What kind of home smithing do you do?

[O.S.O.K.]

I tend to do easy to "moderate" type gunsmithing jobs myself.

Things like drilling and tapping for a scope mount our sight, cutting a 45 degree chamfer on rifle crowns - to clean-up the terminus of the rifling and improve accuracy, rechambering to an AI cartridge, simple bedding type jobs, replacing furniture, changing out sight blades - that kind of thing.

About the most complex project that I've done is work on an already-sporterized (half assed) m94 swede mauser - installed a Beuhler safety, reshapped the stock to allow the base plate to fit properly on the receiver botton (and allow proper feeding), re-drilled the scope mounts (to repair the stripped ones), cut and ground/polished and blued a steel buttplate to fit the stock, installed sling swivels and ... did a full-length glass bed.

The other harder work that I've done would best be posted in the AK build forums...

So, how about you guys? What kind of home-smithing do you undertake?

[hawk1911]

So far I have reprofiled 1911 GI frames to fit beaver tails and some trigger polishing. Assembled a few AK parts kits into rifles. Reprofiled and polished AK hammers and trigger groups. Made two AK pistols including the barrel slim down and redoing the gas port my self. Making the FS/GB combos and cutting and welding the rear trunions and everything. I guess on the lighter side, I have refinished all of mine and various others in bake on paints. Assembled a few ARs, including light trigger work to smooth some out a bit. I recently aquired an SKS and I did a mild trigger job to take some of the 2tons of pull out!

[abpt1]

Not much but Deth and Moe are learning me somthin.





For my pistols



I have the best smith in the state no bullshit this guy is good and the best part is he is fair with his prices .

[Krupski]

I tend to do easy to "moderate" type gunsmithing jobs myself.

So, how about you guys? What kind of home-smithing do you undertake?

I do all my own gun work. Either at home or at the machine shop at the university. Only thing I can't take in there is a complete firearm. I have taken barrels in to cut or crown or whatever they needed.

The only time I used a real gunsmith was when Wolf 45 ammo almost destroyed my old 1920 M1911 and the smith had to repair the battered breechface. He had the special cutter to do it right (apparently the 1911 breechface is not perfectly perpendicular to the slide... it's angled slightly to allow the round to slide up and under the extractor). He had the right tools to clean up the breechface, and do it at the correct angle.

Anything else... I do myself.

[deth502]

you name it, i do it, except bluing and parking. ill dig up some pics after work......

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks guys - we have a lot of experience here - looking forward to seeing projects, etc. - post em up! I'll try and put some of mine up too - at least the "after" pics...

[arcangel]

I mostly do easy tasks, changed the trigger on my G19. On my AR's changing furniture and scopes/mounts, I just figured out how to change a barrel on AR's so I have much to learn.

Both my AR's did some furniture changing on the S&W M&P15T, and did all the work on the DPMS LR308 AP4, G19 and USP 45 Tac also in the pic.

The Remington 700 sps tac in 308 I had a friend do the glass and rings, and I did the base.

Need some pics guys lol.

[deth502]

better late than never.

heres one of the last builds, off of a badly butchered mauser action.





lots of work went into that one, including making my own brake, and a MASSIVE rework of a stamped trigger guard.


one of my last scratch builds.




suomi bolt (heavily modified), ar fcg, ar fsb, ar pic mount a2 type rear site, cheap pos red dot, yhm risers for said red dot, bored out ar fh, ar pg, pachymar recoil pad, a few screws and springs from the hardware store, and a shit load of raw steel and aluminum and machining time

[Doug76]

I tend to do easy to "moderate" type gunsmithing jobs myself.

Things like drilling and tapping for a scope mount our sight, cutting a 45 degree chamfer on rifle crowns - to clean-up the terminus of the rifling and improve accuracy, simple bedding type jobs, replacing furniture, changing out sight blades - that kind of thing.

That about covers what I do, at least so far. Ain't dead yet, so I figure I'll get around to learning and doing more. God help us all! LOL

[O.S.O.K.]

Well, a moderately well equiped shop can allow you to do a lot of stuff. I've done rechamber, rebarrel, AK and AR assemblages and other limited smithing jobs - all in a shop sans mill, lathe or welder.

I'd like to get a good lathe and I now have a buzz box (Arc welder) that I've got learn how to use.

I enjoy the shop time a lot - wish I had more time to do it...