# Do must gun owners know how to repair their guns?



## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

Hope this is the right place.
All gun owner, do you & most gun owner know how to replace or repair their guns.
Also make reloads.
It goes without saying they have the tools as well as the knowledge for after TSHTF repairs.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Do I? Yes. Certified Glock armorer, certified S&W armorer (3rd Gen + M&P), certified Beretta armorer (92 series), certified Remington armorer (870), certified Armalite armorer (AR-15), Uncle was a gunsmith (spent lots of weekends with him as a kid), and I have been building and repairing guns since I was a teenager. I am not going to run a lathe to make a new barrel, but I can troubleshoot and repair most issues and am downright dangerous with a dremel. I have more than a fair amount of gun tools and 4-5 large tackle boxes of spare and misc. parts. I don't reload anymore but I do have a single stage setup, several dies, a number of primers/shell casings, some powder, and the know-how. Plus I have a couple black powder rifles and flintlock pistols if it comes to that. 

Do most people? I highly doubt it. Then again there are so many guns and so much ammo in this country even after TEOTWAWKI event I don't know if we would ever run out.


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## OutInTheWoods (Jun 13, 2016)

Wife and I both know how to do anything we don't need a machine-shop for. We also have replacement parts (firing pins, bolt-locks, trigger springs, screws, etc) for all our weapons - in multiple quantities. We also have multiple copies of the manuals for all our guns.

Having had to send a gun to the shop once - and wait six weeks to get it back for a 2-hour job convinced us both.

If you need a manual, most of them are available in PDF form at the following site - unless you have an S&W as the lawyers for S&W demanded removal of ALL S&W manuals.

http://www.stevespages.com/page7b.htm


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## Balls004 (Feb 28, 2015)

I do all my armorer's work, except what requires precision machining. I have the parts and knowledge to repair most of the firearms I own, outside of the "antiques". 

I can't remember the last time I shot factory loads, unless we were shooting a lost brass match, .22's, or something new that I needed the brass for.

Most of my guns are "classics". There are a lot of them out there, and so that means that the parts are readily available too. I've got military and civilian armorer's training, but most mechanics wouldn't have too much trouble repairing a firearm. Special tools help, but if you don't have them, you can still find a way to get around them in most instances.

Look at it this way, if your firearm breaks after the SHTF, even if you don't have a clue what you're doing, it's worth a try to fix it. What's the worst you can do at that point? Break it?

As far as reloading, I think that it's way more economical to reload than it is to stockpile large amounts of ammo. There is a learning curve, but it's not that steep. There are reloading presses and equipment that are easily portable, if not fast, that will keep you shooting long after you had to abandon the big, fast progressive presses or the large horde of ammo you counted on.

It's a good thing to be able to do both, but reloading to me is more important.


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

In my 40 years of owning guns of all types and calibers,
Ive never had anyone repair one for me.

I haven't bought any ammo , other than rimfire, in many years , and I have plenty of every caliber I shoot.



I have several friends that cant even disassemble guns for cleaning, 
and they buy all their ammo.



Jim


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Gunsmith? No, but I can do some repairs. I do have the knowledge to reload. I know many, many people who have skills in that area that are greater than mine.

It doesn't seem all that long ago that ammo was all but impossible to find. At the same time powder and primers disappeared as fast as it appeared on the shelves. If they put components on the shelf in the morning and you found anything in the afternoon you were lucky. There are many reloaders out there.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> know how to repair their guns?


Yes that was my job for fifteen years. I still have all the tools including a lathe and mill.
But many people that are mechanically inclined can figure out how most guns work and can then often repair them. Guns are not exactly rocket science.


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## Todays Survival Show (Nov 23, 2009)

The original question included the word MOST. No, I don't think most could do all of their own repairs. Having said that, Glocks are probably the easiest pistol for ordinary people to learn (to do their own repairs) and parts and aftermarket parts are very plentiful.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

I have all the equipment to make guns. Have I, of course not, that would be against the law. 

However, I have never had a gun break on me. Maybe I just have high quality guns or I don't shoot enough to break them. Most of my guns I've had since the 70's and have fired several thousand rounds through each over that time.

I don't reload.

But, I keep 1000 to 8000 rounds for each gun. If serious gun fighting is required, I doubt I would survive to see me run out of ammo. If you end up in a fire fight it's really just what you have magazined up and not your stockpile anyway.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Tweto said:


> I have all the equipment to make guns. Have I, of course not, that would be against the law.


It is completely legal to make as many guns as you want for your own use. As long as they are not a restricted item (short barreled rifle or shotgun, full auto, etc).


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

I can't fix them but hubby can. His department sent him to armory school so he could keep their guns working. They gave him everything he needs to get the work done.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Tweto said:


> However, I have never had a gun break on me. Maybe I just have high quality guns or I don't shoot enough to break them. Most of my guns I've had since the 70's and have fired several thousand rounds through each over that time.


I have broken guns from heavy use, but make no mistake it was HEAVY use. Perhaps a little neglect too. I have broken several .40 Glocks but that was just design quality issues with their 3rd Gen models. I have also worn out countless springs. But I also have many guns that seem impervious to breaking no matter how much I shoot them or how poorly I treat them. Guns are like computers. If it works perfectly out of the box, it will likely continue working perfectly for a long time.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

hiwall said:


> It is completely legal to make as many guns as you want for your own use. As long as they are not a restricted item (short barreled rifle or shotgun, full auto, etc).


If I did make a gun, of course I would not make an illegal gun, like a machine gun, it's against the law.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

Sentry18 said:


> I have broken guns from heavy use, but make no mistake it was HEAVY use. Perhaps a little neglect too. I have broken several .40 Glocks but that was just design quality issues with their 3rd Gen models. I have also worn out countless springs. But I also have many guns that seem impervious to breaking no matter how much I shoot them or how poorly I treat them. Guns are like computers. If it works perfectly out of the box, it will likely continue working perfectly for a long time.


I have a browning 9mm that has never misfed or misfired in 40 years, it's dead accurate but too heavy to carry. I can trust my life to this gun.

I picked my shotgun based on a rifle magazines shotgun test where they continually fired several brands until it broke. The winner and my shotgun the Remington 870 survived all the others at about 9500 rounds and was still unbroken at the end of the test.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

MILITARY based weapons are the easiest to maintain and REPAIR. 99% of the
problems can actually be fixed in the field with an absolute minimum of tools and
a bit of reading beforehand on the operator's part, here in MHO and in order are the
easiest to fix IF you pack some basic spare parts:

M-4/M-16/AR-15 etc ad nauseum. read the military manual AND the armorers book. you DO need some specific tools like Needle nose pliers and jeweler's files,
but not very often. in fact, just pretend you need the files, pliers and a whetstone for everything.

FN-FAL/L1-A1: My pet. you need spare parts, a small punch and the manual. if you can strip it, you can fix it.

H-K 91/CETME/PTRS 1
I dislike this weapon.BUT if you're actually aiming and not spraying ammo, its great! you DO need the armorer's kit for the BAD stuff.
Normally a bullet strips it.

AK ANYTHING: Remember the tools? IF you have a European and not Asian version, add an E-clip remover or a 3/8ths brass punch and hold a rag over it.

M-14/M-1/Mini 14/Mini 30: IF you can secure spare parts, they all strip the same. add a screwdriver to the tool kit. they don't break often, but when they do,
better do the gun pluming back at base.

SKS/type 56: Easy to maintain, not so easy to fix.I love it as a brush gun, BUT it's day as a main rifle are long past. hunt with it.

Remington 870 shotgun in all its forms. get the police armorer's manual, ten bucks worth of spare parts will keep it going for decades and decades.

DID SOMEBODY SAY BOLT ACTION?
03-A3. Not hard, but read the manual.

Mauser anything, even easier, BUT read the manual !there are a couple of simple screw ups that can potentially wreck your gun until you get to a vice that is. 

Mosin-Nagant. Made to be fixed my retarded children on a flat rock.3 count them, 3 working parts not counting the bolt!

22?
Why not? The Marlin bolt action is the toughest, easiest to fix bolt 22 out there, its ease of repair ranks with the Nagant IF it isn't gimped up by one of those silly new triggers. IF SO, get the book.

10/22 Ruger. probably will never need it, buy the book and some spares anyway.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Sentry18 said:


> I have broken guns from heavy use, but make no mistake it was HEAVY use. Perhaps a little neglect too. I have broken several .40 Glocks but that was just design quality issues with their 3rd Gen models. I have also worn out countless springs. But I also have many guns that seem impervious to breaking no matter how much I shoot them or how poorly I treat them. Guns are like computers. If it works perfectly out of the box, it will likely continue working perfectly for a long time.


You broke a Glock?! You're my hero!:2thumb:
I hate those damned things. give me a BHP or 1911 ANY day!


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

Magus said:


> You broke a Glock?! You're my hero!:2thumb:
> I hate those damned things. give me a BHP or 1911 ANY day!


The guy melts down a Glock. He could never do this to a BHP!


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

A advantages of having more then one, you can look at the good one to figure out why the bad one isn't working. Then go online for the manufacturers exploded part schematic to find the part number(s) to order. To reassemble use the good one as a example.

Reload? Every time I pull the reloading press handle I save 40 cents (45 Colt). That's $40 per session or $80 if the son shoots with me. It ain't hard, just pay attention to the specs in the reloading manuals and to what you're doing. Rifle calibers I'm saving about 45% of the cost of store bought ammo.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I can disassemble to clean and could replace springs and firing pins if worn. If I had two of something I could interchange about any part that comes apart with minor hand tools. Couldn't make any parts and have never reloaded. See and helped, but never on my own.

Looks like I am in the minority, at least to those who answered the post.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

I`m not a armorer like Sentry18 but I`m very familiar with my weapons ,the US Army gave me a good training on them ,important to me is also a good spared parts bin, good manuals and tools.


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## OutInTheWoods (Jun 13, 2016)

readytogo said:


> I`m not a armorer like Sentry18 but I`m very familiar with my weapons ,*the US Army gave me a good training on them* ,important to me is also a good spared parts bin, good manuals and tools.


We had to learn on our own - neither of us served in the military and got all that free training.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

OutInTheWoods said:


> We had to learn on our own - neither of us served in the military and got all that free training.


They may not have had to pay cash for the training but it wasn't free.


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## OutInTheWoods (Jun 13, 2016)

terri9630 said:


> They may not have had to pay cash for the training but it wasn't free.


True - they did sign that 'blank check'.


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