Category Archives: Gunsmithing
I swear I already had this idea…
The Strike Industries Glock Rail. Replaces the striker retainer plate on the Glock and is secured further by set screws in the rail. Also has an optional slide racker. I swear I had this idea, about 6 months ago. Right … Continue reading
Super-cool: Polymer 1911
From Rock River Arms. RRA used to make both nice 1911s and ARs, but had to drop the 1911s in 2008 when the AR explosion hit. Obviously, they are re-entering the market with a bang! The frame is polymer, which … Continue reading
NEW Magpul shotgun stock
Magpul has come out with a new line of stocks and forends for shotguns. It looks like it’s for the Remington 870, but they might make it for the Mossberg too. Their booth was packed beyond belief, so I snapped … Continue reading
USPSA Single Stack Spartan
I built this STI Spartan for the Utah State USPSA Championship raffle. It drew the majority of the tickets, and brought a fair bit of profit to the club (I can’t remember how many we sold). I set this gun … Continue reading
Custom Carry 1911s
1911s are winning guns. What do I mean by that? Well, they’ve been around for over 100 years now, fought in two World Wars (which we won) as well as countless other conflicts, and is probablyy the winningest competition … Continue reading
Lotsa little parts…
A local shooter gave me a nice looking custom Officer’s Model 1911 to work on. It is what I would consider the perfect carry gun, except for one thing: It doesn’t work. Every time you rack the slide, the bullet … Continue reading
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An XD(M) Production RaceGun
A local shooter tasked me with kitting up his stock XD(m) into a “RaceGun” for USPSA’s Production Division. When he went and shot it, he couldn’t have been more pleased! Before: (note: this is another XD(M) I’m working on. It … Continue reading
How to make Marvel Precision 2011 conversion magazines drop-free
Marvel Precision’s 1911-22 conversion kit is a great training tool, however on most STI 2011s, the magazines won’t drop free easily. But, with the right tools, it’s really easy to make it work. You Will Need: A good, sturdy vise … Continue reading
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Building a Para RaceGun, Pt. I
At the match last Saturday a local shooter handed me his Para P16-40 and told me to “Fix it”. Apparently it would not cycle with Federal factory ammunition, and it had about an 11 pound trigger pull weight. My first … Continue reading
Mauser Project
An former neighbor in Vermont mailed my Dad some guns she had been holding for us. Among them was a custom FMAP 1909 Mauser, rechambered in .30-06 and customized by my Dad’s uncle (a WWII veteran and gunsmith) back in … Continue reading
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Thumb Safety Problems!
I went to clean my STI today, took it out of it’s case, and found this: That’s the factory ambidextrous safety from my STI 2011 in .40. The right side of the ambi safety broke off at the pin. I … Continue reading
The 870 Project: It’s Done!
After all, you aren’t going to be doing any waterfowling with this gun, and if you do it’s super-easy to slap the original barrel back on. 
There are home defense scenarios where a 26” vent rib barrel can be quite useful.
…Well, that’s it for this 870 build, but my Dad has another 870 coming from an old neighbor that’s almost identical to this one (in it’s factory state, of course) that I’ll build up to defend the Nelson homestead in Utah.
Posted in 870, Gunsmithing, shotguns
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A trigger job on a GI 4” 1911
Ever wonder how a slicked-up, “race” 1911 can have such a light and smooth trigger pull? A local Grand Master shooter and master gunsmith just showed me how. The GI is designed to be an affordable 1911 built like a … Continue reading
Posted in 1911, Gunsmithing, Pistols, Uncategorized
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SHOT 2011: STI booth
Today Dad and I focused more on the cool guns at the SHOT show. We started out at the STI booth again, because there’s just so much neat stuff there. I took a closer look at the GI model as … Continue reading
Recommended Reading: Pat Sweeney’s book of the…
Excellent guide to the world of AKs. If you do any kind of gunsmithing or shooting, I recommend Patrick Sweeney’s books. He is a very experienced gunsmith, gun writer, shoots all kinds of competition and knows a lot about the … Continue reading
Posted in Gunsmithing, Reviews, Saiga
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Saiga 12 Magwell
In my original post about the Saiga 12, I detailed how hard it was to reload on a closed bolt. The AwKward AK “rock and lock” reload is magnified by the fact that the fat 12 gauge shells stick out … Continue reading
Saiga 12 project: gas system
The factory-standard Saiga 12 shotgun is designed to shoot “Hi-Brass” loads, the smallest loads that will function reliably are #6 shot as opposed to the softer-shooting and more commonly used ”low brass” #7.5 shot found at Wal-Mart. Every gun is … Continue reading
Saiga 12 project
When Dad and I started getting more into 3-gun shooting we started to look for a replacement for our old Benelli/H&K M1 Super 90. It’s a fine gun, but because it’s recoil operated it kicks more than most shotguns. This isn’t very good for competitive shooting, but it’s so bad that after a 24 round all-shotgun stage Dad (who’s had more concussions than he can remember) is dizzy. It doesn’t help when a stage requires slugs, either, or he darn near tears his thumbnail off loading it one…shell…at…a…time.