c/gunsmiths

A customer brought in a gun stuffed with rice to 'absorb moisture' and I had to keep a straight face.

Hot take: Quick fix culture vs. proper gunsmithing methods

In my experience, some shops push for fast repairs using pre-made parts instead of custom fitting. Your mileage may vary, but I think this cuts corners on safety and long term reliability. On one side, speed keeps customers happy and bills paid. On the other, it can lead to call backs and trust issues down the line. Take this with a grain of salt, but how do you all balance this in your work?

The cerakote boom in my area has me rethinking my shop setup

Recently, I've seen a huge increase in customers wanting cerakote finishes on their guns. Last week alone, I did three hunting rifles with custom camo patterns and two handguns in bright colors. It's a big change from the basic bluing jobs I used to do all the time. To handle it, I had to buy a new spray booth and a small oven for curing (which was a bit of a hit to my wallet, but I'm managing). This has me wondering if other gunsmiths are dealing with the same shift. Are you seeing more cerakote requests too? I'm also thinking about how these new finishes affect long-term maintenance. Let's discuss how this trend is impacting our trade and share any tips for keeping up.

Update: Finally got a finicky semi-auto to run smoothly with a gas port drill.

How do you avoid over-drilling?