Unless you're going to hold an FFL, that would allow you to take in and hold other people's guns, I don't see a way to make a living or even a decent side income from it. I've thought about it many times. The hard truth is people are too cheap to pay for quality, unless it's a factory gun. And the constant comparison to low end, inexpensive AR's would be exhausting. I've been certified for three years and I'm about to recertify. Mainly because I enjoy working on them, building them and fixing other people's mistakes. But I do it for friends at no charge. You could build the best guns in the business and folks would just say they could do the same thing for less money, with a pair of vice grips and a pipe wrench.
Yeah, I knew it wasn't really feasible. But it's an interesting idea.
I am no expert on AR's by any means, but you are spot on here.
One of my workers knew I was into guns and knew I tinkered with AR's. He told me about starting a build and I really tried to get him to let me help walk him through the 1st one. I offered to let him use my tools, supplies and would let him do the actual build, just wanted to walk him through it to make sure it worked correctly.
Well, he didn't. He said he watched plenty of YouTube videos on it and knew how. I got pics of it though. Flash hider has no crush washer and tightened up upside down, bolt catch roll pin is only 2/3 of the way installed with idiot marks on the receiver, sights on backwards, and no staking of the castle nut. Not only that, he installed the barrel without a torque wrench, so its hit or miss if its installed at the min 35 ft/lb or not.
I get the same frustration with this kind of stuff when people ask me about what car they should buy (I use to sell them and buy and sell alot on the side). Then they turn up in some piece of shit Dodge Journey and wonder why the car is in for warranty work so much. I digress...
Gotcha. The newer designs, that don't require gas tube alignment are super simple. But I've seen one or two USGI barrel nuts over the last few years that would not align within the torque range. At that point, you've got to swap it out and try a different one. And with one like that, you have to use a torque wrench so you know where you are within the range.
I do not agree with this. You would have to assume the barrel nut alignment is such to require that torque to make the alignment which differs from part to part. Those type of tightening procedures work only if you have a reference to work from (like the shimming procedure for installing a URX4 as example). I say this as there have been times I have gotten the nut aligned on the first try, and other that required some facing of the receiver and close to 80 ft/lbs to get aligned. If not, little effort past hand tight would "align" the nut, but with under 30ft/lbs of force. Torque wrenches (quality calibrated ones that is) ensure the user is in the specified range. My perception of 35 ft/lbs and someone else's will vary a lot. I find many new builders do not realize that 80 ft/lbs takes such an effort to get too and they perceive 35ft/lbs as much lighter than they should too.
Well said.
Got an opportunity to get a precision rifle recently and had to go with it. Also, the baby and all make the "excessive" purchasing a no go...lol
I know that feeling! Wish you could make it though, you'd thoroughly enjoy the class.
If some things work out with some crap I am trying to sell, I might have the extra funds, but its on a big "hope" right now.
