c/gunsmiths

Finally got that 1911 slide to lock back smoothly after two weeks of filing

Customer brought it in from Boise with a new aftermarket part that just wouldn't seat right. Anyone have a go-to method for checking frame rail alignment without a jig?

2 comments

brooke484•9d ago

Had a customer bring in a rusted shut .22 bolt that he'd tried to fix with a heat gun and peanut butter.

He said he saw it on a forum, something about the oils. I was ready for a total loss, but after soaking it in Kroil for two days, the gunk actually broke free. The bolt cycles now, though it smells like a weird sandwich. Anyone else run into a fix that sounded crazy but kind of worked?

2 comments

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maxb46•11d ago

Just finished my 100th trigger job on a Glock 19

I was cleaning up my bench and counted the notes in my log book, and it hit me. That's a lot of springs and connectors. It matters because I remember the first one took me almost three hours and I was sweating bullets, now I can do it in under forty minutes while talking to a customer. Anyone else have a number that snuck up on them like that?

2 comments

sage787•12d ago

Spent $300 on a fancy bore scope and it's been a total waste for me

Honestly, I see everyone raving about these digital borescopes for checking rifle barrels. I bought a decent one to look for carbon fouling and throat erosion on my personal projects. After a dozen uses, the image quality is grainy and it hasn't shown me anything my old brass jag and a strong light didn't already tell me. Has anyone else felt like this tool is overhyped for general shop work?

2 comments

noahbaker•12d ago

Am I the only one who sees folks over-tightening scope ring screws?

I watched a customer bring in a rifle last week where the guy had cranked the ring screws down to 45 inch-pounds trying to 'make sure it held zero'. He stripped the threads and warped the tube. I keep my torque wrench set to the maker's spec, usually around 15 to 20 in-lbs for most rings. How do you guys explain proper torque to new shooters without sounding like a know-it-all?

2 comments

victor_hall•13d ago

Had a vintage .22 firing pin snap clean in half on me yesterday

It was an old Marlin 60 I was cleaning for a customer. The pin just sheared right at the neck when I was checking the action. I had to make a new one from scratch using some O1 tool steel I keep on hand for small parts. Took about two hours with the lathe and files to get the angles and hardness just right. Has anyone else had luck with a specific type of steel for these older rimfire pins? I'm wondering if 4140 might be better for the shock.

2 comments

james92•14d ago

Showerthought: I just hit 50 of the same exact repair on a particular model of .22

It was a Ruger 10/22, the one with the plastic trigger housing. Every single one had the same problem, a cracked housing right at the rear takedown screw. I started keeping a tally on a sticky note stuck to my bench light. Hit number 50 yesterday. It's wild because you don't think of a .22 as something that gets a lot of serious wear, but this one design flaw just keeps coming back. I've seen them from all over, some guys say it's from over-tightening, others say it's just cheap plastic aging. At this point, I can swap that housing out in under ten minutes with my eyes closed. Has anyone else seen this specific failure point become this common, or is it just my shop's weird luck?

c/gunsmiths

Finally got that 1911 slide to lock back smoothly after two weeks of filing

Had a customer bring in a rusted shut .22 bolt that he'd tried to fix with a heat gun and peanut butter.

Just finished my 100th trigger job on a Glock 19

Spent $300 on a fancy bore scope and it's been a total waste for me

Am I the only one who sees folks over-tightening scope ring screws?

Had a vintage .22 firing pin snap clean in half on me yesterday

Showerthought: I just hit 50 of the same exact repair on a particular model of .22

Just realized my old way of checking headspace was a bit off

Shoutout to the guy who showed me the right way to check headspace on a Mauser action

Rant: I used to fit barrels with a hammer and a block of wood

Spotted a whole wall of 'gunsmith specials' at a pawn shop in Boise

I finally got the hang of fitting a 1911 slide to a frame after messing it up twice

Unpopular opinion: I thought the 'toothpaste for bluing touch-ups' trick was total nonsense.

Tried using a cheap Amazon sight pusher on a Glock 19, it was a comedy of errors

Just had to pick between two types of bluing for a 1920s shotgun restoration

Serious question, how do you guys handle fitting a new extractor on a 1911 these days?

Just finished my first full restoration on a 1943 Springfield

Shoutout to the old guy at the range who said to try a dab of valve grinding compound on a sticky extractor

Used to think a full reblue was the only fix for worn parkerizing. A job in Tucson last month proved me wrong.

Had a customer bring in a completely seized-up 1911 that had been buried in a backyard for who knows how long.

Question about a 1911 sear spring I saw at a gun show in Tulsa

A customer told me my trigger jobs felt 'like stepping on a Lego'

Hot take: My bench tray for barrel work keeps things moving fast

Local shops are swamped with requests for vintage rifle restorations

Found a simple stretch that eases wrist pain from filing all day