Salvage those old vcrs and printers for gun parts.

g.willikers · January 24, 2012, 03:21 PM

There's a recent thread about trying to find screws and springs for an old, long out of production gun.
It was a reminder of how many guns I've been able to temporarily get back into working order using recovered parts from unlikely sources.
Old vcrs, printers, 'etc are full of screws, pins, springs and other little goodies that are very useful in repairing our shootin' irons.
So before pitching them, strip and save.
Just a thought.

bop · January 25, 2012, 10:35 PM

Great tip! I've been doing that for a long time but you gotta watch the strength of some of these little devils. Also, as I have learned, be prepared to explain to the wife why you can't throw anything away without "cleaning" it.

halfslow · January 26, 2012, 12:00 PM

Yep. Great tip.
One extra benefit is that since the parts are about 99.9999% metric, even the soft metal screws work as "thread gauges" when necessary.

g.willikers · February 25, 2012, 12:20 PM

Aha, saved another one with salvaged parts.
An old revolver needed a new spring for the extractor rod.
Trying to find one figured to be a real hassle, and expensive to boot.
One of the salvaged springs in the bin worked perfectly.
No idea where it came from, but it saved the day.

January 24, 2012, 03:21 PM	#1
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Salvage those old vcrs and printers for gun parts. There's a recent thread about trying to find screws and springs for an old, long out of production gun. It was a reminder of how many guns I've been able to temporarily get back into working order using recovered parts from unlikely sources. Old vcrs, printers, 'etc are full of screws, pins, springs and other little goodies that are very useful in repairing our shootin' irons. So before pitching them, strip and save. Just a thought. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

January 25, 2012, 10:35 PM	#2
bop Member Join Date: September 16, 2009 Location: arizona Posts: 34	Salvaging.. Great tip! I've been doing that for a long time but you gotta watch the strength of some of these little devils. Also, as I have learned, be prepared to explain to the wife why you can't throw anything away without "cleaning" it.

February 25, 2012, 12:20 PM	#4
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Aha, saved another one with salvaged parts. An old revolver needed a new spring for the extractor rod. Trying to find one figured to be a real hassle, and expensive to boot. One of the salvaged springs in the bin worked perfectly. No idea where it came from, but it saved the day. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

January 26, 2012, 12:00 PM	#3
halfslow Junior Member Join Date: January 25, 2012 Posts: 6	Yep. Great tip. One extra benefit is that since the parts are about 99.9999% metric, even the soft metal screws work as "thread gauges" when necessary.