jarhead127
member
Finally ran down a guy 25 mi north of here. Works out of his house, but lic and highly recommended. I can't believe there's none in Amish country, but the society is kind of private, and I get that.
I have been looking for a part for an old pistol & can't find one online so I thought to ask some local gunsmith if they could make one & no one wants to attempt it. Looking for a firing pin for a Grendel P30.
Well sitting here in the Cleveland, Ohio suburbs. The last really good smith I knew passed away about 25 years ago. A good smith is hard to find and as the older ones pass away none of the young are taking up the trade. Not around here anyway. I am not talking about "I went to an armorer school" but guts who can mill and drill or thread a barrel blank. Sadly I have seen some poor guns butchered.So what's it like in your area, is this a lost art? And as the gun ownership rises rapidly, is this something next generation should be considering?
I’d recommend talking to a machinist. Taking a quick glance, it looks like a fairly easy part to make. Profiling on a lathe, then a notch on a mill. Downside is you pay the hour of machine time regardless of if you have a simple or difficult part, so you’re probably looking at $100+ for the firing pin. Most places that have the ability to make one from scratch know that few people will pay $100-$200 for a firing pin, so its easier to say they can’t do it rather than have to deal with a customer who thinks the shop is trying to take advantage of them by “charging $200 for a $15 part”.I have been looking for a part for an old pistol & can't find one online so I thought to ask some local gunsmith if they could make one & no one wants to attempt it. Looking for a firing pin for a Grendel P30.
I have a top shelf gunsmith local. Others have good reviews too. Not a lost art. It took a while. The good ones are busy.
BTW: I went to USMC armorer school and I know the difference.
Back at you bro. SFMF!Well Semper Fi and thanx for your service!
It is cheaper to replace because they make junk now days and people don’t care about quality control.Because it just so happens to be cheaper to replace than to fix. I adored my Plymouth Neon, it was my very first hand-me-down, but it became such a hassle to fix, it ended being cheaper to buy another car.
Similarly,if your revolver is completely out of time, you might just buy a new one instead (my case with an 1851 Navy)
I'm my case, it was cheaper to replace because the previous owner decided to fix it using "jales Chicanos" and essentially ruin it to the point of no return. My second car was another hand me down, an El Camino (1971 I think), and that one was worse than the Neon.It is cheaper to replace because they make junk now days and people don’t care about quality control.
Yeah, my father in law gave me a satisfactorily surprised smile when he commented on a shirt I was wearing, was a nice Columbia button down. I told him I paid $2 for it at the thrift shop and got it cheap because of a tear in the sleeve, which I mended.Unfortunatly we are in the throw it away culture. When something quits working you just throw it away and get a new one. These generations dont give a hoot about learning mechanical stuff.
My family was in the watch repair business. And it was very good to them. Took time to learn. Same w smithing takes a few years but if you know your stuff money will flow like water.A true gunsmith is similar to a watch/clock repairman. To be very competent to repair or restore guns, clocks or watches required a lengthy apprenticeship period. In addition, in both worlds, the vast number of different firearms, clocks and watches manufactured over the last one hundred years complicates the repair process.
In particular, old guns and clocks often require making parts that are not available. A clock/watch repairman that I used (before he passed away) would often have to cut new gears and parts from brass stock because parts could be found. Watch repairman often spend much of their time on the internet trying to find watch parts which cannot be made. As far as firearms, even some of the manufacturers are not keeping parts for guns made only ten or fifteen years ago.
Finally, the market value of many old guns, clocks and watches are not worth the cost of repairing them. In many cases, people only pay for expensive repairs on these old items for sentimental reasons.
The bottom line is that there is little money to be made in gun repairs. Consider that auto repair shops and dealerships are charging a minimum fee of $80 to $120 per hour. Most ordinary guns would not be worth the cost of repair if gunsmiths charged similar prices. It’s hard to stay in business charging $25 to clean a gun, $35 to change a spring, or $60 to cut barrel threads.
The gunsmith I used retired. I don't see how you can make a living just being a gunsmith. You'd have to own a gun and ammo shop and have gunsmithing as part of your services.
It's akin to finding a good "old school" engine builder to work on 60's/70's era muscle cars.
I took a pair of Red Wing boots and a pair of handmade moccasins in for new soles Monday. Cobblers are more rare than gunsmiths. But they're still out there if you look. Neither the boots or moccasins were cheap, nor are they simply throw away goods. Taken care of as I do they may very well outlive me.
My guns most definitely will. Not one is a disposable cheap POS.
I freely admit to being a throwback to earlier times.
I have been looking for a part for an old pistol & can't find one online so I thought to ask some local gunsmith if they could make one & no one wants to attempt it. Looking for a firing pin for a Grendel P30.
I took a pair of Red Wing boots and a pair of handmade moccasins in for new soles Monday. Cobblers are more rare than gunsmiths. But they're still out there if you look. Neither the boots or moccasins were cheap, nor are they simply throw away goods. Taken care of as I do they may very well outlive me.
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/101190A
Don't know If it will work, but Numrich says it is a substitute part.
Otherwise, see if you can find someone (anyone) with a lathe and a file and a piece of O-1.