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Dogs and Guns

The Little 20

I wasn’t looking for one. Matter of fact I had already decided I had too many. Seems like this has happened before. Somebody will ask me if I want something and I open my mouth to say no and yes comes out. The question was “Do you want a bird dog?”
The correct answer to that question should be NO! A bird dog in eastern North Carolina means quail dog. Since there are not enough quail left to hunt there isn’t a logical reason to own a quail dog. They have to be fed, housed and carried to the Vet. They are hyper, bark a lot and can break out of Fort Knox when they smell something they want. Even worse this dog was a field trial dog. That means he will be extra hyper and prone to run great distances. Well the reason wasn’t logical but it was in my head from 60 years ago.
I saw my Grandad the last time 60 years ago but I knew him through the stories his friends and my Dad told. He was an old farmer in eastern Pamlico County. He was mostly self-educated but evidently very smart. He was well read and subscribed to newspapers from Chicago and New York. My Mother said he was like Ben Cartwright on “Bonanza.” Most important to me was the fact that he was a “gun man.” He was known for his shooting ability and literally hunted till the day he died. He had killed two deer on the day he suffered a fatal heart attack in 1956.
Even though he hunted deer when the opportunity arose he was best known for his quail hunting. This meant he had bird dogs. Usually several of them from what I heard. Quail were plentiful then and the terrain was different. The wooded areas would have fires sweep through every year and burn the underbrush and briars. As a result the woods were tall trees and low grass or broom straw underneath. Perfect for quail!
Quail have an instinct to hide when anything approaches and unless you know they are there you will almost step on them without ever seeing one. This is where the dog comes in. The quail dog runs ahead of the hunter and when he smells the quail he freezes in place until the hunters can get in position to flush the bird. This is called pointing. Then after the bird flushes (quail launch like bottle rockets) if the hunter brings one down the dog will locate it and bring it back to the hunter. This is the retrieve. If the first dog points and another bird dog approaches he should immediately point when he sees the other dog on point even though he hasn’t smelled or seen a bird. This is called backing. Point, back and retrieve are the holy trinity for a bird dog.
All through my youth I listened to countless stories about Grandad and his bird dogs. How his dogs were so smart they could do his taxes if they had thumbs and what a good shot he was with his “little 20.” That meant he was shooting a 20 gauge shotgun for quail. It took a little detective work when I was older but I found out the little 20 was a Lefever double barrel. He liked his big 10 gauge double on ducks and geese but said the 20 was just right for walking behind a dog all day. The choice of gauge or caliber for a gun was a big deal then. Frequent shortages made planning an important part of hunting. Ammo was rationed during war years and well stocked stores were hard to find during the depression.
My Aunt shared a story that I had never heard about Grandad. She said he would sit up at night during WWll and reload his shotgun shells. They were paper casings and would have holes burning through the sides before he would discard them. Grandad read in the Raleigh newspaper that a hardware store in Raleigh NC would sell a case of shotgun shells with every shotgun you purchased from them. First thing next morning he carried her (his daughter) to Bayboro and put her on the bus with instructions and money to purchase 5 single barrel shotguns and 5 cases of shells. A case was 500 rounds packed in a wooden box. She went to Raleigh and walked to the store and bought the guns and shells. Since she was quite attractive she convinced some young men to carry the ammo back to the bus (not everything has changed!) Grandad had enough ammo to last out the war! He gave away the shotguns to his favorite farm workers.
Rhonda went with me to meet Jay the bird dog. The owner had decided Jay had some faults that he would never overcome and was giving up on him as a field trial dog. He lived in the country and when you came down his driveway you knew you were in the right spot. Lots of dog pens, lots of dogs, horses, trailers and a quail house in the field. He met us and showed us Jay. He was total energy, jumping to the top of the fence. He put Jay in the box on the ATV and got two quail out of the quail house. After he released in the field we let Jay out of the box.
It was less than a minute and Jay was “on point”. Amazing to see that bundle of energy freeze completely motionless and wait for us. We took our time getting to him and he talked about Jay’s fault. When we approached the frozen dog and kicked the grass the bird exploded from the thick grass with wing beats too fast to count. As the bird flew away he fired a blank pistol to simulate the shot. Jay remained on point without blinking. He told me “now you will see what’s wrong. He approached Jay to touch him on the head and release him from the point. As he walked toward Jay his rear end squatted about an inch. That’s it! I can’t get him to stop squatting a little and it always takes off points. He told me he had spent 8 thousand dollars on the dog but decided it was a lost case and better to move on.
Jay went home with me. Everybody else that hunts with me has faults that make squatting one inch look pretty insignificant so I reasoned he would work for me. Rhonda is a push over for a pretty dog so that part was easy but I had another hurdle. Sammy and Dexter. Sammy is a 100 pound lab that is pure love. Dexter is a Yorkie that is focused on what he wants. He is 9 pounds of I want to do this my way. You have to chase him down when he gets out and if he sees something he wants like a frog he will hunt it all day.
As I expected Sammy and Jay became friends but Dexter would attack him every time he got a chance. Since I have to pay the vet bills I will just keep them separate. As a group, bird dogs have a high opinion of themselves and won’t let another dog dominate. Jay is the same way. He doesn’t want to fight but he won’t let another dog push him around.
After an adjustment period of a lot of love Jay has become my dog. I know why Grandad loved quail hunting now. It isn’t the taste of quail (fantastic) but rather a chance to hunt with amazing dogs. The dogs hunt like they do because that is who they are. They love what they do and it shows in their work. When they team up with a hunter he should feel honored to have a partner so dedicated and he will be humbled by their ethics.
We have already had a couple of good “hunts” on released quail. No it isn’t like hunting wild birds but it is our only option. Wild bird numbers are just too low for me to shoot one without remorse. And pen raised birds taste like chicken.
After the hunt last week I went back to work on guns. I was looking for parts for a double barrel on the internet and came across a gun for sale. I have more guns than I need and no way had I wanted to buy another one. In spite of that I looked just out of curiosity. It was a Lefever 20 gauge like Grandad’s little 20. It wasn’t perfect but the ad said a gunsmith should be able to correct the faults. It came yesterday.

 

 

 

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Starting Over

Starting Over

 

You wonder sometimes if you can just start your life over. What would you do different? Is it too late? Can I do it? What will my friends think? Am I too old? Will it be any better? Will I screw it up worse and a million other questions that pop up. You start to dream about how you could fix every problem now that you know all about life. You can simply avoid the problems before they even happen.
Probably if you are old enough to read this you know problems and life go hand in hand. If you think starting over will let you avoid the problems you better stay where you are. You will take your problems with you and add more. I know, I have done it several times! Some because I wanted too, some because I had no choice. I’m not qualified to give advice because all I learned is that I don’t know the best way to start over. Luckily I never let not knowing how stop me from doing anything.
The best example of starting over in my family has to be my daughter Susan. She did it with a family of 4 and has made it work. She was working in real estate at Ocracoke, NC. Her husband James was born on Ocracoke and never lived anywhere else. With a 13 year old son and a 7 year old daughter I was sure they would stay on Ocracoke till retirement. With a lot of planning and a lot of guts they left everything they knew and moved the family to Alaska. I can’t imagine a more drastic move without leaving the USA.
But why would anyone want to leave a paradise destination like Ocracoke? It has spectacular beaches, salt water fishing, lots of visitors’ spending money and beauty. While it is wonderful to visit it is hard to stay. Everything has to come and go on the ferry. Being a playground for the rich has made the property values climb above anything working people can afford. If you want anything more than lunch or ice and beer you have to go get it. That takes a day! With only 6-10 children in each grade there just aren’t many things for kids to do on their own.
After they made one visit to Alaska they were committed to changing their lives for the future of their children. They left everything they knew and moved. Taking only a few possessions they sold everything else and bought one way tickets and rode the ferry for the last time. They didn’t have jobs, family for support, vehicles or a home. They did have confidence in their abilities and it was that confidence that made it possible.
When they left they took two friends with them. Both were volunteers that had special skills. When they landed they started the task of finding vehicles and setting up a home in a rental house. Then the volunteers went home and they started the more daunting task of finding a home and jobs. They were uniquely qualified for these task. Susan has worked on computer networks, waitress jobs, real estate agent, rental agent, store owner, and book keeper and Mom. James has more abilities than I can describe but his most impressive is he can design and build anything from a 3 story house to a go cart and likes to work at a pace that scares most people. Ocracoke people seem to shift gears as the seasons change and that mentality probably helped.
Since it was August when they left I was concerned about them going through their first long dark Alaskan winter. When the sun comes up at 10am and sets at 3pm and only climbs slightly above the trees it has to be a different world. But this crew seems to thrive on change and adaptation. The pictures tell the story. Arabella has learned ice skating, Jamie has become a basketball star, Susan was hired by a 24×7 veterinary hospital and then moved to another job with the gas company. Her old job tried to hire her back and the new job gave her a raise before her first day. James used his skills to repair the home they bought at a bargain and now has gone to work with a construction company. The pictures show that a family that use to try to get stuff has changed and now they are trying to do stuff. It has changed everything and they are all thriving!
Now the question is did Alaska bring the change or did the change bring Alaska? I know from talking with many people that have made major changes in life that it always starts with a phrase that is present in every story. It’s only two words but they are important and powerful. The words are “I decided”. It’s that point where you stop dreaming and put your plan into action. That point takes the most courage. You risk losing if you try to change but if you don’t you risk keeping a life you’re not happy with. That might be the biggest disaster of all!

 

 

 

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Can you explain Why?

You don’t really believe that stuff do you?

 

It’s a real question you will have to answer if you haven’t had to all ready. It might come in a real conversation about religion but more than likely it will be just a quick comment and the conversation will move on to something else. Maybe you don’t know what to say or maybe you want to say something but don’t have time but either way you feel like you got attacked. Don’t feel too bad because you are not alone. A lot of Christians have a hard time defending their beliefs. Many will get frustrated and some will even get mad if you ask them to explain why they believe. They need a plan.

The apostle Peter wrote two letters to followers of Jesus that are in the Bible before he was killed by the Romans. He said Christians needed to be prepared to explain why they believed. He didn’t say you needed to be able to explain everything in the Bible but just why you believe. Peter explained why he believed. He was there. He saw Jesus perform miracles. He saw him die on the cross. He looked at his dead body and saw it placed in the tomb. He look in the empty tomb. He saw Jesus alive and had breakfast with him on the beach. He saw the nail prints and marks from crucifixion. He was changed forever by what he saw.

I think we would like Peter. He was a commercial fisherman. He was in business with his Dad and brother Andrew. Probably had a commercial license from the Romans. We know he had a boat and nets. Apparently he fished naked according to John 21-7. Ancient people were not prudish. If you grew up in a one room house and you parents had 10 children or more you knew a lot by the time you left home! Peter was the one that would speak up first when Jesus asked a question. He was out in front. Jesus named him Peter which when translated from the Greek meant rock. When we look closely at his life we see a huge transformation in Peter after the resurrection. He was afraid when Jesus was arrested and denied he knew him. He went into hiding as did the other disciples when Jesus was crucified. After the resurrection he openly preached the gospel till he was crucified himself. According to history Peter told the Romans he wasn’t worthy to die like Christ. The Romans having a sick sense of humor said “we can take care of that for you” and crucified him upside down. Peter lived up to the name Jesus gave him and became the “rock” the Christian church was built upon.

But was Peter the only one? No, not by a long shot! Look at the transformation of Paul. He was a Christian hunter that hunted down Christians for persecution and destruction. In one day he completely changed. He didn’t moderate his life he totally reversed it. It wasn’t like when someone joins the church and starts trying to cuss with less offensive cuss words he really completely changed. Try to imagine a hard line Democrat. Drives a hybrid car with Obama and Biden stickers all over it. Hates big business, oil fired power plants and anybody that would cut down a tree. Next morning he is a registered Republican and wants more off shore drilling and coal mining. That was the kind of change that happened in Paul.

Anybody else? The list is long but another is James the brother of Jesus. Now if it would be hard to convince anyone you were the Messiah it would be hard to convince your brother. Before the resurrection James mocked Jesus when he said he was the Messiah. I can assure you if I tried to convince anybody in my family I was the Messiah I would be laughed off the porch. Imagine if you had grown up with this person and then all of a sudden he is telling people he is God and saying “when you see me you have seen the father”. Yea, that wouldn’t have worked for me. Mama would have beat the health out of me with a damp stick if I had tried that. But after the resurrection James became an ardent preacher of the gospel of Jesus. He believed Jesus was the Messiah in spite of seeing him grow up in his home.

How about his Mom? I have often heard it said that if anybody knew Jesus was the Messiah it was Mary. She alone knew the truth about the virgin birth. Imagine how hard it was to tell that story knowing everyone would think it was a lie. I can just imagine the eye rolling and looking away she experienced. Look at the silence of Mary at the crucifixion. Jesus was killed for saying he was God. If Mary thought he was anything else she would have cried out against the judgement but she was silent. My mother would have said “he is just crazy, don’t kill him for that”! Mary knew the truth.

The list goes on of people that experienced Jesus and totally changed. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Even John the Baptist who was already famous and had lots of people coming to him for baptism. He didn’t get to see Jesus after the resurrection but he instantly knew Jesus was the Messiah when he saw him approach before Jesus was well known and said “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world”. Botton line is there were lots of others that reported seeing Jesus after the resurrection. Lots of witnesses equals lots of proof.

For me compelling evidence comes from the story of the resurrection itself. If it was a carefully constructed lie fabricated by the disciples it might have sounded like this. Jesus was crucified like he said would happen. We knew he was dead but our faith was solid and we knew he would rise on the third day just like he said. We were sorry to see him suffer so badly but we were ready to celebrate his return on that morning at the tomb. At sunrise we were all gathered at the tomb and watched as the angels rolled back the stone and Jesus walked out.

The real story just has the fabric and context of people telling the truth. “We were shocked that he died. We thought he was the Messiah and couldn’t be killed by humans. We were devastated that our world had disappeared and the Jesus movement was over. We didn’t believe it when women said the tomb was empty. That sounded impossible. Most of us wouldn’t even go look for ourselves. Peter went and saw some strips of burial cloth but couldn’t find the body. We thought the body had been stolen or moved. We started hearing reports of people seeing and talking to Jesus but we still didn’t believe it till he came to us in person”. People just don’t make up stories like that.

Then we have the proof of how the Jesus movement spread from such a small group to become not only the dominate religion but a way of life that shaped the western world and changed the rest of the world in such short time.

So what do you say to the person that ask why do you believe? Or maybe the statement will be “You don’t really believe that stuff do you”? You will have to decide for yourself but I like something quick like: “I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead”. Then one of two things will happen. They will be silent for a couple of seconds and the conversation will move on or they will simply ask why? The hope is always that they ask why and you can start telling some of the stories that prove the resurrection. But even if it is the moment of silence a seed has been planted. It might be a seed that doesn’t produce but it might be a seed cast in just the right spot. Just remember to cast lots of “seeds”!

 

 

 

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Extractors

Extractors
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This small part gets a lot of blame for malfunctions. As a Gunsmith it will be your job to find the real cause of the problem and repair, replace or modify the part to cure the problem. Even if you replace the extractor with a new one a complete understanding of the part will help you tune and adjust the new part for best functioning.

The job of the extractor is more than meets the eye. Yes, true to its name it extracts the case from the chamber but it also has a role in the other cycles of the gun. When a firearm is used it will normally go through the cycles of loading, feeding, firing, extraction and ejection. Faulty extractors might prevent a loaded round from feeding smoothly or stop a bolt or slide from locking in battery (firing position). A careful study of the cycle of operation and knowing exactly when the extractor does its job will make you look smarter than a bird dog!

Control round feed or push feed? If the cartridge feeds up behind the claw of the extractor the action can be called a “control round feed” mechanism. Probably the most well known are the Mauser bolt actions and pre 1964 Winchester model 70 rifles but the term includes a lot more. Most semi auto pistols including 1911 style, most repeating shotguns and a lot of repeating rifle feed the base of the cartridge up behind the claw. If the extractor binds on the case rim as it slides in position then the bolt will jam and fail to feed. This might be from rough edges, a too strong extractor spring or the extractor jamming in its slot. Watching a dummy round slide into position might show the problem. If the action is a rimfire and you are testing with live ammo don’t forget that an extractor binding on the case can fire a rimfire cartridge when it dents the rim!

Push feed mechanisms like the Remington 700 and AR-15 will push the cartridge into the chamber until the cartridge stops and then the forward motion of the bolt will snap the extractor over the rim of the case. Broken, deformed and jammed extractors will not allow the bolt to travel forward enough to lock into position and can prevent the gun from firing. This might be obvious or it might be so slight that the bolt looks closed but internal locking mechanisms inside the bolt are not in proper position to allow the firing pin to strike the primer. These are safety mechanisms that prevent firing without the bolt being in battery ( in battery is a term to describe bolt locked into safe firing position). Many times the shooter is convinced the problem is a broken firing pin because the action snaps but there is no mark on the primer.

Extractor geometry has a lot to do with how well it functions. The fired case has to rotate around the tip of the extractor to get out of the gun. If the body of the extractor is in the way the shell rim will be pried out and the shell left in the loading port (smokestack jam). If the extractor is thinned out too much it will break. Usually the factory engineers have worked out the dimensions but frequently with aftermarket parts a little touch-up can help.

Work carefully and understand the job before you start and always “Do Good Work”.

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More Bible Stories with the dirty details

It’s in the Bible, Really!

I love a good story. Maybe cause my Dad was the best story teller ever. He had a way of explaining things as his story unfolded that just seemed to make you wish you had seen it for yourself. Most of his stories were hunting and fishing stories. They were never the short version that start like “we caught a big fish once.” His stories would start like “It was the fall of 35 and it was the coldest ever.” Then we could hear how cold it was, how hard it was to break the ice, how long they fished before he bit, how the others wanted to go home and finally how he caught the big fish. There would be time allotted to ask questions during the story if anything wasn’t clear. Since he was always old (he was born old to me!) I used his stories to get a picture of what his life was like before me. I still tell his stories to myself when I miss him.
Maybe my love of stories is what interested me in the Bible. It took way to long for to figure it out but it is the greatest story book on earth. It has stories of every situation you can imagine. I thought Hollywood could come up with some strange creepy situations until I started my own study of the Bible. Sure I went to Sunday school and church growing up but we got the sanitized version. They would only use the cleaned up version. Most of the preachers used the same stories over and over and left out the small details. I feel it’s always a mistake to leave out the details in a story because it loses its credibility without details. If the details are of a disturbing nature or extremely graphic there is a reason. Leaving out the rough parts might make it easier to talk about but it isn’t the same story.

It’s important to realize the Bible is a single purpose book. It isn’t a history book or a how to book for any task. Its sole purpose is to teach us the nature of God and his will. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years but the bible only gives a small portion of what they did. It isn’t missing, it’s just not important to the purpose of the Bible. The stories that are in the Bible are important and each one is there for the same reason.

The next problem was the partial story. How many times have you had a lesson or sermon that required you take part in a sword drill marathon. Bible stories are complete and convey important lessons. It’s up to us to decide how to interpret the story and apply it to our lives for benefit. Hard to do when you extract one line from First Timothy and the next from Genesis.
For me it finally became apparent that the Bible was important. Then I realized it was too important to let someone else tell me what it says, I needed to find out for myself. This doesn’t mean I don’t listen when a bible story is told or explained. It just means I want to make sure I’m getting the whole story. I want to know who was in the story, where they came from, who wrote the story and who was it written for. Sometimes this takes some effort but it’s easier for us than any other generation.
Christians are just like the Bible when you stop and think about it. We too have only one purpose. Fulfill God’s will. That will mean different things for each person but it still comes down to serving God. Christians are God’s willing servants. Each with abilities and gifts that will glorify God when used in Christian service. The Bible is our rule and guide throughout life on earth and our instruction manual. Yes it’s always more fun to try it our way first but doesn’t it go better when we read the instructions first?
So what kind of stories can we find in that old book? It opens with our first dysfunctional family. In our family they were simply called Adam and Eve. I heard rumors that they had last names but I’m not sure. Adam’s answer was classic “The woman did it”. It never worked but we still try to pass the blame. They had two boys. Cain and Able. Then after Cain killed Able they had Seth. But who was Noah’s ancestor? It was the bad boy Cain.
Noah’s classic story was he built an Ark and had animals in it. That’s probably all most people know. He was also our first person to get drunk in the Bible. Ended up putting a curse on his son.
Abraham is called the father figure but his life didn’t give us much to brag about. Lied to the Egyptians about his beautiful wife being his sister. Had illegitimate children with his wife’s servant with her blessing. Left her to die with child in the desert.
While this is going on Lot is living in Sodom. He has to get out of town with his family but only his wife and daughters go. After his wife is turned to salt he is given wine till each of his daughters trick him into incest. They fear he is their only chance. Second example of alcohol and its effects on a family.
Abraham’s legitimate son was Isaac. His wife had twins. Difficult deliver. His wife helped one son defraud the other of his birthright and he had to flee for his life. His name was Jacob. While on the run he falls for a beauty and agrees to work 7 years to marry her. Pulls back the vail after the wedding and he has her ugly sister. Then has to work another 7 to get the girl of his dreams. The wives compete but the ugly one gives him more sons. Then to make up the difference the wives send in their servant girls to get pregnant. Out of this mix of dysfunction comes the 12 tribes of Israel.
Now you know with 12 brothers there are bound to be problems. Probably this was compounded by having different mothers and Jacobs feelings toward them. The Bible doesn’t try to conceal that he loves Rachael and the others are just to enlarge and enhance his work force. Everyone in the family would see this because emotions are not concealable.
You are more susceptible to another person’s emotions than you are the flu. Usually you will be affected by another’s emotions within the first minute. Your brain has a section devoted to picking up on the emotions present. Unfortunately that part of your brain doesn’t think, it just senses and reacts.
Joseph as a young man lacks “emotional intelligence” when it comes to dealing with his brothers. They already don’t like it that Jacob sees him as his favorite and gave him a special coat. Then Joseph throws gas on the fire by telling them about dreams where he will be their ruler. These are not boys and they are experienced at killing. They plan to kill Joseph and tell that he was killed by a lion or bear.
At the last minute one brother convinces them to put him in a pit but they see spice traders coming by and sell him as a slave. He is carried to Egypt and sold as a slave. He has gone from favorite son of a wealthy man to slave.
His life gets worse in Egypt. He is accused of a crime he didn’t commit and thrown in prison. Now in prison he is assigned to take care of Pharaoh’s baker and butler when they made Pharaoh mad. (wonder what they did? Bad donuts? Unshined shoes?)
It’s a small detail in a big story but we get to see how Joseph has learned and developed a critical skill. Joseph has learned to read emotions. Joseph has also learned how to keep a relationship with God while enduring what must have been terrible conditions. He is in a foreign prison and a slave. There will be no parole, no early release and if he does get out he will still be a slave. In spite of this he is true to God and seeks God’s will. It would be so easy for Joseph to give up on God and focus on himself.
The Bible says he looked and saw they were sad. Then he asked. Let that sink in—he asked. It is a logical step when we see someone giving off bad vibes but how many times do we use this as an opportunity to inject our own emotions? Since we already believe everything is about us it is a logical step. We assume we have done something or decide they are mean or crazy instead of just asking “what’s wrong.” I personally have a poor track record when I assume. I finally discovered with some help from the Bible that I was looking in mirrors with a lot of people. They were just showing me what I was showing them.
Ok it’s finally time to talk about what this lesson shows us. As Christians we know that we have a purpose. The “Great Commission” Jesus gave the disciples was to spread the Gospel. It wasn’t just for the disciples but for every Christian then and now. Doing this task well requires us to understand others and be able to empathize. (EXPLAIN EMPATHIZE!) By understanding the person we will be able to know the right thing to say at the right time and know when to shut up. Know anybody lacking that skill?
Timing is everything but unless you can understand someone you can’t possibly know how to time. You can’t just tell funny jokes to a grieving person, it doesn’t work. You have to connect with the person in such a way that they will ask why are you interested in me. Then your door is open. They are asking and you can answer “God loves me and changed my life, he can change yours if you let him.” You can use any phrase you like but getting them to ask is the key.
What I hope you take home today is that as a Christian I have a purpose. There can be many ways to achieve that purpose and we are all different but our purpose is the same. The Will of God.

 

 

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God’s Big Story

Gods Big Story

It is the story of an artist. He created his masterpiece and we call it the Universe. He always was above all things. He always will be above all things. His creation was perfect in every way until sin. He must have been tempted to destroy it and start over but he didn’t. Instead he started to restore his creation. The Bible is the written record of this restoration. A restoration of a world that will become a place where everything is God’s will. Like our prayer says “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
How many of us have heard of Abraham? God told him his name would be known. Pretty amazing for someone who wasn’t a king, conqueror or explorer that lived almost 4,000 years ago. When God makes a bargain with someone you can count on it.
I have been disturbed by the story of Abraham for many years. I talked with preachers and teachers but I just didn’t get it. They wanted to tell me Abraham’s story in a way that showed him as deserving of God’s blessing but I didn’t see it. They talked of his faith but I saw his sins. Bottom line was if I was a juror and Abraham was brought to trial I would have to give him the death penalty! How can a person that flawed be our father figure? Finally I took the advice of a trusted Christian friend and studied the scripture. Just like he said it was right there in the Word!
Bible study will reveal some interesting things about the God we worship. One of his favorites is his use of underdogs. You would think the great creator would use a rich or powerful or famous person to be his spokesman but over and over we see just the opposite. Who did he pick to free the Israelites? A king with a powerful army? No, just a man. Not even a good man. Moses was a murderer on the run and had trouble speaking. When his people were facing an overwhelming enemy he selected Gideon. Gideon was a coward with no experience in battle. He selected David to be king. He was the youngest son. A mere shepherd.
It’s clear that God likes to use underdogs. Question is why? It is so we can more easily see that it is God. If the strong man wins the fight we say so what. If the man with no strength wins we want to know how he did it. We know the strength had to come from somewhere. If it wasn’t the man then it must be from God.
It reminds me of when I was shooting a rifle I built from spare parts. It shot unusually well. It shot so well that a couple of top shooting coaches came over to watch me shoot. I had a new hearing protector that picked up normal conversation while it suppressed the gunfire. They didn’t know but I could hear them talking behind me while I was shooting. Finally one said “That has to be a super gun cause he don’t shoot that good.”
In spite of the flaws of Abraham he did two things right. He believed God and he trusted God. You believe with your mind. You trust when you take actions based on that belief. Belief is nothing without trust.
God said to Abram (God liked to change names), move to another land. Abram trusted and started moving. Imagine telling your wife “Honey you need to pack, we are moving.” When she ask where you say “I don’t know!” Wives are funny about stuff like that.
God made a covenant with Abraham. He said you trust me and I will bless your socks off. I will bless you and all your descendants. I will bless everybody through you. We don’t make covenants much anymore but I did on Dec. 19th 2015! ( I got married!)  The old ceremony involved splitting an animal and walking between the two halves to say “If I break our agreement I hope worse comes to me than this animal.” (We just sign. Less messy!)
Another important feature about God shows up here. God’s blessings are always instrumental. (read that again) They are always an instrument to be used to bless others. Abraham didn’t get blessed because he deserved it. He was blessed to bless others. To bless is to give enhanced life. Others could see God blessing Abraham and know God was real. They found they could connect with God in their life. As Abrahams blessing was carried on to his descendants the blessing spread across the world. It’s only natural. When people see something good the next thing they ask is “where did you get it? Can I get some too?” Thank Heaven (literally!) the answer is YES!
When Abraham did what he decided was right he really made a mess of things. He lied about his wife and said she was his sister so he would gain favor with the Egyptians. She ended up in Pharaoh’s harem for a while. Not exactly a good arrangement for her. When Pharaoh found out she was married she was kicked out of Egypt with her husband.
Then when she couldn’t conceive he agreed with his wife to take her maid to have a child. God had told him he would have children with Sarah but he just couldn’t wait. It worked and what came out of it?
Ishmael was Abraham’s son born with her. Abraham uses his lie again about his wife being his sister and King Abimelech took her. Another trip to the harem for poor Sarah. When she gets back she conceives with Abraham (100 years old) and births Isaac. Sarah despises the maid that birthed Ishmael and makes Abraham sent her out with child and one bottle of water into the wilderness. A death sentence for a woman alone.
God hears her cry and saves her and Ishmael. God says Ishmael will be blessed with 12 sons and be a mighty nation. He says he will be wild like a donkey and against every man. One guess what religion came out of Ishmael.
In spite of Abraham’s poor judgement when he decided on his own he did one thing right. He trusted God and did what he said. That alone assured him of his place in history and fulfilled the meaning of the name God gave him. Abraham means exalted father.
Abraham’s son Isaac has Jacob who has 12 sons and the nation of Israel is born. God selects this nation to be a nation of priest. They will be his special people that will show the world the path to God. Their story is amazing as they go from captivity to rulers of the Promised Land by following God’s will. It all seems good for a while. They build a fabulous temple and become a center for worship. But they lose their identity again and become like the people around them. Then they are conquered by first the Greeks and then the Romans. They go into periods of captivity at home and in Babylon.
They wait and wait for a Messiah that was promised to deliver them. Then after their greatness is so far in the past it is only a story an angel comes to a young girl and says “Mary, God is getting the band back together”
In God’s big story the entire Old Testament leads to the birth of our savior. While it sets the stage for the story of Jesus it also reveals much about God.
1. No matter who or what you are or have been God can use you to accomplish great works.
2. You have to believe and then you have to trust.
3. What God gives you will give you enhanced life but its purpose is to be a blessing for others.
4. You will be pushed way out of your “comfort zone” when you trust God but God will be with you always.

 

P.S. This was a Sunday School lesson I wrote a while back. I always loved stories and the Bible is crammed and jammed with every sort of story. It is better than reality TV any night of the week! Don’t let someone else tell you what’s in the Bible. They might leave out a part meant for you!

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A Day in the Shop

A day in the gunshop

Maybe you think it would be fun to own your own business. A lot of people tell me having your own business is wonderful. They tell me you can set your own hours, work when you want and do everything at your own pace. I knew better before I started but I didn’t know how interesting it would be working with the public! You just never know what is going to walk through that door!
It was 630 am and a man came in looking a little weak. He sits and ask if I have a blood pressure cuff. I say yes but then ask why do you want your BP checked at a gunshop at 630? He says he has chest pain but doesn’t want to go to the ER and put up with all those test. I try my best to convince him to let me call 911 but he refuses. I even have an old EKG machine and print out an EKG. It shows abnormalities but I still can’t get him to go. Later the pain gets worse and his wife takes him to the ER. Doctor says his EKG shows abnormalities and he needs to go to the heart unit. He tells the doctor his gunsmith told him that at no charge. Doctor calls me to find out if I’m a doctor. I end up explaining and doctor brings out two pistols for trigger work.
Another day a man comes in early and ask if we are alone. He just got a call his wife was having an affair with another man. When he asked the woman why she was calling to tell on her she said she was seeing her too and cheating on her. He said he needed to talk to somebody and dropped off a rifle for cleaning and sight in. I had to make sure he was planning on using it to hunt deer instead of Dear!
Charlie comes in and ask me help to catch some cows that are out. They are in town in Cove City and running behind the houses. There are 6 cows each over 1000 pounds. I developed a new found appreciation for cowboys.
A mother brings in her daughter that has pushed an earring up her nose and can’t get it out. I can see it with my bore scope but I don’t try to remove it because she might aspirate it into her lung. I sent that one to the doctor! The mother tells others about my flexible bore scope and local people come in to look in their ears and noses. One ask if she can take it home overnight but I don’t loan tools.
A man comes in and was waiting to talk about his rifle. He is looking at a calendar and is upset from looking at a picture of a B52. He explains that he was in Vietnam and his small unit was almost wiped out by a force of 6000 North Vietnamese troops. They happened to be in front of this force that was headed to attack a Special Forces base. It was sunset and there was no way to evacuate. They were given all available ammo and instructed to dig in. Their officers came by and thanked them and said it was an honor to serve with them. They expected enemy contact shortly after midnight. When the enemy was less than one mile a huge flight of B52 bombers were rerouted from a mission to bomb North Vietnam and they started pounding the enemy force. The enemy force was stopped and forced to dig in. They evacuated his company at daylight with helicopters and he came home 2 weeks later. He didn’t know why but all these events had come back to haunt him in dreams over 40 years later.
The town drunk comes in extremely intoxicated at quitting time. I feed him some soup and take him home in my truck. I come back to the shop the next morning and find his false teeth on the table.

Two men come in with a woman. They are huge and barefooted. They have heard that my wife passed away and they have brought me their sister. They tell me she can cook and skin game better than a man. She doesn’t talk but smiles and she is missing more than one tooth. I look around for the hidden camera but there isn’t one.
Maybe because I’m a little unconventional I attract situations or maybe it’s because I’m a one person business. Don’t know for sure but it sure is interesting.

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Case Forensics

 

The Gunsmith Is On The Case!

 

Many times a Gunsmith will have to be smarter than Sherlock Holmes to find the cause of a malfunction. The ability to inspect a fired case and determine what happened when it fired or attempted to fire can be a great help in solving the mystery. Let’s look at how many clues the brass can give up to the savvy Gunsmith.

Reloading problems are always center stage when the customer says “It works fine with factory loads!” Start with getting as much info from the customer as possible. Ask the customer to describe the malfunction in detail. Was it a failure to load, feed, fire, extract or eject? Does it happen on the first, second or third round? Is it always, frequent or sometimes? Did it ever work or has this just started? Have any recent changes or repairs been made to the gun? Do you have any of the ammo you can leave for analysis and testing? Was this a load you found in a reloading manual or other reliable source? Have you reloaded ammunition before?

Look at the ammo for any abnormal signs like bulges, dents or primers that are not fully seated. If it looks normal measure case length and bullet diameter (It is hard to tell the difference between a 270 and a 7mm without a micrometer!). If you have a case micrometer measure the headspace of the ammo and compare with a go headspace gauge or factory ammo. While good ammo is very consistent it has a maximum and minimum size just like your chamber so remember the largest ammo should not be larger than the go gauge.

If the ammo looks correct you can try it in the gun for ease of chambering. Now I hope I don’t have to tell you about safety and loading firearms in the shop! Do this at the test range and use personal protection or remove the firing mechanism like taking the firing pin out of the bolt or just unscrewing the cocking piece on a bolt action. Actually with the firing pin and spring removed most bolt actions allow you to “feel” the action closing a lot better. For an even better feel you might want to also remove the ejector plunger if it has one like a Remington 700.

If you feel resistance when closing the bolt and the case dimensions measure good for headspace then look carefully at the bullet seating depth and make sure the throat is long enough to accommodate the bullet. Color the bullet with layout ink, magic marker or smoke and look for impressions left on the bullet from the rifling. The barrel might need throating if it was just rechambered or it might be solved by seating the bullet deeper or changing to a different style bullet.

If the loaded cartridge chambers without interference and the loading data looks correct then it is time to test fire. If there is any doubt as to the safety of the firearm or the ammunition then you must play it safe and fire the gun with a lanyard. An old tire makes a good rest if you place the butt of the stock on the inside edge and tie the forearm down with a piece of rope to the opposite side. This will secure the gun so it can’t flip off the tire but allows it to recoil against a surface that will give way enough to prevent damage. Placing the tire and gun on the other side of a berm or solid object and using a long cord will keep you safe.

After firing inspect the fired case for any abnormalities like splits, bulges or odd impressions on the case. At full chamber pressure the brass case will push brass into any old pits or tool marks and cause extraction problems. These might show up as a freckled surface on the fired case. It might also show up as damage to the rim of the case when the extractor has to pull harder than normal to free the case from the chamber.

Push a new bullet into the neck of the fired case and check for clearance. If the fired case mouth is tight on the bullet the case neck might be too tight. This might be from a tight neck chamber or brass that has flowed forward into the neck area and thickened the walls of the neck. This could result in pressure variations from shot to shot and even lead to pressures in the danger zone. Measure the diameter of neck on the loaded ammo and compare with fired cases and factory ammo if available. Many custom chambers will require case necks to be reduced in diameter to match chamber dimensions. Experienced benchrest competitors understand these loading techniques but the guy that just bought his rifle at the gun show might need some help!

Chamber pressure above normal limits will usually show on the fired case as well. This can be tricky and should never be used as a reliable indication of a normal load but the signs of high pressure should not be ignored. Primers that have “flattened” or lost their rounded edge, brass that has started to flow into extractor or ejector recesses or just sticky brass in a gun that extracts factory loaded ammo without problems can all indicate higher than normal pressure.

Even if the chamber pressure is within normal limits some guns can still have ammo problems. Probably the M1 Garand is the most famous for having problems with gas port pressure but it can affect other gas operated guns as well. These mechanisms are not powered by the pressure at the chamber by rather the pressure behind the bullet when it passes the gas port. This “port pressure” can be much higher with slower burning powders even when muzzle velocity is lower. This higher port pressure can slam the working parts to the rear damaging operating rod, bolt and even the receiver to the point of failure. Make sure the load is an accepted load for the type of firearm that will be firing the ammo.

Even where the ammo falls on the ground in relation to the gun can give information about the functioning. Brass ejected forward of the gun usually indicates a light load and brass ejected rearward can indicate the action operating with more force than necessary. Even brass ejected with no pattern can indicate something changing from shot to shot.

Whatever the cause of the problem the brass can many times give up some good clues and help you solve the riddle. Go slow, look at everything and above all, “Do Good Work”, it’s the only kind that matters!

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Safe testing for firearms

 

Testing Firearms Safely

 

Only a truly foolish person would test fire anything from the shoulder if there any indication that this firearm has a problem that might result in a catastrophic failure (BLOW-UP!). Only after a through inspection that reveals no damage to critical areas of the gun and an exhaustive inspection of the ammunition is it time to test fire. This inspection should pay special attention to the high pressure areas of the gun and be done in sunlight or strong artificial light. The receiver, bolt, chamber area barrel and stock should show no sign of impending failure such as cracks, bulges or stretching. If you stop to consider the normal working pressure and failure pressure in a modern firearm it makes it clear why these precautions are necessary.

Many times the firing history of a particular firearm will alert you to a possible problem. If the customer brings it to you because it blew the head off the case last time it fired then you know something wasn’t right. Maybe it was the wrong ammo, or maybe a reload with insufficient headspace, or maybe it has been rechambered to another cartridge or just bad brass or any of another dozen causes but if it happened last time it is up to you to find out why so it won’t happen again. Listen carefully and ask questions to make sure you gather as much info as possible from the owner.

The ammo is always suspect in any blow-up. Ask if it was reloaded ammo. If it was reloaded then by whom and what was the load? Was the gun fired before the blow-up? Did that round sound normal and was there an impact from it? Has this happened before? Do you have any ammo from the same batch? If the fired case is available for inspection look closely for signs of high pressure such as brass flow in the unsupported areas of the bolt head like the ejector or extractor. Look at any fired brass from the same batch of ammo for signs of high pressure as well. Primers flattened on the edge might indicate that this load was too hot for this particular gun. If the entire head is blown off make sure the ammo was not resized too much leaving excessive headspace when it was chambered. This test can be done using a case micrometer or comparing the reloaded cartridge with a known factory round. If it is a wildcat and no ammo exist for comparison remove the firing mechanism for safety and load a round into the chamber with a shim over the bolt head. If the bolt will close with a .010 inch shim between bolt and cartridge head the gun should not be fired. Carefully pull the bullet and weigh the powder and bullet to make sure it wasn’t a hand loading mistake. Inspect the powder charge and compare with a known sample to make sure powder didn’t get dumped out of the wrong canister. When you are finished inspecting ammo you can move on to the firearm.

Even if you are sure the ammo caused the problem the firearm will still need a detail inspection to make sure it was not damaged by the faulty ammunition. Test headspace in the usual way with the correct headspace gauges. Make sure the chamber has not been damaged so the hardened steel headspace gauges can rest upon the correct surface in the chamber. Looking closely at the outside of the barrel will usually show if there are any bulges. Many times the bulge will be slight but by looking down the barrel when the gun is shouldered the reflections of light along the outside of the barrel will show an abnormality that might otherwise go undetected. After the barrel is cleaned a tightly fitted patch saturated with oil will allow you to feel if there an area of less resistance when you push it through the bore that might indicate an enlarged area.

If there is any doubt about the caliber or the firearm is not marked you may want to do a chamber cast. It can be done with lead but Brownells sells cerrosafe that is 10 times easier to use and safer than lead due to the working temp being less than 200 degrees compared to 600 degrees for the lead. Follow the instructions for the best results but it really isn’t much more than you plug the bore ahead of the throat with steel wool and pour the molten cerrosafe till the chamber is full. Tap it out after it hardens and you have a perfect reproduction of the chamber and throat. It should be a little larger than the ammo if you are comparing the two side by side. Remember the ammo has to go inside the chamber. This is also a good way to look at the throat length and concentricity. The rifling should start evenly around the bullet and the casting will show this. This is incredibly important for accuracy. Save the casting and show the owner if you discover anything wrong like a damaged throat. The cerrosafe is reusable for years.

The receiver has to withstand the pressure of firing and must be inspected with a critical eye for any sign of failure. Be especially careful when looking for cracks or damage in the load bearing area between the barrel threads and the surface that the bolt lugs rest upon. If the bolt is a rear locking type this means virtually the entire receiver. If the firearm is of a case hardened manufacture look closely at these areas for signs that the bolt lugs are setting back into the receiver. This is seen on Mauser bolt actions that have been have the bolts lapped for better contact. The lapping cuts away the hard skin and exposes the low carbon steel to the high pressure of the bolt lugs during firing. It might also be a problem on a receiver that was burned in a fire. The fire annealed the steel and the receiver was later polished and reblued with the new owner thinking he got a great deal.

Having a perfect receiver doesn’t help much if the bolt is damaged. After it is cleaned look it over carefully with a strong light. I found that if you don’t have anything else you can wet the clean area with a high lighter pen and wipe with a dry cloth. Then go in the closet and find that black light from the party at your house in the 70’s. You might want to repeat the test a few times to make sure it isn’t just a tool mark but if any doubt exist consider it bad and destroy it or send it too the factory for replacement. Of course if it is a 1898 Mauser that might be a problem too. All those B-17s didn’t leave much of a factory but luckily they were made in enough numbers to have a lot of parts left over! Never leave a bolt with possible damage in the parts bin. It would be a recipe for disaster!

Only after the ammo and firearm have been completely inspected are you ready to test fire. This is a test firing to expose what went wrong when the gun-ammo combination failed. Test firing a firearm that jams is called function firing and has no expected risk of danger or shrapnel. Our goal is to fire the gun without exposing the tester to harm and then inspect the fired case and firearm for any damage or dimensional changes that indicate a problem.

While you could build a fixture to hold the firearm it can be done safely with nothing more than an old tire and some rope. Place a pad of some type like an old towel under the front and place the butt inside the tire so it will have something firm to take the recoil. Next use a soft rope and tie down the front to the tire. If you are using a chronograph or target it would be positioned it front of the muzzle at this time. After making sure the firing and target area is safe tie a loop in a small cord looping it through the trigger and extend it back to a safe area. Test by dry firing and make sure it snaps. Make sure you have eye and ear protection and everybody is viewing from a safe place. Finally load and place some type of cover over the gun like a piece of old carpet. Move carefully to the safe area without tripping on the cord and shout “fire in the hole” (optional) before pulling the cord.

After firing begin the inspection process anew looking at the fired case and the firearm for any signs of failure. Hopefully you will find all is fine and firearm can then be function fired or accuracy tested.

While this might seem like a lot of trouble it really is not much effort and doesn’t take much time to do safely. Even if you never have one come apart it is still better to be safe.

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Getting Started

 

Getting started

Call it what you will, preparation, groundwork or paying your dues, becoming a gunsmith doesn’t happen overnight. Whether school, on the job or self taught, the amount of knowledge required to become a journeyman gunsmith is immense. No one can acquire this amount of skill and knowledge without a true love of the craft. If you know you want to be the “Gun Man” this book will try to get you started and keep you out of trouble. Remember if you love what you do you never have to work for the rest of your life.

If you are one of the lucky few that can take advantage of a school of gunsmithing then you need to be truly thankful. These schools are few in the U.S. and around the world. Even when located close by a lot of people can’t take advantage of organized traditional school because of economic conditions and family situations. If you are working hard to keep food on the table for a family then taking a couple of years off to learn a new skill is out of the question. But if you can do it this is the fastest way to learn.

The ones that landed a job where the employer trains you are probably the luckiest of all. Of course you already know these are hard to come by but there may be opportunities that have been overlooked. Sporting goods stores may hire a part time position to clean guns and install scopes and slings. Amazing how much you can learn just by taking a gun apart and studying the mechanism. Why not pick up a few dollars at the same time. I would rather get a check for 20 dollars than write one for a 1000!

For the self-taught gunsmithing is more of a challenge. If the will is there and applied with enough persistence and patience it will happen but it does take a lot of study. Taking advantage of any opportunity to learn is the key. This means working on guns when you get the chance and studying when you don’t. It also means learning the skills that support the gunsmithing. Machinist classes, welding and even shooting will help. Most community colleges have some classes that will help build your skill level and they are usually very flexible with schedules and real bargain.

Just learning to reload will be a big step in the right direction and almost mandatory for the gunsmith. After all the gun isn’t much good without the ammo and each one depends on the other being correct for the intended task. A lot of gun problems are traced back to improper hand loads. Hand loading teaches you the special relationship of headspace and chamber dimensions and customer expect you to be able to solve their reloading problems too. They will not trust or waste much time with a gunsmith that doesn’t know how to reload or shoot.

What, you have to shoot too? Yes, you don’t have to be world champion but you need to at least be competent. Competitive shooting is great for the gunsmith and his reputation. Nobody has to know your scores and they really don’t care but they feel better about their gunsmith if they know he is a shooter. Lots of opportunities in most parts of the country to become part of some type of organized shooting. Highpower rifle, bullseye pistol, IPSC, cowboy action, skeet, trap, sporting clays and lots more. You will no doubt run into potential customer on the range because at every match someone has problems. Being the gunsmith for a well-known shooter doesn’t hurt your reputation either. And it is a business expense if you plan well.

Understanding the laws concerning guns and gunsmithing are also a requirement for the gunsmith. At the present time gunsmiths are required to have a federal firearm license to take in work for repair that will be kept overnight. Each firearm being kept for repair must be recorded. Even if it was not the law this would still be a good practice. Imagine if you suffer a burglary and have to report stolen guns. It would be very unprofessional if you could not give a complete list of exactly what was missing and the serial numbers. Local laws are also a consideration and vary from location to location. Consult the ATF directly for the latest requirements and pay no attention to what others say. Beware of the startup kits offered by lots of sham artist online. These are nothing more than the free forms from the ATF. Get it straight from the top and save yourself a lot of trouble and money.

When you decide to get your license you need to think long and hard about exactly what your business will include. Will this be a service type business offering repair work only or do you plan to include retail sales? Will you have full time traditional hours? Will the business be in your home? What is available for a business location in your area? Will you be the sole owner or is this a partnership? Will there be employees? What kind of overhead will there be? Choose wisely, it is easier if you get it right from the start.

I have to admit I had very little experience with anything retail when I started in business. I knew how to fix guns but making a successful retail business is a whole other can of worms. If you plan on selling a few items along with your gunsmithing business don’t under estimate how much time it will take. I thought I would do repairs and if someone wanted something ordered like a gun or accessory I would order it for a small fee and make a few extra dollars. Well I learned, selling involves time and time is money. The man or woman looking for a gun first wants to find out what you know about guns and why this one is better. Maybe more than one trip to talk about the upcoming purchase. Then it is time to compare prices. They will drive 40 miles if it is $10 cheaper.

Next comes the search to find the distributor that has one in stock. This can really eat up time too. Then you order and it comes in wrong or he doesn’t like it. Who pays to send it back? Yes that’s right, it you! Now it comes in and he takes it. You spent an hour talking to him, 40 minutes finding one, 10 minutes each time he called to see if it came in yet. 20 minutes getting the return ok and 20 minutes repacking for shipment. 25 dollars shipping and insurance an a 10% restocking fee. Now 30 minutes to seal the deal and do the required legal paperwork. Wow I hope it is approved the first time. You have spent from 2 to 3 hours making your sale ( and $25). Lets say it is a $400 sale and you were making $75 dollars. Take out for your overhead and maybe you made $20 for your 3 hours. Now think about the 4 guns you didn’t repair while you were being Mr. Salesman and you start to get a feel for the retail business.

The retail business can be profitable but it requires a lot more than a casual interest. You can no doubt remember a lot of retail sporting good businesses in your area that didn’t survive. It is a tough business.

Maybe you can start like a lot of gunsmiths with a small shop at home either in the transformed garage or an out building located next to the home. It has the advantage of low startup cost and if this is a second job as soon as you get home the shop is open. Just be prepared that anytime you are home you are open. Doesn’t matter what the posted hours are if you are home you will have customers. Prepare your family too. One year I made a part for an over under on Thanksgiving day while my customer ate my turkey. He was going to Spain the next day on a hunt and this gun was the only one cleared thru customs.

Maybe after a few years working at home you decide the time is right to enlarge and go full time. Maybe an employee to handle sales and errands. Understand that employees have to be paid out of your profit. If this employee will be making $20,000 a year and you are doing retail at 20% markup then sales will have to increase well in excess of $100,000 before you break even. That is a lot of recoil pads! Of course there are lots of other things to consider too with employees like employee theft, liability and even OSHA.

Same way with a full partner except you can never tell a partner what to do. Partnerships have the highest failure rate of any business. It isn’t impossible just difficult.

By now you might not have a warm fuzzy feeling about starting your business. That’s ok, business is rarely a warm fuzzy, but it can be profitable if well planned and worked with an eye on the bottom line. Yes I know the idea is to do something you love and you don’t want to think about business but somewhere the bills have to be paid. Plan well both for the expected and unexpected and you will be fine. Gunsmithing for the professional is different than as a hobby. I have enjoyed it both ways and it is a great profession.