kygundoc

I shot my Production 147 grain 9mm load in a G35 with a lone wolf conversion barrel last week and it had less recoil than my 34 not much but it was less. I have to think it was because the 35 has a slightly larger barrel diameter and any time you add weight to the barrel you delay the unlocking of the barrel.

"How did you get started?" Man all this is doing is making me think of how much time I wasted early in my life. I say wasted because I sure did not make any money building custom guns back when I was doing it almost fulltime. I started shooting at age 9 with my dad and uncle and just always wanted to be a "Gunsmith" I had my Dad drive to every gunsmith shop that was in the Louisville area when I was 12 years old to ask every Gunsmith how to learn to be one. I got nothing out of them except come back when you’re older. (Almost everyone of these old time gunsmiths were short tempered grouchy know it alls and I sure hated to have to learn from one of them) So I read every gun book I could get my hands on. My school library has some of Jack O’Conner’s books and that got me started. I took Drafting in High school and the first place I co-op out to wanted to send me to Tool and die apprenticeship so I said yes. And after 4 years of building and maintaining stamping dies I found a gunsmith that needed an apprentice. He just happened to be an ex Vocational school teacher so he was a very good Gunsmithing teacher as well. He told me after I left to open my own place that I taught him as much about machining as he did me about guns. I started building 1911's when I was in High school and I had to have my Dad buy the frames for me. After I started with my master gunsmith I pretty much took over the handgun repair and customizing side of the shop as he loved shotguns and preferred to work on them. ( I started before power screwdrivers and he had a mobile gunsmith shop that we traveled to most of the State trap shoots around KY so as the apprentice I was the designated recoil pad fitter so I had big forearms from turning screws on recoil pads.) I was working on revolvers and 1911's during this time too so I was always looking for any advantage on trigger pull. In 1982 I was working on a pivoting trigger for leverage. I had it on my own 1911 and it made a 4lb trigger feel like 1lb. longer pull was the disadvantage but it was light feeling. Bullseye shooters always had doubles with my gun so they were scared of it. Ipsc shooters like it but it was not a big seller. I was told someone had it patented later but didn't ever see them at any shoots. I started building and tuning guns for Ken Tap and Bobby Carver (We called him Geno back then) in 1983 and they kept me pretty busy for a few years. I made my own comps from bar stock even after I could by them from Brownells because I like mine better and I made money from labor not parts sales. The gunsmith I worked for started giving me equal billing on the shops business cards listing me as a Master pistol smith on them. I guess because I was bringing in a bit of money from the custom pistol and revolver sales. Finding a partner and opening my own place before I turned 30 was a goal that I saw realized and it taught me that I can just say no to guns I do not want to work on. When I first started I believed that I had to take every thing that came through the door and fix it. If you are going to be a gunsmith learn when to say no. If you are just starting out you may want to use these "No way you can make them pay" type of guns to learn from. I found it hard to charge what I need to get on some older guns therefore I call them that. Sorry about being so cynical about the art but it was a business. I had employees to pay and a partner who wanted a paycheck. Long story short I got burned out and just started working on guns again a couple of years ago. I only do work on Glocks. Just too many people work on 1911's and they can have them. Let me rephrase that. Everybody works on 1911's. I am a machinist now and that lets me do machine work on the Bridgeport mill I run everyday. Yes I machine on Glocks. I know I sound like I am down on the trade but I am not. I would not trade the knowledge that I have gained for a bigger paycheck now. I know that someday I will be able to make the all this gun know how payoff. Ok here is a tip for the guys that have Gunsmithing businesses. January and February are slow months. Plan ahead and give your good customers dremel tools for Christmas. This work will tide you over till the spring shooting bug bites everyone. Sorry for the long post but it just hit a nerve and made me remeber back when I just wanted to fix guns. I didn't even care if I got paid to do it then.

Try here http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=...threadid=692961

I want to hear from someone who was at an early Golden Eagle. I have only heard stories about this event but would like hear from someone who was there. The story goes that Jake Jatras was having a discussion with someone about a 1911 functioning underwater and after a few drinks they decided to test the theory in the Hotels pool. A group of shooter heads to the pool and Jatras announces that a test is about to take place and would everyone get out of the pool. At this point I have been told of frightened mothers grabbing children and running from the pool area. I want to hear from someone that was there about this one. Truth or Urban legend?

I love this thread. I went to second chance in the early to mid 80,s. I was a poor apprentice gunsmith at the time so I was carpooling with a couple of guys from here in Louisville. Mike Gleason, Chris Edwards and I borrowed a van and headed for Central Lake. Now this van was a cargo van and because it did not have a back seat so one of us brought a recliner for the back. Chris was playing Capt. Kirk for most of the trip bellowing orders. I at the time was building Guns for Ken Tap and Bobby Carver so Ken was paying for me to go to second chance to see him shooting the guns I wrenched for him. It was a fun trip till I got sick from a slice of that whole beef they had on the spit. We were traveling on the cheep so we were camping in the van. After a few days there we were getting looks from everyone and being avoided so we went to the hotel in town to rent a room and get a shower. All we could get was a single. So we said OK Chris could have the room and then went around to the entrance at the north end of the place. I had to have a shower even if I had to sleep in the Van. Well we slept in the room but I slept on the floor. The back range was great and I bought as much .50 ammo as I could afford from the concession stand before we went. They had about 3" thick steel plates hanging from chains to shoot the .50 into that I remember. The night shoot on the back range was a hoot with the .223 tracer going up off of the ground. Fun remembering all this and the trip is usually as good as the shooting.

Gary is on here. I didnt actually shoot with Gary today, he was there, but I did shoot with the Ratliffs. We always try to squad up together. I got some videos of the match today and if I can figure out how to get them on my computer and edited I will put them up on You tube. I met Ken Tapp at a shot show about 8 years ago. He was working the Tasco booth. they had a laser stage. Ken set the time to beat. If you beat it you won a PDP?. I beat it, I got my prize then ken walked up and on the first try beat my time to set a new mark to beat. He was like 65 years old. I wish I knew about IPSC back when you all shot at Olympia. I live 12 miles from Mt Sterling , since 1988. I used to ask where I could shoot and compete at gun stores and they either didnt know or wouldnt say . I wonder how many are in the same boat today as I was then. Chuck I think alot of people are in the same boat today. I run a league on Thursday evenings in Louisville at the Bluegrass indoor range geared for beginers to introduce them to competitive shooting. then we send them to Hidden Hills tuesday evening shoots to start them on USPSA shooting. We get many new faces and they are looking for any way they can compete with the carry guns they have. Fun is the name of the game. www.glipsc.com for more info.

I dont remember it but I have heard about it. Drove by there once many years ago looking for a range to shoot. It was in Olympia, Ky. They dont shoot there any more. They didnt shoot there when I started in 93. I am sure Gary Stevens can tell you more since he used to shoot there, its just down the road from his house. I drove by there today on the way to Ashland to shoot. From what I understand Ken Tapp used to claim that club as his home club when he lived in Winchester, Ky. Hope my info is correct. Who is shooting next weekend? The 29th. Thats the place and I did shoot there every month for a while. I met Gary, the Ratliffs and a few others from the ashland area that I do not recall names of. At that time I was building guns for Ken and Geno (he goes by Bobby now) so I was there as much as possible. I think I have a few pictures of matches there. I guess I am telling my age by telling about shooting at that club. I was trying to find anyone that was around back then. Shot KAPS today and what a perfect day for it.

OK all you KY guys I found a plaque I won back in the 80's from the Central KY Practical shooters. any one remember that place out of Mt Sterling?

I am buying 1/8" Kydex sheet and cutting to a blank shape that I want. Heat to 273 degrees shape in a fixture let cool. 1/8" is very strong compared to some of the thinner holders around. Yes I have been selling them in the Louisville, KY area for $24.00 each. I only make them to order but I have a few Glock small frame extra. They are made for a 1 1/2" belt 1/4" thick with a screw to open the clip to get them on a thicker belt like a CR- speed. I am buying 1/8" Kydex sheet and cutting to a blank shape that I want. Heat to 273 degrees shape in a fixture let cool. 1/8" is very strong compared to some of the thinner holders around. Yes I have been selling them in the Louisville, KY area for $24.00 each. I only make them to order but I have a few Glock small frame extra. They are made for a 1 1/2" belt 1/4" thick with a screw to open the clip to get them on a thicker belt like a CR- speed. I am sorry to turn this into a FS thread as I only wanted to know if they were OK to use now after the fact that I have sold several. I was asked and looked at the rules and they are confusing at best about this subject so i thought I would ask. any one that asks about buying these please PM me as this is not the place to do that.

See attached jpg file for pictures of Mag holders that I made. I would like to know if the Glock Mag holder is OK for Production and the 1911 Mag holder is OK for SS. Any one know. I guess I have been a Machinist and Gunsmith too long to not try to make my own shooting items.

Thanks, DF, but the recoil spring is #13 and GTG with the striker. Passes the above test muzzle up with flying colors. But just to muddy the waters a little, I had reduced the overtravel in my back up G17 by the same amount [same setup, LWUTS, RS trigger, etc.] and noticed today after cleaning it after today's practice that it was "notchy" going into battery in the above test with the barrel pointed straight up. But after increasing the overtravel by 1/2 turn back to my original setting, it went into battery smoothly. That's what made me really start to wonder if too little overtravel was really the cause of my problems. I guess I'm a little vague on exactly what too little overtravel would cause. Maybe someone can enlighten me. The only time I have had a notchy feeling that had to do with the overtravel stop is when I Made one and did not polish off the face of the dog point set screw. I flatened the face of the set screw and that went away. I make my own "Ultimate" trigger stops and include them with the trigger jobs I do. Getting back to the not resetting problem it could be a number of things past the simple spring issue. I have seen the conector tweeked a little too much cause this same problem. By tweeked I mean bending the angle on the bottom of the connector closer to 90 degrees to get less pressure aginst the trigger bar. Back of the trigger bar polished too much and slipping over the connector thus no trigger pull but feels like it did not reset. Too much overtravel ajustment will not cause the gun not to reset but will cause you not to be able to pull the trigger far enough to release the striker. Engagement of the trigger bar to the striker slipping and the striker is not being pulled back to position on the triger bar. I have seen this on guns with the striker that has the face angle cut. Normally this type of problem is preceded by a full auto bust of a few rounds but I have seen this happen without the burst. Engagement is checked with the orange cover plate or you can cut off a standard cover plate to check this. Not many people around here use the RS trigger so I do not know the product well enough to give any advice on it. DF

What weight is your recoil spring? is it so light that the striker spring is not letting the slide go fully closed? Test this by holding the slide back and hold the trigger back while slowly easing your slide forward till it stops. This shows up in dirty guns more often than clean guns. Just one possibility that I have seen in stock guns as well as custom Glocks. DF

I used one of the Enco type mill drills for years. If you know its limitations you can do more than you think on one. I used to make my own comps and mill for Bomars and Novak sights on mine. Mill frames for ramped barrels and back when you could do it mill SKS actions for AK mags. I think they are very versatile machines. A mold shop I worked at used one to make aluminum try out molds so I know they are fairly accurate. I run a Bridgeport all day for a living so when I need to work on a gun I just use works machine now.

Just an update on this topic. I shot a local league match last week and decided to just let my mind shoot the match for me. What I mean by that is instead of trying to slow down and get good hits ( which causes me to think out each shot) I decided to just shoot. I watched the shooter before me shoot and stepped to the line and just let the rise and fall of the front sight dictate the speed I shot the match. This was an array of 9 targets all equally spaced so I knew this would be a good test for me. The last 3 targets brought this home to me as they were fired weak hand only and on an indoor range that is not lighted very well. I could see the front sight lift to the right shoulder of each target and settle back to the A zone lift into the next target settle in lift settle in. I am still trying to find a way to describe it. My body did what my eyes told it to do in a most unconscious way.

I agree and that is why I am asking for some guidance. Shooting Minor a C hit hurts so I have tried to shoot a higher score even if my time suffers for now. I know that if I train myself to shoot higher scores the speed will follow as I get used to the drill. A cadence after multiple targets may be what I am falling into. I will look at that and see if I can fix it.