Are you willing to work on your guns?

Yes I work on my weapons…If you own it, you need to know general preventive maintenance and service…not complicated on most weapons…
I own Glocks so I became a certified Glock Armorer [to understand the process]…changing out parts for OEM replacements are very easy…however, if the work is to fix the trigger [gen 3/4 models], and I intend to carry, I will spend the money to have a certified gunsmith do the work…

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slow is smooth…smooth is fast…:wink:

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Welcome to the Community, @Rick2!

I’m glad to hear that you can work on your firearms - and I’m really happy to hear you’ll have a certified gunsmith do the work on your carry gun. That will make a huge difference if you ever have to defend yourself legally for physically defending yourself. The documentation and the expert witness (gunsmith) can definitely help combat any question about the quality of your firearm.

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One benefit of knowing the innards of your firearm is that when things go wrong, your knowledge can help your gunsmith focus on a solution rather than wasting billable hours fumbling in the dark. Everyone should at least have the basics.

That said, I don’t think it’s practicable for many or even most shooters to have the tools and workshop to do some of this work. If you do choose to do your own modifications or detailed repairs, YouTube is a great starting point. Vet your sources, though, and have a look at the comments to see if others had problems with the instructions.

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I don’t possess the skill set to work on my guns AND my weapon is too important to me to get it wrong. I hire a very good gunsmith. Oftentimes it’s better to leave it to the pros. That’s my $0.02, your mileage may vary.

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I know a guy who’s a gunsmith. But if a part failed I would do my best to try and fix it myself or if I wanted to upgrade.
I’m a mechanically inclined person. I learned how to work on cars for my first job (just basics) and I’ve learned many things over the past years in other trades. But my point is that I always try to do something myself before I pass it off to a mechanic, or any other professional. I simply don’t trust people to do it right or they’ll charge me an arm and a leg to do something.

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There are a number of great opinions here - I love the fact that you’re all respectful!

My takeaway personally is a combo. I want to know enough about my gun to do thorough maintenance and be able to know what’s wrong. I’ll be talking with a gunsmith (or my very knowledgable friends at work).

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I think it all comes down to comfort level, as well as the tools that you have. I consider myself as an armorer. With the right tools and information, I have no problem getting deep into the internals of my guns. I just recently installed a new Grayguns trigger and sear kit into one of my SIG P320s. I think that what separates an armorer from a gunsmith is that a gunsmith has actual machine tools and can fabricate new parts in a shop, whereas an armorer is able to assemble and disassemble a gun for basic repairs and parts replacement. A gunsmith can essentially fabricate a new gun from scratch, whereas an armorer is more of a repair technician, if that makes sense.

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Way to go Zee! Have you shot it yet? I’m anxious to hear how it worked for you. I bought my AR from a gun shop. I didn’t know anything about them but now, I feel pretty confident playing with them What kind of engineer are you? I’m a designer - I do electrical, mechanical, structural, piping and some civil things. Currently doing substation relay and control design. Well, they’re calling it design, it’s drafting to me and wiring diagrams, but it’s an important job.

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Hey @Fred! I actually sold my first AR, and now I’m plotting my next one. It shot well but I decided I want something really custom fit and having seen one I love, going to save my nickels until I can make one like it.
I’m a software and quality engineer specializing in medical devices.i current run a team of a dozen software and system test engineers on a new cardiac artery imaging system (used for determining where to place stents)

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Just so I know for myself Dawn, what kind of words will be censored? Sometimes I’ll say something like jacka$$ or similar, are words like that considered censorable?

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Right now my filter list is pretty short, @Steve-G. I will probably beef it up as the Community expands.

The purpose is to keep the site PG rated so that everyone feels welcome. Also, by keeping the language clean the disagreements would be more respectful as we’ve removed some of the inclination for name-calling.

I want everyone to feel welcome here. Not talked down to, not made fun of, not intimidated - if people are made to feel less than they won’t share their views and experience.

We want and need the variety of opinions, differing view points and backgrounds - it makes us a stronger group.

Someone who has less gun knowledge or experience can help us all learn and grown in a variety of ways. They are in no way less important than anyone else here with more gun experience.

That’s probably more of an answer than you were expecting, @Steve-G! :slight_smile: As you know, I’m very passionate about being open and available to everyone who is respectful and looking to grow.

[putting my soap box away]

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Hey Zee! That’sway kewel you’re saving up for another AR! Hope you find something you really love.

Wanted to also say, we speak similar languages! I worked with med devices too! Both design and QA and making assembly lines to make them. There’s a lab automation system out there I concepted for a company (Bayer) and it was a real success. I didn’t do devices themselves, but I did assembly lines for making devices and this lab automation was to run body fluid samples thru some automated testing. I was hardware. Way kewel we have some common background!

Good luck with your new rifle when you get it going. Please do let me know how it all works out!

Oh. Just for the heck of it I decided to take advantage of a Remington Model 700 armorer’s course next week they were trying to fill. The rifles are ubiquitous, and I happen to have one. Similar classes may be good to build confidence if offered in your area, even if not handgun-specific. I figure even if I don’t walk out as a certified armorer, I’ll still be a lot smarter about gun mechanical operation.

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that’s pretty cool :smile: Who’s the course through?

I did some work on automated manufacturing equipment for Kimberly Clark :smiley: and I worked on a blood analysis lab system for Beckman - we do have a lot in common!

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Zee, the course is part of the LE/military/government training brought by Remington Defense and hosted by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. See https://www.remingtondefense.com/training/armorers-school.html They provide 2-day field courses on the 870 shotgun and Bushmaster AR-15, and a one-day class on the M700. There’s a 4-day factory school, too. Now, truth be told, I’m neither law enforcement nor military, but I was able to weasel in because they needed seats filled. Check your local offerings, and maybe you can, too.

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@Leon_AK, gonna go look :slight_smile:

FWIW the M700 armorer class was a lot of fun. Two of five students didn’t show up that day (weather), so the three of us remaining had plenty of time with the instructor. The training package needs some updates; e.g., more on modular platforms and suppressors. Also, the focus was on the Walker-style trigger. More than a casual mention of X-Mark and X-Mark Pro triggers would be important to add.

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5 posts were split to a new topic: 3D Printing Parts?

Knowledge is power. I would encourage anybody to work on their guns. That way you won’t have to be without them and can deal with an emergency repair if necessary. Besides, it fun and be easily learned while giving it a complete cleaning/lubing. That being said, there are times a gunsmith may be required like for warranty work or structural damage.

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