Poll- Will you grind on your gun?

[doubleh]

I have many, many, years of experience "grinding" on metal. I don't do what I consider as grinding on guns. I will do "reshaping" using a variety of tools from needle files to a lathe and milling machine and have been known to fire up a dremel once in awhile. There are some jobs I won't attempt with the lathe and milling machine since my main skill set is in another field. I do know when to leave the dremel turned off. Many jobs are better done by hand. Not every job requires a power tool although many younger people seem to think it does.

 

[Mr. Hill]

If it’s just smoothing a sharp edge on exterior, I might try that with sandpaper. If it’s something on the inside or requires a power tool, then no, I’ll leave that to someone with more skills and experience.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I don't have any guns that cost $1000.00 and those that are valued at that much got smoothed long before I got them. I have no problem in using appropriate force in repairing any of my guns, but I would be upset with myself if I ever bought a new gun that needed external re-profiling. I should have noticed that before the purchase. Of course, I rarely buy a new gun.
Back when I was a drafter and later as a machine operator I always followed the BASE rule:
Break All Sharp Edges.

 

[lightman]

Yes I have. Grinding may be to aggressive of a word. More like stone, file or polish. I have used a Dremel tool on the face of a few revolver triggers to remove the serrations.

 

[GBExpat]

For the sake of conversation, lets say it's a nice gun that cost you $1000. It does everything just like it's supposed to, but it has a sharp edge that's uncomfortable and simply rounding that edge would make it better. Would you?

Yes.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Very limited use of Dremel. It has its applications, but must be done judiciously.

 

[boom boom]

First, professionals do what professionals do, they get used to tools and their foibles as they are working with them all day. They also recognize that time is money and more efficient tools can make them more productive.

My take is not for them but for the average joe or josephine.

On grinding, if you must, always try to work on the cheapest part that is replaceable. Otherwise, if an irreplaceable part, then go slow and use hand tools. It is easy to remove material and to ruin metal temper but a lot harder to replace material or fix damage done to the item. Classic example is the dremel fixture for sharpening lawnmover blades--quick, easy, and can easily ruin the temper of the edge--gets dull much faster. A bench grinder is better but to do it right is slow--temperature is a killer and a moment's lapse of attention can ruin a blade. Water grinding at a slow rate much better--greater time to react to doing something wrong. Files and stuff, very slow but virtually no chance of ruining the temper and easier to fix mistakes. Now, if repairing a blade of an antique lawnmower where the blades are made of unobtanium, then I would use the best method possible. If sharpening a generic lawnmower blade from Wal Mart, I use a bench grinder and take greater care.

Think about using a bench grinder on a fine knife for a minute or a Dremel.

I prefer stoning (each have their own niches) to files and files (and each of the file types have their own issues) to even slow speed grinding. Dremels or bench grinders would be used on parts that are cheap and replaceable. I really don't even like Dremels for polishing that much.

 

[DeepSouth]

Among other things, it depends on the gun and an estimation of my ability. I have done some things to some guns, and others I wouldn’t touch.

To many variables for me answer the question at hand.

 

[stchman]

Depends on the finish of the gun. If it is a brushed stainless, then maybe as you can usually match the finish with 600 or 1000 grit sandpaper. A matte stainless finish uses that bead blasting so you'll only achieve the desired finish if you use a bead blaster, so no. A blued/parkerized/cerakoted finish, no. If the gun was $1000, call the manufacturer, they should make it right, especially at that price.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I buy guns for me. Resale isn't a consideration. I use a chalked file not a grinder.

 

[Hokkmike]

Just curious... how many of you will grind on your gun?

For the sake of conversation, lets say it's a nice gun that cost you $1000. It does everything just like it's supposed to, but it has a sharp edge that's uncomfortable and simply rounding that edge would make it better. Would you?

Personally, I would and do. But I know a lot of folks that would bleed for years before ever considering the idea of actually cutting metal off a gun they payed good money for.

I'm not a gunsmith, but I know how to fix the blue and I'm not scared to fit a new or different part, round off and edge, or whatever. Yes, I have a Dremel and a whole box full of cutting, polishing, and grinding bits and I'm not scared to use it.

Let's see if i'm a minority on this!

If it had sharp edges that made me uncomfortable I likely never would have bought it. I have a $1000.-- FN pistol and I would never do any kind of plastic surgery or metal grinding.

 

[Speedo66]

Yeah, I've used a grinding wheel on a gun. When I was working used it to take the spur off a S&W Chief Spl. hammer for a smooth draw from under a suit and to reduce damage to suit linings while carried. Worked fine, then smoothed it out with sandpaper.

I've also taken a drill bit to the loading port of a Rossi 92 and peened the sharp edges off.

Neither were $1000 guns, but if they were, I'd have done the same. I'm also not adverse to taking abrasives to gun stocks that need refinishing.

 

[Milt1]

I've been lucky I guess as I've never needed to modify a gun, however, I usually find the need to modify just about everything else that I buy in the way of sporting goods.

 

[bgw45]

I've polished both with a Dremel and stones. Polish, check & repeat.

 

[Walkalong]

I have used a Dremel tool on the face of a few revolver triggers to remove the serrations.

I did that to my 3" Bulldog in .44 Spl. Trigger was grooved but is now slick and rounded. I like it. Sandpaper and patience.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Don't have no thousand dollar guns. I paid $750 for an AO TM1 Thompson semi-auto carbine with 16.5" barrel, blue steel and really sharp square edges on the receiver. I have been tempted to round the receiver edges as a lot of WWII Thompsons were done.

 

[Legionnaire]

"Grind" is a pretty aggressive word, but I regularly file, sand, and polish to get things the way I want them. My most aggressive project was to take the warning off the barrel of a stainless 3-inch GP100. I like it.

 

[WrongHanded]

"YES! Not scared and I don't regret doing that for years. I have made many a gun better that way."

I like to very carefully consider the scope of work, availability of appropriate tools, type of finish, and worst case scenarios, before I begin modifications of any kind, or even just touch-ups with sandpaper. But I've done some work on stainless revolvers; bobbed some hammers, installed new pinned sights, hammer and trigger jobs, general smoothing and rounding, and filed down a forcing cone where the B/C gap was so tight it caused the cylinder to bind after a couple loads.

None of the work is perfect, but it's functional, and I learned a little from each experience. I also learned a few months ago that "free install of sights" does not necessarily mean that install will be done better than I could do it myself. On the flip side, the work I've had done by professional gunsmiths has always been to a higher standard than I could do at my work bench.

 

[ATLDave]

I will grind or polish or whatever on easily-replaced parts (safeties, slide-stops, trigger surfaces, etc.) without much hesitation - though if I think the gun has any chance of having lasting value, I'll buy a replacement part and work on that. I grind on pretty much all S&W cylinder releases (they cut the top of my thumb in recoil), but I have the originals for them stored in unmolested condition, and labeled as to which gun they belong to. I can put them back to factory original any time.

Changes to the frame or the like - yes for gamer guns or other guns that I anticipate actually wearing out. No for guns where I anticipate only consuming a fraction of their total life.

 

[Flechette]

If it is "my" gun (one that I am sure that I won't part with and is going to be used a lot) then yes. I have several carry guns that I have modified for my own personal tastes.

A collectors piece that I bought for kicks or investment, no.

 

[rskent]

I don’t have many firearms that don’t have something somewhere done to them.


But then I don’t have any collector’s items that would cost big if I screwed them up.

 

[Alaskan Ironworker]

The extractor on my rossi 92 was completely rounded off right out of the box and was doing a poor job, so i used a stone on it and now its great! I also took a file to the massive buckhorn rear sight and turned it into shallow “v” express sight. I also checkered the rear stock and plan on doing the front also, if that counts. Sometimes you have to do small simple things like that yourself. The more I tinker on a gun, the more bonded I am to it. YES, I “grind” on my guns!

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I've done hand polishing, chamber polishing, and a bit of filing on stainless steel modern revolvers. On Blued or collector's guns, no I don't think I would.

 

[hdwhit]

Fast Frank asked:
...lets say it's a nice gun that cost you $1000. It does everything just like it's supposed to, but it has a sharp edge that's uncomfortable and simply rounding that edge would make it better. Would you?

If all we're talking about is a sharp edge and I was convinced it would not alter the function of the gun, then, yes, I would certainly round off a sharp corner.

The problem here is that most people don't have a sufficient quantum of knowledge about how firearms work to even make an educated guess - much less "know" - whether their "shadetree gunsmithing" would actually improve the function of the gun or just render it this side of inoperable.

Also understand that in answering this question, I am mindful of the fact that because I buy guns to meet a perceived "need", I don't buy them as investments nor as collector's items, so I have fewer reservations about "shadetree gunsmithing" a gun that I own.

 

[LoonWulf]

There's a couple things I take into consideration before altering any firearm.
First is it a collectible someone else would want for such in it's current condition.
Second, do I feel comfortable that I am likely to succeed at my objective with the tools and abilities I currently posses, or can aquire for the project.
Third can I AFFORD to screw up. This honestly is the most important one for anything that has a functional impact. If your going to work on anything that can cause function issues if you make a mistake, you HAVE to be willing to throw the part away.

This is all looking at it from a basic hobbiest perspective, who lacking the correct tools, is MORE likely to make a mistake than a professional, or someone with the correct tools and training.

So rough answer is yes I will, and have. Most of my work is done with files, stones, laps, and sand paper with shaped backers.
I have used both bench grinders, and angle grinders (usualy with abrasive cut off wheels) on occasion, but that's very, very rare. Guns are small, so dont need large power tools. My variable speed Dremel with the wand extension thingy, is the big hammer in my tool box.

Ive got a media blaster, and small parts oven, and small bluing settup. So if I cant match the finish of an item I'll refinish it completely. Polished stainless guns are getting Matte finished anyway, don't like shiny silver.