Pat Riot

The closest “licensed” gunsmith to me is 32 miles. Oddly enough the second closest is like 32.5 miles. One is south of me and one is north. I was in a gun store in Fairmont one day and asked if they had a gunsmith they could recommend. The counter guy says “What do you need a gunsmith for?” I told him “Just for general things. I haven’t encountered any gunsmithing shops here.” He said “If you need something done just let us know. We have people that can pretty much do anything you need around here.” ”Are they licensed gunsmiths?” ”Awe, you don’t need a license to be a gunsmith around here.” Then he winked at me. “Are any of them named Bubba?” All 4 of the guys behind the counter laughed. The guy I was talking to said “If you need something done just let us know.” with a smile. Not a real confidence builder, in my book.

A Pentel mechanical pencil is one tough piece of plastic with a metal point at the end. I have driven them into 2x4s numerous time before breaking them. I have penetrated pine 2x4s at least an inch into the board. They can take 5 or 6 forceful stabs before starting to break apart. I know no human that’s as tough as lumber. When I fly I have at least 3 of them on me. If you buy 2 or 3 sizes it makes them appear totally legit. By sizes I mean the lead diameter. You can get a set of 4 for $20 on Amazon. https://a.co/d/iLLzzJv Only one TSA agent asked about my pencils in 30 years of flying. He said “You sure have a lot of these pencils. Why do you need so many? I said “I use them for my work and I am an avid crossword puzzler.” It helps to have a book of crosswords in your luggage as well. He smiled and said “Makes sense. Have a nice trip.” Never had a problem with courthouse or any other government agency that checks bags and such either.

Father Kit, after thinking about it and looking at mine I think @Wild Eagleis correct. A sight made for a pistol will put the red or green dot lower to the bore. That rail on the 22/45 is for a scope not necessarily for an RDS. Have you considered a standard 22/45? It would save you a couple of hundred bucks and then you could get an RDS mount and the Holosun pistol optic…maybe. Or perhaps another mentioned in this thread. Here’s a mount for the standard 22/45. https://lobos-industries.com/products/low-profile-red-dot-mount-ruger-mark-series-rmr-footprint Here’s the standard 22/45 https://ruger.com/products/markIV2245/models.html

Been there, done that…many, many, many times.

Hey @Calamity Kris I found the mask that goes with that carbine and the luggage.

The first time I heard it was in boot camp in the Navy. I’ve been using it ever since.

Pretty sure that one is heavier than the Romeo 5. Weight is a definite factor in handguns and shooting.

If you have uncorrected Astigmatism a green dot would be a better solution. Red dots will blob out on you if you have astigmatism that is not corrected by your eyeglasses.

I have owned a few of these and they are very reliable and will take some abuse without losing zero. The American Defense QD mount that I mentioned is $110 from Amazon. The reason I bought that one is they have a guaranteed return to zero if you remove it to use iron sights then put it back on the gun. The Romeo 5 uses an Aimpoint footprint. As does the American Defense mount. Personally, I would just use the mount that comes with the RDS (red dot sight)

If you don’t mind a taller red dot and because you have a rail you might consider an Sig Sauer “Romeo 5” red dot sight mounted on a QD mount (QD = quick detach). This Romeo 5 comes from the manufacturer with a low and a high mount. The low mount is NOT quick detaching. https://a.co/d/1226r0r Here is that sight on a high (AR Co-witness) mount on my KelTec CP33. Here is my Ruger PC Carbine with the Romeo 5 on an American Defense low QD mount. Here’s a shot of the mount This would put the focal point at about 3/4” above the rail.

I just went in and put on my fire-suit so knock yourself out trying to roast me.

Technology changes, as do the needs to support that technology. Also, laws and regulations change. For better or for worse. People also change. Many people or businesses that did bluing and the even more specialized color case hardening, have gone away due to regulations. Also the cost for handling hazmats and hazardous waste have gone up. Way up, in regard to waste. Companies that do bluing now have to pay big bucks to stay in business, especially in heavily regulated states like CA, PA, NY, etc. If you contact a company to do bluing nowadays there is no more of these $150 bluing jobs. This is one of the reasons some people like Cerakote or Duracoat. It’s cheaper. It’s quicker. It’s tougher. Regarding people changing. How many of you remember when men and women wore dressier clothing just to go shopping? In the days of the 60’s that I remember I recall men wearing suits and hats and women dressed in nice dresses to go shopping on Saturday. These folks were older folks that became adults in the 30’s and 40’d. How many of you that lament the demise of the old gunsmiths that are no longer in business dress in the fashion that was popular when this “old” gunsmith was in business in his hey-day? How many of you drive 1960’s cars and have 1960’s appliances at home? And I am not talking about specialty cars like muscle cars or hot rods. Technology changes, as do people. People don’t hang on to old cars or appliances hoping young folks will mature and become old tech mechanics and old tech appliance repairmen. It just ain’t gonna happen. And if it does you will pay high prices, just like you will at a good specialized gunsmith these days.

What’s missing from nearly every gun related forum, including this one, is a list of gunsmiths and parts suppliers that fix guns and or supply parts for the guns of interest in that forum. I do a lot of my own gun repairs. Repairs that can be done by hand and with hand tools. But, as one of my signature lines says, “a man has got to know his limitations”. If I need matching work or something done that requires really precise workmanship I seek out a gunsmith and I pay the price quoted or billed without any complaint. Of course I do one thing most people forget or do not do. If it’s a special or hard job I set monetary parameters. I will say “Get prices on parts then estimate labor and proceed, but if the cost is going to be over (a certain amount) please call me for approval to move forward. There are no surprises that way. For me and for the Gunsmith. Here’s something neat and dear to my heart - like rancid meat roses or bureaucrats… Buying a gun from a SASS shooters and hearing the words “I slicked it up a little bit. I didn’t do much with it just trimmed a spring or two.” Bull Sh**! I have bought several guns from cowboy “pards” (a real “Pard” isn’t a bold faced liar - notice small “p” vs capital “P”) Just because you talked to Coyote Cap or watched the Steve’s Gunz video it doesn’t make one knowledgeable enough to be a “gunsmith”. See my signature line for clarification. Just because someone only works on ARs or Glocks doesn’t mean they are NOT a gunsmith. They are or may be a “specialized gunsmith”. I would prefer going to a specialized gunsmith that works on special guns or a special area of gunsmithing. Would you take your custom AR to Joe Sh** the Rag Man gunsmithing if you knew that Joe Sh** the Rag Man only did gun finishes, like; bluing, plating or coating? No? Why not, that’s specialized gunsmithing outside the specialty you need, right? By the way, just because a shop sells modern sporting rifles and handguns it does not mean that they do not have a qualified gunsmith on staff. A good example would be Rifle Supply in Huntington Beach, CA. They are a tactical gun store that occasionally has traditional firearms for sell. They also do a very brisk business in tactical or modern gun gunsmithing, but a couple of those “tacticool” gunsmiths will and do work on older guns up to a point. If you took a Colt DS in there with a timing issue (another specialized task) that would stump them but doing other tasks would be no problem for them. Don’t assume that a tactical store does not have qualified gunsmiths. Sorry for the long post

I’d be curious to know how that highway would affect non electric-drive cars with computers or how it might affect personal electronics capable of being charged cordlessly. And while I am at it I want to say fudge auto correct for screaming with my words and making my statements look stupendous and igneous.

It’s amazing how a song can bring back memories that feel like they happened just yesterday.

Okay…earworm…damnit!