So you want to be a Gunsmith?

[Right Again Dad]

Grandpa Jack wants to be a Cowboy now that his Grandson Jace the Ace is.  We decided to sign him up for his badge and give him a Stoeger 12g for Christmas.

 

In my attempt to address a trigger issue (needed to grind some meat off the front trigger to prevent it engaging the rear) I took the thing apart and quickly realized I am not a gunsmith.

 

After some inter web videos and reading I managed to reassemble!  I was high fiving in my head and bragging to Jace and his Mom.  She asked him if I worked on his and he quickly said "NO!"

 

 

When I attempted to cock the hammers to reinstall the barrel, only the left hammer would cock.  Did I miss something on the right side?

 

I partially disassembled by backing both pins out to remove the right side components.  Put it back in the vice and while holding the hammer and spring in with a screwdriver I managed to snap the sear pin in half while gently attempting to tap it in.  Hope the pin gets here before the 24th!!

 

Thanks for the look and advice.  Merry Christmas!

 

(if some of my terminology is off, remember I am not a gunsmith!  Just an aspiring cowboy shooting Dad of a Buckaroo who shoots better than me!)

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I too suffer from the, "I can fix that" syndrome.  After a while, you develop a sense of what you can tackle and what needs to be left to the professionals.  It's an expensive lesson to learn where the line is.  However, in my defense, I have saved lots of money over the years learning how to do things myself.  

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

To quote the Bard: "a man has to know his limitations."

 

Rev. Chase

[Oak Ridge Regulator]

If you REALLY want to know your limitations on guns then take apart a Remington Nylon 66, even the internet quakes in its boots when you mention that nightmare

[Itchy Trigger]

Or the Ruger Mark 1 that must be held upside down while hopping on one leg and reciting all swear words in a cryptic incantation while hoping the pieces align perfectly so it can be closed correctly.

[Preacherman]

Reverse the triggers is better. Get with me. You CAN do it!

[Tom Bullweed]

A sign in my local gunsmith shop :

YouTube is responsible for a large portion of my business.

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

the worst part of it , is trying to find parts IMO 

 

  Dremal and utube are great salesmen , 

 

 there are times , it is too far gone to repair 

 

  CB 

[Buckshot Bob]

3 hours ago, Oak Ridge Regulator said:

If you REALLY want to know your limitations on guns then take apart a Remington Nylon 66, even the internet quakes in its boots when you mention that nightmare

At gunsmithing school we had 4 minutes to put it back together from completely disassembled. If I remember right the A5 was the gun with the longest time. They actually weren’t bad guns as long as you didn’t leave them in the trunk on a hot summer day and have them warp 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I gained my 'gunsmith confidence' when I took apart and successfully reassembled the S&W model 41 and the Remington model 66.

 

Yep......... but I only did it once.   After that, I didn't try it again.

BUT........ I did limit my smithing to the 1894 Marlin and the Henry .22 lever rifle.    I kept it simple.

 

..........Widder

 

[Eyesa Horg]

7 hours ago, Oak Ridge Regulator said:

If you REALLY want to know your limitations on guns then take apart a Remington Nylon 66, even the internet quakes in its boots when you mention that nightmare

Or a Browning lever .308

[Right Again Dad]

Well, I am proud to report back I got it figured out.  I guess the left and right side hammers truly identified as such and when I swapped them....Success!!

 

I took a sear pin from another stoeger and left a punch in its place while I await a replacement.

 

Understanding how the thing functions adds another layer!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Preacherman: when you get back we have to talk.  Jace the Ace is gonna need your help at the Annual shoot and the Chili Challenge!!

 

[Tequila Shooter]

I always find a schematic helpful. 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

13 hours ago, Tequila Shooter said:

I always find a schematic helpful. 

 

You shouldn't be using words that make some of us go to the dictionary..... 

 

Merry Christmas, Tequila.

 

..........Widder

 

[Griff]

I'm not doing any more gunsmithing until I find my copy of the NRA Assembly Book!    I'm hoping it's "walk-about" is of a short duration!  As I'm nearing a need to take my Lightning apart and clean it!

[Jonathan Slim Chance]

Years ago I had a gunsmith building my guns when I did the USPSA thing, he swore he was going to buy us all Dremel tools for Christmas so he count on having work year round.

[Boomstick Bruce]

[Lunger Dan]

Theres things I can do-and things I can't do.   Ive only sent a gun off to a smith once-that was my codymatic going back to cody when I had an OOB and it bent the lever. Because I bought it from him and he knows what he did to it/tweaked it. When he's gone-I'll do it myself.
In the town I live-the only gunsmiths are just black rifle parts replacers and plastic mechanics. Early on in my gun hobby,  took an M1 carbine to have a front sight put on-they F'd it up and I went to the manual, figured it out and did it myself.
Given a schematic, some common sense, a little direction, Ive figured out Enfields, 30 carbines, Russian milsurps, Russian shotguns, Mausers, 1911s, and the pistols I carry for sass...not to mention countless other EDC pistols. I pretty much research and get intimate with the guns I own...and ask questions when necessary-of others who dont have manicured nails...
Not everyone has common sense...thats why theres lawyers, salesmen, office workers and government officials/workers. And gunsmiths to take care of those.
And yeah..90% of the time, the Dremel is useless/dangerous in gun work-thats why people too lazy or dumb to file/hone by hand end up paying someone else to figure it out for them.

 

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

On 12/20/2022 at 9:52 AM, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

You shouldn't be using words that make some of us go to the dictionary..... 

 

Merry Christmas, Tequila.

 

..........Widder

 

 Merry Christmas Widder - tried to PM ya, but no go - just checking on something to make sure it worked.

 

GG ~ 

[John Ray Davis]

 

I'm a gunsmith!

[Rip Snorter]

For fine work the Dremel can sure be risky, but when you play with it on tasks that s/b out of its weight class, it is amazing.  I cut two rusted muffler clamps with Dremel cutting wheels faster than any other tool I owned would have done it.  I would never apply it to a frame or slide, but used with great care, have successfully fitted other parts without harm.  Would I buy one again, probably.

[Preacherman]

Dremel can be very helpful with care. I really find the rubber polishing wheels to be super useful! 

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I don't do any cutting or grinding on guns with a Dremel tool.  I have been known to use the felt disks with some polishing compound to shine up small parts.  I leave the metal removal to the experts.  I did swap the triggers on a Stoeger SxS using a file.  That was easy.

[Johnny Meadows,SASS#28485L]

There is nothing wrong with a Dremel if you know how to use it correctly.

J.M.

[Buckshot Bob]

Once I got exposed to these at gunsmithing school there was no going back to a dremel tool 

https://www.foredom.net/product-category/flex-shaft-tools/

I especially like the foot pedal option, the one I have is probably over 25 years old now 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

9 hours ago, Johnny Meadows,SASS#28485L said:

There is nothing wrong with a Dremel if you know how to use it correctly.

J.M.

 

Indeed.

Most of the work on did on Marlin 1894's  and Henry .22's was using a Dremel and various accessories with it.

 

Of course, it helps to have a steady hand when cutting the heck out of a carrier.

 

..........Widder

 

[Johnny Meadows,SASS#28485L]

49 minutes ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

Indeed.

Most of the work on did on Marlin 1894's  and Henry .22's was using a Dremel and various accessories with it.

 

Of course, it helps to have a steady hand when cutting the heck out of a carrier.

 

..........Widder

 

A mill and a lath help to make up for a shackey hand, but you never have to leave the work bench when using a Dremel.

J.M.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

On 12/18/2022 at 2:41 PM, Eyesa Horg said:

Or a Browning lever .308

That rotating bolt is a bear to re-index.  

[Eyesa Horg]

1 hour ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

That rotating bolt is a bear to re-index.  

After much research at the time, I chose to not disassemble that far!

Every reference I found indicated to not take it apart. I heeded the warning.

 

[Dubious Don #56333]

It ain't rocket science and ya ain't building a skyscraper. LOL. Firearms are mechanical devices just like cars, plumbing, 'lectrical and so on. I was eleven or so when I had my first mishap. Noticed how similar my mom's Spanish Ruby pistol was to a Colt 25 auto. Actually, they share almost the same design. Reading an article about the Colt in some gun rag or other, I decided I should "clean" mom's pistol. Luckily, I didn't break anything when I managed to shoot the slide off the frame because it landed on the couch. Oh. That was what that little hook on the safety does...LOL. There were others. I've had to "repair" guns I broke while fixing them, even after I got me some book learning and such and was doing smithing professionally. Happens. Don't feel bad, we all been there. Learn and move on.

[Oddnews SASS# 24779]

I feel like I can handle most gun repairs that don't require lathe work or welding, but I find box-lock double shotguns to be beasts from the assembly/disassembly standpoint and I avoid working on them. I have the same problem you have with compressing the springs to get everything aligned.

The flip side of that is YouTube videos can be a lot of help. I detail stripped a Colt Detective Special about two years ago, so I could rust blue it. Thanks to the Kuhnhausen manual and a couple of videos I was able to do the job without too much cussing, and this is on the action some people call the "watchmaker's special."

[Mister Badly]

I am fortunate to live and shoot near some great cowboys who know their way around cowboy guns and enjoy sharing their knowledge. 

[Captain Bill Burt]

I know enough to know I’m not cut out for anything but the most basic gun work. I shot my first ‘73 for eight years before I had the courage to go beyond taking the side plates off and I haven’t tried doing that again, although if Palmetto Traveler volunteers to help me again I might brave it.

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

On 12/23/2022 at 5:05 PM, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

Indeed.

Most of the work on did on Marlin 1894's  and Henry .22's was using a Dremel and various accessories with it.

 

Of course, it helps to have a steady hand when cutting the heck out of a carrier.

 

..........Widder

 

 

Still can't PM ya. All ok?

 

GG ~ 

[J.D. Daily]

On 12/18/2022 at 9:13 AM, Itchy Trigger said:

Or the Ruger Mark 1 that must be held upside down while hopping on one leg and reciting all swear words in a cryptic incantation while hoping the pieces align perfectly so it can be closed correctly.

Been There Done That! with a MkII.  Had to view the Ruger video twice to get it back together & functioning.  I never did it again to clean.  Recently one of the SASS Forum threads had a link to a site with a punched part that fills the space behind the cross pin & grip frame.  This makes the chore easy: "Hammer Strut Support" https://www.hammerstrutsupport.com  Then the hammer strut can't go behind the cross pin.  This fix is much cheaper than the 3 party replacement for the Ruger "Mainspring hammer spring bolt stop pin assembly" that requires an allen key to remove & install.