Test fire after build ?
- Thread starter gorky
- Start date
Any reason why or why not ?
I do not have ammunition for every caliber I have ever chambered for starters... and you can not buy one or two rounds from a supplier...
I don't build on altered surplus actions any more and the majority of the commercial actions feed without alterations so I don't stock ammo for testing feeding problems... After chambering hundreds of barrels with excellent high quality chambering reamers and steel go gauges I have not seen the "need" for me to test fire it. It is not as if I am manufacturing a firearm and proof firing is required.
If it is a cartridge or action with known feeding problems I will mention that to the customer and test for that...
If required I do go to the range and I charge accordingly for that service.
I guess I should add a P.S. to this:
I did test fire for probably the first 10 or 15 years or so...it's been so long ago I forget.
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I may fire to test function but will only really wring the rifle out if asked to do so. The customer has to understand that range time is just as valuable as shop time from my viewpoint. If I spend four hours on the range, testing a rifle, there is no reason I shouldn't expect four hours pay. Regards, Bill
If the customer has a scope mounted on the gun I will fire 3 rounds for grouping. No scope generally a single round to confirm that there are no issues with the chamber such as pressure or extraction problems.
Once on a first time calibre build a customer gave me 20 rounds and said have at 'er. I fired 7. Ammo was $80 a box so I could not bring myself to use up all his fun.
Once on a first time calibre build a customer gave me 20 rounds and said have at 'er. I fired 7. Ammo was $80 a box so I could not bring myself to use up all his fun.
- Location
- rocky mountain house
i couldnt imagine sending a rifle out the door without test firing it once.especially if it is a brand new reamer,headspace gauges etc. like gunpro said just a simple test to ensure everything is good to go.and yes you are manufacturing a firearm when you install a barrel and chamber it.
It is only a simple test if you have the ammunition and the time to drive to the range...
...and no you are not manufacturing a firearm... do you possess a manufacturing license for firearms? My license is only for gunsmithing.
But as I said, if the customer supplies the ammo and asks to test it - no problem... it isn't like it is going to blow up.
David Henry
CGN Regular
- Location
- West of the big road
When fitting up a new rifle barrel, and prior to polishing and blueing etc I will test fire it twice. Once with a factory load and once with a hand load known to be a maximun charge taken from a reliable loading manual.
Whoever thought that the FACTORY test fired all their guns five times before shipping is seriously miss informed, I'll just leave that remark as it stands because its bound to open up a can of worms or a least a whole new thread. David Henry.
Whoever thought that the FACTORY test fired all their guns five times before shipping is seriously miss informed, I'll just leave that remark as it stands because its bound to open up a can of worms or a least a whole new thread. David Henry.
Not to hy-jack the thread, but you don't need a manufacturing licence to make a firearm.
Only if you want to produce them for sale. Make all you need for yourself. But I would imagine they might ask you to get a licence if they started to see a lot of transfers of home builds with your name on it. I don't test -fire any rebarrel jobs I do either. Maybe if I wasn't too sure of myself?? Randy
Only if you want to produce them for sale. Make all you need for yourself. But I would imagine they might ask you to get a licence if they started to see a lot of transfers of home builds with your name on it. I don't test -fire any rebarrel jobs I do either. Maybe if I wasn't too sure of myself?? Randy
- Location
- rocky mountain house
my license says gunsmithing too but im sure a lawyer might disagree with you on the manufacturing issue.anyway i will be test firing and documenting my chamber jobs and believe me its not because im unsure of myself.there is also some good designs for bullet traps so you dont have to go to the range to test fire. bob galloway
testfire
the gunsmith school i went to taught, that you never rebarrel a gun without test fireing.I always test fire. Never had a problem, but when the customer rercieved the gun, we knew it was safe. Don mcmurter
the gunsmith school i went to taught, that you never rebarrel a gun without test fireing.I always test fire. Never had a problem, but when the customer rercieved the gun, we knew it was safe. Don mcmurter
280 ackley,
A lawyer will disagree with anything if he thinks there is a dollar in it. That means nothing.
When Dennis and I were gunsmithing for retail outlets, we had and used bullet traps (we were, if not ignorant, at least unconcerned about the potential health risks of all the lead dust we were sucking down). We also had ready access to ammunition for testing. I'm not sure of Dennis' situation, but I have to drive over 40 miles if I don't have a box of ammunition. That's 2 hours plus ten to twenty bucks for fuel. Doesn't make sense. As far as the shooting goes, my range is 50 yards from the house but it still takes time which, as we all know, is money. I do usually test but it's not really a necessity in most cases.
Sometime around his five hundredth barrel job, I figure Dennis had enough of a handle on it to be able to tell if it was OK.
Most manufacturer`s fire one proof load before stamping the proof mark on. At least that`s the way it`s supposed to work. I have seen two Winchesters which were stamped but which would not accept a cartridge. I don`t think they were fired! The exceptions are those which are tested for accuracy. Most are not. Regards, Bill
A lawyer will disagree with anything if he thinks there is a dollar in it. That means nothing.
When Dennis and I were gunsmithing for retail outlets, we had and used bullet traps (we were, if not ignorant, at least unconcerned about the potential health risks of all the lead dust we were sucking down). We also had ready access to ammunition for testing. I'm not sure of Dennis' situation, but I have to drive over 40 miles if I don't have a box of ammunition. That's 2 hours plus ten to twenty bucks for fuel. Doesn't make sense. As far as the shooting goes, my range is 50 yards from the house but it still takes time which, as we all know, is money. I do usually test but it's not really a necessity in most cases.
Sometime around his five hundredth barrel job, I figure Dennis had enough of a handle on it to be able to tell if it was OK.
Most manufacturer`s fire one proof load before stamping the proof mark on. At least that`s the way it`s supposed to work. I have seen two Winchesters which were stamped but which would not accept a cartridge. I don`t think they were fired! The exceptions are those which are tested for accuracy. Most are not. Regards, Bill
My impression is that since the US does not have mandatory proof testing, manufacturers pull random guns from the line and test them as a measure of quality control. My impression is that most do not proof every gun.
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
I remember when Gunther was in his first Guncraft Store using an air space under the floor to test fire into... every once in awhile unburnt gases built up and would ignite on the next test firing... a helluva "WHUMP!" the whole floor would lift and settle... dust coming out of every crack, the business next door just about crapping their pants...
And I remember the day I discovered the trap we were using was shot through and through the building block wall behind it. I happened to have a window open and immediately after test firing a shotgun, I had a splatter of gravel against the window. I looked out and could see a cement parking curb that was chipped and covered in lead smear that was deflecting back at the building. I went outside and there was about a 3 inch hole in the side of the building down low angled at the parking lot cement curb. We had been shooting into the parking lot for quite some time. It was just luck that no one using the parking lot had been hurt. This was in downtown Calgary.
Test firing is an excellent end to a job... but at this stage in life unless I am supplied ammo I am not going out of my way to do it.
I once had the eight inch pipe (in the second store)that went into the ground back up six inches when I testfired a 338 after a month of firing shotguns into it. I fired the barreled action by just holding the barrel in my hand and tapping the trigger with a dowel while I stood off to the side. This shot burnt all the hair off my hand. Using this method, I even tested 458's though they would come close to getting away sometimes.
In about 1992 I ran a stick down into this pipe and found that the previously twelve foot pipe was only 4 feet deep! It was filled up with lead, powder, and plastic wadding. We called in one of those industrial vacuum cleaner guys and he tried to suck it out but couldn't do much. I started firing a couple shots with a 375, then he would vacuum the loosened debris. After a box of shells, we had gained about five feet and called it good.
In Kamloops, the test pit was simply a hole in the floor with a plywood box over it. The shots went down into sand about 6 feet down. As it happened, the location was right beside the bathroom in the law office next door. After a heavy rain, a lot of water ran under the building and a test of a big rifle would result in a severe backsplash of muddy water. Both Art and I sucked others into firing rifles for us in these conditions. Gunther told me about the "hole-in-the-wall" trap. Was that at the Barrottos store? Regards, Bill.
In about 1992 I ran a stick down into this pipe and found that the previously twelve foot pipe was only 4 feet deep! It was filled up with lead, powder, and plastic wadding. We called in one of those industrial vacuum cleaner guys and he tried to suck it out but couldn't do much. I started firing a couple shots with a 375, then he would vacuum the loosened debris. After a box of shells, we had gained about five feet and called it good.
In Kamloops, the test pit was simply a hole in the floor with a plywood box over it. The shots went down into sand about 6 feet down. As it happened, the location was right beside the bathroom in the law office next door. After a heavy rain, a lot of water ran under the building and a test of a big rifle would result in a severe backsplash of muddy water. Both Art and I sucked others into firing rifles for us in these conditions. Gunther told me about the "hole-in-the-wall" trap. Was that at the Barrottos store? Regards, Bill.
Yes Bill that was the little store in the 4 story Adams Building... 604 - 4th St. I think... weird how I remember the address...
I have test fired barreled actions the same way except I just held on firmly with my hand and let my arm rock back... I just bumped the trigger with my other hand... recoil always took it away from that hand...
I have test fired barreled actions the same way except I just held on firmly with my hand and let my arm rock back... I just bumped the trigger with my other hand... recoil always took it away from that hand...
