GUNSMITHING
THE INSIDE SCOOP ON PISTOLSMITHING TECHNIQUES
Pistolsmithing: The Undoing…
Many things were done to handguns that seemed like good ideas at the time. I get called frequently to either remove some old modifications or replace them...
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Gunsmithing: Gun Oil, Crud...
I’m not a chemist or a petroleum engineer; I’m a gun mechanic. Oil is essential to any mechanism, but the wrong oil can “gum up the works” for sure....
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Pistolsmithing: Tooling Up...
For a long time, I have wanted to make a tool set to go with the heirloom pistols I make. I remember looking at magnificent guns in the Metropolitan Museum...
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Gunsmithing Stories from...
About twice a year, I get a customer who complains that their semi-auto pistol is “locked up” or a revolver has a barrel obstruction. Most often, this...
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Shop Talk
Seems like oiling and greasing a gun had turned into a forgotten art. I get it; some gun owners are intimidated by the thought of taking things apart. That...
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Do You Really NEED A Lathe...
Which machine tools do you actually need to do the average bit of gun work? Not any, actually. But often, the “want” gets in the way. These two points...
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Real Avid Smart-Jaws
First, you have to have the greatest general-purpose gun vise ever invented — the Real Avid Master Gun Vise. If you don’t have one, go get one. I’ll...
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Hi-Power Mods
The High Power makes a comeback. John M. Browning never got to see it completed- dying before the design work was completed in 1927 and production in 1935.
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Make It “Just...
“Fit” is key for the efficient use of a firearm; it’s much more important than people realize. The pistol’s dimensions and shape must match your...
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Ramping It Up
Feed ramps on a firearm are critical to proper function, “no feed no fire” they say. It’s also the first thing that the inexperienced shooter looks at...
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Revolver Know How
The trigger on your revolver is difficult to press, requiring more force than it should to complete the firing cycle. But, only on two or three of the...
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OTIS Technology...
I’ve been an OTIS Technology cleaning system fan for as long as I can remember. The innovative breech-to-muzzle cable systems made us all reconsider the...
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Brownells...
I’ve got lots of “gunsmith” screwdriver sets. If you piled them up, I’m confident they’d generate their own gravitational field. But 98 percent of...
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Making A...
A Tacticool Gold Cup. The thirst for tactical guns can never be quenched these days. I got a project in from Jess Hancock of Wichita Guns for a custom...
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Muzzle Crowns:...
I wrote about some experimenting I did with a S&W Model 10. I fired groups with the stock muzzle chamfer, then put an accurate 11-degree chamfer and fired...
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Pistolsmithing...
Let’s just focus on iron sights, no pun intended. Included in this category are night sights, fiber optics and gold beads etc.
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Pistolsmithing:...
Jigs are my life. Like many gunsmiths, jigs are a must-have, particularly for repetitive work. They save time and build consistency. Not every process has a...
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Pistolsmithing...
One of the best methods of metalworking is grinding. Not with a Dremel or bench grinder but with a surface grinder. A surface grinder removes precise...
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Gunnysack:...
I wanna be a gunsmith. No, not professionally; I have plenty to do here, and my work will be on my guns for my use. But how? I work full-time and have a...
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Pistolsmithing:...
I spend a lot of time smoothing and polishing each part and spring to reduce friction before even considering the obvious sear and hammer or sear and...
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Pistolsmithing:...
There is the creative and innovative part of pistolsmithing. Modifying or creating parts to fit a need, adding features that never existed, or just plain...
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The Story Behind...
Wayne Novak designed the most influential — and most copied — fixed rear sight ever put on a handgun. Named the LoMount, it has appeared on factory...
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Retro Custom...
Custom gunsmiths are working overtime to create cool retro guns. The trend has been going on for a few years. It seems that gun owners are looking more to...
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Fine Guns Are...
Branding or signing work started in the ’40s with gunsmiths like Jesse Harpe in Florida who engraved his name on the 1911-barrel bushing.
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Handgunner...
The Infante Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner impressed with its quick work of carbon on an AR bolt carrier group and in revitalizing my gummed up .22 pistol. The...
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Vantage Point:...
In this issue's Vantage Point column, we discuss the great AR pistol brace conspiracy. What's the real motivation behind Uncle Spendy's desire to ban them?...
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Gunsmithing:...
What's the “funny three-tined spring thingy” in the 1911 grip? That’s the sear spring, so hang onto your seat and here we go for a simple explanation...
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Handgun Blues:...
The process of bluing firearms may have changed a bit in the last 300 years but the appeal to shooters has not.
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Building a Colt...
Once in a while it’s good to try new things, a challenge. I usually try to work on something new with my son Nick, who was recently selected as an...
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Best Gunsmiths...
Consult this list from the American Pistolsmiths Guild to find the top 25 gunsmiths in the United States.
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