making guns???

[HTRN]

Most of the small time bolt action makers like Stiller, Hall, Nesika, etc cut the bolt lug raceway with a wire edm - A guy on the Homegunsmith forums was selling receiver blanks with the raceway edm'd already, for something like 200 bucks.


HTRN

[Denis]

It's attached to the headstock tube. The method varies - some lathes have the back end of the headstock threaded, in which case, you thread the spider to screw in. Others don't so it's usually held in place with setscrews/bolts.

Aha. Thanks!

[Windy Wilson]

Most of the small time bolt action makers like Stiller, Hall, Nesika, etc cut the bolt lug raceway with a wire edm - A guy on the Homegunsmith forums was selling receiver blanks with the raceway edm'd already, for something like 200 bucks.


HTRN

What percentage of completeness are those considered -- this week?

[Netpackrat]

Most of the small time bolt action makers like Stiller, Hall, Nesika, etc cut the bolt lug raceway with a wire edm - A guy on the Homegunsmith forums was selling receiver blanks with the raceway edm'd already, for something like 200 bucks.


HTRN

What percentage of completeness are those considered -- this week?

The ATF doesn't deal in percentage of completeness; that is just an industry term used for marketing purposes. All the ATF cares about is whether it is a receiver, or just a chunk of metal, but your point is the same either way.

[HTRN]

What percentage of completeness are those considered -- this week?

All it is, is a piece of barstock with the bolt raceway cut into it. That's it. It may be considered a 10% by the BATFE.


HTRN

[Combat Controller]

Welcome to our forum.

As a manufacturer myself, not of firearms, my swag for a set up of high end gun making is going to be around $1 million in basic equip to start plus you need some serious skilled smiths with experience. So with salary, marketing, overhead, etc look at $2 million to start and hope to be profitable in 3-4 years. I assume these are going to be shootable? Otherwise contract them out to China, much cheaper and you can get high quality work. That or E Europe with all the machines in place.

With more info I could help you get a better idea of the costs. I mentor small business people on how to get off the ground.

[HTRN]

Considering the market, "Fine European made pistol" has a better ring than "Made in China".


HTRN

[Whirlibird]

They're going to have to spend a pretty penny to get a decent finisher (buffer) and someone that knows their way around bluing tanks. It takes years to get really good at both.

Not cheap in either case.

If they are really wanting to make pretty wallhangers, they might consider contracting with Doug Turnbull for the finish work.

[snarky]

Thanks everyone for the input

[Grunt Medic TXARNG]

I'd be willing to wager that most, if not all of the guns taken off of tangos in Iraq were made in Eastern Europe, and a healthy percentage of the stuff in Afganistan is coming from Pakistan, only actual factories, vs. some guy in a hovel with a hammer and a file.

HTRN

Iraq manufactured AKs of all types (an AKM/AKMS variant called the Tabuk, a long barreled Tabuk sniper variant, RPKs, the 'Rashid' variant of the SKS and an SVD/PSL variant called the Al Kadesiah) in its own factory to arm its military - and when we came in for the second time the government arsenals were looted. You can also find Chinese, Russian and Bulgarian AKs there. My buddies in Afghanistan relate much the same story - except that insurgent arms there are even more of a hodgepodge since there were no large armories to loot - with everything from hundred year old British made bolt action rifles to AKs of every stripe, origin and condition.