Gun Crises - The Gunsmiths Point of View

At this point, everyone has noticed the recent gun hysteria. Maybe you were part of the 4 hour wait to get into the most recent gun show, or maybe you have called gun shop after gun shop in search of an AR-15 or any other type of gun (all of which were out of stock). Merlyn Rifleworks, as a gunsmith shop, is in the eye of the storm; we see the effects around us, but haven’t been swept up in the torrent ourselves. This blog will be devoted to using our unique vantage point to make observations and predictions about the current political climate related to firearms.

In response to the recent shootings, and political calls for more gun control, gun shops have experienced a tidal wave of customers. Although we do not carry much inventory, our local gun shop sold every piece of inventory they had. We experienced no less than 20 calls a day asking if we had any AR’s in stock. Shortly after the gun shops ran out of merchandise, so did all the distributors. Every national distributor has sold out nearly 100% of its gun inventory. The sudden influx  also resulted in delays in shipping parts and supplies, so even repairs are taking longer. 80% AR lowers, which sold for about $65 any day of the week just this summer, are now selling for over $200, and that is IF you can find one. After the guns sold out, so did the ammo. The price of .223 ammo went from about .30 cents to $1 a cartridge, if you can find it available..

So how long will these conditions last? While there is no firm timetable, we suspect that it could be as much as 6 months before things have a return to normalcy for non-AR platform guns. As for the AR's themselves--no one really knows. The distributors are not giving any indication of a time line, and many are refusing to take any waitlist orders. These gun runs are not uncommon in this industry, and it is likely that most manufacturers will not expand to accommodate this temporary rush--so unless you are willing to pay top dollar at an auction-style site like Gunbroker.com,  you are going to have to wait a while.

Now that politicians have put guns in the crosshairs of public policy, we do expect to see efforts to pass additional gun laws. It is impossible to tell how successful this campaign will be; our ability to fight back against unreasonable restrictions depends on you, the gun-owning citizen. Supporting the NRA, making phone calls, and writing letters to politicians and newspapers will help. In California, politicians are attempting to require a $50 permit to purchase ammo, which has to be renewed with a background check every year. There is also a continuing attack on the bullet buttons in the AR platform. The larger battle will be fought on the federal level, using California as a model for gun control. Many California gun policies will be pushed as national firearm laws, including 10 round magazines, bullet buttons, limits on purchases per month, and bans on non-dealer transfers.

If you are looking to purchase a  gun simply because you fear upcoming political policies, we recommend that you keep a few points in mind. Whatever happens, there will not be a 100% ban on guns. Handguns, shotguns, and non-semi auto rifles should come through this unscathed. There may be some legitimate danger to semi-auto rifles, especially those of the AR platform. You need not spend $1200 on a $800 rifle though. If you purchase a stripped AR Lower (which is legally considered a rifle, and must be purchased with background check through a dealer), you will probably be in the clear for whatever regulation comes. Once the gun is in your legal possession, you can wait until prices start to become reasonable again to outfit your lower with all the parts you need. AR 15 stripped lowers have experienced the brunt of the price hikes, but can still easily be found through Gunbroker.com as of this writing. You can expect to pay $400 for a $125 stripped lower-- but at that point you have the same legal rights as the owner of a completed AR 15.

There is another option: Build one yourself. If you can get your hands on a 80% lower (which is a hunk of aluminum that has been machined 80% of the way to an AR-15 and is not legally a gun yet), you can have it machined yourself. During the machining process, you must inscribe your own serial number onto the receiver, and notify the DOJ of the serial number through one of their forms. No DROS required. As far as finding a machinist--look to join an AR build party on the CAL Gun Forums, where groups of people get together to rent a machine, and take turns letting the machine finish their ARs. 80% lowers are difficult to come by. Originally $65 ,at some places they are now selling for over $200. Merlyn Rifleworks expects to receive a shipment of 80% lowers in the next few weeks, and will be selling them for $115. We will post a notice on our website and facebook once we receive them.

In this country, gun ownership is a right-- not a privilege. Do not let
anyone make you think otherwise. I’ll close with this quote:

“When the people fear their government there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”

– Thomas Jefferson

Purchasing Your First Firearm

While many of our customers are veteran gun enthusiasts, we do meet our share of people new to the sport, looking for their first purchase. Gun shops can be intimidating, and may be too busy, or too macho, to lead a customer through the advantages and disadvantages of each type of gun. This blog entry is devoted to giving some helpful advice towards buying your first gun.

When deciding on your first firearm, the most important thing you need to ask yourself is: what purpose is this gun intended to serve? Do you want it for home defense? Shooting at the range? Hunting? There are leaders in each field that are strong choices for a first gun, but you should not expect a single firearm to serve all these purposes equally well. Plan to speak with a friendly and knowledgeable sales person who is willing to take some time to help you sort out your priorities if necessary. 

The second thing you need to ask yourself is: how much are you willing to spend on your gun? It is important to remember that the price on the tag is not the price out the door. If you purchase a gun at a California gunshop, you are looking at a $35 DROS fee for the background check. Also, if this if your first handgun, you’re going to have to pay $25 for a Handgun Safety Certificate (HSC). If you purchase a gun online, possibly through Gunbroker.com or Buds Guns, the firearm has to be transferred to you through a licensed dealer. The fee will differ from gun shop to gun shop, ranging from $35 to over $100. So--worst case scenario--you purchase your first handgun online for $500, then pay $25 for the HSC, $35 for the DROS, $100 for the transfer, $35 shipping, and $38.75 sales tax. Your total ends up being $733.75. 

To drive down the price of your purchase, shop around and see what the best deal in your area is. Keep in mind that if you purchase a gun from a local gunshop, they legally can’t charge you more than $35 for the DROS--so it can be cheaper to buy a more expensive gun locally, than to get a lower price online but then have a higher price for the transfer, in addition to the cost of shipping. Also, in California, purchasing your gun online no longer helps you escape sales tax; gun shops have been ordered to ask for an invoice on your out-of-state purchase so they can collect the appropriate amount.

With these things in mind, here is a list of the various reasons you might want to own a gun, along with a few choices in different price ranges:

Home Defense: You need something reliable, and strong. The sound of racking a Remington 870 Shotgun is usually enough to send any intruder packing, and if you do need to fire it, you’ll probably only need one shot.  Being shot by a handgun bullet has about a 30% fatality rate. Being shot by a shotgun has about a 90% fatality rate. One more advantage with a shotgun is, you are much less likely to shoot through the wall into your neighbor's house. However, concealing a shotgun is next to impossible. If you hear a rustle outside your patio door, you might not want to bring a shotgun outside in plain view, while a handgun can be covered with a towel if the social situation requires discretion. My recommendation for a first handgun would be a revolver. Auto handguns can be amazingly reliable and effective, but the also have some potential weaknesses and can end up jamming when you need them the most. Revolvers are inherently more reliable, and a small-frame, round-butt revolver in 38 Special or 357 Magnum can fit a smaller hand while still packing plenty of defensive power. Revolvers also don’t have safeties, slide releases, magazine releases, decocking levers, etc. so there is a lot less for the novice to worry about. Taurus and Ruger both make revolvers that are less expensive and, some say, less finicky than Smith & Wessons. The Taurus 650 CIA, a hammerless revolver with a 2 inch barrel, can easily fit into a jacket pocket. The hammer is internal, so it won’t catch on your clothing when you need to draw in a hurry. Like all .357 revolvers, it can fire the lighter, less-expensive .38 Specials too. A revolver with a somewhat longer barrel will be harder to conceal, but easier to shoot well, as the accuracy potential of any handgun is proportional to the distance between the sights. If the gun is going to live at your home and not get carried around concealed, a 4" or even 6" barrel will be more pleasant to shoot, with less recoil, less noise, and more accuracy. The Taurus 66 with 4” barrel is a good choice, as is a Ruger GP 100. Remington 870s cost between $300 - $400; Taurus and Ruger Revolvers sell between $400 - $600.

At the Range: Shooting at the range is a fun but potentially expensive venture. It is important to consider not only the cost of the gun, but also the ammo. If you are looking to buy a rifle to shoot at no more than 100 yards, a Ruger 10/22 is a great choice. It is a semi automatic 22LR, so it is extremely cheap and fun to shoot, and has basically no recoil. Ruger produces a “Take Down” 10/22, which allows the barrel and forend to separate from the receiver and stock. This makes the gun very easy to pack for a range trip. If you want to shoot at an indoor range, or are only interested in shooting at shorter distances (10-25 yards), you will most likely want a handgun. Again, revolvers are a good choice--although if you want something with more capacity that uses detachable magazines I suggest the Beretta PX4 Storm in 40 Smith & Wesson. The PX4 has a unique rotating barrel that absorbs some of the recoil, making it easier to shoot accurately. It also comes with a variety of grip attachments, so it can fit most anyone's hands. The Ruger 10/22 Takedown is usually available for $350 - $400. The Beretta PX4 Storm Ranges from $450 - $600.

Hunting: When it comes to hunting, you want to hit your mark on the first round; after that the animal is likely long gone. With this in mind, it is best to go with a bolt action rifle, since they are generally more accurate than lever actions, pumps, or semiautomatics. I recommend either a Winchester 70, a Remington 700, or a Howa 1500.  All of these are well-built and affordable bolt action rifles. The Winchester and Howa have a three position safety, which allows the user to extract a chambered round  while the rifle is still on safe. With the Remington 700, you have to  switch off the safety to take the round out of the chamber. The Howa and Winchester also have more durable extractors than the Remington. We include the Remington on our list because it is probably, on average, more accurate, and it's definitely the industry standard, with tons of aftermarket accessories available. A bare bones Howa 1500 will cost about $400 to $500, and a modern bare bones Winchester 70 should cost around $500 - $600; a Remington 700, depending upon features, will be around $700 and up. We do NOT recommend Remington's cheaper line of rifles! If you want a Remington, do yourself a favor and buy a 700.

If you are thinking about purchasing your first gun, and have some questions, please feel free to call or come by our shop. We are always ready to share our knowledge, and no question is too basic for us. We are also ready to talk about advanced custom projects whenever you feel ready!

How to Choose a Gunsmith

Choosing the right gunsmith can be a frustrating, hit-or-miss process of trial and error. Should you trust your valuable firearm to your brother-in-law who swears he can fix it for beer money? Do you send your hunting gun out of state and then pray that it gets back in time for opening day? Is it worth waiting for big-name custom shops that are backlogged for a year or more? How do you know that the local storefront gunsmith is more than a former car salesman with a business degree and a couple of "How to Be a Gunsmith" videos under his belt? Online reviews are easily manipulated and not always a reliable way to separate the wanna-be's from the real deal. This article offers some clear, sensible guidance to help you avoid disaster.

First and foremost, make sure that your gunsmith has a valid Federal Firearms License (FFL). It is illegal to work on other people's guns for money without an FFL. Yes, some folks do it, but if you do business with an unlicensed gunsmith you are playing a dangerous game. When Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms finally knocks on his door, your guns will be held in evidence and you won't be seeing them anytime soon. So you owe it to yourself to deal only with reputable, licensed FFL gunsmiths. I could tell you at least one story of an individual doing business--storefront and all--for a rather extended time period after the lapse of his federal license. Don't assume. The license is supposed to be posted in plain view; if you can't see it, or it looks expired, you need to ask for clarification.

Secondly: insurance. Does the gunsmith carry appropriate insurance for fire and theft? If not, guess what happens to your gun when there's a burglary or fire? That's right--you are flat out of luck. Business insurance in the firearms industry isn't cheap, and the smaller shops are less likely to carry it. Do yourself a favor and stick with fully above-board gunsmiths who are licensed and insured.

Next is the issue of professional qualifications. Strange but true, there is no legal requirement that a "professional" gunsmith have any training whatsoever! You can't do haircuts or pedicures without certification, but you can fix guns. Yikes. Perhaps this is why so many horror stories abound in this industry. All too many gun owners have heard of fine guns getting butchered by incompetent amateurs--and even, sadly, some alleged professionals. So let's take a look at the different types of credentials that are out there, and how to sort through and interpret them.

Many gunsmiths are entirely self-taught. This does not necessarily mean they don't know what they're doing; it's just harder to tell, when there's no piece of paper or certification to establish their professional competence. Proceed with caution. Self confidence and bold, macho claims do NOT always mean that someone is able to make a 1911 feed properly, or hold .0001" concentricity on your rifle chamber job.

Reputation is also an important factor. If a gun smith has good word-of-mouth reports, that's a pretty good sign. Aside from asking your friends, family, and the guys at the range, local gun shops are usually more than willing to give their opinion on the matter. Be sure to call a few of them, to see if their opinions consistently point you in the same direction. Finding reviews online can be helpful, but be sure to use websites that are centered on firearm discussion; a strong knowledge of firearms is essential for writing a trustworthy review, and you are more likely to find such reviews on the Cal Guns Forums than Yellow Pages online. 

Formal gunsmith training is available from civilian gunsmith schools (Lassen College, Colorado School of Trades, etc.), from the military, and from various firearms factory schools. These are all good ways to learn, and you will hopefully find a gunsmith who has attended at least some of them. For instance, here at Merlyn Rifleworks, five of us (Dan, Andrew, Jimmy, Carla, and Chuck) have been to Lassen College, completing a variety of hands-on gunsmithing courses; two of us (Scott and Sal) have been trained as armorers by the US Marines; and Chuck has been to more factory firearms schools than we can list here, during his time as a police armorer.

In addition to the traditional classroom-based gunsmith schools, there are a variety of video-based programs. Probably the premier among these is offered by the American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI); there are others. If diligently pursued, these programs can be outstanding. But make sure that your gunsmith has done his homework, and that the instructional materials have not simply collected dust. The AGI course has a series of demanding exams that must be passed in order to earn certification. Supplementing his Marine armorer training, Scott has passed everything AGI threw at him and has the documentation to prove it.

Another facet of gunsmith training can be machine-shop certification. Keep in mind, however, that while machine skills are useful in gunsmithing, most machinists are not gunsmiths! This is especially true considering that these days, most production machinists deal exclusively with computer-controlled equipment which is not relevant to the kind of one-off manual machining necessary for fitting or fabricating gun parts. The professional gunsmith should use the most accurate methods possible--no eyeballing, no drill pressing when a mill is called for. Our pistol machining is done by Scott, who meticulously utilizes proper setups to ensure that every hole, every ramp angle, and every dovetail comes out perfectly. Our rifle barreling is done by my old friend Jim Gronning of Gruning Precision (open only to the military, law enforcement, and Merlyn Rifleworks). Formally trained with a Journeyman card, Jim spent years as an aerospace machinist doing the most precise atmospherically-controlled machining possible. Now he offers that same expertise cutting threads and reaming rifle chambers to fantastically close tolerances to produce international-level competitive and duty guns. Pardon me for bragging about my team . . . .there are other excellent guys out there. Just make sure, before you pay the big bucks, that you are getting the real deal.

Last but not least, try to find a shop that can handle all your needs in-house. It is not a good sign when certain kinds of jobs have to get sent out to God-knows-where because no one on the premises is qualified. Some shops send out their machine work without telling you where your gun went. This drives up the cost; it drives up the lead time; and it greatly complicates quality control. Sadly, some gunsmiths are not up-front about who really does their work. I've seen websites with demo guns that were NOT built by the shop showing them. Ask your gunsmith: who does your machine work? What kinds of jobs do you send out? There isn't anything necessarily dishonorable about a small shop that sends certain kinds of work out to be done by subcontractors--after all, it's nearly impossible for one or two people to cover all areas of expertise--but the shop needs to be honest about it.

Here at Merlyn, we do not send out anything, other than rifle machining to Jim Gronning, one mile down the road. We are blessed to have a truly amazing crew assembled right here, ready to cover any project you can dream up. This includes fixing any gun that's remotely fixable--rifle, pistol, or shotgun; building world-class custom pistols and rifles; certified application of Cerakote, bluing, and other firearms finishes; and restoration of antiques. The very talented Carla Torres offers traditional hammer-and-chisel engraving. Jimmy does expert wood work of all kinds, including custom archery equipment. If you need to sell something on consignment, Andrew is a professional photographer and will make your gun look its absolute best on the internet. We are a bit unusual in having so many bases covered so well. Hopefully you will have a good experience choosing the right gunsmith. Of course, if you're in Southern California, you've already arrived! We do mail orders, too.

How to Sell Your Gun

Guns hold very interesting investment properties. The value of a gun has the ability to go up over time, and unlike cars the value of the gun does not decrease very much after being used. Also, guns often act as currency: They are constantly being used in trades, barters, or even as payment. Because of these properties, the market for buying and selling firearms is constant.

There are three invaluable resources when selling a gun:

#1: The Blue Book of Gun Values: Not only does it tell you how much the gun is worth in a variety of conditions; it helps to determine exactly what model your gun is. The Blue Book will point out the small features on a classic gun that can make a difference of hundreds, or even thousands, of Dollars.

#2: GunBroker.com*: For those of you not familiar with GunBroker, it is like Ebay for Guns. It is an easy, fast, and efficient way to get your firearm in front of a large audience and let them bid on it, with minimal fees. Also, Gunbroker works as a great cross reference to the Blue Book, and will help you determine what your firearm can actually sell for on the open market. Simply search for open auctions for similar guns, and voila, you have a pretty good idea of what your gun might sell for. If you do use GunBroker to sell your gun, make sure you take some good photographs; they will make a big difference when it comes time for someone to bid on your firearm.

#3: Your Friendly Neighborhood Gunsmith: If you plan on selling your gun, it is a really good idea to have a gunsmith headspace and function test it, and provide you with a written report. Selling a gun that has an unknown function problem is a good way to make your customer mad -- and spoil your reputation online. Additionally, there is the possibility of a lawsuit if an injury is involved due to a function problem.

If you find that selling your gun yourself is just too much trouble, many gun/gunsmith shops will sell your gun on consignment--or make you an immediate cash offer. The going rate for consignment sales is between 20% - 35% of what the gun sells for. Immediate Cash offers are generally about 50% to 60% of what the gun would sell for at retail.

Merlyn Rifleworks offers the service of selling your gun on consignment. We have a professional photographer on staff to make the gun look its very best. Our English Ph.D (seriously) writes the description, and we take care of all the shipping and handling--all you need to worry about is when to collect your check! Consignment fees are 20% of the final sale price, plus an additional 2% for Gunbroker if the gun sells on the internet. Our shop does not offer consignment services for guns worth less than $500, but we will be happy to make you a cash offer.

Good luck with your sales!

*There are other auction sites available, such as GunsAmerica.com - GunBroker is simply the site I am most comfortable with.

Cerakote Explained

If you are interested in both protecting and customizing your firearm, then Cerakote is an option you should consider. Originally developed for the military, it has only become readily available to the public in the past decade or so. It is about 10 times more resistant to abrasion than duracoat, and over 12 times more resistant than ordinary bluing. Cerakote is completely resistant to corrosion, was given the highest rating possible for Pencil Hardness, and maxed out the testing machine in Durability, without so much as chipping. If you would like to read about the testing for yourself, check out this link:

In addition to being the most durable coating available, it is also the most customizable. There are over 80 colors available in both matte and glossy coatings. Also Cerakote has the unique characteristic to be laid down in layers, allowing the use of stencils in its application. Patterns from Digital Camouflage to Tiger Stripe can be applied to your weapon in the color combination of your choice.

Cerakote is actually a liquid ceramic coating that is applied, then baked onto your firearms and accessories. Even though optics and gun parts would be baked at different temperatures, their colors will match.

Merlyn Rifleworks now offers its own in-house Cerakote application. Call or visit us for your quote today!