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Posted: 10/20/2014 1:22:53 PM EDT
I'm not a gunsmith by any means. I am capable of doing some things myself. What I'd like to know from gunsmiths or other competent people are what kinds of things can someone do to their rifle at home that doesn't really require a gunsmith to do? I'd like to see a few things you'd suggest or have done yourself.
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TN, USA
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Posted: 10/20/2014 2:56:45 PM EDT
[#1]
for me things generally fall into one of 2 categories
1. i do it because i'm too picky about how it's done i always mount my own scopes. every scope i've had mounted by a gunsmith I've wound up taking off and redoing. I do my own trigger installs and adjustments, after redoing too many of them 2. i could do it if i had to, but it looks a lot better when done with the right tools and i don't want to invest in the tools having watched a half dozen different smiths skim bed rifles, I know I could do it, but without practice, my first few would be like a kindergartner with fingerpaints, so I'll keep paying to have it done cerakote is super easy if you have an oven and spray gun inletting a stock is pretty easy too. replacing bottom metal is pretty easy, e.g. to switch to a detachable box mag even if i had my own machine shop, i'd still get someone competent to do all the real metal work of chambering, threading, etc. |
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Posted: 10/20/2014 3:47:22 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By taliv:
for me things generally fall into one of 2 categories 1. i do it because i'm too picky about how it's done i always mount my own scopes. every scope i've had mounted by a gunsmith I've wound up taking off and redoing. I do my own trigger installs and adjustments, after redoing too many of them 2. i could do it if i had to, but it looks a lot better when done with the right tools and i don't want to invest in the tools having watched a half dozen different smiths skim bed rifles, I know I could do it, but without practice, my first few would be like a kindergartner with fingerpaints, so I'll keep paying to have it done cerakote is super easy if you have an oven and spray gun inletting a stock is pretty easy too. replacing bottom metal is pretty easy, e.g. to switch to a detachable box mag even if i had my own machine shop, i'd still get someone competent to do all the real metal work of chambering, threading, etc. Thank you, this is what I'm talking about. I've always mounted my own scopes as well. Anyone do anything with bolt gun bolts or crowning at home? |
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TN, USA
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Posted: 10/20/2014 4:40:39 PM EDT
[#3]
i've disassembled them to replace springs in the ejector and extractor. i have both the bolt disassembly tool and firing pin disassembly tool, which i have had to use on rare occasions to replace springs and other stuff. (although admittedly, i've used my shoe lace more often than the tool...)
i sure wouldn't mess with the crown or try to do a bushing job on my firing pin or similar. |
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Posted: 10/20/2014 4:42:36 PM EDT
[Last Edit: RDTCU]
[#4]
I'm not a gunsmith by trade, I just build things
Usually that involves a mill/lathe/welder. |
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Posted: 10/20/2014 4:54:54 PM EDT
[#5]
For me I attempt anything that doesn't require specialized tools that cost more than the job can be done by a gunsmith or methods. I'm also not an artist.
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Posted: 10/21/2014 12:05:13 PM EDT
[#6]
You can bed a stock. You can freefloat a barrel.
Trigger work is a bit tricky, but can also be done DIY. READ, study, research. Youtube is your friend |
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Posted: 10/22/2014 3:37:22 AM EDT
[#7]
im holding off on doing any more custom builds until i can afford a lathe and tooling. i have never personally been satisfied by anything i have ever had anyone do for me. maybe im an anal prick but machinists are supposed to be perfectionists. when they fuck my stuff up or give me stuff that looks half finished i have a huge problem.
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Posted: 10/22/2014 5:37:34 PM EDT
[Last Edit: vmpglenn]
[#8]
I cut and crown my own bolt gun barrels at home. I use a fine-toothed hacksaw and Brownells barrel finishing tools. My current 6.5 Creedmoor Shilen Select barrel wears a recessed 11 degree target crown after being cut from 24" to 22".
I also swap barrels on my Savage short action using a simple barrel vise, a barrel nut tool, and a set of go/nogo headspace gauges. Finally, I do minor hand relieving of stocks using a Dremel tool (and a very steady hand). I can't complain about the results (so far)! |
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Posted: 10/22/2014 5:44:19 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By vmpglenn:
...hacksaw...6.5 Creedmoor Shilen Select barrel....cut from 24" to 22". well alrighty then |
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Posted: 10/22/2014 5:56:54 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By RDTCU:
well alrighty then Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By RDTCU:
Originally Posted By vmpglenn:
...hacksaw...6.5 Creedmoor Shilen Select barrel....cut from 24" to 22". well alrighty then Yessir! I've discovered there are no demons that live at the other end of cutting your own barrel...  I'm not shooting benchrest competitions so any barrel that groups under 1MOA (and so far mine all have after cutting) suits me just fine.
Threading, on the other hand, I will not touch using tools available to the average home gunsmith. |
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Posted: 10/22/2014 7:13:23 PM EDT
[#11]
One of these helps.
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Posted: 10/22/2014 9:16:52 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tommyidone: im holding off on doing any more custom builds until i can afford a lathe and tooling. i have never personally been satisfied by anything i have ever had anyone do for me. maybe im an anal prick but machinists are supposed to be perfectionists. when they fuck my stuff up or give me stuff that looks half finished i have a huge problem. I can recommend without reservations: Spartan Precision Rifles Phoenix Custom Rifles Kampfeld Customs Crescent Customs |
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WA, USA
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Posted: 10/22/2014 10:31:13 PM EDT
[Last Edit: 458winmag]
[#13]
.....................................
.............................. |
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TN, USA
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Posted: 10/22/2014 10:52:45 PM EDT
[#14]
i'll add on to the above comment that an action wrench and barrel vice are cheap and easy to use.
if you shoot enough to wear out barrels regularly, it may make sense to buy a couple at a time and change them yourself. |
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WA, USA
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Posted: 10/23/2014 1:27:50 PM EDT
[#15]
Threading and chambering does require specialized equipment, most everything else is doable. Before I had all my 700 actions trued, I used to switch barrels quite a bit. Sometimes you'll get a barrel that you can't make fit by adjusting the recoil lug, but for a factory barrel, not too many. You won't end up with a chamber that is optimal, but they will shoot well if the barrel is decent. Bedding isn't too bad as long as you think about what you're trying to accomplish. Just make sure you don't have any mechanical locks which will make it very difficult to remove your barreled action. Triggers are a piece of cake unless you have a tolerance stacking problem, but can be figured out and rectified fairly easily. As far as dbm, some will slip right into a bdl, but the ones that don't, I don't mess with and have me smith mill it out. Just don't go over your head. Know your limits.
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Posted: 10/23/2014 10:04:19 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By vmpglenn:
I cut and crown my own bolt gun barrels at home. I use a fine-toothed hacksaw and Brownells barrel finishing tools. My current 6.5 Creedmoor Shilen Select barrel wears a recessed 11 degree target crown after being cut from 24" to 22". I also swap barrels on my Savage short action using a simple barrel vise, a barrel nut tool, and a set of go/nogo headspace gauges. Finally, I do minor hand relieving of stocks using a Dremel tool (and a very steady hand). I can't complain about the results (so far)! Can you post pictures? That goes for anyone else too. I'd love to see and I'm sure others would too. |
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WI, USA
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Posted: 10/24/2014 6:39:51 AM EDT
[#17]
the OP didn't say what type rifles
with a Remington 700 the barrel and action are assembled and then chambers are cut to get headspacing correctly. this makes it difficult for the average person to swap a Rem700 barrel with most Savage rifles (model 10, 12, 110, 112...) the barrel is screwed into the receiver to set the headspace (with a set of headspaced gauges), then the external lock nut is tightened to snug it in place. this requires a special wrench but can by done by the average joe i've painted stocks, bedded barrels, swapped triggers, etc but i'm not a trained gunsmith. just a guy who does research before getting tools out
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Posted: 10/31/2014 11:32:48 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By upjeeper:
the OP didn't say what type rifleswith a Remington 700 the barrel and action are assembled and then chambers are cut to get headspacing correctly. this makes it difficult for the average person to swap a Rem700 barrel with most Savage rifles (model 10, 12, 110, 112...) the barrel is screwed into the receiver to set the headspace (with a set of headspaced gauges), then the external lock nut is tightened to snug it in place. this requires a special wrench but can by done by the average joe i've painted stocks, bedded barrels, swapped triggers, etc but i'm not a trained gunsmith. just a guy who does research before getting tools out Yeah, I should have said bolt guns. I can do anything with an AR but when it comes to any kind of smith work on a bolt gun, my knowledge is lacking, respectively. |
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UT, USA
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Posted: 2/1/2016 12:51:36 AM EDT
[#19]
If it requires machining I go to a local gunsmith. I can do the dremel stuff myself. I have built a stock for my AK out of block wood. I worked at a wood shop at the time and it was handy to have a band saw and belt sander. I also put a Calico Walnut Weatherby second on an SKS. Floating and bedding isn't to hard at home. I would like to do more metalwork but it takes more bucks for a lathe and a mill vs some wood chisels and course files.
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SD, USA
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Posted: 2/4/2016 12:32:20 PM EDT
[#20]
Stock work is usually OK to do at home if you have the right tools (files, saws, sanders, etc.) and a steady hand. Having inletting done on a mill looks cleaner, but doing it by hand works just as well. Bedding a stock is not too terribly technically involved, it's just a matter of mess-control and planning.
Mounting optics and bedding scope rails is also doable. Depending on how involved you want to get, a blasting and cerakote setup isn't out of the question, but it does bring a lot of mess, extra tools, etc... For a while I was also doing my own parkerizing. Cold blue touchups are easy, and stuff like AlumahydeII and GUN KOTE are also easy enough for most. If you have access to a mill and lathe and all the required associated tooling, your imagination is the limit. |
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Posted: 2/8/2016 10:31:13 AM EDT
[Last Edit: StampCollector87]
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bwideman:
You need to find a different gunsmith then. The ones I have used have returned an excellent product. I can recommend without reservations: Spartan Precision Rifles Phoenix Custom Rifles Kampfeld Customs Crescent Customs Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bwideman:
Originally Posted By tommyidone:
im holding off on doing any more custom builds until i can afford a lathe and tooling. i have never personally been satisfied by anything i have ever had anyone do for me. maybe im an anal prick but machinists are supposed to be perfectionists. when they fuck my stuff up or give me stuff that looks half finished i have a huge problem. I can recommend without reservations: Spartan Precision Rifles Phoenix Custom Rifles Kampfeld Customs Crescent Customs Moon does damn good work. I also mount my own scopes do some stock bedding and mount all my muzzle devices. I do all my own Cerakote work as well. I would like to get a lathe to take my DIY skills to the next step. |
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Posted: 2/18/2016 4:07:33 AM EDT
[#22]
I've done a good bit of stuff with cars, so working on a gun doesn't scare me too much. Two years ago I pulled the head and drilled, tapped, set steel inserts and reassembled a Toyota 4cylinder, and managed to have the thing drive out of the garage under its own power.
I've assembled uppers and lowers, refinished the stock on my 22 mag rifle. I have a large ring Mauser that will need a new barrel that will be a future project with a short chambered barrel and finish die run by hand. Also I'd like to shape a stock from a block of wood, from shaping to finishing. I don't have the space for a lathe or any of the required machinery to do more serious gunsmithing so things like threading barrels or machining receivers I'll take it to a pro. |
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Posted: 2/28/2016 6:59:13 PM EDT
[#23]
Originally Posted By ReconB4:
I'm not a gunsmith by any means. I am capable of doing some things myself. What I'd like to know from gunsmiths or other competent people are what kinds of things can someone do to their rifle at home that doesn't really require a gunsmith to do? I'd like to see a few things you'd suggest or have done yourself. Almost anything, with the right guidance. I have 12x36 lathe, small mill , plus lots of tooling. Doesn't mean i tackle anything. Fortunately for me, within a 5 -10 mile radius there's enough competent , qualified, people almost anything can be done smith wise. Before tooling anything AR and AK related was not an issue. My suggestion for you is Comfort Zone. Do you feel comfortable tackling the project? Next question. Do you Have the tools to do so? |
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Posted: 2/28/2016 9:56:30 PM EDT
[#24]
I fit a 700 trigger for the first time today. The dremel came out to inlet the stock, but otherwise it was easier than an AR trigger.
With a recently made 700 it probably wouldn't have needed any inletting, but this one was made in the 60s. |
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USA
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Posted: 7/13/2016 4:51:16 PM EDT
[#25]
If you can afford the tools you can do damn near anything you want to learn.
I've recently gotten into making barrels from blanks on my 12x36" lathe. I've built suppressors from scratch and guns from parts kits, including 80% receivers (AR, AK, Suomi, etc..). Eventually I'd like to obtain a midsize manual mill and a larger heat treat oven and scratch build the rifle I designed. It's a short recoil roller locking semi auto based on the Remington Model 8 and the CETME. Don't let you idea of what you can or can't do limit you. If you want to do it, you can (well, if it's legal). You just have to will it. |
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Posted: 7/14/2016 2:10:42 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By destrux:
If you can afford the tools you can do damn near anything you want to learn. I've recently gotten into making barrels from blanks on my 12x36" lathe. I've built suppressors from scratch and guns from parts kits, including 80% receivers (AR, AK, Suomi, etc..). Eventually I'd like to obtain a midsize manual mill and a larger heat treat oven and scratch build the rifle I designed. It's a short recoil roller locking semi auto based on the Remington Model 8 and the CETME. Don't let you idea of what you can or can't do limit you. If you want to do it, you can (well, if it's legal). You just have to will it. This^ I never seem to have any money to pay someone to work on guns, If I have it, I buy a gun or parts or ammo. And working on them is fascinating and addicting to me. I did a " Trigger Job" on my Marlin Glenfield .22 Single shot when I was 13 years old after reading Jim Carmicheals book , and never looked back. I have always mounted my own scopes, glass bedded rifles, done trigger jobs, etc. These days I build guns from parts kits, make receivers, rebarrel and chamber, A project on my bench is a bolt action build making my own receiver, when I get some other stuff finished. Luckily for me, my neighbor is a hobby machinist and has a full shop and a lot of tooling. But as stated, you tube is your friend, you can learn almost any skill there, from blacksmithing to machining, and there are gunbuilders sites with a wealth of knowledge, like Weapons Guild and Weaponeer Tons of knowledge out there, the sky's the limit if you are willing to learn and buy tools. |
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Posted: 8/31/2016 9:25:08 PM EDT
[#27]
Duh, build a scratch AR.
More skills to do well but. Bed a bolt action, to include pillars. Adjust some triggers on bolt guns, Win 70s are very easy to do well. Mount scopes, to include things like bedding the bases on rifles that just use screws. |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 9/9/2016 7:47:52 PM EDT
[#28]
Originally Posted By ReconB4:
What I'd like to know from gunsmiths or other competent people are what kinds of things can someone do to their rifle at home that doesn't really require a gunsmith to do? In my case, if it does not require a mill or lathe I can do it. |
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