u/Dry_Pea_7127

I think there is nothing more useless and immeasurable than being asked how long it will take you to finish a job, or to be given specific timelines within the span of the work day or week to have something done by.

I am a manual guy and the manual side of this trade has so many variables to what is involved with the work that you can’t accurately predict basically anything. Everything is manually started, every cut done by feel, every lever is engaged not by a program but by a walking biological human who has a bladder they need to empty from time to time or a coworker who they need to stop and assist.

It’s a fucking irritating trend with every shop I’ve been in that I’m always held to standards which imply that this trade can somehow be deduced to a simple science of guaranteed rates and flows and outcomes. It doesn’t work this way.

The endmill I might need for the sudden hot job you need me to do, which I had no prior warning about, might be out of stock and now I have to spend time improvising. Which means that the last time you had me do the same job and it took 3 hours? It won‘t just be 3 hours this time.

Seriously don’t behave this way to your guys, they will just despise you for it.

It is frustrating as someone who either got into guns post-PICA (or was already into them but did not yet have an AR and wants one now) to feel like you are a constant bystander with respect to ARs and all similar firearms.

Watching your friends and family from other states or your favorite guntubers (if that’s your thing) participate in the world of ARs, suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, etc. and having the freedom to enjoy their constitutional rights while you’re stuck in this state where you have responsibilities and commitments that make it difficult to just pack up and leave is truly aggravating, and I see no end in sight to this situation we are in if I’m being honest.

There’s much more to life than guns obviously but this shit is just cringe and it seems like folks are only getting more and more angry here rather than succumbing to it and growing numb.

I'm working on some custom laser cut foam inserts for a couple of Pelican cases that I'll be using for my upcoming backpacking trips. I'll be flying with both my Garrison and my TRP.

Anyway, I figured there must be a few of you 1911 guys here who have some of the various 20rd defensive ammo loads on hand, and would be willing to post some measurements of the boxes for me.

I'm specifically hoping to gather dimensions for .45ACP 20rd boxes of Federal HST, Underwood, Buffalo Bore, and Hornady. Because unfortunately the dimensions for these boxes/packaging is not listed on most ammo manufacturer websites.

Width/Length/Depth measurements of the boxes much appreciated! If you only have one of the brands I mentioned on hand then that's fine, I'm basically hoping to gather enough data to come up with a good average to fit one or two boxes of either brand inside the foam of the case.

I think there is almost nothing more cringe than taking a gun you bought that has QC issues (that you can't be bothered to have fixed or replaced by the manufacture) and just selling the gun to a Cabelas or putting it up on GunBroker or whatever and letting it be somebody else's problem.

Somebody who has to then take it to the range themselves only to find out oh hey, this one shoots 4" high at 10 yards with the rear sight bottomed all the way out, or oh hey why does this used gun I bought have a canted barrel and/or timing issues???

Just to clarify, none of this argument is making an excuse for the QC bullshit going on these past few years in abundance with companies like S&W and other pitiable big brands who continue to sell overpriced junk with one or more major issues out of the box. And yes it is obnoxious and extremely frustrating to feel like you are wasting your hard earned money on an American made product that, yes, should absolutely "Just Work".

However, taking said gun you bought off GunBroker or Palmetto or Buds or whatever and realizing "well shit, I can't just return the gun for a refund since most places don't do that, so I guess now I'll just sell it to a gun store who will take one quick glance at it and allow me to get some of my money back at least!" is a real, real piece of shit move.

Either get in contact with the manufacturer and raise hell, or demand a refund from whoever you bought the gun from and explain clearly what problems it has, and if it need be make *them* pay the cost to ship it in to the manufacturer for repair or replacement.

Don't make it my problem, don't make it Joe Blow's problem, don't make it anyone's problem except the Hedge Fund managed douche bag company you bought it from who treats these firearms as nothing more than sale figures and profit margins.

Anyone know of any smiths in the northern half of the state/Chicago area who can strip off a worn parkerized finish and hot blue a gun for me? Thanks!

Manual lathe and mill guy here, been in the trade 10 years and have worked in a variety of job shops, current one being a motor repair shop where I'm the sole machinist and still have to do and figure out everything for myself with zero hand holding.

I'm making this post for those of you out there who live in regions like myself where it feels like you can't find an employer that respects you enough. I've personally been through so many interviews over the years (while still actively working) and have turned down so many jobs because so many of these companies nowadays just do not understand what being a real Machinist involves or why what they are willing to pay just sucks. I'm starting to notice that this trend is slowly dying and improving for the better, probably a sign of the times more than anything else.

Today I managed to hardball my boss into giving me an $8 raise by going out and conducting an interview with another nearby company a week ago. I got an official job offer from said company, and I chose to use it to my advantage to see if my current employer would step up to the plate and offer more to stay. To my surprise they did.

I started off at $17hr running manuals with anywhere from 5" swing to 50" swing for my first 6 years in the trade, in hindsight it's insane to me that I was setting up 4 ton parts and making 80" long passes on said parts, or doing things like holding .0005 tolerances on shafts and bearing surfaces for around $20hr.

By 2025 I was only making $22.50, 9 years deep into the trade, and I was ready to seriously give up for a while and just go work for the post office or FedEx.

I'm now in the 30hr range with more room to grow, and from here on out I will probably feel just a LITTLE bit less like killing myself every day for choosing to get into this trade from a young age. Don't give up folks, unless you have aspirations to move onto something like Engineering or a different trade entirely, you have to just keep fighting for what you're worth. The boomer gen machinists are almost completely gone now and things seem to be getting really dire in the labor market for knowledgeable guys.