Someone asked me in email about gunsmithing/armorer courses. I thought about it a minute and realized that, for me, while I know enough to (usually) get a gun apart, back together, and diagnose problems, I try to avoid the issue altogether by selecting guns that don’t usually require ‘gunsmithing’.
If the end of the world happens to occur, the odds are pretty good that taking your malfunctioning thundertoy to the services of a competent gunsmith will not be an option. So, whats a survivalist to do? Well, the most obvious thing is – don’t break your gun. Some guns are more prone to breakage than others. But since we can’t always be confident our gun won’t break, the next reasonable step is to have a gun that, if it does break, does not require gunsmithing but rather a simple parts swap. For that, two guns spring to mind – the typical survivalist pairing of a Glock and an AR. (Yes, an AK wins on durability, but when it does break youre going to need a welder, rivets, a mill, or other specialized treatments.)
Starting with the AR, it’s hard to think of any other semiautomatic non-pistol-caliber carbine that doesn’t require the services of a full-service gunsmith to tweak, maintain, or repair (note I am not talking about making a match-grade target AR..I’m talking about just a rack-grade hand-it-to-a-grunt level of AR.). FAL, G3, AK, whatever…most of the common ‘battle rifles/carbines’ require some degree of professional skill to swap a barrel, or fit internal parts that need replacing. The AR is pretty much plug-n-play. I suppose the metric to be used is ‘can I repair this without needing a lathe or a milling machine’? Bad barrel on the AR? Swap the upper or change out the barrel. Broken sear or somesuch? Trigger group parts drop in. There seems to be, in my experience, very little, if anything, that requires hand-fitting or machining to be done to keep, or return, an AR to functionality.
Even more so with the Glock. If you’re building some type of uber Glock for competition, maybe theres things you want to polish or hand-fit. But for running around during a crisis I don’t believe theres a single part on the Glock that wont just drop in and function. To be fair, virtually every modern polymer gun is like that, though. Glock seems to have gotten it right first, though. The antithesis of this would be the 1911 which, with modern machining specs, has improved in terms of drop-in parts but I would bet you money that you could take a stripped frame, order a buttload of Wilson parts from Brownells, put it all together, and it won’t run because something, somewhere needs a bit of stoning or metalwork. Not so with the Glock.
Typical Glock repair kit
Typical 1911 repair kit
So, for me, my need for learning advanced gunsmithing skills is obviated a bit by selecting guns that, broadly, don’t require them…or require so little of them, skillwise, that it isn’t a challenge (or expense) to develop those skills and acquire the tools.
Shotguns? A bit trickier, but I have taken apart a lot of Mossberg 500-series and they’re pretty plug-n-play as well. Not as much as an AR, but Id say they are the least ‘skill intensive’ shotgun in terms of repairs.
When you get into things like hunting/’sniper’ rifles, all bets are off. The Savage series of rifles are probably the easiest to deal with since you can headspace and remove/install barrels with simple tools and not need a mill/lathe operation.
By the by, even if youre not a tinfoil-hat-type like yours truly, there are still some scenarios where you won’t have gunsmithing as an option even without bombs falling and boogaloos in the street.
Under a Biden administration, for example, your AR or FAL becomes a ‘Turn them all in‘ sort of item and then your option of taking it to a gunsmith is about as viable as taking your unregistered machinegun in for a tune up. You’re either stuck with a broken gun, have to find an ‘underground’ gunsmith, or DIY. And DIY is a lot easier with a Lego gun.
Whatever you get for that upcoming uncertain future, keep in mind how easy (or not) it will be to repair and maintain. For now, I’d say the Glock and AR kinda sit at the top.
Foul…Foul I cry my dear Commander! Besmirching the reputation of my 1911s.
But in all fairness I understand to a degree what you’re saying. I understand may folks take a 1911 and want to stretch it’s capabilities.
But, my rule on 1911s that I carry are as follows:
1) I must be able to field strip it with no more tools than my bare hands. (Kimbers need not apply)
2) No hot-rodding of the gun. Loose is OK as long as it shoots minute of man at 100 yards provided I do my part.
3) Use it with in design parameters. I could have propane injected my 7.3 liter Powerstroke pickup engine, but I doubt I’d have 285,000 miles on by upping the horsepower by a third.
Of course having a lathe (or 3) and a mill (or 2) and the solar system that can run them off grid takes it up a notch.
So true, a second criteria is parts commonality in the US. The IWI Tavor is actually about as easy as the AR to take apart and service completely to include the barrel change being easier but when was the last time you saw an X95 bolt and firing pin for sale at your local gun store. If you go with one of these platforms you must stock spare parts tall and deep even more so than more common guns. While you are correct about doing serious repairs on them I feel pretty good about finding spare AK magazines for trade even in a post apocalyptic world but VZ-58 magazines despite me liking the platform better than the AK? Not so much. Same goes for my beloved CZs, post SHTF its going to be my Glocks I rely on.
Cz75 mags are relatively common as so many euro designed 9mm pistols use them. They might not be as common as a glock mag but i would put it as slightly leas common that a beretta 92 mag but more common than a Highpower mag. Granted you are most likely to find Glock, s&w MP, and springfield mags in that order but it isn’t like trying to find a Steyr or Star magazine.
That may be the case, but magazines had nothing to do with this discussion. More germaine would be the availability and drop-in ability of CZ75 parts rather than magazines.
I’ve fiddled with the innards of my Remington 870, and found it easy-enough to tap out those pins through the receiver to do so-how does the Mossberg pump compare in terms of ease of disassembly/repair?
Its been a while since I disassembled an 870, but I think theres some parts on the inside of the receiver that are riveted or otherwise fastened in an unserviceable manner that use screws on the Mossberg. Also, again this is from memory, the magazine tube is easier to remove on the Mossberg.
Ah, thanks. Yeah…I can think of some long, fiddly part that seems to be fragile but permanently attached in that 870 receiver-extractor, perhaps. A friend of mine was griping about getting into the guts of his son’s 20 gauge Mossberg pump recently so I had to ask.
I’ts been a while since I took down my 870, but you are correct Commander. The ejector spring is riveted to the inside of the receiver. Brownells used to sell a repair kit, but it is a difficult spot to stake that rivet. The spring gets damaged if the hammer comes forward without the bolt in place (ask me how I know). All in all, the 870 is still a very good design that for the most part doesn’t need any tools.
Agreed. I have a dozen 870’s but being able to strip a Mossberg right down to a bare receiver is a big attraction.
this clip is how I envision the collapse. I’m thinking getting out early and far with a group of LMI’s will be the best choice. Swapping out parts on any gun will require lighting, tools, cover, etc. The logistics will be difficult to over come and one person with a gun will be soon be lost in a sea of chaos.
If it get’s this bad a few divisions of people with guns are going to be needed. Make sure none of your allies are democrats, marxists, or communists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ7Pj4qrTCQ
Love the reminder on the Savage bolt-actions, by the way. I’d forgotten that about the headspacing and ease of barrel replacement. They’ve never really been on my radar, but a nice stainless/laminate version wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
Democrats, Marxists or Communists. They are all one and the same. Same party. Same stupid ass ideas. Same hunger for power.