Gunsmithing

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. I had a friend ask me about how to shoot a cheap black powder revolver he picked up. It’s an old ASM Colt 1851 Army reproduction. While I was showing him the basics I noticed that things were not quite right. He mentioned he was going to try to clean up the rust but when it was in my hands I could tell that we were dealing with a broken gun. Could it function? Yes. BUT not correctly. When at full cock the cylinder was free to rotate forward as it pleased. I knew the issue and told him what part to order up. Let’s dive into doing Maintenance on a Colt 1851!

While attending GunCon 2024 at Brownells’ facility, Brownells was displaying their brand new, purpose-built Gunsmith Vise and additional accessories to fit your bench and convenience. The new Brownells Gunsmith Vise is made by Heuer in Germany but designed with Brownells’ specifications. Staff said that they opted to have their Gunsmith Vise painted in Brownells Green to get back to their roots and stick with the brand color. He quickly pointed to the cans of Brownells Aluma-Hyde spray in case customers would like to change up the color of their new vise. Let’s take a closer look.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to do some much-needed and desired maintenance on a gun that was once dubbed “the gunsmith’s best friend” or “gunsmith’s nightmare” depending on where you read. I of course am talking about the contentious Colt 1877 otherwise known as the Lightning (Thunderer for 41 cal or Rainmaker for 32 cal). I have talked about all the little issues, controversies, and real-world happenings of this controversial Colt in a separate Commentary article. Today we are taking it apart, taking a peek, and seeing if we can get this thing closer to the like new condition it deserves. Let’s dive right into Diagnosing and Assessing a Colt 1877 Lightning!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I figured with Memorial Day around the corner it may be a good opportunity to talk about M1 Garand maintenance or even a touch of general firearm maintenance and conservation. The last time we did something like this was with a Glock and a Glock Armorer’s Book. Perhaps you have Pappy’s M1 and want to clean it according to the military manuals or you just want to be on top of preservation. Let’s dive right in!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to add to my pile of dummy rounds and show you folks one way to make them. There are multiple ways and they all have pros and cons. I would not call this gunsmithing by any means but it’s gunsmithing adjacent. Sometimes testing a firearm with live ammunition is not possible or necessary. I have always found it convenient to have a safe quick way to test feeding and chambering. I find myself wishing I had more cartridge types but I’m at the point where I don’t feel like overpaying for a few mass-produced ones. That being said, let’s dive into my solution and how I make dummy rounds!

Fix It Sticks has been promoting and expanding its firearm-focused toolkits a lot recently and they’ve also just announced a whole new toolkit specifically for ARs. The New AR Toolkit from Fix It Sticks is their most extensive AR toolkit available and features virtually every tool you could imagine for easily and effectively servicing your favorite rifle at the range or at home. Suitable for both AR-15 and AR-10 pattern rifles, the AR toolkit features loads of handy tools and is still compact enough to fit inside a normal range bag.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to take you guys along with me for another closer look at some tools I picked up at SHOT 2024. Wheeler was once a sponsor of TFB Armorer’s Bench so I made sure to stop by and say hello and thank you and when they were showing me the new stuff they handed me their newish F.A.T. Stix Preset Torque Wrench Set. I have had the chance to use these a couple times now so let’s dive into the F.A.T. Stix Preset Torque Wrench Set and give it a closer look!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I am going to relay my experience working with silicon carbide and the process of applying it to a grip. This is something I have no experience in, have heard of, have seen it done, but never attempted until now. I did some stippling in gunsmithing school and honestly, it was not for me. I can do it but I am not a patient person so the time/steadiness aspect involved in actual stippling is unattractive to me. Silicon carbide-ing grips however presents itself as being not only user-friendly for a beginner but also forgiving. So how’d it go and how’s it feel? Let’s dive right in!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I wanted to recap some of the new tools I spied at SHOT Show 2024. SHOT 2024 came, went, and left us with some interesting and exciting new products on the way and already on store shelves. I had the amazing opportunity to attend (my first SHOT) and it was overwhelming, to say the least. At the same time, it was an absolute blast and a great chance to meet folks. Lots of new stuff left and right but I kept my eyes out for anything new under the TFB Armorer’s Bench umbrella of interest. Let’s dive right in!

At SHOT 2024, Wheeler introduced the following new products: XL F.A.T. Wrench with Complete Crowfoot Set, 30-piece Hex/Torx screwdriver bench set and new and improved AR Armorer’s Kits. Let’s take a closer look.

For decades, Tipton Gun Cleaning Supplies has been a reputable and respected brand in the industry. The company is best known for its top-tier gun vises and workpiece holders, designed meticulously to aid gunsmiths, repairmen, and enthusiasts in their hands-on gun tasks. As part of its unceasing efforts to improve and innovate, Tipton has announced a powerful new addition to their line-up for the year 2024 — the Best Gun Vise 360.

At SHOT Show 2024, Fix It Sticks, a leading name in the compact toolkit market has announced a lineup of new products for the year 2024. Renowned in recent years for their wide array of gun-oriented and quality tool kits, the company is offering even more options to gear up tool users in the new year.

Real Avid has announced its latest offering, the Bore-Max Master Cleaning Kit, at SHOT 2024. This new kit is designed to be more than just a simple cleaning kit; it functions as a portable cleaning station and mobile workstation packaged within a briefcase-sized container.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I am starting the year off right with a commentary article. Today we are covering the Savage 1907, America’s first mass-production double-stack handgun, its field strip, and common issues. Let’s dive into the very retro Art Deco double stack!

There is finally a good way to freshen up a tired Galil magazine. Wolff Gunsprings is now selling replacement Galil magazine springs for both the standard 35-round and extended 50-round models. These new springs also add 5% more power than standard springs for reliable feeding.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to take a second to reminisce and look back on all that we have covered in our new series this year. TFB Armorer’s Bench started in August of 2021 so this is the second full year of TFB Armorer’s Bench and what a year it has been. This year (2023) has been a year full of projects and job-specific situations. Frankly, the stuff I really enjoy sharing. Lots of juicy tips and tricks this past year. Let us jump into all that we have covered in this 2023 TFB Armorer’s Bench Wrap-Up!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. Today we get to dive into a rather spontaneous project. This is one I’ve had on my list for a while but have been very busy and even been a little under the weather lately. I need to fit some C96 grips to pair with my stock and I need to fix the stock so I can confidently use it with the C96. Let’s dive into the C96 Grip Fit & Stock Repair!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. Today we get to look at a box of gun parts and what to do. Last time around we took a look at the process of firearm conservation and resurrected an old Marlin A1DL. I had mentioned that it was a gun that was given to my grandfather as basically a barn gun.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. I am excited to finally roll out an article on rust bluing. This article ties in with a previous Armorer’s Bench article that covered some different types of bluing as well as the recent blunderbuss build articles. This one should cap off that last one.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. We are back again with the  Traditions Blunderbuss Muzzle Loader Kit and this time we are finishing up the stock. Stock finishing is very basic and similar to most other woodworking processes. Thank goodness woodworking is pretty forgiving because if it was not, this whole procedure would be less enjoyable.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. Recently the projects have been stacking up but so have the odd jobs so there has been very little time to stop and take pictures for ongoing content. I did however find some time this week to work on a Traditions Blunderbuss Muzzle Loader Kit that I acquired a little while ago. These sorts of kits are common enough and similar ones have been sold for decades. I’ve never used one but I figured it would be a fun project that I could potentially impart some general tips along the way. Let’s dive into the initial steps!

Angled Spade Technologies (AST) is excited to announce what they think will solve one of the industry’s most hot-button issues surrounding the SIG Sauer P320 platform. The new AST Fire Control Upgrade Kit is an aftermarket solution that allows for direct mechanical control of the sear without altering the look or feel of the P320 platform. The intent with this product, according to one of their engineers is to increase the overall safety of the P320 platform.

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire world and its many different types of firearms, ammunition, shooting sports, and history! Last week we talked a bit about the new TacSol Owyhee Takedown in 22 Magnum. The Owyhee Takedown in 22 Magnum is something I’ve been waiting for for quite a long time. When it comes to survival rifles, a lot of emphasis is usually placed on making them compact, but not very powerful – at least in the rimfire world. Now we have access to a small rifle about the size of a Ruger 10/22 takedown, that can not only accept suppressors, but can also mount optics, and stow extra gear (yes even ammo but only loose rounds) in a convenient lightweight package that can still pack a punch. If you missed out on that review, you can check it out here. This week we’re getting back to one of our long-time readers Axel from Germany. You’ll remember Axel from our previous coverage of him and his neat Sci-Fi rifle design made from two Marlin Model 60 rifles. Well, this time he’s back at it again with another one of his passion projects but this one is just a bit closer to earth – it’s a 22LR Dragunov (SVD). Today we’ll take a look at what he’s done to accomplish this and hopefully, this will give some of you at-home gunsmiths the inspiration to tackle a project like this on your own.

Keeping your guns maintained in the field is an important capability to have and it’s the reason why I usually go to the range with a whole bag full of tools. You simply never know when something will need immediate maintenance or when you’ll experience a squib or some sort of range-day-ending malfunction or issue. I’ve noticed over the years that the list of tools that I’m constantly bringing with me to the range keeps on growing. For some of my shorter-range trips this year, I’ve tried to streamline my kit as much as possible so that I’d have a functional yet compact set of tools that should cover all of my bases in all but the most extreme circumstances. This search led me to construct a neat palm-sized bag full of tools made from the beginnings of a simple Fix-It-Sticks kit. I also ran into another tool from a company I’d never heard of before or had any experience with purely by chance on Instagram – Multitasker Tools. The Multitasker Twist is just one of their offerings that I think fits perfectly into an even lighter range maintenance kit that truly fits into your pocket. So today we’ll check that out to see if it might be something you’d want to pick up for your own lightweight range kit!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. I recently had the absolute pleasure of touring the Silencer Central headquarters in Sioux Falls South Dakota. Besides making kick-butt products they also have the distinction of being one of the most user-friendly and customer-focused silencer companies. One such way they show this off is that they offer a streamlined barrel threading service. Despite them having offered this for years (well before they took up the namesake of Silencer Central), most folks I talk to did not even know they offered this service. That being said, today I will share what I saw and my own experience getting a barrel threaded by the kind folks at Silencer Central. Let’s dive right in!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to take a break from the more intensive activities to in the shop and commentate on a forgotten yet common World War I sidearm. This is the Spanish-made French-issued 1915 Ruby pistol. The commentary will be pretty cut and dry and you will see the reason. That is why we have a short field strip sprinkled in. Let’s dive right into it folks!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to finally roll out my review of the Real Avid Master Gun Vise. Anyone who has been following the series here on TFB knows that I consider a vise to be one of the best pieces of equipment that a gunsmith or armorer could have at their disposal. Does this example of a vise do the job? Let’s find out and dive into the review!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to walk through assembling the Real Avid Master Gun Workstation step-by-step. I’m sure many of you have been eyeing this modular and customizable gun vise since it first came out. With its sturdy construction and versatility, it’s an excellent addition to any home armorer’s workbench. By the end of this article, you’ll be fully equipped to set up your own Master Gun Workstation and customize it to your workflow. So let’s get started and put this thing together!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to roll out my review of the new Real Avid Master Gun Workstation. Boy oh boy I’ve been excited to give this thing a go since I was told I could. I’ve had a lot of gun vises on my bench. Does this one stand toe to toe with the rest? Let’s dive right into the review and find out!

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I am so excited to introduce the brand new Real Avid Master Gun Workstation! In this first-look article, we will go over the basics that would bog down a full review. That being said, stay tuned for a full review coming soon. For now, let’s take a first look at the  Real Avid Master Gun Workstation!