The Gunsmith Thread

In my experience, Crimson Trace stands behind their products, even after the 3-year warranty is up. For $329.99, they ought to. ;)

Please report back as to what they say. I for one am interested.
 
brewmeist said:
I just finished my 5.56 build. Do I really need to buy a $50+ gauge to test headspace? Obviously safety first, but that seems like a big expense for a potentially 1-time use item. Is there a reliable 'Harbor Freight' version?
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I just noticed that you posted this before, @brewmeist.

There is typically no reason to check headspace a barrel on an AR-15. I say this, because when we're talking about "Mil-Spec" (which is another name for "loosey goosey") there is already a little play in the chamber, so the rifle will reliably digest just about any round by any manufacturer. If you bought a standard 5.56 barrel, then typically you are good to go after getting 40 lb-ft of torque on the barrel nut and putting everything else together correctly.

I used "typically" in italics there twice, because when I assemble uppers for customers, I always check the headspace with a field gauge and an no-go gauge. The U.S. Army will allow a rifle in service if the bolt closes and locks up on a field gauge, whereas the Marine Corps will only allow a measurement with a go gauge. If you end up with a short chamber (which I have very infrequently) you need to use a chamber reamer and adjust everything little by little to get everything right. If you end up with a long chamber (which I have never found in 40 years) there is a lot more work involved on a lathe to take some of the barrel face off. At that point, it would be cheaper to get a new barrel. ;)

One way to make sure that you have a "plug-and-play" headspace fit, is to buy the barrel and bolt matched together. Some "high-end" .223 Wilde and competition barrels are marketed this way, but they are typically kind of pricey. More so than a $50 headspace gauge.
 
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THParent said:
I just noticed that you posted this before, @brewmeist.

There is typically no reason to check headspace a barrel on an AR-15. I say this, because when we're talking about "Mil-Spec" (which is another name for "loosey goosey") there is already a little play in the chamber, so the rifle will reliably digest just about any round by any manufacturer. If you bought a standard 5.56 barrel, then typically you are good to go after getting 40 lb-ft of torque on the barrel nut and putting everything else together correctly.

I used "typically" in italics there twice, because when I assemble uppers for customers, I always check the headspace with a field gauge and an no-go gauge. The U.S. Army will allow a rifle in service if the bolt closes and locks up on a field gauge, whereas the Marine Corps will only allow a measurement with a go gauge. If you end up with a short chamber (which I have very infrequently) you need to use a chamber reamer and adjust everything little by little to get everything right. If you end up with a long chamber (which I have never found in 40 years) there is a lot more work involved on a lathe to take some of the barrel face off. At that point, it would be cheaper to get a new barrel. ;)

One way to make sure that you have a "plug-and-play" head space fit, is to buy the barrel and bolt matched together. Some "high-end" .223 Wilde and competition barrels are marketed this way, but they are typically kind of pricey. More so than a $50 headspace gauge.
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Thanks for that reply.

In all the research I have done prior to this build, I never saw anything about testing head space. This includes books, websites, videos, forums... It only came to my attention because my brother asked me about it after I finished. Of course, when googling such a specific subject as 'AR Build head space gauge", I found tons of info. Unfortunately it was a 50/50 split as far as if it is needed or not. A man was at my range years ago when his rifle blew apart. He was alive when the EMTs came, but died later that day. It ended up that he was using way too-powerful hand loads in a very old trapdoor that he purchased used and never had inspected. I felt bad, but there is no excuse when it comes to taking every conceivable safety precaution.

I ended up calling my gunsmith, that I really only use for FFL transfers these days. I asked his opinion, and he said that he has never seen a problem with a build, but offered to check it for me. He wouldn't charge me. It checked out just fine.

I guess I need to do another FFL purchase to thank him for the freebie...
 
Before everyone goes right out and buys headspace gauges, I am also going to add that if headspace is off, usually it is readily apparent before anything dangerous happens.

Too much headspace can lead to bulged, cracked, or split cases. It can also lead to light primer strikes, failures to fire, primers popping out of the primer pockets, and (if you reload) shortened case life. Those are pretty significant failures that most likely won't damage you or the rifle, but will point to issues that need to be addressed if you want to go on using the rifle safely.

Too little headspace is much more readily apparent. With insufficient headspace, the bolt won't close and the gun won't go into battery. If the bolt won't close, most intelligent shooters are smart enough not to force it. If the shooter isn't all that smart and attempts to forcefully close the breech (let's say by pounding on that forward assist device that AR-15s don't really need), then you can jam the case neck in too far, causing the front of the chamber to put more crimp pressure from the case onto the bullet. In this scenario, it could delay the release of the bullet when the cartridge is fired, causing vastly higher chamber pressure. Theoretically, it could go "boom".

In both scenarios, the gun tells the shooter that there is something wrong before anything bad happens. ;)
 
So I wrote my Senators and Congressional Rep about having silencers removed from the NFA list. Not that I expect anything to happen, but it really should just be an accessory item. It's a muffler. It's ridiculous to pay a tax stamp and wait months for something that prevents ear damage.

My rep wrote back, and thanked me for my concern about gun violence, and that she is proud to be sponsoring legislation to make AR style firearms illegal. I asked her if she even read my note before sending me a canned answer.
 
I'm listening to Dianne Feinstein suggesting parallels between skyrocketing gun sales for the last few months leading to people killing each other during Covid to Amy Barrett right now.
 
Don't hold your breath on getting the HPA passed. Even when Republicans held both houses and the Presidency, they didn't vote on it.

Just paid another $200...
 
raimius said:
Don't hold your breath on getting the HPA passed. Even when Republicans held both houses and the Presidency, they didn't vote on it.

Just paid another $200...
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I think it's one of those things that they are not in high-demand within the shooting community, and many people, including shooters, think a silencer actually completely silences the firearm, just like in the movies. Politicians won't lose any votes if they ignore the subject.

It really is a shame.
 
Yeah...and if you are a gun enthusiast, it's not like you are going to go vote for the party that hates your guts when the other one only pays lip service to supporting you...
...and SCOTUS won't even rule on cases involving gun rights.

...frustrating, quite often.
 
raimius said:
Yeah...and if you are a gun enthusiast, it's not like you are going to go vote for the party that hates your guts when the other one only pays lip service to supporting you...
...and SCOTUS won't even rule on cases involving gun rights.

...frustrating, quite often.
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For those who value the 2nd amendment, there is only one choice, because of the Supreme Court. If it weren't for SCOTUS, we would already have gone the way of Europe and Australia. The rhetoric on the left gets worse and more mainstream every year

While the Supreme Court hasn't done as much as we would like them to, the last 20 years of decisions have been pretty kind to gun owner. With ACB's confirmation imminent, the 2nd Amendment will be secure for another 20 years. Also, don't forget the impact that all the federal circuit court judges appointed in the last 4 years will have across the country. Just last month, California's ban on large capacity magazines was found unconstitutional!
 
He has her shooting a Barrett...really...What's it about $10/round?

 
I "straw blued" some small parts for an old Luger P08 yesterday. That was a first for me, and I am impressed by how it turned out.
Here is one of the parts:

1603370680301.png


I will follow up with photos of the gun reassembled. It is all about temperature.
You get this color at the low end of the salt blue heat spectrum (500°-550° F.). As you get the salt solution hotter, you get blue, then purple, then silver.
 
One? If you count the lever action model 96/22 that shares a mag, then one for each finger below...

🖐
 
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