looking for a gunsmith

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Alpha-Omega

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Hi, I'm new to this website. I'm looking in a gunsmith in the general area just north of indianapolis indiana. I have a few projects that need done. Any referals would be greatly appriciated.

Glen
 
still looking

Well I did a search in this section and this thread popped up. I was looking for a recommended gun smith in NW Indiana through the search. Is there no one around to recommend, or is it frowned upon?
 
No, it's not frowned upom at all, but many people on this forum are not in IN. Have you tried looking at the Midway USA site? They have a "gunsmith locator" section to help people find smiths.
 
Thanks Scorch, I've not tried the Midway site. I'm kind of surprised that you mention Indiana not having many TFL members. I guess that never occured to me. We (Indiana) seem to be doing well as far as our 2nd am. rights.
 
Hmmmmmm. Looked on the Midway site, and apparently you are right, no gunsmith locator any more. Oh well!

I didn't mean that IN didn't have its fair share of gun owners, just that this site had lots of gun enthusiasts from all over the country. IN probably only has about 2% (1/50th) of the gun owners in the country (assuming normal distribution, etc).
 
Check the mirror

This time, last year I took a rifle (1917 Enfield) to a gunsmith, the second time I had taken that rifle to a gunsmith, and different gunsmiths each time. I bought it for $100 and wanted a scope mounted on it. The first gunsmith did an awful job and the rear scope mount screw broke off. I took it to another guy to have the headspace checked, he removed the barrel cost me $100 and 2 months, and said it was excessive. I bought a field gauge (which he said it "swallowed"), screwed the barrel back in hand tight, and it's fine. He said he must have "accidentally fixed it" and I was "ahead of the game". I bought a lathe last summer and various tools and have been doing work I'm happy with and have a nice hobby to boot. It's not for everyone, but it's an option.
 
all USA gunsmith list

Check this site.
http://www.shooting-hunting.com/results.html?Keywords=Gunsmiths&FoundID=225

and I, too, have a story.....
I took a misbehaving shotgun (failed to eject spent shell) to a "gunsmith" in Hawthorne Florida. He decided that a certain, fairly costly part had to be purchased, and asked me if I agreed to that. I said "Sure, if it will do the job". He then stopped in his tracks, frowned, and said that since I questioned his decision, he wanted nothing to do with the job, handed the shotgun back to me, and told me to leave. Anyhow, I sent the shotgun away to a smith I found on Accuratereloading.com ....and he simply changed the position of a tiny part in the gas system. The gun then worked perfectly.
When in the Hawthorne shop, I should have smelled that coming. Before we had even started on the subject of my shotgun, he picked a REALLY pitted, buggered Luger frame off his bench, and proudly showed it to me, as his latest "score".
Incompetents are everywhere, as well as (it seems) some real nut cases.
There is a wonderful gunsmith (Dennis Olson) in Plains, Montana (at 500 Main Street, I think). If (literally) my life depended on the quality of a certain gun project.....he would be the one I would talk with.
 
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Screwing in the bbl hand tight will not give a true reading of head spacing. The bbl must be tightened down all the way for an accurate reading.
 
That gunsmith list is extensive, but by no means complete, it relies on gunsmiths going and registering their business on it.

Yes, hand tightening a barrel is not the proper way to check headspace, but in this case it pointed out the error of the man's method. The headspace would get tighter as you tighten the barrel up further.
 
WayneinMaine said:

This time, last year I took a rifle (1917 Enfield) to a gunsmith, the second time I had taken that rifle to a gunsmith, and different gunsmiths each time. I bought it for $100 and wanted a scope mounted on it. The first gunsmith did an awful job and the rear scope mount screw broke off. I took it to another guy to have the headspace checked, he removed the barrel cost me $100 and 2 months, and said it was excessive. I bought a field gauge (which he said it "swallowed"), screwed the barrel back in hand tight, and it's fine. He said he must have "accidentally fixed it" and I was "ahead of the game". I bought a lathe last summer and various tools and have been doing work I'm happy with and have a nice hobby to boot. It's not for everyone, but it's an option.
Click to expand...

4V50 Gary said:

Screwing in the bbl hand tight will not give a true reading of head spacing. The bbl must be tightened down all the way for an accurate reading.
Click to expand...

“he removed the barrel cost me $100 and 2 months”, then, “I bought a field gauge (which he said it "swallowed"), screwed the barrel back in hand tight, and it's fine” The go-gage, the no go-gage and the field reject gage was/is not necessary for the smith and or the owner/shooter/ reloader. Then there is that part about “The bbl must be tightened down all the way for an accurate reading”

The M1917 barrel shank has 10 threads per inch (easy to keep up with) 1 turn = .100”. I have no clue why the barrel was removed, but, being separated was a good thing. Transfers, standards and verifying, the field reject gage is a standard, meaning the field reject gage could have been chambered before the barrel was secured by hand, after securing the barrel carefully by hand the length of the chamber could have been measured, I do not have enough ambition to convince anyone it could can be done. The go, no and beyond head space gage puts those working on and checking the length of the chamber into a rut, the length of the chamber can be measured from the bolt face to the shoulder in thousandths from minimum length to infinity. The go-gage length chamber for the 30/06 is .005” longer than minimum length or as it is said by reloaders ‘full length sized’.

Field reject gage: The field reject gage can be used to measure the length of the chamber from minimum length to go-gage length to field reject length in thousandths, that is 14 different length with one gage, meaning the smith that removed the barrel could have determined the length of the chamber from the bolt face to the shoulder of the chamber in thousandths with out removing the barrel. But, after the barrel was removed the length of the chamber could have been measured in thousandths (again) from the bolt face to the shoulder.

Installing the barrel on the 03 and M1917, both barrels have an extractor cut, meaning the barrel must be indexed. Hand tight? When metal bottoms out against a clean/square surface metal the the two mating surfaces will not get much closer unless the person securing the barrel chooses to pass the draw-to-line of pull the threads etc., etc.. There is no shortage of tools around here, there is no shortage of multipliers like 4 foot round and or square tubes used on the end of an action wrench, again, with all that leverage getting the receiver mating surface closer to the barrel seating surface is not as easy as it is described in this thread, after hand tight.

Once in my life: I was looking for parts at one of my favorite places, while waiting a proud owner of one very fine rifle wanted the head space checked, the smith/owner said he could not check the head space on the rifle because he did not have a head space gage for his chamber, the customer left. Then, I got involved, I informed the owner/smith I can check head space (length of the chamber from the bolt face to the shoulder) on any rifle with out a go, no or beyond gage. And, he ask “HOW?”

When the field reject gage would not allow the draw line to align the user knew the head space was less than .014” , on the M1917 it is possible to determine how much less as in thousandths.

F. Guffey
 
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Hand tight is tight enough?
If that means with a wrench and blocks yes but I took it to ment that barrel was screwed in by hand and tightened with hand pressure.
That would not.
But F Guffery I did not responed to that post.
You may want to cut and paste parts, instead of whole posts
 
If you need refinishing i found a company in bloomington in. hoosier gun coating they do cerakote and dura coat. he may also be a good place to start for gunsmith in that area of the state. we only have a few in north west indiana. was looking further into hgc web site and it adv they do repair work also
 
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