I picked up a copy of The Gunsmith Machinist – Steve Acker Book Two from Brownells #926-000-003, as a statement of compassion toward my shop lathe and milling machines.
Book Two, a late 2010 release, like the first release, is filled with lots of useful project, concisely explained and well illustrated with clean professional photography.
As is the case with the earlier book, projects run from simple to complex, most of the projects address firearm repair or modification, some are projects with the objective of building special tools or enhancement of machinery, but they are all practical in nature and any and all will teach a lot about performing tasks on a lathe or milling machine that would easily carry over to many small shop projects.
My personal sense is that the author assumed the reader accomplished and became competent within, all of the projects in the first book, because the second book projects are a little more complex, for the most part. Any time threading, welding or surface grinding becomes an integral part of the work to be performed, we’ve left Kansas and have moved well beyond Book One’s “Installing a Front Sight”. I began by thinking, “I’m never going to use a Mauser contouring fixture” to wondering, “What is a contouring fixture?” to, “Hey. I have three rifles that would be better off if I learned how to do that work”. Line boring a Ruger to 45 Colt may take a little more contemplation.
For most of us who make reloading tools and rifle parts in an ever evolving manner, The Gunsmith Machinist – Steve Acker Book Two is a shop primer that, if followed, could cut literally years off of the learning curve. Simple projects like “Making an AR 15 Front Sight” would take 25¢ worth of material, an afternoon of shop time and leave the operator with some good threading, cutting and metal finessing experience. Learning how to surface grind a recoil lug could be a first step toward learning how to improve the accuracy of a bolt action rifle. Lots of good stuff. A book worth owning.
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