The Gunsmith Thread

I wear an apron at the shop which reads "gunsmith" on it. A guy (who smelled like Marijuana mixed with butt crack - even with me wearing a mask) asked me the other day if I was the gunsmith. I replied yes, that I was indeed the gunsmith. He then asks me "What's a gunsmith do?" so I tell him (since I had a fresh cup of espresso in my hand) that I just sit in my workshop and drink coffee. He then says: "That's a good job, man".

He was serious.
 
Losing NFA items would be pretty significant...so probably not a lot of that gear will be adrift. I don't have any Knight's Armament stuff, but it has a good reputation. Their attachment system should be good, unless the USMC demands something goofy
 
I have wondered if those things work as advertised.
 
The sad, true and funny part of the story is that a few months ago, my DH and I were sitting on the porch enjoying cooling beverages and grilling. His entertainment while attending the food and waiting for it to cook was killing flies with an old fashioned fly swatter, then sort of putting them in a pile. After he had "collected" about 20 or so, he snapped a picture to our DD, who showed it to her boyfriend. So, when she and he spotted this "gun" at a store, he knew he had to get it for DH for Christmas.
Lesson: how a future son-in-law can endear himself to a future father-in-law. o_O
 
@THParent I believe you’ve touched on this before, but I can’t seem to find it...

What is your go to gun oil? Do you have an opinion on CLP solvents? Does your answer to either of those questions change if I tell you I’m asking in reference to an inertia action 12ga?

I talked to the manufacturer of my gun and they recommend these two (both cleaner/lube/protectant):

clenzoil.com

Clenzoil - The Original C.L.P.

Clenzoil is the leading and most trusted manufacturer of cleaning and maintenance products for the firearm and marine industries. Founded in 1948 by a WWII Army captain and still veteran owned today, Clenzoil is proud to be an All-American brand.
clenzoil.com clenzoil.com

I’ll probably go with what the manufacturer recommends but I figure I’ll learn something from your comments either way. Cheers, sir.
 
Every gun owner has their own anectdotel favorite gun cleaner/lube. Not many have any real scientific evidence to back up their opinion. There are many, many products to choose from. The old standbys: Hopps No. 9, Breakfree CLP and Rem Oil have never failed me. Clean after every firing, keep a light coat of Rem Oil on everything and you will be fine. Shotguns are not particularly difficult to keep clean and well functioning.
 
One of my gun bags. They all have first aid gear. This one has a tourniquet, pocket mask to breath for patient, and a couple dressing/bandage combos.

ouchpouch.jpg
 
Everybody makes a CLP these days. You cannot go wrong with what the manufacturer recommends, since when they do testing, ostensibly that's what they use. The fact that they suggest that you use Clenzoil with their guns may be because they really think it's great, or because they get something in the bargain from Clenzoil to say it.

I have never heard of the stuff, but I'm sure it works just fine.

I put my first M-16 together back in 1978, and this guy comes into the shop the other day and insists that I use Aeroshell grease to put his AR-15 upper together. I say "uh, why?", and he tells me "Because it's Mil-Spec - it's what the military uses". I tell him that this is all well and good, but I don't have any Aeroshell aviation grease (you know, since it's used for aviation...) He goes on to tell me that "the military" uses Aeroshell and he wants me to use it on his gun (I don't know why, I guess he wishes he was in "the military" or something?), so he brought me some. "How nice" I say and put it in a bag to use sometime next week when I get around to the 5-minute job of assembling his "Mil-Spec" AR-15 upper. He agreed to pay me $50.00 to assemble this tack-driving beast of 1/2 of a pea-shooter, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

But I digress.

At about $8.00 per quart, Mobil 1 5W30 (automotive oil) is a great gun oil and a quart should last a lifetime.

For cleaning, I use a myriad of different products depending on what I'm cleaning and what I want to dissolve (Copper, Lead, Carbon, Powder Residue, etc.)

For protecting - I use several other products - depending on what type of gun I'm protecting as well.

Some guns like a little grease and a very tiny bit of oil. Some guns like only oil. Some guns run better with a PTFE (Teflon) lubricant.
What I can tell you is this - a little bit of oil is good, but a lot of oil is usually not better. Most people put way too much oil on their guns.
 
THParent said:
What I can tell you is this - a little bit of oil is good, but a lot of oil is usually not better. Most people put way too much oil on their guns.
Click to expand...
Good point. It is more important to know how to clean a gun (e.g. what kind of jegs, brushes, cleaning from the breach, etc.) and to do it religiously, than what products to use. Many different techniques for different types of guns. For example, an AR has its own special needs that are different than other gas guns, etc. YouTube videos are a great source of knowledge.
 
Thanks for the advice and wisdom. I’ll spend a bit more time on YouTube.

I know a bit about shotgun maintenance because I grew up shooting (and cleaning) some buddies’ guns. I’ll give a few products a test and see what the gun likes.
 
For the SA's that produce a class pistol. What percentage of cadets / mids make the purchase?
 
rjb said:
For the SA's that produce a class pistol. What percentage of cadets / mids make the purchase?
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In my limited experience, these class pistols are not a big seller among about-to-commission cadets and midshipmen. It does seem that class rings are still an important take-away from the SA experience, however. Many of them get a "dress" ring (to wear once in a while) and a more subdued "combat" ring. The latter isn't as expensive and isn't as easy to damage (no stone or precious metal).
 
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