[Yo Mama]

What modifications have you done all on your own? If you'd be gracious, tell us steps you used, and pictures of your final product.

All firearms and knives would be my interest with this post.

[NOLAEMT]

nothing that I would deem a "modification" but I have ""tacticalized" my mossberg 500, I put a receiver mounted 6 shot sidesaddle, and a mount on the magazine tube for a white light.

nothing too exciting.

no pictures, sorry

[mustang_steve]

Not so muc modes as re-finishing.

I'm working on mirror-polishing my sccy...I just ran out of dremel bits for polishing, and will likely have to buy those junk lock-on ones now.

My Marlin 60 had the entire stock re-finished (brown stain with dark aged effect on the tip of the forend and the back of the stock...that was just liquid smoke mixed in with some stain...despite being jerry-rigged, it looks fantastic), had sling mounts installed (clamed to bookcase so mount surface was entirely vetical, then drilled it with a cordless drill bit big enough for the grommet, then a drill bit the size needed for the screw portion).

Not so much mods, but so much as doing my own work.

There'd be pics, but I lack the environment to make a picture that shows anything reasonable.

[shotgunjoel]

I did some very minor work on my Benelli Nova. I added a Limbsaver pad, but wasn't happy with how tacky it was, so I wrapped the pad with electrical tape to slick it up. Also, many people complain about the forearm rattling. Another easy fix, jsut tightened the hex screws on each side where the forearm attaches to the action bars. I don't think that these were the kinds of modifications you were talking about, but hey, they helped.

[DasFriek]

Im well known for my trigger jobs and also messing up trigger jobs. You cant learn if you aren't breaking something.
Ive bedded a few Benchrest rimfires.
Polished a few parts just for a shiny look.
Put a new custom stock on a gun that i had to finish, cut on, bed and make a butt pad for.
Ive made many holsters for my CCW guns.

There are so many things ive done and not done i don't think i could list it all, Im always OCD about any hobby and dive in head first.

My only advice is, If your going to modify anything always be prepared to admit defeat sometimes and replace what you just broke.

[LoonWulf]

Pretty much every rifle i own has something done on it, maybe as simple as the paint job on my .243 (which is do for a new one again) and replacing the accutriger spring with one a bit lighter. Ive done a full overhaul on my savage 110, new bolt parts, barrel, stock bedding, trigger adjustments all that fun stuff. A bunch of other projects. If your interested feel free to look thru my imageshack stuff, pretty much all my projects (cars, paintball, guns etc.) are there . http://profile.imageshack.us/user/kaby1010

[dmazur]

I consider myself a "coffee table" gunsmith, as I've only done minor work -

Ruger 77/17 - replaced factory trigger with Volquartsen 2#
Ruger 77/44 - replaced front sight, replaced factory trigger with Volquartsen 2#
Colt Officer's Model - replaced trigger, polished sear, replaced plastic mainspring housing with steel, replaced firing pin with titanium, installed Ed Brown reverse recoil spring plug and FLGR, re-staked front sight
Colt 1991A1 - replaced trigger, polished sear, replaced plastic mainspring housing with steel, replaced firing pin with titanium, installed FLGR, replaced rear sight with Yost "retro" sight
Ruger Super Blackhawk - replaced rear sight with Bowen
Winchester 9410 - adjusted tang safety for proper functioning
Browning SA22 - cut and re-crowned barrel
Ruger M77 Varmint - installed Limbsaver recoil pad


All work was done with hand tools and a vise with padded jaws.

[Fumbler]

Hmm...I've done:
-Trigger jobs on 1911s, CZ SP-01, Ruger DA revolvers, 10/22, and probably a few others
-krylon digital camo finishes on a rifle and shotgun
-KG Gunkote finish on a shotgun and multiple mags and other small things
-finishing wood of all sorts
-hand checkering 1911 grips
-polishing stainless parts of all sorts (also hand satin finishing and high polishing knife blades. There's nothing finer than a nice hand rubbed perfectly straight satin finish)
-fluffing and buffing internals on various guns
-cutting and crowning a mossy 500 barrel (also removing the vent rib)
-brazing on a front sight base for a Moss 500
-bedded a 10/22 and two Ruger M77s
-made kydex holsters for various handguns
-Headspaced and radius'd a 10/22 bolt and installed a set screw to remove the play between a 10/22's receiver and trigger housing
-hand sewed a padded cordura chest holster for my Super Redhawk.
-installed sling studs on multiple guns

I've done a ton of things. Like DasFriek, I've also screwed up a few parts.
You'd be amazed at how much stuff you can do yourself with minimal tools, a steady hand, a good eye, and decent mechanical brains.

It would take way too much time to do a step by step for all these things. It'd take a while just to do a step by step for a single mod.

Google is your friend if you want instructions...

[writerinmo]

I just finished overhauling a Slavia pellet rifle that belonged to my grandpa 51+ years ago, powdercoated about everything metal on it, sanded down the stock and stained and polyurethaned it, but no one wants to see pics of a pellet rifle, lol! Other than that, about all I do is make aluminum triggers for the Hi Point series of firearms, just because I can, and I don't like the feel of the plastic ones!

[jhansman]

Only my Saiga .223 conversion, as many, many others have done. It was challenging but fun, and the results have been very rewarding. Sorry, no pics.

[DasFriek]

I think i botched a few trigger jobs on purpose subconsciously. How else can i justify replacing those cheap MIM parts for high quality machined and forged steel?
But i did know it was a gun i would always own, So the small investment was well worth it.

The resale value would be way less than what i have in it so i buried myself in deep on purpose so i couldn't get a wild hair one day and go trade it in.

[SaxonPig]

Not good at smithing and don't really enjoy it.

But I have taken on a few projects over the past 43 years.


Bought this for $12.50 at a police auction in 1987. Replaced the breach block (some idiot drilled it out to make a toy gun for his kid), installed new rear sight, made front sight blade, refinsihed wood and cold blued all metal.

http://www.fototime.com/BAB2E69ED54015A/standard.jpg

Doesn't shoot too bad.

http://www.fototime.com/BE5A004DACD935C/standard.jpg


I did the stock on this Krag.

http://www.fototime.com/74C9A3ECCFB7510/standard.jpg


I like the wide, smooth S&W triggers and have installed them on about a dozen of my N frames.

http://www.fototime.com/C7AF980D3E6FECB/standard.jpg


Don't ask me why but for some reason I like the lanyard loop on the 1911 and have installed them on most of my guns.

http://www.fototime.com/A5FEE7C0F084410/standard.jpg


Bought this M&P for $60 from a pawnshop due to the bulged barrel. Found a replacement on ebay for $5 and used the vise on my garage workbench to swap the barrels. Took about an hour (30 minutes of which was spent trying to get that damn barrel pin in) and the gun shoots just fine.

http://www.fototime.com/45F1CE80642A15F/standard.jpg

[il_10]

built an m1 carbine from parts, refinished two separate stock sets for that
parkerized a cz82, trigger job on that
mossberg 500 setup, nothing too big here
replaced and fitted everything in an old ASM 1851 colt copy with pietta parts
timing job on a colt police positive special,
endless hours trying to make a couple old springfield 87 series .22s run reliably
Now I've got a mosin-nagant project that I'm working on. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with that.

I make knives, sheathes for the same, I work on cars as much as I can, I'm just now getting into welding, brazing, and silver soldering. I trouble shoot well, but I have broken and FUBAR'd more parts than I can shake a stick at, but I usually come out alright and with a little knowledge gained from the experience. I love to tinker with stuff and I wouldn't have it any other way. I especially love fixing up and repairing broken or otherwise junk stuff. If I mess it up too bad to be repaired... well it was broken to begin with so I'm now worse off.

[cyclopsshooter]

Built many 1911s, these two were for me :)
Both are post war Colt USGI contract slides/barrels on Essex lowers. The top one was built with Wilson Combat small parts (match bushing and trigger)
The lower one was built with Fusion small parts in a GI setup with a 8 pound trigger! but the shoe makes it feel like four or five... it goes with me every where and gets the heck shot out of it.
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/wrc376/45.jpg

poppin caps with my first AR build
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp233/wrc376/IMG_6109-1.jpg

[jmorris]

I have done a lot of modifications and builds over the years. The most time consuming was building my 50 BMG. From a Walther precision barrel blank, 8620 bar stock, 4130 tubing and 4140 along with Titanium for the other small parts.

http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/gn/50bmg.jpg

[xtriggerman]

THAT 50 is an absolutely awsome build!!! I always dreamed of a biuld on a M2 cut down barrel, but that is one heck of a ground up.

[xtriggerman]

http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/xtriggerman/finished25-06008.jpg
HVA action, Varmint wieght Lothar Walther barrel, Timney Trig, 25-06
Ithaca X15 with Thompson A3 30rd mags & adapter. Done back in the 80's
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/xtriggerman/beebshots006.jpg
Sako Lefty in 257 Roberts, Rem recoil lug, Ruger Alloy Trigger Guard Assm.
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/xtriggerman/sako.jpg
Ruger 44 mag conversion done about 18 years ago.
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/xtriggerman/44001.jpg
Patent Pending approved for this AK maged SKS/FAL hybrid called XT-M1c
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/xtriggerman/sksfal004.jpg
XT M1c #2 in the works with VZ58mag & finned barrel
http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu77/xtriggerman/Hybrid%20XTM1C/fins005.jpg

[RimfireChris]

I've made a replacement cylinder latch for my S&W model 19, done some smoothing to a lot of the guns I've owned, most recently, I had to hand fit an older style charging handle to my newer Model 60, only to discover I didn't like it as much as I remembered and get a new aftermarket one, and I've put the DIP aftermarket triggers and triggerguards on both my Marlin model 60SB and 795S.

[dirtyjim]

i've threaded and chambered barrels on my lathe.
trued mauser, springfield, and mosin receivers.
welded bolt handles, modifed actions for the new lower bolt handles.
relocated the bolt handle on a mosin nagant
opened bolts up for magnums, reworked feed rails and feed ramps.
made my own bolt handles from bar stock.
converted mosin nagants to rimless cartridges.
inletted more than a few stock.
reworked existing stocks to use as a pattern to be duplicated
regulated express sights.

i'll modify just about anything i can get my hands on

[sxshep]

Grip stippling...
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=542487

That's about it... I usually just buy guns that don't need modifications and sell the ones that do lol

[shockwave]

My Mossberg 500 build. Shoots like a dream.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r136/southerneditor/shmoss2.jpg

[ranger335v]

"What modifications have you done all on your own?"

Custom carved and hand fitted pistol grips; mounted iron sights and scope mounts; welded new bolt handles to mil actions to clear scopes; fitted, checkered and finished several "semi-finished" rifle and shotgun stocks; smoothed, polished then hot and rust blued rifles, shotguns and handguns; cut barrels and recrowned several rifles and one shotgun; reworked several rifle and handgun triggers; replaced a few rifle triggers; glass and pillar bedded a few factory rifles. That's about all, but it was all done as a home hobbiest over some 30 years, mostly with simple hand tools and working in my garage.


"If you'd be gracious, tell us steps you used, ..."

Not bloody likely! ;)


"...and pictures of your final product."

Don't do digital photography and most of it was gone before digital came along anyway. But, I'm glad you triggered the memories!

[slowhand47]

NOT a gunsmith! But a few years of machining and metal finishing makes it fun to see how a weapon might be "better". The only two gun/ weapons that I would attempt modifications- so far, needed the change and well not allot of money involved.
Easing the trigger pull of a Sears .22 semi. was the first. By polishing and reshaping the little hooks made the trigger pull so light it would not lock back. Some carefull (-er) file work got proper "bite" back. The next Mod. was more like correcting a problem that came AFTER mounting a scope. It would fire a decent group until reloading, then jump off the paper. At the end of my ability to reason; the scope went back. While without a scope shooting with iron sights made me understand the barrel was loose. Locktighting the barrel made it a good shooter (even with a scope).
Rereading this makes me feel ...(kind of dumb) like anytime you get to a new or different place in life or the world, it would be very intelligent /wise to stop, look, and listen -for any kind of directions from any source.
I'll end this Post and comment that this a fasinating "Site" and has -in my opinion- thoughtful people who are = what it is. I have made mistakes and been able to correct some; but I have never shot a congressman in a hunting accident!

[essayons21]

Nowhere near the quality or complexity of some of the home gunsmithing shown above, but here is my humble attempt.

Undercut trigger guard, light melt job, refinished in Alumahyde II this RIA 1911.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q177/collingscb/008.jpg

[W.E.G.]

cut 'n crown

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd7/rkba2da/WECSOG/02_dremel_muzzle.jpg