Have a dream of this, so first step was to get into a community college machinists program to learn the general machining knowledge. Capturing all the costs in this video will probably keep this a dream! Thanks for the straight shooting intell here!
Your first point you brought up in the beginning is "extreme patience" A wiser man than me once told me , there is a very big difference between patience and love ! Patience is the ability to spend time with something you do not particularly enjoy ! Love gives you the ability to spend time with the smallest of details with no concept of how much time has passed while you were doing it ! Personally i have zero patience , but i can spend days on the smallest of details without frustration at all !
I am very impressed that you can get started that cheap, in my years as a machinist/amateur gunsmith I have ran a lot of machines. I am currently setting in front of a $500,000 full 5 axis
@@Ultimatereloader Yes I did, although I have my home shop with a 16x60 lathe and a Bridgeport mill, at work I have advanced far beyond what those machines are capable of.
Well done! I’m up in Ontario Canada and in my area there’s no one to go to for this kind of work. I went to school for tool and die and have worked in some of the biggest machine shops imaginable. Super fun, super intimidating at first, but overall amazing. Anyways, if I had the money to do that I would start my own shop too. Might actually think about it. Thanks for the video, it definitely got my wheels turning
Been thinking about getting myself a lathe and mill to learn and do barrels for myself. I love the nitty gritty of precision reloads and thunk id love this kind of work. Going to start with a tabletop lathe to just get comfortable with the basic processes while I save up for the pm1660gt 60 inch.
I was a Tool & Die Machinist during the 80s and early 90s, before I got a degree in engineering. The only thing you really need is time! I have worked on my guns for years. The tools and tooling are the areas of the most expense. Most people have big eyes and can't keep the costs low, so they are burning money faster than they can make it. This is a discipline, meaning you have to learn not to spend money. Auctions are your friend, if you know the value of the items. The most used machine is a vertical mill, no you don't need a DRO! If you have deep pockets, then you can buy all the bells and whistles, but it is better you don't have a DRO. It is better to spend your money on bits and cutting tools. Meaning a dull end mill will waste too much time. Send those end mills out to be resharpened to reduce the expenses.
Gavin, Great Stuff!! I have had many young folks come in and ask about becoming a Gunsmith over the years, I always encourage them to go to Mechanical Engineering school first, then Gunsmithing. I went to school for and was a Tool and Die maker before Gunsmithing school at Trinidad. Wish I and my wife could endure another move, I would love to come build rifles with you. I LOVE the work, the running your own business thing is my weak area. Building someones "dream" rifle and handing it to them and the reaction they have is all worth it. I really like what you are doing here, and it has helped me better my production; I have a 50W laser and a TBAS because of you. Love what you are doing and would like to meet you some time. Thanks
I highly recommend a rotary phase converter. You don’t need double to run the machine. About 30% greater capacity is fine but more is always better. Gavin is erring on the side of reasonable safety. I have a 7hp RPC that powers my entire garage. 5hp lathe 1.5 Hp mill 1 hp surface grinder I’m a one man shop and can only run one machine at a time but the RPC will power all three at once. I had a good friend that powered his shop with two RPC with a total of 50hp I believe.
Have you seen or tried Bob Pastor's 3 in 1 chambering fixture? (Viper Vise guy) I took a chambering class with Bob and I was impressed with indexing with it. Also used a MARS II reamer stop, and of course Viper Venom oil!
I would only say this. I use manual gauges and micrometers. They are very robust and if batteries are unavailable , well we all see how unreliable the system is. My thoughts are, #1 use manual gauges. #2 place a piece of closed cell foam on the surface that you store them and never forget how to read a mic
@@Ultimatereloader well, my reason for replying is to insure that we don’t forget how to read micrometers. I’m amazed at how many people I come in contact with that have no idea how to read a manual micrometer. 🤷♂️ seems like knowledge is getting lost somehow. I agree with you. Digital is easier but we are losing the guys that know how to sharpen a tool, read a micrometer and run a manual lathe and mill. Love your channel. Thank you for your content. And I’m looking forward to the next episode. 👍
Ive been on this planet for quite awhile now and i cant remember a time or place that one could walk into a store that carried lathes or milling machines that you could demo and talk to a salesman. I have three lathes and one mill. Two of the lathes and the mill were purchased used. My PM 1340 GT (not Grand Tourismo) has a bunch of quirky things about it and i called them multiple times to talk to them about it and try to resolve the issues. I cant send it back and there sure not going to send someone out to take a look (I'm in idaho). I do know more now about lathes and what is necessary to spin a barrel and chamber and i wish i would have known before i purchased. Thats one thing you briefly touched on but more regarding spindle diameter, headstock length and not controls and rpm speeds. Now im looking at upgrading and know exactly what im looking for but am wondering how much i could have saved if i knew when i purchased originally.
Like most things, take the amount and at least double it. The one item I missed seeing is ROI, if you're going to push this stuff the responsible thing is to also provide ROI information to go with that. It will take a lot of work/jobs to pay for that equipment and folks should understand this before jumping in. It's about setting proper expectations and while some younger folks are hard workers and willing to put in the time, by far many are not and a good amount are simply lazy, expecting everything to be handed to them. Sorry, it doesn't work that way for most of us but lots of hard work and time pay off years later.
I love the idea of a video, with projected P&L statements and profitability in a gunsmithing business, we definitely have that planned, but this video is squarely focused on the equipment and skills you’ll need to chamber rifles!
How much of this changes if one is *not* looking at it as a business? I have been at least idly interested in learning lathe work with the goal of being able to chamber my own rifles in retirement. I don't want to do it as a business...
Just out of curiosity, Why include 10k for a beginner lathe instead of one of the Grizzly lathes at 6-7k. That would immediately bring your starting cost down to an even 20k or very close to it... I have also heard Gordy Gritters talk positively about the Grizzly gunsmith lathes
You certainly could do that, this video is geared towards ultra precision work, and if you’re going to do that, the last place you want to save money is your lathe!
Using “right” has really caught my attention in the last couple of years. News anchors and politicians are constantly using it. Not sure where it started but seems to be the most common verbal tik these days.
@@notsogreat123 Two chools that offer comprehensive programs that cover both the practical and theoretical aspects of gunsmithing. Some reputable gunsmithing schools include the Colorado School of Trades and the Trinidad State Junior College Gunsmithing Program.✌️🤔✌️
I watch Gavin chamber barrels often... This is what he loves to do.
:)
Have a dream of this, so first step was to get into a community college machinists program to learn the general machining knowledge. Capturing all the costs in this video will probably keep this a dream! Thanks for the straight shooting intell here!
Your first point you brought up in the beginning is "extreme patience"
A wiser man than me once told me , there is a very big difference between patience and love !
Patience is the ability to spend time with something you do not particularly enjoy !
Love gives you the ability to spend time with the smallest of details with no concept of how much time has passed while you were doing it !
Personally i have zero patience , but i can spend days on the smallest of details without frustration at all !
I enjoy my kids a lot, and they require a ton of patience at times, so I have to disagree with this statement :)
I am very impressed that you can get started that cheap, in my years as a machinist/amateur gunsmith I have ran a lot of machines. I am currently setting in front of a $500,000 full 5 axis
Did you hear me say "this is scoped to manual machines" ? 😂
@@Ultimatereloader Yes I did, although I have my home shop with a 16x60 lathe and a Bridgeport mill, at work I have advanced far beyond what those machines are capable of.
@@Ultimatereloader the gunsmith work I have to do at home, if I could then I would be milling out actions at work…🤔
Probably a haas 😢
@@chiefmachining7972 I wouldn’t be caught dead running one of those, no it’s DMG buddy, top of the line!
Well done! I’m up in Ontario Canada and in my area there’s no one to go to for this kind of work. I went to school for tool and die and have worked in some of the biggest machine shops imaginable. Super fun, super intimidating at first, but overall amazing. Anyways, if I had the money to do that I would start my own shop too. Might actually think about it. Thanks for the video, it definitely got my wheels turning
Very cool
Been thinking about getting myself a lathe and mill to learn and do barrels for myself. I love the nitty gritty of precision reloads and thunk id love this kind of work. Going to start with a tabletop lathe to just get comfortable with the basic processes while I save up for the pm1660gt 60 inch.
I was a Tool & Die Machinist during the 80s and early 90s, before I got a degree in engineering. The only thing you really need is time! I have worked on my guns for years. The tools and tooling are the areas of the most expense. Most people have big eyes and can't keep the costs low, so they are burning money faster than they can make it. This is a discipline, meaning you have to learn not to spend money. Auctions are your friend, if you know the value of the items. The most used machine is a vertical mill, no you don't need a DRO! If you have deep pockets, then you can buy all the bells and whistles, but it is better you don't have a DRO. It is better to spend your money on bits and cutting tools. Meaning a dull end mill will waste too much time. Send those end mills out to be resharpened to reduce the expenses.
Gavin, Great Stuff!! I have had many young folks come in and ask about becoming a Gunsmith over the years, I always encourage them to go to Mechanical Engineering school first, then Gunsmithing. I went to school for and was a Tool and Die maker before Gunsmithing school at Trinidad. Wish I and my wife could endure another move, I would love to come build rifles with you. I LOVE the work, the running your own business thing is my weak area. Building someones "dream" rifle and handing it to them and the reaction they have is all worth it. I really like what you are doing here, and it has helped me better my production; I have a 50W laser and a TBAS because of you. Love what you are doing and would like to meet you some time. Thanks
Wow, thanks for the great feedback! I totally agree that the customer’s reaction makes it worth it!
I highly recommend a rotary phase converter.
You don’t need double to run the machine. About 30% greater capacity is fine but more is always better. Gavin is erring on the side of reasonable safety.
I have a 7hp RPC that powers my entire garage.
5hp lathe
1.5 Hp mill
1 hp surface grinder
I’m a one man shop and can only run one machine at a time but the RPC will power all three at once.
I had a good friend that powered his shop with two RPC with a total of 50hp I believe.
Have you seen or tried Bob Pastor's 3 in 1 chambering fixture? (Viper Vise guy) I took a chambering class with Bob and I was impressed with indexing with it. Also used a MARS II reamer stop, and of course Viper Venom oil!
I am a 1982 Graduate of CST …. Excellent Program and School
Awesome, they are great people, I have enjoyed my time working with them and filming there!
Love this! Thanks so much.
Great video, thanks.
Excellent video thank you
I would only say this. I use manual gauges and micrometers. They are very robust and if batteries are unavailable , well we all see how unreliable the system is. My thoughts are, #1 use manual gauges. #2 place a piece of closed cell foam on the surface that you store them and never forget how to read a mic
Nothing wrong with analog micrometers, that's what I'm using for thread micrometers.
@@Ultimatereloader well, my reason for replying is to insure that we don’t forget how to read micrometers. I’m amazed at how many people I come in contact with that have no idea how to read a manual micrometer. 🤷♂️ seems like knowledge is getting lost somehow. I agree with you. Digital is easier but we are losing the guys that know how to sharpen a tool, read a micrometer and run a manual lathe and mill. Love your channel. Thank you for your content. And I’m looking forward to the next episode. 👍
@@trickymick6229 I totally agree!
Watching this confirms my desire to have you do this for me. 😂
Dude I was thinking about this the other day! Are you spying on my web history lol.
Awesome! Glad to help, and on time :)
Ive been on this planet for quite awhile now and i cant remember a time or place that one could walk into a store that carried lathes or milling machines that you could demo and talk to a salesman. I have three lathes and one mill. Two of the lathes and the mill were purchased used. My PM 1340 GT (not Grand Tourismo) has a bunch of quirky things about it and i called them multiple times to talk to them about it and try to resolve the issues. I cant send it back and there sure not going to send someone out to take a look (I'm in idaho). I do know more now about lathes and what is necessary to spin a barrel and chamber and i wish i would have known before i purchased. Thats one thing you briefly touched on but more regarding spindle diameter, headstock length and not controls and rpm speeds. Now im looking at upgrading and know exactly what im looking for but am wondering how much i could have saved if i knew when i purchased originally.
You would make a great teacher of the trade maybe later on down the road your easy to listen to....
Thank you! I appreciate you watching.
My pm lathe comes soon. Couple weeks. Supa excited.
CONGRATS! Which one are you getting?
Lots of information!
spilling gold for us poor folks here :)
33xc reloding bomb kalibre ❤
thanks for video
Thank you for watching!
Like most things, take the amount and at least double it. The one item I missed seeing is ROI, if you're going to push this stuff the responsible thing is to also provide ROI information to go with that. It will take a lot of work/jobs to pay for that equipment and folks should understand this before jumping in. It's about setting proper expectations and while some younger folks are hard workers and willing to put in the time, by far many are not and a good amount are simply lazy, expecting everything to be handed to them. Sorry, it doesn't work that way for most of us but lots of hard work and time pay off years later.
I love the idea of a video, with projected P&L statements and profitability in a gunsmithing business, we definitely have that planned, but this video is squarely focused on the equipment and skills you’ll need to chamber rifles!
Great video, thank you!!!
What model is that laser? Where did you purchase it?
How much of this changes if one is *not* looking at it as a business? I have been at least idly interested in learning lathe work with the goal of being able to chamber my own rifles in retirement. I don't want to do it as a business...
Just out of curiosity, Why include 10k for a beginner lathe instead of one of the Grizzly lathes at 6-7k. That would immediately bring your starting cost down to an even 20k or very close to it... I have also heard Gordy Gritters talk positively about the Grizzly gunsmith lathes
You certainly could do that, this video is geared towards ultra precision work, and if you’re going to do that, the last place you want to save money is your lathe!
You can make three phase mechanically from single, with a rotary device.........
Yes indeed!
Love your content. You mentioned the 80s. Can I ask how old are you?
I'm 50 years old now, started working on my Grandpa's South Bend 9A in 1987.
You look younger. I wish I had gone into machining in the 80s. It looks so fulfilling.
Would my PM 1340GT suffice for a lathe? It is set up with a vfd using a 3 phase motor.
At least CST isn’t a correspondence school…
Agreed, I don't believe you can learn true Gunsmithing "on-Line", it is a hands on thing. I went to Trinidad, but CST has produced many fine Smiths.
I'll stick with prefits and avoid games like F class and BR.
Ok yanki
Oh, not much, just $35,000 in tools and a $200,000 Warehouse to chamber your own gun
Whatever floats your boat! This video and my business is about Chambering rifles for customers to make money.
Gavin, how many times do you really need to say "Right?" when you're talking? wow
Right? 😂
Using “right” has really caught my attention in the last couple of years. News anchors and politicians are constantly using it. Not sure where it started but seems to be the most common verbal tik these days.
Yeah, right!
Imagine that, studying gun smithing in one of the MOST ANTI GUN states in the west.
As opposed to where?
Well if you had watched the video you would know that was Colorado
The only state with two gunsmithing schools in the nation.
@@notsogreat123 Two chools that offer comprehensive programs that cover both the practical and theoretical aspects of gunsmithing. Some reputable gunsmithing schools include the Colorado School of Trades and the Trinidad State Junior College Gunsmithing Program.✌️🤔✌️