Do you know any gunsmiths who are real wizards with firearms?

**SCBaldr** · June 16th, 2010, 08:57 PM

The reason I ask is because I think I have come up with a totally new type of recoil operated action for a rifle. My father is a United States Patent Examiner working in electrical test and measurement and he told me what I had to do to get a patent. So I've searched the databases for days without finding any but two patents that read on what I'm thinking. The first one looks like a locking mechanism and the second looks like a way to use compressed air to operated a machine gun. So I'm pretty convinced that my design is novel and original. Besides telling me what I have to do, my dad isn't allowed to help me with anything else. So now I need a "reduction to practice" for the mechanism. So I'd like to know if any of you guys know any really good gunsmiths who can actually do gun machining work.

**Little Cloud** · June 16th, 2010, 11:38 PM

You will need some mechanical drawings that properly define the design before considering a working model.

Most, if not all of the parts can be made in a machine shop.
I think the receiver can be made by a shop as well without an FFL ... but you might want to check up on that to be sure.

**justashooter** · June 20th, 2010, 05:36 PM

under the new rules just about anything is "gunsmithing" these days. your receiver needs to be made by an FFL type 7, and your assembly needs to be done by an FFL type 7, or you can do it all yourself. small parts can be subcontracted.

receivers can be cut to semi-final machined state in the annealed condition (easier to rough out the billet before it's hardened to within 6 thou as a machining stage, then heat treat, then final cut) and then final machined in your presence (in the same building counts, as long as you can see what is going on and have given direction for production).

if i had to reccomend anybody who could do this for you, i couldn't. there just aren't that many innovative smiths out there. most are niche makers and can't think outside the box. there is one crazy coot named mark graham (gunplumber) in arizona who has done some neat and functional work in rebuilding military automatics. he has a decent machine shop and is a type 7. google his site.

me, i'm only a type 1, and i don't have any decent machining centers handy. i build my own designs with a chop saw, a welder, and a die grinder. they work, and if i take my time they're downright pretty, and totally uique.

if you need a beta planner on this i am familiar with just about everythign and have an extensive resource library. could be your "new" design has already been done.

**Azzy** · June 21st, 2010, 12:11 AM

You may also want to prototyle moveing bits for interference in either a CAD program, or in plastic. Not that you could fire anything out of it, but you could work out some early bugs a lot cheaper before you start making chips.

**SCBaldr** · June 23rd, 2010, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by justashooter

if you need a beta planner on this i am familiar with just about everythign and have an extensive resource library. could be your "new" design has already been done.

My Father is a united states patent examiner, and I've done quite a few class 89 and 82 searches as well as about 8 hours of open class searches. There is nothing that reads on this invention in the prior art. A patent examiner will almost never search for more than 4 hours when making a decision. Trust me, this one's novel and unique

Originally Posted by Azzy

You may also want to prototyle moveing bits for interference in either a CAD program, or in plastic. Not that you could fire anything out of it, but you could work out some early bugs a lot cheaper before you start making chips.

That is a really good idea, I had planned to knock up a wooden model for the same purpose. But I think that non-firing working models are a great tool for that function of design revision.