GCA Blog

Your go-to resource for the latest news, tips, and insights in the world of gunsmithing. Our team of experts share their knowledge and experience on a variety of topics, including gunsmithing techniques, industry trends, and product reviews.

Archive Post

The Rest of the Story

S&W M&P 9mm PistolI’m dating myself if I use the phrase “just a silly millimeter longer” but it often occurred to me on this next case. I say case, because it was more of an investigation than a gunsmithing repair. The customer brought me his Smith and Wesson M&P 9 mm. His complaint was that

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Kenneth Finley

Sometimes Luck is Better than Being Good

Figure 1: The P85 Ruger’s early entry into the 9mm semi-auto market. The lanyard loop at the base of the grip shows its heritage of being entered in the US army’s 1984 competition to replace the venerable .45 Colt 1911. The other day, a customer brought in a problem that except for a bit of

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Earl Roberts

Top Five Indoor Ranges in the Northeast

Last year, I wrote an article for this blog that covered the Top Five Indoor Ranges in the Southeast United States, and now it’s time to do it all over again, except this time I’m heading to the Northeast. I wanted to keep the same parameters I had used to rate and compare the ranges

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Gene Kelly

Ultimate Range Bag for Gunsmiths

You’ve done the hard work to diagnose and repair the firearm in your care and now its time to head to the range to test fire and see how it performs.  It is good practice to always be prepared with a fully loaded range bag with specific and general tools that can assist in case

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Earl Roberts

Upgrading the Ruger 10/22

Since its introduction in 1964, Ruger has sold millions and millions of its model 10/22, which was named after its iconic 10-round rotary magazine plus the fact that it is chambered in .22 caliber. In addition to inexpensive and readily available ammunition and low recoil, the original Ruger 10/22 bore a striking resemblance to the

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Earl Roberts

Range Safety

For most people, range time is squeezed in somewhere between work and family commitments. But there are a few, us lucky few, where being on the range is a beautiful combination of work, fun, and family time. As you know, a range does not necessarily have to mean an indoor facility equipped with automated targets;

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Earl Roberts

Increasing Your Revenue

So, you are doing what you love, you’re running your own gunsmith shop or some other firearms related business and you’re doing pretty good. But you can’t help but wonder what else could be done to bring more customers through your doors. I constantly ask myself what else I can do to stay current, proficient,

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William Gollehon

Shop Machines

I want to preface this article by saying that I have two machines in my shop that I find invaluable. Those being a lathe and a milling machine. Over the past 30 years or so I have purchased several lathes and a few milling machines to either upgrade what I have or to repair/refurbish and

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Earl Roberts

10 Things for Your Gunsmithing Shop from The Dollar Store

It doesn’t matter if you own an open-to-the-public business or if you fix, customize, or maintain your personal firearms in your basement or garage–if you work on guns, you need stuff. Stuff like hand tools, power tools, measuring devices, clamps, blocks, fasteners, cleaning supplies, buckets and bins, personal protective equipment, batteries, light bulbs, paper, pencils,

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Earl Roberts

Five Levels of Firearm Maintenance

How often should I clean my gun? What is the best way to clean my gun? For you new gun owners out there, how many times have you asked or wondered these questions? And for you seasoned professionals out there, how many times have you been asked one (or both) of these questions by a

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Earl Roberts

Top Five Indoor Ranges in the Southeast

Top Five Indoor Ranges in the Southeast By Earl Roberts When the idea of writing about some of the best shooting ranges in my geographical area was mentioned, to say the least, I was excited. I mean, I own and operate a company called Mobile Marksmanship, so traveling around and spending time on ranges is

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Earl Roberts

What To Expect From AGI Professional Courses

What To Expect From AGI Professional Courses By Earl Roberts Alright, so I have spent my entire adult life with some version of the AR15. From learning to field strip and clean them in Boot Camp to milling, drilling, and building several of my own in my workshop. Currently, the AR platform serves me in

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