What's your level of gunsmithing ability?

[Trebor]

I'm learning and acquiring the tools I need to at least detail strip my firearms. I have a good hollow-ground gunsmith's screwdriver set (well worth the money) and I need to pick up a good pin punch set.

With the right tools, and clear directions, I should be OK. With half-assed tools and an unclear grasp of the concept, I'm a downright menace.

This may not sound like much, but I didn't grow up working on cars or fixing things around the house. I learned how to be a "tool user" as an adult, and it's still a work in progress. (Ask me about the replica 15th Century Crossbow I built sometimes though. It's amazing what you can do under the watchfull eye of someone who knows what their doing..)

 

[HankB]

I chose "more involved" gunsmithing work . . . though I'm probably at the lower level of that.

Detail stripping guns - been doing that since grammar school. I've installed and adjusted a Jewell trigger in my AR, Volquartsen trigger parts in my 10/22, mounted various 'scopes (after lapping the rings) on various firearms, glass bedded a couple of rifles, some stoning and honing on the internals, polished feed ramps, swapped sights . . . but no welding, silver soldering, rechambering, or milling.

so is it "off the books" (and thus - I'd assume - illegal?)

Making your own gun is not Federally illegal unless it's something like a prohibited post-ban "assault rifle" or a machine gun, sawed-off shotgun, AOW, destructive device, or something of the sort. There's even some legal opinion and, IIRC, at least one court decision, that says even these homemades are not Federally illegal unless/until they move in interstate commerce, but I, for one, sure wouldn't want to be the test case! (State laws may vary.)

 

[Traveler]

Did it as a profession for years. Never had a design of a gun go into production, but there are parts I designed in production and use. Nowdays I only do what interests me, and I have a shop full of projects.

 

[CleverNickname]

so is it "off the books" (and thus - I'd assume - illegal?)

Making your own gun is not Federally illegal unless it's something like a prohibited post-ban "assault rifle" or a machine gun, sawed-off shotgun, AOW, destructive device, or something of the sort. There's even some legal opinion and, IIRC, at least one court decision, that says even these homemades are not Federally illegal unless/until they move in interstate commerce, but I, for one, sure wouldn't want to be the test case! (State laws may vary.)

From what I understand, manufacturing a gun w/o a a manufacturer's FFL is sort of like the straw purchase law. You can only make guns for yourself, but if sometime later you decide to sell the gun, it's legal. Sort of like the straw purchase law where you can't buy the gun with the intent to immediately resell it, but if later you decide it's not for you, you can sell the gun privately.

As for title II firearms, you certainly can manufacture your own, you just have to pay the tax and get the permission slip (an ATF form 1) first.

 

[ThreadKiller]

Me have hammer. Hammer good.

Tim

 

[wintermute76]

If you make a firearm for yourself that has no serial #, it's yours only, it can be inherited to a direct decsendant tho. It would have to go to an FFL with a manufacturing license to be serial #'d and the paperwork filled out if you ever want to sell it.

(A7) Does the GCA prohibit anyone from making a handgun, shotgun or rifle? [Back]


With certain exceptions a firearm may be made by a nonlicensee provided it is not for sale and the maker is not prohibited from possessing firearms.
However, a person is prohibited from making a semiautomatic assault weapon or assembling a nonsporting semiautomatic rifle or nonsporting shotgun from
imported parts. In addition, the making of an NFA firearm requires a tax payment and approval by ATF. An application to make a machinegun will not be
approved unless documentation is submitted showing that the firearm is being made for a federal or state agency. [18 U. S. C. 922( o), (r), (v), and 923, 27 CFR 178.39, 178.40, 178.41 and 179.105]

 

[entropy]

In high school drafting class I designed several guns, mostly SMG's but only on paper. In shop, I built a .22 lr smoothbore scale model cannon I designed in drafting. The teacher gave me an 'A', then promptly whisked it away, never to be seen again.
I was a 76Y10 (Supply)in the Army, with an SMOS of 45B(Small Arms Repair). I was the armorer for the HHD of my BN, and in effect, the BN Armorer. ( I oversaw 7 Armorers, two of which outranked me!)
AfterI got out, I worked in the gun shop my Dad and I frequented since I could remember, and did some minor gunsmithing work there,(most was sent out)with the hope of becoming a gunsmith, which didn't happen. I will usually volunteer to look at friends' guns, but I don't have as many tools as I used to. I built an AR shortly after I got out of the army, and I am thinking of building an AK74 or Romak-3 sometime soon.
Two kudos that always make me smile are the Letter of Commendation I got for running a reactivating unit's ranges when they got their 16's and 60's, and when I and a few Army buddies went to a gun shop off post, I asked to see an AK, started dissasembling it, the clerk went , and my buddy said, "Dude, don't worry, he's our unit armorer, he can do this blindfolded!" (Well, I wouldn't have wanted to try that , but with a .45 I had!)
I was lucky to have the patronage of the Green Beret CPT that I worked for, he opened a lot of doors for me concerning weapons and tactics training, and getting trigger time with some fun weapons!

 

[telewinz]

About 40 years ago I designed the Mauser zig-zag revolver. Didn't know till later that Mauser had beat me to it already.

 

[Feanaro]

If it comes with instructions that don't include the words(or their equivalent) "welding", "pressing", "lapping" or "grinding" then I can probably put it together. If it comes apart, I can probably take it apart and put it back to together. Might take a day or two though.

Screwing, drilling, polishing, installing, detail stripping and such aren't too hard for me. Anything beyond this things and simple gunsmith, I get an expert. I've actually been told I could be a talented mechanic. A nice compliment but I don't really want to go deeper than fixing basic electrical, car and firearm problems. I might try to learn a little more mechanics(Sure can't hurt) but I doubt I'll ever do anything complex. I always try to at least get to where I can detail strip a weapon.

 

[Brian D.]

We should see at least two or three votes for "I am JMB reincarnated", if the folks in question weren't so darn modest...c'mon, you guys know who ya are! (And heck no, ain't anywhere near including meself in that category.)

 

[bountyhunter]

Almost always less than I thought when I started to work on the gun.... but always higher than any of the professional gunsmiths on the forums will acknowledge it is possible for any gun owner to have.