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Thread: Is it hard to find local gunsmiths that know anything about ARs?

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Find ManBearPig! View Post
    I have a local store that specializes in AR gunsmithing.

    Or at least they claim to.

    "Do you have a MOACKS tool?"

    "A what?"

    "Let me rephrase that, do you re-stake the RRA bolts you sell?"

    "Why would we do that, they work fine!"

    This came from the same people who told me BCM bolt carrier groups are just re-branded YHM and that Colt has terrible quality.

    Not going back there for anything but parts. It's a shame, I wish there could be an actual knowledgeable smith in my area... Oh well.

    I've never shot an AR (gasp!), and even I am aware of what a MOACKS tool is and what it's used for.

    Ever since I started lurking and reading on this site, I've come to realized that "not all gun boards are created equal." It also reassured my deep mistrust of typical gun store employees and gunsmiths. If anything, there seems to be some correlation with ignorance and working at a gun store. My favorite experience was the time I was looking for a good ol CZ-452 Trainer; I called one relatively well-known store in the region to see if they had any in stock and how much they were. The guy over the phone said they wouldn't sell me a .22 bolt action long arm because I happened to mention that I was under 21. No shit. So I bought my gun from a kick ass store in the next county. They're good people over at Valkyrie Arms of Milpitas, CA.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by jpr8771 View Post
    good stuff...im seeing that im not the only one who has these experiences often.

    i do have one question about my experience today...the dude was showing me these ARs (dmps and rock rivers) that he said he customized and cut out a window on the left side of the upper receiver, put a charging handle on the bolt so you could charge without dropping the gun...does this work??? it did seem convenient but wasnt real pretty?????
    o.O Mmm, reciprocating charging handle IN THE FACE. I think ASA makes one of those, that doesn't reciprocate, but their quality is questionable. Mega Machine makes a right hand side charger http://www.megamachineshop.com/armsc...00/loader.html

    As for utility, think about it this way: in almost 50 years of AR-15 history the charging handle has only changed locations once, from inside the carry handle to the latch on the back.

  3. #23
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    There are two shops local to me. The owner of one is an asshole; always questions the customer and talks about how you have to beat your kids to keep them away from your guns. I went into this shop when I was 19 or so and he asks for my ID. I thought "ok, reasonable" but when he looked at it he goes "this doesn't make you 21, son." Apparently there's some bullshit "agreement" this guy has with the local paranoid PD not to let anyone in under 21. I can understand if the guy imposed his own "21 and older" policy but it really irks me that that my quasi-tyrannical PD thinks they can do such a thing.

    The other shop is ok, its where I go for ffl transfers. No AR knowledge though. Last time I was in there a customer asks "what do you think of dpms rifles?" The shop guy responded, "they shoot."
    Last edited by Eric D.; 03-20-11 at 23:02.
    B.A.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pax View Post
    My hometowns about a half hour from Virginia Arms... So when I'm home, it's never hard to get top-notch help.
    Having Virginia Arms close by is one of the few good things about living in NOVA.

  5. #25
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    it's not that there's "no good gunsmiths," it's that there's no standards in this industry. the former is a symptom of the latter. we here at M4, and a small circle of old-school original colt-trained smiths, act as though the TDP is the standard- but to the rest of the gun world, the TDP might as well not even exist.

    so the closest thing we have to a "standard" is what most of the commercial-grade manufacturers do... if bushmaster does it a certain way, you can bet that most people out there will think "that's the way its suppose to be done."

    stacked this way, as a gunsmith who does things in the REAL "right" way, you're almost as likely to get a bad rep for doing things like upgrading or staking. i've had people not have me do "reliability" packs on their guns because they didn't like my menu- "ream the chamber?? i thought you'd just want to lap the bolt and polish the ramps!" and you know- there's a time, once upon a time, when that WAS what i would have done.

    so where's that leave everybody? it leaves me as a hobbyist, rather than a full-time smith. which ive always been totally cool with.

    people drive piece of shit cars that break down on them all the time, buy cheap appliances that fail on them, buy knives that break, buy cheap ass boots that fall apart... these guys here in Columbia County Oregon don't use their guns for gunfighting, they use 'em for nutria massacres. i'm not going to lose any sleep over it if some old rancher doesn't want me to put an H buffer in his stick.
    Last edited by bkb0000; 03-21-11 at 00:11.

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by bkb0000 View Post
    it's not that there's "no good gunsmiths," it's that there's no standards in this industry. the former is a symptom of the latter. we here at M4, and a small circle of old-school original colt-trained smiths, act as though the TDP is the standard- but to the rest of the gun world, the TDP might as well not even exist.
    I wouldn't take Colt trained for much unless they have a program that is better than the LEO one?

    The problem with standards and regulation is that it's a whole new can of worms (like the construction industry). Imagine if the NSSF was in charge. *sigh*

  7. #27
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    Imagine if the NSSF was in charge. *sigh*
    Pardon my ignorance,

    What's NSSF's deal?

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by rojocorsa View Post
    Pardon my ignorance,

    What's NSSF's deal?
    National Shooting Sports Foundation. I think they control SAAMI now as well. They just started popping up in regular firearms stuff. I don't know exactly what their deal is exactly but they seem kinda hunter-y oriented even more so than the NRA.

    I've never hunted fluffy animals in my life...
    Last edited by ZRH; 03-21-11 at 00:54.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZRH View Post
    National Shooting Sports Foundation. I think they control SAAMI now as well. They just started popping up in regular firearms stuff. I don't know exactly what their deal is exactly but they seem kinda hunter-y oriented even more so than the NRA.

    I've never hunted fluffy animals in my life...
    I knew they were hunting-ish oriented, but I wasn't sure if you were implying if they had some kind of "agenda."
    Last edited by rojocorsa; 03-21-11 at 01:07. Reason: Going off-topic

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by rojocorsa View Post
    I've never shot an AR (gasp!), and even I am aware of what a MOACKS tool is and what it's used for.

    Ever since I started lurking and reading on this site, I've come to realized that "not all gun boards are created equal." It also reassured my deep mistrust of typical gun store employees and gunsmiths. If anything, there seems to be some correlation with ignorance and working at a gun store. My favorite experience was the time I was looking for a good ol CZ-452 Trainer; I called one relatively well-known store in the region to see if they had any in stock and how much they were. The guy over the phone said they wouldn't sell me a .22 bolt action long arm because I happened to mention that I was under 21. No shit. So I bought my gun from a kick ass store in the next county. They're good people over at Valkyrie Arms of Milpitas, CA.
    Your in CA? Me too. The store is local for me, and is just one place solely dedicated to selling black rifles to the people of our communist republic.

    Here is a link. Nice guys, but uninformed: http://www.parallaxtactical.com/store/

    It's a shame they can't sell a good product. There signature upper uses YHM and RRA components, and a RRA bolt. When I handled it, I asked about the bad staking. They didn't seem concerned. The sad thing is I just ordered a complete DD upper for a little more. While I don't get a charging handle or a bolt, I do get a rifle upper that I can depend on, and is built with premium components.

    On the other hand, I have a local FFL a few miles from my house that specializes in making guns legal for CA. Last time I was there, they had a FS2000! They also have a good selection of parts from quality makers. However, after talking to the staff, as well as seeing Condor gear there, I knew the store was a lost cause... What a shame. Someone needs to open a Ranier Arms, G&R, Valkyrie Tactical, or some other store that refuses to sell junk near my house.

    Oh well. One can hope.
    Last edited by Find ManBearPig!; 03-21-11 at 01:11. Reason: Bad spelling
    Taken from a random Sniper's Hide Post
    It's really hard to judge by the size, but that [critter] looks to be in the class of "Big Mother ****er" and perhaps the family of "Stay the **** Back"

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