Do you work on your bows/ guns yourself

[rob-c]

 WNYbuckhunters thread about the shop being closed,  brought me back to my own frustrations I had that led me to buy all my own archery equipment. I have been tuning my own bows and friends for probably 20 years now. My friends always give me a little cash for doing the work and it has easily paid for my equipment and then some.

I have recently gotten into some light gun smithing and I won't work on anyone else's guns, but  I certainly have no problems doing my own. I have installed reduced springs , trigger shims and polished the triggers on mine and the wife's hunting revolvers. Bought a scope ring lapping kit to lap the rings before mounting my own scopes and scope levels. Will be replacing the triggers on our turkey guns before the spring. So what all do you guys do ...

[The_Real_TCIII]

I have a press and the basic tools, if I get into a jam my buddy is the best bow mechanic I know so I text him pics or run out to his place in holland. I've been burned by the local shops too many times.

[Jeremy K]

Just the basics right now ,I'd love to get a dedicated shop with a press and draw board . I started making my own arrows this year ,which has been fun.

[bugsNbows]

I used to do all of my own archery stuff ... along with minor (only) gun work. I don't anymore due to arthritis, old age, low patience levels and short tempers! LOL.

[Jdubs]

After watching a big box "expert" struggle to properly mount a scope, I now do all of my own gun work.  Youtube sure helps, lol.  

[grampy]

With the help of Google, YouTube, and advice from members here, I'm doing more myself these days. 

[Five Seasons]

i do basics like peep tubing repair, site installs, scope installs. I'm generally a diy guy, but I've only ever had one bow and I don't see a payback for the bow press and tools/supplies. All the guns I have are modern and tapped, so it's just a rail, scope rings and a torque driver.

I will admit that it would be nice to restring a bow in a pinch if something happens during the season. That's always when the shops are slammed and i hate missing woods time.

[airedale]

My archery equipment past and present is all vintage stuff and much simpler in design than the bows I see hanging in the stores today so any tuning and adjustments I have had to do has been easily accomplished. I have a press to change strings and replace any worn parts.

For firearms except for machining work I can do most repairs and part upgrades, I believe every firearm I own I have got into in some way or another trying to make them perform better.

There are books and online searches and forums with good instructions along with you tube videos that will help you tackle and accomplish just about anything yourself.

Al

Edited September 28, 2017 by airedale

[The_Real_TCIII]

14 minutes ago, airedale said:

My archery equipment past and present is all vintage stuff and much simpler in design than the bows I see hanging in the stores today so any tuning and adjustments I have had to do has been easily accomplished. I have a press to change strings and replace any worn parts.

For firearms except for machining work I can do most repairs and part upgrades, I believe every firearm I own I have got into in some way or another trying to make them perform better.

There are books and online searches and forums with good instructions along with you tube videos that will help you tackle and accomplish just about anything yourself.

Al

Thats what I like most about Elites, so simple to tune. And as mentioned Youtube is a great resource

[moog5050]

Bows yep.  A press and some experience is all that is needed.  Guns I haven't had to do much but did have a shop drill and tap (which they screwed up and I now have an extra hole - which they didn't mention when it was returned with rail installed).  My buddies don't pay me those cheap B(*&^&%$##@s.  Kidding happy to help anyone that needs it.

[dbHunterNY]

i do almost everything for guns and bows at my house in the basement shop.  i've lapped scope rings and bore sighted to done about everything for bows.

[Dinsdale]

Don't touch bows....

Tinker a bit with rifles, want to do more and was hoping to have my dad sell me his metal lathe since much of the tooling I put together; but he won't let it go. Threaded and chambered a barrel, drilled a tapped a few; enough to get my feet wet. +1 on Youtube vids, one can find it all.

I'm interested in building a falling block action from scratch, and that maybe my next thing I mess with; looking for a mill and have some tooling. But I don't want that to be a project in itself, so trying to find something decent to start. 

[ApexerER]

I have never felt the need to do any work to any of my guns except take them apart and clean them. I have mounted scopes etc but always with a rail already on the rifle or it was tapped for a rail. I have never done anything to my bow or crossbow. I assume when the time comes I will figure it out because I never have a good experience with others messing with anything I own/need done.

[sodfather]

5 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

Just the basics right now ,I'd love to get a dedicated shop with a press and draw board . I started making my own arrows this year ,which has been fun.

Making your own arrows and killing a deer with that arrow must be 10 times cooler than tying your own flies and catching trout. Congrats 

[Core]

Yes. Guns don't need much work anyway. I can't imagine paying somebody money to mount a scope or give it a deep cleaning.

I bought a small mobile bow press a couple years ago after getting sick of ineffective work done to a peep sight, which was costing me each time, and required me to drive out to get it done. The truth is compressing a bow and installing some serving and general fiddling around is not difficult. No need to pay for that. 

I saw a guy at the range trying to get his pins set for his bow and he literally couldn't wrap his head around how the peep and the pins worked together to get the arrow on target. I think a person ought to know how to do this, and do it themselves.