Unit 8: Gun Repair Methods

Lesson 24 Cleaning Supplies, Equipment and Lubricants 

Unit 8 as a whole is probably the shortest so far. This lesson starts us off with how to use a cleaning tank. It describes how to make a tank and the different ways to properly clean a weapon. We also learn ways for minor rust and barrel pit repairs.

Lesson 25 Basic Repair Methods Pt. 1 

Here we find what can happen when a weapon is not properly clean or kept. From extractor failures to ejection failures, checking these for dirt and grime or worn ejectors regularly is a must as this can lead to far more damages than one would expect.  

I do like how we see the different actions and variations, upgrades, and adaptability of them as well. Overview of the lesson is repairs are minor adjustments to full factory part replacement (which is probably the best as these are machined to be precise) or the last resort, fabricating your own parts (which will not be so precise). Justifying the repair cost goes along with this as why fabricate a part if it is readily available to purchase. 

Lesson 26 Basic Repair Methods Pt. 2 

I like this lesson because it jumps right into broken firing pins and mis-fires. We learn the differences of traditional firing pins VS. inertia firing pins and what this means for a gunsmith. Defective safeties are an easy check and will come to light pretty quickly with these safety checks. As a whole this is very oriented to mechanical failures and how to diagnose them. 

We finish this lesson with 1 pretty scary issue and one informative lesson. The scary? Blow-ups. Many things can cause these, from obstruction, to mis-fires to improper hand loading. This is a safety issue and could lead to some serious injuries. The informative is Cartridge Nomenclature. To learn there are so many classifications for a cartridge depending on the era, country or even culture is really fascinating and important. One number can be some the same but different and be used for a different weapon. 

Lesson 27 Basic Barrel Repair

This requires precision and quality and can be very dangerous not just for yourself but for the customer as well. The amount of pressure in a barrel upon firing is tremendous. This can be anywhere up to and including 50,000 PSI. From time to time there are smaller issues that can be somewhat easier to approach and take care of. An obstruction whether it is a bullet, nail, drill cleaning rod or cleaning patch, these are pretty simple tasks but can be barrel damaging tasks.. 

What I have taken away from this lesson is what it states at the beginning: “ Make sure you know what you are doing and have the knowledge before attempting complicated barrel repairs.” 

Conclusion 

Overall, I did like that this was probably one of the most informative lessons yet. It goes over a lot of issues that can happen, how to troubleshoot them, what to look for and how to repair them. This is a short unit, but has the most information as a whole.

Written by J. Jacobs, The MGS Experience Student