Things you wish they'd make...but did it yourself

[Rembrandt]

Over the years I've struggled to find gun related items that seemed no manufacturer offered. Frustrated at scrounging through gun shows and countless catalogs....only to end up getting it made yourself.

An FN-FAL low scope mount that allowed quick removal of the scope if open sights are desired, yet don't obstruct the open sights when the scope is removed. Then return the scope back to zero again with the flip of a lever. Had this custom bolt shroud built out of aluminum billet, added Kimber quick detach rings and bases.




No screws....cover is machined from one piece of aluminum, slides onto the reciever just like the original dust cover.




Same comcept as above only with a handgun...milling part of the existing vent rib off, installing quick detach mounts no higher than the existing rib so open sights can be used. Scope goes back to zero perfectly using Warne rings and bases. (Note: bought a second barrel shroud so as to preserve the guns originality)




Anyone else with ideas you've come up with to get what you really wanted?

 

[Sindawe]

Oooooooooo

'Scuse me while I drool on myself a bit. Ya got a patent in the works for that mount on the FAL? If not, you should if nobody else does. That is WAY cool. I'd buy one, wanna sell yours?

 

[Andrew Rothman]

Rembrandt, that's a work of art!

 

[Rembrandt]

Sindawe...afraid it's not for sale, by the time you got a patent and began making money...some Chinese firm would copy and import it for half price.

 

[Mr. Mysterious]

That is sharp, do you have a buddy or someone that does CNC work? If so, you should offer those up for sale, a lot of times you can corner a pretty good market share by being the original and not worrying about patents.

 

[io333]

Right now I'm considering buying both a Smith&Wesson model 638 (bodyguard), and a Smith&Wesson Model 431 (J-frame in .32H&R) and swapping all of the parts out to make a 6 shot bodyguard in .32H&R.


I wouldn't actually be doing the machine and fitting work myself, but since it's more or less my idea and I'd have a one of a kind example of what I've been waiting over 10 years for S&W to make, I think it more or less fits your criteria.

 

[MarineTech]

This isn't quite on the same gunsmithing level, but here goes.

I used to have a Taurus .44SPL snubby for carry purposes (up until it developed maintenance issues and I got jerked around by Taurus warranty people). One of the things I looked high and low for were Bianchi speed strips in .44SPL. They had made them for a few years, but discontinued them.

Through trial and error and dimension research in my reloading manuals, I found that Enfield stripper clips could be modified to work with a little finagling.

 

[Puppy]

sometimes I use a cleaning rod as a backscratcher ... does that count?

 

[Zundfolge]

Sindawe...afraid it's not for sale, by the time you got a patent and began making money...some Chinese firm would copy and import it for half price.

Even if you don't entend to go into business building them, you should still patent the idea ... if you do and some Chinese firm copies it and tries to import it for half the price then you get to take them to court, and they have to either pay you or stop importing.

Patent the idea, then shop the patent around to other compaines ... sell them your patent and buy a few more FALs