Mr. Smith  

New2Midlo 54M
653 posts
1/13/2022 10:52 am

Last Read:
1/18/2022 8:20 pm

Mr. Smith


Sticking with the theme from my last post (and half my damned blog, lately), now that the weather has turned, I've had to find different ways of satisfying my enjoyment of gunfire. Winter is always a dangerous time for shooters, because instead of pulling the trigger, honing their skills, their idle time is frequently taken with thoughts of "ooh, I need this!". Instead of buying a bunch of new guns, when I'm not fending off the ATF, I've been teaching myself gunsmithing. Having shot competitively for so long, I know how to tune a gun and install new parts, as needed. However, my only non-custom built gun was in need of a better trigger pull. I could have taken it to a gunsmith for them to do the work, but where's the fun in that? Instea, I bought all the equipment to perform my own trigger jobs. Thankfully, I had a lot of zero value spare parts to practice on, because my first efforts were quite embarrassing. But I'm proud of the end result; the gun now has one of the best trigger pulls I've felt. But I didn't stop there with that gun. Also because of competing for so long, I have a very definite set of requirements on how my gun interacts with me. For example, I didn't like the grip I was<b> forced </font></b>to take when shooting this gun; never did. So, I decided to do something about it and fitted a new piece to make that happen. The next thing I knew, I'd replaced all the cheap components the manufacturer had used to save money with higher quality, bulletproof parts. The almost humorous part is the gun looks almost identical to when I started. But it's more reliable and more pleasant to shoot, as a result of my taking the time to do the job right.

A bit of a tangent on that subject, with respect to satisfaction in a job well executed. None of the replacement parts I installed were 'drop in'. All were oversized, which allows you to fit them to the exact gun you're working on. Tight tolerances make a very accurate, reliable, and smooth operating pistol. In any case, I'd forgotten how both demanding and time consuming the process can be. Take your oversized part, figure out roughly what needs to be removed and remove a little bit, using your files and stone. Check for fit, remove a bit more material...repeat this process as many times as required, until the part fits perfectly. Whatever you do, resist the urge to break out your Dremel and grind away, because nothing good comes from this; I have too much first hand knowledge of this fact.

Some parts are much more difficult to properly fit than others. As an example, one of the parts I'd fitted (the extractor) stuck out the back of the gun by next to nothing, 3/16". The condition has zero functional impact, but I wanted it to look like a pro did the work. The gun has contours in both directions where the part protruded, so I couldn't just measure and file off the extra. Just that little bit of fitting and blending took me over four hours, but that part blends with the slide perfectly; a professional gunsmith couldn't have gotten a better result. As you can probably tell, I continue to pat myself on the back over the achievement.

Because life sucks, the gun I worked so hard on is headed back to the manufacturer for warranty repair, because the slide and frame fit together as tightly as an avocado and a sheet of plywood. As a result, over the weekend, I removed all of my lovely fitted parts and reinstalled the factory shit. No way I was risking any of those parts disappearing while the gun was out of my possession. When it comes back in 2-4 weeks, I'll reassemble and make a determination of whether to finish blending one last part. If I leave it alone, I can send just the new parts out for finishing. However, if I blend it, I'll need to refinish the whole gun, which is a difference in cost of $400. Have I mentioned how amazing I am at spending money, particularly when I'm not working?

In addition to the few hundred dollars in parts and the rifle I bought, I've recently had a hankering for a commander sized 1911. I have three full size and one compact; the commander bridges the two. I'm torn between building what I really want, which would cost over four grand and take two years, or accepting a few concessions. There's a used custom build for sale that would be amazing and save me a ton of money. Logical me says hold off, but when you've got new gun fever...

New2Midlo 54M
1075 posts
1/13/2022 10:52 am

Sticking with the theme from my last post (and half my damned blog, lately), now that the weather has turned, I've had to find different ways of satisfying my enjoyment of gunfire. Winter is always a dangerous time for shooters, because instead of pulling the trigger, honing their skills, their idle time is frequently taken with thoughts of "ooh, I need this!". Instead of buying a bunch of new guns, when I'm not fending off the ATF, I've been teaching myself gunsmithing. Having shot competitively for so long, I know how to tune a gun and install new parts, as needed. However, my only non-custom built gun was in need of a better trigger pull. I could have taken it to a gunsmith for them to do the work, but where's the fun in that? Instea, I bought all the equipment to perform my own trigger jobs. Thankfully, I had a lot of zero value spare parts to practice on, because my first efforts were quite embarrassing. But I'm proud of the end result; the gun now has one of the best trigger pulls I've felt. But I didn't stop there with that gun. Also because of competing for so long, I have a very definite set of requirements on how my gun interacts with me. For example, I didn't like the grip I was forced to take when shooting this gun; never did. So, I decided to do something about it and fitted a new piece to make that happen. The next thing I knew, I'd replaced all the cheap components the manufacturer had used to save money with higher quality, bulletproof parts. The almost humorous part is the gun looks almost identical to when I started. But it's more reliable and more pleasant to shoot, as a result of my taking the time to do the job right.

A bit of a tangent on that subject, with respect to satisfaction in a job well executed. None of the replacement parts I installed were 'drop in'. All were oversized, which allows you to fit them to the exact gun you're working on. Tight tolerances make a very accurate, reliable, and smooth operating pistol. In any case, I'd forgotten how both demanding and time consuming the process can be. Take your oversized part, figure out roughly what needs to be removed and remove a little bit, using your files and stone. Check for fit, remove a bit more material...repeat this process as many times as required, until the part fits perfectly. Whatever you do, resist the urge to break out your Dremel and grind away, because nothing good comes from this; I have too much first hand knowledge of this fact.

Some parts are much more difficult to properly fit than others. As an example, one of the parts I'd fitted (the extractor) stuck out the back of the gun by next to nothing, 3/16". The condition has zero functional impact, but I wanted it to look like a pro did the work. The gun has contours in both directions where the part protruded, so I couldn't just measure and file off the extra. Just that little bit of fitting and blending took me over four hours, but that part blends with the slide perfectly; a professional gunsmith couldn't have gotten a better result. As you can probably tell, I continue to pat myself on the back over the achievement.

Because life sucks, the gun I worked so hard on is headed back to the manufacturer for warranty repair, because the slide and frame fit together as tightly as an avocado and a sheet of plywood. As a result, over the weekend, I removed all of my lovely fitted parts and reinstalled the factory shit. No way I was risking any of those parts disappearing while the gun was out of my possession. When it comes back in 2-4 weeks, I'll reassemble and make a determination of whether to finish blending one last part. If I leave it alone, I can send just the new parts out for finishing. However, if I blend it, I'll need to refinish the whole gun, which is a difference in cost of $400. Have I mentioned how amazing I am at spending money, particularly when I'm not working?

In addition to the few hundred dollars in parts and the rifle I bought, I've recently had a hankering for a commander sized 1911. I have three full size and one compact; the commander bridges the two. I'm torn between building what I really want, which would cost over four grand and take two years, or accepting a few concessions. There's a used custom build for sale that would be amazing and save me a ton of money. Logical me says hold off, but when you've got new gun fever...


LadiesR2B1rst 60M  
2735 posts
1/13/2022 4:09 pm

I have a 35 cal. Marlin lever action that sometimes mis-fires. Any suggestions?


mufdiver69er2 63M  
1953 posts
1/13/2022 4:49 pm

when i finally got my kimber aegis elite pro i had been craving for more years than i care to admit...and fired the 1st effortless rounds seemingly without even trying to the exact point of aim..it was a priceless moment..but my old tried and true charles daly full size still trips my trigger too..all that to say..whatever you end up with...may it bring you joy..

woop woop


New2Midlo replies on 1/13/2022 6:54 pm:
The 1911, given to us by our lord, John Moses Browning, is the best handgun platform ever conceived. I may have a few of them...

mufdiver69er2 63M  
1953 posts
1/13/2022 4:53 pm

by the way..if you are interested..a smith to admire for his art and journey..is a guy named marc morganti...google is your friend,right?

woop woop


New2Midlo replies on 1/13/2022 6:57 pm:
Marc does some fine work. Odd he seems to specialize in revo's but his email has 1911 in it. There are a few masters building 1911's, these days. Check out CT Brian.

mufdiver69er2 63M  
1953 posts
1/13/2022 4:55 pm

    Quoting LadiesR2B1rst:
    I have a 35 cal. Marlin lever action that sometimes mis-fires. Any suggestions?
have you had the firing pin checked out?

woop woop


New2Midlo replies on 1/13/2022 6:58 pm:
Yep, I'd start with the firing pin to make sure it's to spec and moves freely. Depending on the gun's age, you may want to refresh the springs. If you're getting light primer strikes, I'd recommend Federal ammo. They have the softest primers on the market.

mufdiver69er2 63M  
1953 posts
1/14/2022 3:23 am

ill be sure to check him out...thanks..btw marcs damascus steel caspian /briley dragon gun is a true work of art imo...

woop woop


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