[wyop]

I was sorta wondering when we'd get around to wondering why the feed ramps needed polishing. Is there a malfunction in the feeding of a round out of the magazine?

The only time I mess with feed ramps is when there is a failure to feed.


As to the original question: Revolvers are usually pretty easy to re-assemble. Getting them to function exactly correctly can be more trouble than a semi-auto, especially on a Colt double-action (eg, Python) that someone has messed with. Revolver timing adjustments should probably not be made by shadetree gunsmiths.

Some semi-autos are a pain in the ass. The Beretta 92 series comes to mind as being a good way to launch small springs and detents all over the place. The Browning Buckmark isn't one of my favorites, either. 1911's are pud easy, with only some small nuisances added by the Series 80 parts.

Besides brass punches and screwdrivers, what other tools do I have in my shop? Too many to list here, but the all-in price is over $12K and climbing.

That number, BTW, doesn't include machines like lathes, mills, grinders, buffers, drill presses, sanders, etc. That $12K number is just small hand tools, fixtures, measurement instruments, gages, cutting tools, files, screwdrivers, punches, etc. Precision measurement tools are probably the biggest grouping of that number. If you want reliable, verifiable measurements, you need to pay for quality instruments, gages and reference blocks, and these aren't easily made in-shop. I can make screwdrivers, punches, jigs and fixtures all day long, but making a test indicator that can indicate 0.0001"? I can't do that easily, just one of them will cost over $200, and I have several.