The Gunsmith Thread

In my experience, no new Glock pistol has ever required any sort of "break-in" period. I typically apply a high temperature grease to the slide rails and a light coat over the top of the striker safety plunger. I do this with an artist's paint brush and I don't use a lot. After that, it should work flawlessly.

Did you try different magazines?

The fact that it shot your ammo fine and didn't like the Winchester ammo is puzzling. Glocks aren't usually finicky about brand, projectile weight (115 or 124 gr.) or projectile profile (Round Nose, Truncated, Hollow Point, etc.).

Did YOU shoot it with his ammo and have the same malfunctions, or was it only when he was shooting it? I ask, because I can't seem to make it happen myself but there is this bizarre thing (referred to as "limp-wristing") that some people do (apparently) which will make a striker-fired gun like that have all sorts of issues. If the gun isn't held tightly, the blowback action can't complete fully and leads to failures to feed or failures to go fully into battery. I know this is a thing - because I have seen people do it and then when I shoot the same gun I can't make it happen - no matter how lightly I hold the gun in my hand. It is truly bizarre.

If it's not that and there is truly something wrong with this pistol, I would send it back for evaluation. It could have been assembled on a Friday!
Glock isn't particularly quick with customer service but they take their reputation seriously and will make it right before they send it back.
Contact Warranty@glock.us or Technical.Service@glock.us
 
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I only had my Glock 19 mags which don't fit.
I did not place a drop of lube on the safety plunger tho :(
I did instruct him on limp-wristing. He did shoot better but the problem continued to happen.
I only shot it w/his ammo & it would fail to go into Battery every few rounds.
I suggested he bring it back to the store but he doesn't want to bc he thinks he'll be made fun of so I'm unsure what his plan is.
I then suggested he shoot 500 rounds & see what's going on then.
I'll post the results when I find out what happens but we meet monthly so it'll be awhile.
Thanks for getting back to me.
 
He should take it back to the store and have them send it back to Glock.
Glock will send them a pre-paid mailing label (free shipping) and they'll get it back in a few weeks.

The gun store or gunsmith (if they have one) may charge a diagnostic or handling fee, but it will be worth it in the long run. One should expect a Glock to work flawlessly with any type of ammunition. That's what they do so well. They aren't much to look at, but they usually work great.

If he doesn't want to take it back to the store, he can also box it up and send it to Glock directly. As a private citizen, you can ship a firearm directly to a FFL holder. If he Emails them (addresses in my previous post) they will send him a checklist of what to do and a pre-paid "call tag".
 
THParent said:
He should take it back to the store and have them send it back to Glock.
Glock will send them a pre-paid mailing label (free shipping) and they'll get it back in a few weeks.

The gun store or gunsmith (if they have one) may charge a diagnostic or handling fee, but it will be worth it in the long run. One should expect a Glock to work flawlessly with any type of ammunition. That's what they do so well. They aren't much to look at, but they usually work great.

If he doesn't want to take it back to the store, he can also box it up and send it to Glock directly. As a private citizen, you can ship a firearm directly to a FFL holder. If he Emails them (addresses in my previous post) they will send him a checklist of what to do and a pre-paid "call tag".
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Will let him know. Thank you very much.
 
A guy dropped off a rifle at the shop which he had disassembled and then reassembled but had extra parts left over, so of course he needed someone who knew what they were doing to put it back together correctly.

Yesterday I went into the shop and was informed that this guy has been calling the shop every day for the last four (4) days - which is the total time the gun has been there - to see if it's done yet. I called him back to tell him I'll probably get to it by the end of the day, but when I get him on the phone and tell him I'm the Gunsmith, the first words out of his pie-hole are "Why the hell isn't my gun ready yet?"

to wit I reply to this clown shoe: "Oh it can be ready right now if you like"
Clown shoe: "Oh? it's done?"
Me: "No it is not, but you may pick it up anytime you like. I won't even charge you."
Clown shoe: "But I want it fixed"
Me: "I gather that you want it fixed, but I don't appreciate your nasty attitude so you can pick it up any time that's convenient for you"
Clown shoe: "So you're not going to fix it?"
Me: "See how easy that was? Your powers of deduction remain unfazed"
Clown shoe: "Huh?"
Me: "I was originally calling to say that I will be working on it next and will be done with it shortly, but now I have decided that you can pick it up the way it is, because I'm going to work on someone else's gun instead."
Clown shoe: *click*
 
THParent said:
A guy dropped off a rifle at the shop which he had disassembled and then reassembled but had extra parts left over, so of course he needed someone who knew what they were doing to put it back together correctly.

Yesterday I went into the shop and was informed that this guy has been calling the shop every day for the last four (4) days - which is the total time the gun has been there - to see if it's done yet. I called him back to tell him I'll probably get to it by the end of the day, but when I get him on the phone and tell him I'm the Gunsmith, the first words out of his pie-hole are "Why the hell isn't my gun ready yet?"

to wit I reply to this clown shoe: "Oh it can be ready right now if you like"
Clown shoe: "Oh? it's done?"
Me: "No it is not, but you may pick it up anytime you like. I won't even charge you."
Clown shoe: "But I want it fixed"
Me: "I gather that you want it fixed, but I don't appreciate your nasty attitude so you can pick it up any time that's convenient for you"
Clown shoe: "So you're not going to fix it?"
Me: "See how easy that was? Your powers of deduction remain unfazed"
Clown shoe: "Huh?"
Me: "I was originally calling to say that I will be working on it next and will be done with it shortly, but now I have decided that you can pick it up the way it is, because I'm going to work on someone else's gun instead."
Clown shoe: *click*
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Off with his head!


94rbq2.jpg
 
THParent said:
A guy dropped off a rifle at the shop which he had disassembled and then reassembled but had extra parts left over, so of course he needed someone who knew what they were doing to put it back together correctly.

Yesterday I went into the shop and was informed that this guy has been calling the shop every day for the last four (4) days - which is the total time the gun has been there - to see if it's done yet. I called him back to tell him I'll probably get to it by the end of the day, but when I get him on the phone and tell him I'm the Gunsmith, the first words out of his pie-hole are "Why the hell isn't my gun ready yet?"

to wit I reply to this clown shoe: "Oh it can be ready right now if you like"
Clown shoe: "Oh? it's done?"
Me: "No it is not, but you may pick it up anytime you like. I won't even charge you."
Clown shoe: "But I want it fixed"
Me: "I gather that you want it fixed, but I don't appreciate your nasty attitude so you can pick it up any time that's convenient for you"
Clown shoe: "So you're not going to fix it?"
Me: "See how easy that was? Your powers of deduction remain unfazed"
Clown shoe: "Huh?"
Me: "I was originally calling to say that I will be working on it next and will be done with it shortly, but now I have decided that you can pick it up the way it is, because I'm going to work on someone else's gun instead."
Clown shoe: *click*
Click to expand...
Play stupid games...Win stupid prizes. Another example of why a Iike a person, but dislike people.
 
THParent said:
A guy dropped off a rifle at the shop which he had disassembled and then reassembled but had extra parts left over, so of course he needed someone who knew what they were doing to put it back together correctly.

Yesterday I went into the shop and was informed that this guy has been calling the shop every day for the last four (4) days - which is the total time the gun has been there - to see if it's done yet. I called him back to tell him I'll probably get to it by the end of the day, but when I get him on the phone and tell him I'm the Gunsmith, the first words out of his pie-hole are "Why the hell isn't my gun ready yet?"

to wit I reply to this clown shoe: "Oh it can be ready right now if you like"
Clown shoe: "Oh? it's done?"
Me: "No it is not, but you may pick it up anytime you like. I won't even charge you."
Clown shoe: "But I want it fixed"
Me: "I gather that you want it fixed, but I don't appreciate your nasty attitude so you can pick it up any time that's convenient for you"
Clown shoe: "So you're not going to fix it?"
Me: "See how easy that was? Your powers of deduction remain unfazed"
Clown shoe: "Huh?"
Me: "I was originally calling to say that I will be working on it next and will be done with it shortly, but now I have decided that you can pick it up the way it is, because I'm going to work on someone else's gun instead."
Clown shoe: *click*
Click to expand...
"Sorry, Sir. I know your mom said you were special, but this is my shop!" I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Savage Model 64 Precision Rifle - Problem with cheap plastic receiver plug.

Plastic receiver plug is damaged from repeated impact by rear of spring-loaded bolt. Causes light strikes and failure to fire because the firing pin is no longer fully compressed by the receiver plug. The original model 64 receiver was all steel here. This plug should be steel as well, as this plastic design is clearly designed for failure after only several rounds. No recall was found for this rifle or the associated part. When this part fails completely, it could possibly direct the spring-loaded rear of the bolt into the shooter’s face, causing injury.

Below are a few photos of the issue. Left is what the receiver looks like as the damage becomes evident. Center photo is the plug and rear stud removed, and the right photo is the underside of the plug that the rear stud is supposed to hold in place.

1727729534949.png1727729356143.png1727729368266.png

Dumb design, especially since the Model 64 came onto the market in (you may have guessed it) 1964.

For decades, they made them with an all-steel receiver (no plug) and the bolt was easy to remove from the front after taking the barrel off. With this particular iteration, they decided to go cheap and put in the plastic plug. Now they have to fix them all. There will probably be a product safety recall - so if you have one and it quit working - the fix is in the works.

Savage told me today that they are engineering a replacement part and will have them ready in about 3 weeks.
 

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A guy brought in his AR-15 he just built (chambered in 5.56x45 - this will be important later).

He went onto the range to test fire it for the first time ever (how exciting), and put a single round of .300 BLK. through it.
One of the salesman ducks his head into my gun room and says "A guy just blew up his AR-15 on the range", and then ducked out to see if the guy needed any medical assistance. I waited for a few minutes, then there's a knock on the door.

Salesman shows me the gun and says, "what do you think happened?"
I look at what's left of the magazine - which blew out the bottom of the magwell but still has several .300 BLK rounds in it - and then look at the barrel which has "5.56 NATO" roll-marked on the end and say "There's your answer, is the guy injured?".
"Nope, not a scratch" is the reply.

Darwin didn't win today, but there's always tomorrow. ;)
 
Inherited a couple of rifles when my brother passed this summer, and two in particular have me stumped. Both are lever action, one is 38-55 and the other is a 30-30. Metal is in pretty bad shape. Curious to see best direction to go for restoration, and if these rifles are worth the potential cost to do said restoration. Both rifles are Winchesters. Definitely not in my wheel house.

1728414375050.png
 
You have a pair of Winchester 1894 rifles there. The short one has what looks like a 16-1/2" barrel and should have a Marshal's "badge" engraved on the right side of the receiver (the side that is "up" in the photo). I'm guessing that one is chambered in .30-.30 WIN. It should say "Legendary Lawmen" on it.

The other one is what they billed as the "Legendary Frontiersmen" (chambered in .38-55 Winchester) with a 24" barrel. That particular cartridge is suited for black bear and deer at a range of say 200 meters or less. If you don't reload, that's a pretty pricey cartridge.
255 gr. flat nose lead cartridges in .38-55 will cost you around $2.00 per round, whereas .30-30 is about a dollar every time you pull the trigger.
With the 24" barrel, you can expect a 4" or 5" group at 200 meters. If you practice a lot, you can get that down to 3", maybe.

Commemorative 1894 rifles aren't worth particularly more than any other 1894 rifle, unless they are pristine, in the original box, un-fired, and with all the paperwork. With that said, they are worth about $800 each on the used market. Not suggesting you sell them, but if you want to have the rust removed and properly serviced by a gunsmith, spending $125 per rifle (what I charge) would certainly not be throwing money away.

Your $125 should get you rust removal and targeted re-bluing if needed, with all the parts removed from the receiver, cleaned, re-lubricated, and reassembled. If the rust is bad (with pitting evidence), you would still have the pitting afterward but with the proper service, the rust won't come back. All that heavily depends upon how they are stored and maintained in the future, as well.
 
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THParent said:
You have a pair of Winchester 1894 rifles there. The short one has what looks like a 16-1/2" barrel and should have a Marshal's "badge" engraved on the right side of the receiver (the side that is "up" in the photo). I'm guessing that one is chambered in .30-.30 WIN. It should say "Legendary Lawmen" on it.

The other one is what they billed as the "Legendary Frontiersmen" (chambered in .38-55 Winchester) with a 24" barrel. That particular cartridge is suited to black bear and deer at a range of say 200 meters or less. If you don't reload, that's a pretty pricey cartridge.
255 gr. flat nose lead cartridges in .38-55 will cost you around $2.00 per round, whereas .30-30 is about a dollar every time you pull the trigger.
With the 24" barrel, you can expect a 4" or 5" group at 200 meters. If you practice a lot, you can get that down to 3", maybe.

Commemorative 1894 rifles aren't worth particularly more than any other 1894 rifle, unless they are pristine, in the original box, un-fired, and with all the paperwork. With that said, they are worth about $800 each on the used market. Not suggesting you sell them, but if you want to have the rust removed and properly serviced by a gunsmith, spending $125 per rifle (what I charge) would certainly not be throwing money away.

Your $125 should get you rust removal and targeted re-bluing if needed, with all the parts removed from the receiver, cleaned, re-lubricated, and reassembled. If the rust is bad (with pitting evidence), you would still have the pitting afterward but with the proper service, the rust won't come back. All that heavily depends upon how they are stored and maintained in the future, as well.
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Thanks for the feedback. Definitely plan on keeping them. Would be pretty interested in getting one or both in a condition where I can fire them (albeit very sparingly because of the aforementioned ammo cost). Very impressed with the feel and balance, especially with the 38-55.
 
THParent said:
If the actions work and the barrels are clear, I would lubricate them and take them out to fire. They will be fine.
If you don't have an owner's manual, go here: https://www.winchesterguns.com/support/owners-manuals/model-94-owners-manual.html
(The 1894 is also known as the model 94).
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I have a question for THParent...

I love firing my old rifles, but here's where my knowledge is woefully lacking. Some were designed in the days of black powder cartridges...that being said, would a modern cartridge of that caliber be dangerous regarding: overpressure? Realize I'm not a reloader and don't know how to "compensate" for pressures, etc.

That's a "when I'm retired" learning process.
 
That's a great question. Black powder burns at a much slower rate than modern smokeless powders, so modern loadings of that particular cartridge would NOT be something you would want to use in your old rifles. The pressure curve produced by modern smokeless powder loadings far exceeds the structural capabilities of those old rifles. They were designed to propel a heavy bullet at relatively low velocities, by today's standards.

Black powder cartridge rifles (BPCR) are typically chambered in .40-65, .40-70, .45-70, and .45-90. I had one in the shop recently which was a drilling (two side-by-side 12 ga. barrels over a single .38-55 Win barrel). The shotgun barrels were of the Demascus steel design, and I told the customer that he should not shoot modern smokeless powder loadings of 12 ga. shotshells out of those barrels, along with the same warning about the rifle barrel.

Buffalo Arms Company in Idaho (buffaloarms<dot>com) has several black powder ammunition choices, but if you have a Sharps Rifle chambered in .40-70 (for example), you are going to pay about $5.00 each time you pull that trigger. If you're Matthew Quigley from down under and have a Sharps in .45-120 which lobs a 535 grain bullet 500 yards or more, you'll pay about $8.50 per round. :p
 
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THParent said:
That's a great question. Black powder burns at a much slower rate than modern smokeless powders, so modern loadings of that particular cartridge would NOT be something you would want to use in your old rifles. The pressure curve produced by modern smokeless powder loadings far exceeds the structural capabilities of those old rifles. They were designed to propel a heavy bullet at relatively low velocities, by today's standards.

Black powder cartridge rifles (BPCR) are typically chambered in .40-65, .40-70, .45-70, and .45-90. I had one in the shop recently which was a drilling (two side-by-side 12 ga. barrels over a single .38-55 Win barrel). The shotgun barrels were of the Demascus steel design, and I told the customer that he should not shoot modern smokeless powder loadings of 12 ga. shotshells out of those barrels, along with the same warning about the rifle barrel.

Buffalo Arms Company in Idaho (buffaloarms<dot>com) has several black powder ammunition choices, but if you have a Sharps Rifle chambered in .40-70 (for example), you are going to pay about $5.00 each time you pull that trigger. If you're Matthew Quigley from down under and have a Sharps in .45-120 which lobs a 535 grain bullet 500 yards or more, you'll pay about $8.50 per round. :p
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Thank you! That's what I thought.
I've fired a few $5 bills downrange...not enough; hence, the desire to learn to load my own.
(A very nice Sharps in 45-70)
 
Steve - I'm patting myself on the back that I guessed not only that you had a falling block, but it was a Sharps as well !
 
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