An understanding of headspace and gauges is critical to gunsmithing.
by RK Campbell
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Colt New Service
April 21, 2016 — John M. Buol Jr.Colt’s classic war-time New Service revolvers may no longer be current issue but you’ll probably still see them on your bench.
by RK Campbell
Not long ago I was in one of my favorite shops and the proprietor asked for a smidgen of knowledge since I was an “old gun guy.” I suppose I have earned the title. Old gun guys sometimes have good knowledge that isn’t strictly found in technical books. I have researched firearm history practically since I could read, beginning with books by C.B. Colby.
Expedients used in war sometimes work well for general gunsmithing. For example, getting well-worn M1 Garands shooting again can be helped with tricks first used on Guadalcanal. The same applies to the Colt New Service double-action revolver. The New Service is among the great, under-rated revolvers of all time in my opinion.
Read more in the April 2016 issue.
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Better Ammunition
April 15, 2016 — John M. Buol Jr.No matter how proficiently the gunsmith performs his work, no gun will shoot bad ammo well enough to win.
by Joe Carlos
I was disappointed when I accepted the position of Armorer for the Army Reserve Shooting Team and machine-rest tested all 135 of the Team’s match AR-15 Service Rifle uppers. I found only 39 would shoot 10 shot groups of minute of angle using Team-issue match ammo. That was unacceptable and it took an enormous amount of work to correct. I had to not only rebuild the guns but make the ammo “more better” as well. When I left the team I had cut average group sizes fully in half and every one of those 135 uppers would shoot sub-minute machine rest groups.
While our focus usually isn’t on ammunition and reloading, we want our customers to be happy with the guns we build for them. None of us can build guns accurate enough to compensate for bad ammo. Concentricity and management of run out is cheap and effective. It also works on factory and hand loads, rim fire and centerfire ammunition for rifles and pistols.
Read more in the April 2016 issue.
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Building Home Security Shotguns
April 10, 2016 — John M. Buol Jr.Here’s how to convert a standard pump-action shotgun into a functional security shotgun.
by Norman E. Johnson
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Savage Model 1899
April 5, 2016 — John M. Buol Jr.An overview of Arthur Savage’s classic lever action.
by Mark R. Hollensen
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Q-Series Stealth
April 2, 2016 — John M. Buol Jr.Gary Quesenberry is the CEO of Q-Series, LLC (qseriesllc.com,), a veteran owned company that makes a unique, minimalist holster. The company’s Stealth holster is a minimalist, ambidextrous, tuckable, extreme low profile, IWB (Inside The Waistband) concealment holster that can be worn with or without a belt while allowing easy reholstering. In addition to being one of the first companies to offer a holster for the Glock 43 when it came out, Stealth holsters are also available for the Glock 42 and standard size, as well as S&W M&P full-size and Shield models.
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