, 2012, 05:26 PM	#2
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	Cleaning Scope mounting Trigger job Barrel threading At the top followed by everything else.

March 19, 2012, 09:51 PM	#5
Slopemeno Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2007 Posts: 2,663	For me? DCI (disassemble, clean, inspect) Recoil pad/LOP new bead/replace broken off bead Drill and tap for scope mount (bolt action rifles, Savage 99's, etc) Reblue cut and crown (rifles) cut to 18.5" and install high vis bead (shotguns) lengthen forcing cone/alter choke trigger job (rifles, DA revolvers, 1911s) beavertail on a 1911 silver solder front sight and reblue (1911s) Wichita rear sight install (1911s)

March 27, 2012, 11:32 AM	#6
wildfowl4444 Member Join Date: April 6, 2005 Posts: 27	Recoil pad installation and scope mounting are the bread and butter around here. Still a bit of rebluing, but not as much as previously.

March 27, 2012, 12:16 PM	#7
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I am pretty much out of it now, but over the years it changed a lot for me. You can see variation in the answers on this thread. A lot of things affect the type of work you do. Sometimes it is just the area you are in. A guy a few miles south of me is deep in a shotgun only area and does not do much rifle work at all. Changes in Game Laws, changes in gun laws, movies, a large influx of cheap rifles/ammo, and probably the most influential is magazine articles. I would say the #1 consistent job for me overall was checking out inherited, auction bought, or"The guy owed me money" guns. This covered handguns, rifles and shotguns. Other than that the job type frequency really changed a lot for me.

March 27, 2012, 06:02 PM	#8
oneoldsap Senior Member Join Date: September 16, 2009 Location: I live in the foot of the Green Mountains of Vermont Posts: 1,602	Repairs Refinishing (Wood & Metal) Recoil Pad Installation Drill & Tap Scope Mounting Trigger adjustment & installation Cleaning Inspecting Sighting In Appraisals

March 28, 2012, 12:35 AM	#9
Superhouse 15 Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2007 Location: Sunny Florida Posts: 844	Revolver trigger work Scope install/boresight/bases/mounts Clean/lube/inspect Semi auto trigger/action work "I took this apart and cant get it back together, all the parts I could find are in this bag" Change/zero sights (non-scope or red dot) including inserts Touch up blue/rust removal Glass bed and/or free float barrels Butt pads and stock work Shorten barrels on shotguns Aftermarket parts builds (AR,10-22, AK, Siagas)

March 30, 2012, 07:08 PM	#10
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	At one time it was drilling and tapping for scopes. But today, almost all factory rifles come drilled and tapped, and ex-military rifles are collectors items, so that job is not called for as much. Same with shotgun recoil pads; once a staple of the gunsmith's work, lighter recoiling guns and factory pads have cut out a lot of that. Scope mounting and bore sighting are still common, but even those jobs are now usually of the DIY variety. For the general gunsmith today, I think more exotic jobs, like machining muzzle brakes, glass bedding and free-floating, and trigger/safety installation and alteration are common. Due to various pollution laws and OSHA regulations, few small gunsmith shops will do rebluing any more, so that is another bread and butter job that the nanny state has taken away from the average gunsmith. Of course there is always the brown bag full of parts of the revolver "my kid took apart", but taking on those jobs can be tricky. The customer not only wants you to put the gun together, he wants you to make or find any necessary parts, like the hammer, trigger, and cylinder, and put them in for free as a goodwill gesture. And when you give back the gun with a bill for $75 - a third what the labor cost - he tells you that the "old POS" isn't worth that (you told him that at the beginning) and to put it in a dark place. Jim

April 1, 2012, 05:28 PM	#11
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	Yeah, you are right on that one. "Nobody took this old double apart, something must have broken inside". Fresh scarring on the screws and bent springs inside.

April 2, 2012, 08:22 AM	#13
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	"Hunting season starts tomorrow. I want this fixed by yesterday."