ltdmstr

As Ben stated, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements is critical, whether you intend to do it as a business (meaning, actively pursuing customers, earning income, etc.) or a hobby. Obtaining an FFL is pretty simple, although small stuff like compliance with local zoning restrictions and that type of thing can be a problem, depending on where you live. Beyond that, the record-keeping and filing requirements also take up a good amount of time. If you do intend to do it as a business, it's a good idea to set up a corporation or LLC, which presents a whole separate set of filing and compliance requirements, plus fees, and stuff like registered agent services, etc. Add to that the insurance and operations costs, and together it's a pretty significant burden in terms of time and money. Really, if you can hook up with someone with an established business, that would be the best route. That way you can get a feel for how it works and what it's like day-to-day, then decide if it's something you want to do.

This isn't going to happen no matter how much money is involved. You have about half the population against guns in general. And of the other half, probably less than half of those are serious enthusiasts. And out of that, probably a small fraction even give a cr*p about practical shooting. As bright as you think you are, you're not going to change any of that.

On the question of custom Glocks and ARs, I really can't give an honest opinion because, personally, I'd never pay anyone to work on either. Maybe to do some slide cuts on a Glock or something like that, but everything else is pretty much plug and play. I can build up an AR in about an hour from a pile of parts, and that's taking the time to do it right. So I just don't see the potential to make money at that. I had a guy right down the street from me, Glock Kreig, who did a lot of custom Glock stuff, and he just shut down the business. So I'd say you're better off finding a niche and exploiting that. Marc Krebs used to build competition guns and got tired of it, and started building AKs exclusively. He's made a good business at it. But AKs are more difficult to work on than ARs, and require special tools, knowledge and skills that most people don't have. That's the type of opportunity I'd be looking for. Aside from knowing how to run a business and doing good work, probably the next biggest factor in being successful is marketing. You've got to get the word out, build a good reputation and be visible. Most of the big name guys don't really do anything different or better than the others, but when they appear in gun magazines, blog sites, etc., people THINK they're better and spend their money accordingly. I can build a gun that's easily as nice as anything that Wilson, Baer, or whoever can build, but nobody knows who I am. So I'll never get $5k+ for a 1911. But I'm not making a living at it. If I were, I'd be doing things a lot different.

I'd say you can make a decent living at it if you do nice work, know how to run a business, and treat your customers right. If you're serious about it, I'd start by establishing a dedicated space and then acquiring the correct tools, including a decent vertical mill. It doesn't have to be top of the line with DRO and all that. Just a good, solid, accurate machine. Regarding your "middle ground" business model, my experience is that there's more business and money to be made with less effort by going the high end route. Part of the reason for that is, people don't mind paying good money if they know the work is going to be done right, and on time. Plus, with 1911/2011 builds, quality parts cost 1500 and up, so most will consider 3k or more a pretty reasonable price for a custom built gun. Others might disagree, but I don't see people who work on Glocks and ARs as gunsmiths, really. Those firearms are pretty much parts assembly operations unless you're actually manufacturing the parts. There is demand for certain other makes and types of firearms that could be tapped. For example, high end bolt guns are a pretty decent size market, and the reputable builders all have sizable backlogs. The most important thing is to decide for yourself if this is the way you want to go. There are easier ways to make a decent living, and easier ways to make a lot more money. I learned the craft from John Nowlin 20+ years ago, but never did it as a business because for the time and effort, it could never come close to the money I was making doing other work. On the flip side of that, there are plenty of guys like Bill Wilson, Les Baer, George Smith, etc. who started as small time gunsmiths, either on their own or working for someone else, and now they're running multi-million dollar businesses.

This is you're no. 1 problem. It doesn't drive sales. And the manufacturers know that. In reality, the gun business is a relatively small industry, in terms of the number of key players. Most people who've been in it for a while know who's who, where the market's going, etc. And those that have made significant contributions to USPSA in the past have seen for themselves the lack of payback. In case you missed it, the single biggest gun manufacturer for the sport recently stopped making competition-type pistols because they were losing money doing so. Instead, they're concentrating on the tacticool market. It's good to be optimistic, but not blind to the reality of the situation.

Wow, classic troll response. Zero solutions and more put-downs.

How does this work? I think it shows appreciation for their efforts, which are often considerable. And without which, those big matches wouldn't be possible. And you still haven't explained how having big prizes for a few top shooters is a benefit to everyone, and how it increases participation in the sport. Or how that would be possible. Instead, you call people names simply because they disagree with you. Some of the people who've commented above have a great deal of experience in running matches and prize tables. They're talking from experience on what the reality of the situation is. If you want to change that reality, I don't think anyone is going to try to stop you. But just complaining and calling people names isn't going to help.

Toxic and infectious to whom? People living in a fantasy world that's completely detached from reality? For 99+ percent of us, this is a hobby, not a profession. So how does the 99+ percent benefit from a handful of guys getting all the good prizes at every match, and the rest getting some gun lube or useless chotckie? I don't see anyone downplaying the achievements of the top shooters. Personally, I respect them and am impressed by what they've accomplished. If they want to earn a living from shooting, there are ways to do that. Picking stuff off of prize table is is never going to be one of those. If you want a dose of reality, do as Nolan suggested and try running a prize table at a major match. Personally, I'd give the prizes to the people working the matches and trophies to the top competitors.

Not sure how giving big prizes to the top shooters is an attraction for everyone else. And I really don't see why the same people should win guns and stuff at the big matches when they just turn around and sell it anyway. If that's why they're in it, maybe they should try a professional sport, which this really is not. As for the lack of good prizes in general, part of the problem is that pretty much the same companies are hit up for dozens of matches every year. In most cases, those that do pony up get little or no ROI. And although this sport may be important to us, it's merely a blip in terms of industry sales, which are constantly up an down depending on which way the political winds are blowing.

Slow powder isn't a particularly good choice or an uncompensated pistol. That's why the vast majority of reloaders here shoot faster powder and heavy bullets. Plus, if you're loading a fast powder and can't tell the difference between a single charge and a double, the latter most likely being at, near or over the top of the case rim, you probably shouldn't be reloading to start with. As for OP's situation, I'll put my money on double charge. I've seen several 1911s blown up from double charges and the cases all looked nearly identical to the above photo.

Yeah, my mistake. You had it right. From the slide stop it's .016 to the hammer pin and .252 to sear pin. Sorry about that.

I had one in my JP, sold it, tried a couple different brands, then went back to the CMC. It's not the lightest, but it's super smooth with a nice, clean break and positive reset. And 100% reliable.

That's not correct. The .016 dimension is for the plunger tube hole. The hammer pin hole is inline with the slide stop hole. And the sear pin is .252 lower.

Looks like that dimension is .252.

That's interesting. I didn't see anything on that video that was different from what a lot of other people are doing.

Jared Hinton, communications coordinator for Alliant Powder, describes Sport Pistol as "a low nitroglycerine, double-base flake propellant. On the burn rate chart, Sport Pistol would functionally replace/overlap with American Select.

I think in the video he's using a fixture in the milling machine. I have a tool that Krebs used to sell prob. 20 years ago that basically does the same thing. Works great, saves a lot of time, and is extremely accurate.

I would tap it and install a set screw, and use loctite when installing the screw.

Far as I know, most people who compete in this sport and buy high-end custom guns have them built to their requirements. Or they modify a stock gun to fit their needs. There are dozens choices for just about every interchangeable part to accomplish this. So who says it's acceptable to purchase a gun that's not fit to the user? And how often does that happen? If you go to a match and look at the custom guns there, I can pretty much guarantee every one will be different.

Glad to hear you have that sorted out. One less thing to worry about!

I agree. I've used the same mags with the same springs for probably 4 years now, and I typically shoot 300-400 rounds a week. So that's somewhere betwee 60k and 80k rounds with zero issues and they're still running fine. I think zzt is right, it's the feed lips.

How about someone making and selling a delrin pad for the back side of the holsters? I made this one probably 15-20 years ago for a Limcat holster when they first came out. Works great on the Boss hanger too. It's about 2-1/2" in dameter and hollowed out on the back side. So very comfortable and light.

Do you have the correct spring under the detent ball? And is it installed correctly? Also, does the machine do this when you have cases in the shell plate?

Why is it necessary to overlap the outer belt? I made my own with the M2 parts and set it up with the buckle in the front and a small gap between the two ends. It's comfortable and secure when on, and nothing bunches up.

2011 was the model designation of STI's original two-part frame, which was essentially a steel 1911 upper section and detachable polymer grip designed for double stack magazines . It's now used generically to refer to frames of the same design, including those with metal grips.