Gunsmithing History

Something all young people consider is what they wish to do for the rest of their lives.

Some choose the noble choice of the military, others to work in construction and automotive toiling with shovel and wrench. Others choose more precise work, such as becoming machinists, doctors and engineers--the secret behind the scenes people who make things work in today’s society. But, there is a job that entails all, something complicated requiring the finesse of a heart surgeon, but with the understanding of a engineer: the art of gunsmithing. An art that essentially made the United States possible and separates it from others in the world. From the invention of black powder and the hand cannon to the 6,000 round per minute Dillon Minigun, firearms

This was the self contained brass cartridge. It contained an ignition source called a primer, an amount of powder and a bullet. Early cartridge guns were converted percussion rifles. The first repeating rifles were the Henry and Spencer, the Henry had a fifteen shot internal magazine and the Spencer a seven round removable magazine this meant multiple could be carried. Repeaters were not limited to rifles though handguns such as the famous Colt Single Action Army were a common favorite among both civilians and military personnel. The industrial revolution boosted the firearms industry. It allowed gunsmiths who formerly would cut rifling and make parts by hand using saws and files to now use vertical mills and lathes to improve both output and precision. Barrels became easier to rifle and take to size using lathes and mills allowed sights to be manufactured much easier. The next major evolutionary step in the firearms industry was the bolt action rifle. A bolt action provides a tighter seal at the breach than other actions allowing higher pressure cartridges and a farther effective range do to increased velocity The first bolt action used by the U.S. military was the Krag-Jorgensen a Norwegian rifle with a internal side loading magazine. It was thought by many that the Krag was was an exceptional piece of equipment but during the Spanish - American War it was proved otherwise. Spaniards armed with German Mausers a rifle with a

Early gunsmiths used techniques much like blacksmiths and watchmakers. Hand forging barrels,hammers and other parts one at a time as they needed them and hand carving stocks. Some of these were works of art and took months or years to produce. As technology advanced and new machines were introduced it allowed gunsmiths to greatly improve their output. When it was first developed it could take weeks of work for a decent gunsmith to rifle a barrel, but with the invention of the electric lathe it became much easier. Now in modern times with CNC or Computer Controlled Numerical milling machines make receivers for rifles such as the AR-15 and handguns like the M1911 produce thousands in a single day. Many gunsmiths specialize in building AR-15s and accurizing various handguns for competition shooting. Building an AR-15 is quite simple, it could be compared to a lincoln logs set or a kit bike. After acquiring the various parts assembly should only take a few hours. Building and accurizing handguns is an art. To achieve maximum accuracy the rails between the frame and slide must be polished, the point where the hammer and trigger meet filed so it is smooth and without grit or creep. A well worked trigger is compared to a glass rod braking. Solid weight as soon as pressure is applied without any dead