Getting started gunsmithing woes

[RickN]

Your go gauge was a round of 303 I’ll presume

You presume wrong. When I first started out I had a professional gunsmith check the head spacing. Later as I got my into it I bought my own gauges, etc.

Point is, do not risk damaging a good firearm until you know what you are doing. I do not know how many I have seen where an amateur was just going to "polish the feed ramp" on a 1911 and ended buying a new barrel.

 

[HMCS(FMF)Ret.]

I’d buy a Glock and practice on it. Cause everyone knows Glocks are indestructible, so no chance of screwing it up. If you do screw it up....no big deal, cause Glocks suck.

 

[Zuidskout]

If your getting into gunsmithing, I would be cracking into good quality working guns before I try and tackle things that are all boogered up. Better to learn and practice assembly/disassembly and observe proper working function. There’s no point in putting $200 worth of labor into a $50 pos pistol so you can Make it worth $100

Fair point, however, to me my labor is worth nothing atm just filling my spare time with something to entertain me, also, do not want to pick apart my working guns and then not be able to put them back together correct.

 

[RickN]

Fair point, however, to me my labor is worth nothing atm just filling my spare time with something to entertain me, also, do not want to pick apart my working guns and then not be able to put them back together correct.

Something you might look into that might help you learn a bit more about various firearms disassembly. Also available from Google.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/262410/World_of_Guns_Gun_Disassembly/

 

[Glock 40]

, do not want to pick apart my working guns and then not be able to put them back together correct.

This could prove problematic in the gunsmithing business.

 

[Zuidskout]

This could prove problematic in the gunsmithing business.

Correct, which is why im trying to learn.

 

[D. Hargrove]

PSA = There is a highly respected Smith right here in the discussion. Yet, the OP appears to be pre-disposed to crap guns..... Guess I just wonder.......

 

[Zuidskout]

PSA = There is a highly respected Smith right here in the discussion. Yet, the OP appears to be pre-disposed to crap guns..... Guess I just wonder.......

I just figured thats where you start, like you know, with cars you buy a fixer upper, then worth through it to fix it up, im not opposed to taking about guns and putting them back together, or working on nice guns to figure out how everything goes, just would prefer to not accidentally mess up something nice that I have because of my beginner tier skill, thats all really.

That being said, I've been wrong before, and im trying to learn more, hence why I am here.

 

[Zuidskout]

Here's the solution-
Get a nice gun and work on it until it's a POS.
Take the POS and work on it until it's back to a nice gun.
Any questions?
https://www.okshooters.com/threads/681-project.294931/
MODS PLEASE LOCK THIS THREAD.

Why lock the thread?

 

[dennishoddy]

I can kinda see where the OP wants to start with crap guns as a training issue.
Turn a $100 .22 crapfire into an accurate rifle is a lesson learned.
The fact it would not make it a $500 tack driver rifle is understood in his opinion as I understand because its a training gun only.
He needs to learn the basics of making a crap gun into a tack driver to establish a reputation and then move on to that specific caliber/platform to create a reputation among the gun community. Some on this forum have done that.
One of the greatest gun makers in this country is JJ Perodeau that lives/works in Ok.
He had to do years of apprenticeship in Belgium before allowed to actually touch a firearm and then he had to apprentice under a master gunmaker.
(notice I did not say gunsmith)

A person can aspire to be a gunsmith with general knowledge of guns,machining and the ability to repair just about anything.
A gun maker is the next level beyond.