Gunsmithing

Bob Marvel builds exceptional custom 1911’s. For decades he has built pistols for world champion competitors. His guns are accurate and they don’t malfunction. And now you can learn from the master. I recently had the opportunity to build a 1911 from scratch, with the help of Bob Marvel, and here’s the result–step-by-step.

Serious about Cowboy Action Shooting? Check out AGI’s armorer’s course. Get serious about your single actions and fine tune those short strokes.

You shouldn’t take a normal flat-head screwdriver to your guns. Trust me. I know. What should you use instead? Time for a bit of gunsmithing expertise from the American Gunsmithing Institute.

Ever wonder exactly what happens when you move from a full-sized 1911 to government or commander sized pistol? Will bullets expand? Will you lose significant velocity? Will there be more recoil from the shorter barrels? We know because we’ve tested it. Read more…

I’ve had lots of conversations with gun-geeks about barrels and lowers. We can talk triggers until we’re blue in the face. But I’ve yet to anyone truly debate the AR upper. Uppers are just not that sexy. But this is a crucial aluminum shell that holds some of the AR’s most active components. It can’t be overlooked!

When deciding how you want to build an AR-15, the lower often takes center-stage. The lower receiver ties the whole rifle together. And it is a popular stating point for most builds, which means there are numerous options for material construction, style, and how much effort is required to finish them.

In our continuing coverage of the ins-and-outs of AR-15 construction, we’re going to break it down. The rifle, that is–and the tool box. Ever seen a list of all of the parts of an AR-15? It is long. So put together a checklist, and make sure you have all the tools. If you are going to build an AR-15, you will need to be at least somewhat organized.

So why would we or you want to do something like this? Well, contrary to what a lot of people think stainless does not mean rustless. Stainless steel will, can, and does rust. Now it is not as prone to corrosion as regular steel, but it will happen. Coating a stainless gun might be the equivalent of putting on two condoms, but sometimes its better to be have a little extra protection. See what WMD can do.

As we continue our series on how to build an AR-15, we ask a complex qeustion. Direct impingement or piston operation. Should the gun stick to the time-tested formula for basic gas operation, or do you want a cleaner running machine? We’re looking at the differences in this week’s installment.