GUNSMITHING

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...

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...

Let’s just focus on iron sights, no pun intended. Included in this category are night sights, fiber optics and gold beads etc.

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...

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...

Small and light S&W J-frames are perfect for everyday carry. Frames come in both steel and aluminum, exposed and hammerless versions.

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...

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...

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...

Branding or signing work started in the ’40s with gunsmiths like Jesse Harpe in Florida who engraved his name on the 1911-barrel bushing.

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...

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?...

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...

The process of bluing firearms may have changed a bit in the last 300 years but the appeal to shooters has not.

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...

Consult this list from the American Pistolsmiths Guild to find the top 25 gunsmiths in the United States.

In September 2019, Springfield Armory raised the bar for micro compact carry pistols with the Hellcat.

Not every tool in the shop cuts, drills, or grinds. One tool I use every day is my camera.

Loving Ruger revolvers doesn’t mean I’m not aware of their minor shortcomings.

Special Assignments Editor Roy Huntington shows how easy it is to upgrade your Springfield Armory Hellcat by changing out the factory trigger for the APEX...

Everyone hates a scratch. A scratch on your car, a tabletop and especially your gun.

It happens to everyone. A slip of the wrist and “bam!” — a buggered screw. I hate to see it when looking at the side plate of a classic S&W Registered...

I tend to forget how creative gunsmiths from before I was born could be. Case in point: A client recently brought me a Colt slide and barrel.

Drop In” should always have an asterisk* next to it. Yes, many parts are marketed as “drop in,” and many do just that.

It was definitely an “I coulda’ had a V-8!” moment complete with the required hand slap to the forehead.

For the custom pistolsmith it’s not always about cosmetics, the pistol has to function and be accurate.

Working on firearms at any time has its risks. We in the craft typically think of an accidental discharge or damage from a faulty cartridge or action.

Most gunsmiths who hang a shingle tend to have very spacious workspaces, room to roam, maybe pace once in a while. Not so for the Military Gunsmith.

Sometimes you just have to get out of your comfort zone. I work on a lot of 1911’s every year. So when I got a call from Mark Mason of Downers Grove,...

Every craftsman has his “go-to” piece of equipment or tool. That bit of “necessary” on the bench or in the toolbox, never loaned to or touched by...