As far as I know, I post almost every day.
Yes, gunsmiths tend to "know too much from their own experience" to follow a drawing and often put their own experience into it. I will start with one example...
I had a well known gunsmith/barrel company make a bunch of sample AR barrels. The barrel extensions later came loose. I asked him how that could happen when the drawing called for 150+-5 ft-lbs of torque. He said "That military torque spec is no good as barrels are more accurate if they are at a lower torque." He had too much experience to follow the drawing and knew it was "too much," so on his own he did what he thought was best. I need all of our parts the same, and so they are made to a drawing by a machinist. No voodoo.
Another example....
I was at famous gunsmith's shop as he was threading a rifle for a silencer. I saw him reducing the thread diameter and trying on a silencer until the can just fit snugly. I told him that the thread specs were published - and made sure he had a copy. I said he should use thread-wires or a thread-micrometer and verify that the threads are in spec. He said "If I follow the thread specs, the can might not be snug - and I prefer a custom fit." Problem is, then it only works on that one can.
That is the beauty of interchangeable parts - something that most 1911s and custom guns do not have.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interchangeable_parts
A Sig-550 rifle, or an Accuracy International, are very high quality, very precise, and yes - the parts interchange. That is the benefit of using engineers, drawings, and making parts to print. That is my goal.
Tomorrow is another day.....
Hybrid Mode
