Where to start with hobby gunsmithing

[SCdeerhunter]

Learning to operate a lathe and chamber a barrel will not teach you how to inlet and shape a stock, checker it, finish it,, install and fit a new DA sear in a S&W Revolver, re-time the cylinder, color case harden a shotgun action, polish a set of double gun barrels or a barreled action and then slow rust blue. There is so much more than fitting barrels to rifle actions. There are leaf springs to be made that can no longer be bought from suppliers, sights to be mounted on barrels, and parts to be made for repairs, and at times that might mean finding the right piece of material and using a hack saw, file and stones to make it. Try and fit, adjust, try and fit again until it is as it should be. The good "old school" gunsmith knows when and how to do 'hand work'. and is not afraid to do it!

I agree that theres a lot more to it than chambering barrels. That's just where my interests are. If I were to try and do it full time as a career then yes, I'd like to learn as much as I could about all types. For me personally though i just want it to be a hobby. I'd like to be able to tinker and build my own rifles in my free time. Not to save money but to get a sense of satisfaction. In the long run it'll probably cost me more to do it myself, but it's something I could do with my wife and kid that's on the way.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

[QUOTE="Alex Wheeler, post: 1365263, member: 101859"} But like any other you can be a jack of all trades or master in one area.

^^^^^^^^ This is the biggest crock of crap propagated today! A man with imagination and the ability to think can have no limits. Sorry to hear you are so mentally challenged you can only do one or 2 things.....[/QUOTE]
I guess the point went over your head. Example, if your wanting a competition rifle for a certain sport you would go to someone who specializes in that sport as thats what they do all day every day. They are an expert in that field. If you want to polish up old Mausers and fix general stuff, great, but I wont be coming to you to build me an extremely accurate long range hunter or an F-class rifle. Your post makes you sound cynical. You confuse your own interests with others. To truly excel at something it takes a love and dedication for it. For me its long range accuracy, for you it may be doing a wide variety of repair work. So be it. I dropped out in 10th grade, never went to any school of any kind. My rifles have been used by their owners to break 7 long range world records this year alone. Thats what drives me.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I agree that theres a lot more to it than chambering barrels. That's just where my interests are. If I were to try and do it full time as a career then yes, I'd like to learn as much as I could about all types. For me personally though i just want it to be a hobby. I'd like to be able to tinker and build my own rifles in my free time. Not to save money but to get a sense of satisfaction. In the long run it'll probably cost me more to do it myself, but it's something I could do with my wife and kid that's on the way.

Good attitude and if your mechanically included it will come easy to you. Guns are simple devices.

 

[Axl]

[QUOTE="Alex Wheeler, post: 1365263, member: 101859"} But like any other you can be a jack of all trades or master in one area.

^^^^^^^^ This is the biggest crock of crap propagated today! A man with imagination and the ability to think can have no limits. Sorry to hear you are so mentally challenged you can only do one or 2 things.....[/QUOTE]
Calling someone mentally challenged because they choose to specialize is certainly a bigger crock of crap!

 

[TG-5150]

i am so surprised that a "FORGED IN FIRE" type show isn't up and going with gunbuilders/smiths. HMMMM......
And in this corner..........hahaha.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

If you want to polish up old Mausers and fix general stuff, great, but I wont be coming to you to build me an extremely accurate long range hunter or an F-class riflle

Please stop the bitch slapping. @Alex Wheeler, you are better than that.

Take the crap to the "hide" or "24campground" or just drop it.

 

[CaptnC]

....The point is "time". Every minute of every day should be worth something to you, and you should be compensated when you use some of that 'time' for the...

Sad to say but in the automotive industry I see this a lot...it's all about $$$$$$$$$

You seen in my earlier post the stuff I have done...wood work as well as metal...he has bashed me before on another thread for doing "embarrassing work"...

I do for the enjoyment of doing something that looks great.

I've also done taxidermy work in my garage and all done by hand. One day I went to see a guy about doing some part time work for him painting fish...his reply was I can't paint his fish like that! By the detail I put in my work, he said "to make a fish look that good it would take too much time and time is money!"

I never went back into his shop!

I painted this fish 20 years ago but just took this photo recently of a Redfish...

The flash caused the blue in the tail to really come out...without the flash it looks black like it should...

This was the second fish I ever mounted so yes there are a bunch of things that are wrong with the actual mount...but the paint just is really dead on...as I did more fish I learned to "flesh up" the lips and other areas that shrunk from the drying process...

I need to take a couple pictures of some of the deer I've done...I've had people ask if I had done them for competiton!

Any way point is its not all about the money...

 

[CaptnC]

^^^^^^^^ This is the biggest crock of crap propagated today! A man with imagination and the ability to think can have no limits. Sorry to hear you are so mentally challenged you can only do one or 2 things.....

jfseaman...to be honest I think the comment went a bit off course here...as I've said he has gone off on me for trying to help another member who was working on a mauser...pretty much killed that thread too...seems he doesn't get it that not everyone who does their own work is a hack!

 

[CaptnC]

This mount is roughly 20 years old...no professional training...never did it professionally...I did my own mounts and mounts for my family. There was a small number of friends who I would charge $50 plus parts...normally ended up costing them $145.00.

My point is I did this for the enjoyment and satisfaction I did the best job possible and money was not a motivating factor. I never did a fish outside my kids and me...did a bunch for my dads beach house.

As I said earlier...just because someone works on a gun, mounts a deer head or mounting a fish don't assume they are a butcher or hack making a mess out of what ever it is they enjoy doing! They are out there, but there are also guys who's drive is their passion to master something...not fill a bank account!

I'm out!

 

[Deleted member 46119]

View attachment 84571
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That is a beautiful mount. The "eye goo" looks so real that if I weren't told I would think it's still alive. The nose photo just needs to be wet to be real.

Amazing.

Oh, I have no idea what you are referencing in the quote above.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Please stop the bitch slapping. @Alex Wheeler, you are better than that.

Take the crap to the "hide" or "24campground" or just drop it.

Thanks for the advice, but Im good.

 

[CaptnC]

That is a beautiful mount. The "eye goo" looks so real that if I weren't told I would think it's still alive. The nose photo just needs to be wet to be real.

Amazing.

Oh, I have no idea what you are referencing in the quote above.

Yeah I was having editing issues with my phone last night...

I took the photos as is to help point out the quality of the work nearly 20 years later...this mount has been exposed to direct sun sun light. Which is very bad, but it sure looked nice hanging there.

When it was freshly mounted I used a polyurethane spray on finish that really looks wet, same with the eyes...

Later I will try again to get my guote correct so you get the jest of my post.

 

[CaptnC]

^^^^^^^^ This is the biggest crock of crap propagated today! A man with imagination and the ability to think can have no limits. Sorry to hear you are so mentally challenged you can only do one or 2 things.....

jfseaman
This what I tried to quote you yesterday...Alex IMO has always made beneficial post...but Mr shortgrass seems to always come off with an attitude. He had attacked me in another thread about modifiing a mauser. That DIYS guys did "embarrassing work"...I just thought your comment would have been more appropriatly aimed at mr shortgrass...that's all...

I just reviewed my post and again it looks confusing because of the way he quoted Alex post...I'm leaving it this time, but all above "jfseaman" is Mr shortgrass's...quoted

 

[Deleted member 46119]

None of what you are quoting ms me. It's all shortgrass