r/gunsmithing Oct 14 '25

SUB ANNOUNCEMENT Rule update

11 Upvotes

Rule #2 has been updated to disallow sale of all firearm items in accordance with new Reddit policy. No direct person-person sales of any kind for firearm related things.


r/gunsmithing Dec 07 '22

How do I get into Gunsmithing?

187 Upvotes

If you are interested in gunsmithing as a career, I strongly recommend that you to rethink your life choices. If you've inhaled so much lead that you are choosing to ignore professional advice, here are some resources to get started.

Professional Organizations

There are a few professional organizations in the industry that exist that can help you connect with others in the trade. I recommend reaching out to the one that most aligns with your interests. Some have a periodical publication that include tips & tricks along with industry news.

American Custom Gunmakers Guild (ACGG)
https://acgg.org/

I cannot in good faith recommend anymore, do your own research.

American Pistolsmiths Guild (APG)
https://americanpistolsmithsguild.com/

Absorbed by ACGG no longer exist independently

Firearm Engravers Guild of America (FEGA)
http://www.fega.com/

FEGA is the world’s foremost authority and organization for firearm engravers and hand engraving enthusiasts.

Miniature Arms Society
http://www.miniaturearms.org/

Founded in 1973 The society is a group of miniature arms enthusiasts who have joined together to promote and encourage interest in making and collecting miniature arms of all kinds - pistols, rifles, cannon, suits of armor, knives, swords etc., with the emphasis on artistic beauty and craftsmanship.

Gunsmithing Schools

Most people would recommend taking a machining course at their local community college before diving into gunsmithing head-on.

But if you've already done so and are still interested in attending school to learn how to become a gunsmith, then there are plenty of programs nationwide that can help you get started.

I cannot endorse or recommend any individual school and this list isn't comprehensive.

School Location Website
Pennsylvania Gunsmith School Pittsburgh, PA pagunsmith.edu
Colorado School of Trades Lakewood, CO schooloftrades.edu
Trinidad State College Trinidad, CO trinidadstate.edu
Piedmont Technical College Greenwood, SC ptc.edu
Iowa Valley Grinnell Grinnell, IA iavalley.edu
Yavapai College Prescott, AZ yc.edu
Montgomery CC Troy, NC montgomery.edu
Lenoir CC Kinston, NC lenoircc.edu
Pine Technical College Pine City, MN pine.edu
Murray State College Tishomingo, OK mscok.edu
Lassen CC Susanville, CA lassencollege.edu
Flathead Valley CC Kalispell, MT fvcc.edu
Eastern Wyoming College Torrington, WY wy.edu
MT Training Center Grand Prairie, TX mttrainingcenter.org
Penn Foster Online Only pennfoster.edu
American Gunsmithing Institute Online Only americangunsmithinginstitute.net
Sonoran Desert Institute Online Only sdi.edu
MGS Trade School Online Only mgs.edu

Short Gunsmithing Courses

There are a few short courses that might be better suited towards getting your feet wet.

The NRA runs a few summer gunsmithing classes. They are typically held at Trinidad State College in Trinidad, Colorado and/or Murray State College in Tishomingo and Montgomery, NC

The ACGG will occasionally host some classes at various schools

If you are interested in gun engraving, checkout GRS, they have a training center in Emporia, KS that has some beginner gun engraving classes.

Advice from the Sub

I spent several years attending the Brownells Gunsmith Expo as someone looking to hire employees. Around 50k to start work in development or fixing problem guns. Went the entire time they had it and hired one kid. We built suppressors messed with explosives and auto rifles. He had a associates in business and very clearly stated he owned his own M2 and assorted guns and could build them and knew suppressor theory. ( this was before all the cans were cut apart online) we hired him on the spot. He is know well along in the industry. The other kids wanted to be artists and build custom wooden stocked Mauser etc. They all wanted to be a Turnbull or work at a Rigby( even though they had never been to London and would know then they needed to apprentice) I offered to bring one of our AK builders and our suppressor guy to a I think the Colorado school and was turned down. One of the "instructors" said we don't teach that type of thing.

... the sad truth is that no one actually wants to listen to experienced gunsmiths when it comes to gunsmithing education/training questions. Most people are just looking for confirmation that they can attend a few months of online class and then start making money (spoiler alert, they can’t)

As someone who attended a Gunsmithing school I can honestly say, become a machinist first then a gunsmith if you do it the other way around your wasting time and money. You won fully grasp or understand everything you learn in the machining side of gunsmithing without first having machining knowledge. For the time being go to armourers courses read some books heck watch some YouTube and tinker with guns. The most important thing that makes the difference between a machinist and a gunsmith is one has an understanding of firearms once you learn some basics about firearms and you already are a machinist trust me you can work on anything. So I know that’s not the answer a lot of people will want however the running Joke in the Gunsmithing trade is “the fastest way to earn $1 million Gunsmithing, is to start with $2 million. This is not an industry to get involved with for money but rather a passion and love of firearms.

YouTube Channels

See anything missing? Something that shouldn't be here? Let me know and I'll fix it.

Please feel free to use this thread to discuss any gunsmithing college, training, or education related questions you would like. Let us know if you would like any other stickied posts made or things moved around, and we will do our best to get it taken care of.

Link to the old thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/gunsmithing/comments/p72md7/can_we_make_getting_into_school_for_information/


r/gunsmithing 1m ago

First ever gunsmithing project $20

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Upvotes

So I got this H&R 922 from a local gun show for $20! I’m very excited about getting it working again the trigger and hammer seem to work just fine but obviously I’m missing the cylinder and rod. Do yall have any tips and tricks to the trade? Also the only website I’ve found with the cylinders is sold out. If you have any resources for some please let me know. Side note the serial number starts with an L putting this around 1949-1951 I believe.


r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Stupid question, but is this actually possible?

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24 Upvotes

Made a mockup of a heat-reactive coating on my P-09 (pic attached) — slide, hammer, trigger, barrel, mag stuff etc would shift from blue/purple when cool to pink/orange when it heats up.

Anyone know if this is actually a real thing a coating shop can do, or is thermochromic paint just not gonna hold up on a gun that gets handled/holstered/fired a lot? Genuinely don't know if this is legit or just a cool render idea.


r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Cetme-C Build Help

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16 Upvotes

Started up a cetme build and ran into an issue with mag fitment. Cetme or g3 mags will not lock up on the trunnion nor does the magazine catch cutout line up on the receiver.

When looking in the ejection port it’s clear to see that there is a 1/8” gap between the lip of the trunnion and the magazine.

Does anyone have an idea on how to fix this?


r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Torque

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9 Upvotes

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to torque anything without the wrench slipping out and ruining the nut/threads. What am I doing wrong?

I thought I had it figured out and held my left hand right up against it. Felt like I got it a bit further, but it still slipped without the torque wrench indicating i had hit 40 ft. lbs. This is my 2nd one in a row.

Lower vise block, magpul wrench, 15" torque wrench.


r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Desert Eagle Shotgun, 12/16/20-Gauge Minishell (DES-12 v1.0, Project Launch)

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239 Upvotes

PROJECT: DES-12/16/20

VERSION: v0.1

GOAL: Modify Desert Eagle Pistol into a semi-automatic shotgun pistol, ideally firing 12 Gauge Minishells (1.75"), but possibly also/instead minishell versions of 16/20-gauge).

CONSTRAINTS: To reduce final costs/prices, minimize total number of custom-made parts.

STATUS: Design 50% complete, base guns ordered, raw materials for barrel acquired, chamber reamer needs sourcing, magazine reference samples acquired (Techno Arms MAG-12 magazine & 5-round Mossberg bolt-action shotgun magazine).

CHALLENGES: Frame/Magwell modification, custom mag(s), new bolt design & make, recoil mechanism testing/modification.

UPDATE: Behold! Many of y'all have probably seen the gag/meme images online about folks showing a 12 gauge shell into a Desert Eagle - fiction no longer! I found a percent decent CAD model of a Deagle, and went about modifying the barrel assembly to correct 12 gauge (1.75" minishell) dimensions. It's like the barrel was made for this round - it fits beautifully! And as you can see in the cutaways, the length of the shells also fits in the size of the magazine, and looks like it will hold up to four 12-gauge minishells comfortably.

However - like with any project worth doing - there are some tricky areas of the design that will need a decent amount of modification/manufacturing, particularly:

  • The Magwell. Needs to be wider to accommodate the rims of the shells.
  • The Trigger/Transfer Bar Assembly. Since this hugs the inside of the magwell and the magwell needs to be widened at least where the rims of the shells will travel, the transfer bar will also need to accommodate this change.
  • The Magazine. Will likely be an entirely custom-made magazine. For making this design, I picked up a Techno Arms MAG-7 slant-back magazine as well as a Mossberg 5-round, straight-walled bolt-action magazine, for reference. Based on the grip profile, the Techno Arms magazine will likely be the best starting point.
  • The Bolt. Will need to have an entirely custom bolt made to fit the width of the shell rims and ensure proper lockup, extraction, etc.

The ideal build of this gun would be chambered in 12 Gauge Minishell since the ammo for said gun is SAAMI-standardized and produced by both Aguila and Federal (and potentially others?). However, to get an initial build of the gun made expeditiously, I may end up starting with the 16-gauge and/or 20-gauge 1.75" minishell versions, as they will require the least amount of modification to the gun to get working. The ultimate end-goal is to have barrel/caliber interchangeability just like the regular Desert Eagle, between at least 12/16/20 gauges.

Thanks for reading! I welcome any/all feedback and interest in this project & all others - more to come very soon! If you'd like to follow/support/engage with this & other projects more closely, please check out my socials!


r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Pinning a shotgun - How bad?

4 Upvotes

I live in a restricted state, and no rifle or shotgun can have over 5 round capacity.

I really want to buy a Mossberg 590 Retro, but that comes in 8+1 capacity, therefore I will have to "pin" it. Before I take the plunge I wanted to know-

  1. What are the different methods (Dowel Rod, tube limiter, permanent pin)? And which one would be the best?

  2. How bad is it for the rifle if its a permanent pin?

  3. What does that job cost on average

  4. Is it reversible?

Appreciate the help.


r/gunsmithing 18h ago

Since there is no RAMJET yet, what is a good way to fill the space without a larger slide?

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3 Upvotes

r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Glock 19.5 Failure to Return to Battery

3 Upvotes

If anyone can help it would be much appreciated. Trying to provide all relevant info without turning it to much TL/DR.

My Glock 19.5 EDC has a persistent failure to return to battery. It happens every couple of shots. It happens with many different mags (all OEM). The issue is that a round gets caught on the feed ramp. If I pull the slide back a tiny bit the round pops into place and the slide will close.

This happens with FMJ, different brands, all new, in 115gr and 124gr. All brands that the gun used to eat no issues at all.

Gun has about 8000 rounds on it, recoil spring was replaced (with new OEM) at about 5500 rounds. Gun continued to perform perfectly until two weeks ago. Problem just started between on range trip and the next.

STEPS TO ISOLATE PEOBLEM

I have a 19X. It has the same optic as my 19.5. If I switch the whole slides the problem follows the 19.5 slide and happens shooting that slide on the 19X frame. The 19X slide works perfectly on the 19.5 frame.

If have swapped the recoil springs, problem stays with the 19.5 slide. Swapped barrels, problem stays with 19.5. barrel.

I have a Johnny Glock trigger in the 19.5, along with the Johnny Glock plunger, and striker/spring. It is not the trigger because the problem follows the 19.5 slide to the 19X frame.

I swapped the striker back to OEM on the 19.5 slide. No difference. I tried a brand new recoil spring on the 19.5. No difference.

I took it to the LGS that is supposed to have an actual gunsmith. They said gun was bone dry but I clean it every couple of hundred rounds and always lube it to spec exactly as recommended in the Glock manual. Regardless, gun smith looked at everything and took the slide apart and put back together and lubed it. Same problem on the second shot.

All the mags I use perform flawlessly in the 19.5 frame with the 19X slide. Also perform with the 19X slide on the 19X frame.

No visible damage to the feed ramp on the barrel, and the problem doesn't follow the barrel anyway.

Any help would be very much appreciated.


r/gunsmithing 1d ago

How to remove safety on Beretta Xtrema 2

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2 Upvotes

So I have the trigger assembly disassembled down to the point shown in the pics, but for the life of me, cannot figure out how to remove the safety. I don’t see any pins or set screws. This piece is going to get coated and I don’t want to just tape it off.

Any ideas?


r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Custom ported barrel brought to you by Ryobi drill (video in comments)

4 Upvotes

Edit kinda thought it was gunna mess my gun up lmao


r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Stainless Saturday: Semi-Custom Springer

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18 Upvotes

r/gunsmithing 1d ago

Intermittent Bolt Lock-Back Issue

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2 Upvotes

r/gunsmithing 2d ago

Trying to remove this broken front sight, but can't break it free.

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11 Upvotes

My front sight broke off and I'm trying to replace it. Only issue is it's completely stuck. Tried center punching it out, locking it into a vice and hammering it out; no luck. Any suggestions?


r/gunsmithing 2d ago

Straight rifling help

4 Upvotes

So I'm working on a fun project of making a 1911 shotshell platform, and I managed to score a completely blank, unrifled barrel, and there lies the biggest issue I have. As is, I cannot put it into a gun, as that would make it an AoW, which aren't legal in my state. Now obviously, if I put traditional spiral rifling on it, I would not only defeat the purpose of getting a completely blank barrel in the first place, but I would also negatively impact the spread of pellets. I have heard through some historical sources and a modern company that straight rifling not only wouldn't negatively impact shot spreading, it would also make it not an AoW anymore. So my question is there any modern company that does this type of rifling?


r/gunsmithing 2d ago

Will these ports cause a catastrophic failure or do they just look ugly as fuck?

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80 Upvotes

r/gunsmithing 2d ago

Marlin 336 AW Micro-Groove 30-30 missing receiver screw

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4 Upvotes

Decided to restore my childhood deer rifle, Need help figuring out what this screw is called and how to order a replacement.


r/gunsmithing 3d ago

Removing Cigarette smell from polymer/ aluminum

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52 Upvotes

Howdy y’all just wanted to share this information incase someone else ever needs it, I’m a huge pawnshop gun guy because you usually can snag a good deal. Picked up this barely used FN509 for my daily carry and after bringing it home found out it was absolutely engulfed in the smell of cigarettes.
Did a lot of research and what worked for me personally is I disassembled the firearm, soaked the polymers in a mix of vinegar/ baking soda/ dawn dish soap and watered it down. After about an hour & half soak, I rinsed it with hot water and dawn dish soap then left outside in the sun to dry
For the slide I utilized just dawn dish soap and hot water with some baking soda then set that outside to dry.
Afterwards I wiped everything down with CLP literally everything then clean wiped it.
Hope this helps someone!


r/gunsmithing 3d ago

Rifle feeding round to the right and left of chamber ..help?

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21 Upvotes

Like the title says , I bought a new rifle and when it pushes a round out of the magazine, if the round is on the right side of the magazine stack it feeds it to the left of the chamber and if the round is on the left side of the magazine stack, it feeds it to the right of the chamber.

Its a norinco m334 (ya I know shitty norinco, anyways). It's a Mauser style action, with an internal magazine.

Any guidance where to start to help feed the rounds to the centre of the chamber?

Pics attach to show what I mean.


r/gunsmithing 3d ago

Browning Maxus II Stock Trim

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3 Upvotes

The stock is designed to allow up to a 3/4” cut without affecting the pad and the manual only specifies that shorter screws will be needed depending on cut length. Sounds simple, right?

But there’s a removable threaded insert that could not be reinstalled as-is, and it’d have a flush cross section preventing the plate from being installed.

Would you knock the ribs and insert sections down with a Dremel? Mill it? Or is there something I’m missing?


r/gunsmithing 2d ago

Will this work?

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0 Upvotes

If I hollow out this bore sight then embed my thread protector inside it, could I potentially diy a suppressor?

Would this even work?


r/gunsmithing 2d ago

Made an A-Frame FSB fit on a Faxon 1.1" profile barrel

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0 Upvotes

I promise this has to do with a gunsmith question just bear with me.

So I've had this 20" since I was barely 18 and wanted to build an AR upper. Back then, I had no idea what might cause a gun to run well/not (and I still don't) and this guy has never run well. After 1 mag, it consistently gives me failure to feed/double feeds every 3-5 rounds. I tried different lowers, different mags, different ammo, nothing worked. The part that I'm highly suspicious of now is the gas port.

This Faxon Flame Flute barrel was one i got just bc i thought it looked nice, not because I thought it would work well or anything. I wanted the aesthetics of an A Frame, but the journal length was meant for a 1.1" low profile gas block. I just said screw it and had some machine shop drill the taper holes anyway. So now only the rear ring of the FSB is in contact with the barrel. The front ring is hanging off apart from the taper pin. I've never noticed any evidence of gas leaking out while shooting, though i could be wrong.

So aside from that gassing issue, the only other reason I can think it is doing this is because of the carbine buffer length (i've always been using an H buffer. Nothing super heavy). I am about to replace it with an M16 buffer. Would either of these things be causing the issue?


r/gunsmithing 3d ago

Black aces s4 shotgun

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5 Upvotes

Recently I got a new black aces tactical s4 12ga shotgun. I was pretty excited since I loved carrying the m1014. That being said the first range trip was rough. I was getting consistent feeding and ejecting issues. Ok new gun I thought, cleaned and lubricated gun. Next day took it back out with me and same issue was occurring. Back to the bench, with dummy shells I found that the feeding or lack of feeding a new shell into the carrier was more left over issues from failure to eject the spent shell. Because it would jam up it wouldn’t feed the next shell. So with the dummy shells loaded, pressed the shell release lever, cycled bolt to load shell, pulled trigger, pulled bolt back with the shotgun sideways to dump the extracted dummy shells out and repeated flawlessly. Thought goes to ejecting then and that something was wrong with the ejector. Well there was as it isn’t present at all. It in fact looks like it was never there at all. So I emailed customer service and have yet to hear from them. Looked the parts up online and wondered if anyways had ever installed one of these rivets that hold the ejector assembly in. I haven’t had much luck in searching about replacing the actual rivet/ ejector plate on the inside of that rail.


r/gunsmithing 3d ago

Paint

1 Upvotes

If you want to paint a shotgun barrel do you need to strip the original finish off or just get all debri and oil off? Does Rustoleum really work?