I need a Gunsmith - Fort Wayne

[CulpeperMM]

I have 2 AR- 15s that now have issues. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good gunsmith to talk to in Fort Wayne or surroundings. I need to get these rifles working.

By using the BCG of my M&P 15 in the previous disaster gun today (https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/long_guns/94929-ar_15_kaboom_sort_of.html), hoping to diagnose the problem, i have ruined the bolt in this gun too after another shell shredder experience. So now i need to do what i should have done from the beginning. go to a gunsmith. the problem is the chamber i think, but now i need to make sure i didn't do any real damage to my smith BCG and its just the bolt... any one ever need to order a new bolt from Smith and Wesson for the standard M&P 15?

Always something.

 

[42769vette]

pm sloughfoot on here. i he can probably fix your issues and if he cant he will know who in your area can. if i recall he lives north west of ft wayne somwhere

 

[herby31]

You might also try Russ (the owner) at Ranger Supply Co on Getz road. He is very knowledgeable about the AR platform and helpful with finding and fixing problems.

 

[sloughfoot]

A dangerous condition. Please do not fire this rifle until this is rectified. You have an offer to bring it by the shop where Gamez235...... works.

That is a good plan. I stand ready to look at it and advise too. Let me know if I can help. I am in Huntertown. I also own one of those fancy horseless carriages too. So I can wander around down toward the big city if needed.

Just don't shoot that rifle until it can be checked out.

 

[JohnP82]

Another +1 to Russ at Ranger Supply.

Best of luck and I hope you can get it taken care of soon.

 

[jamstutz]

If you need actual gunsmithing, one of the best in the country is Neil Keller at Kustom Ballistics just south of you in Decatur. Nationally recognized and and featured on several occasions in American Handgunner magazine.

 

[jamstutz]

[Inadvertant double post]

 

[CulpeperMM]

I imagine that corrections to the chamber (switching out barrels) may take a gunsmith. it may not, but it will take someone other than myself.

thanks for the suggestions.

I sent Gamez235 a PM yesterday. Ranger is much closer than 21century, i didn't know Russ was a gunsmith. i have bot guns and supplies at Ranger, i just didn't know they did repair work.

 

[CulpeperMM]

I stand ready to look at it and advise too. Let me know if I can help. I am in Huntertown.

Thank you sir. huntertown is a bit of a drive from Aboite. i'll check with Russ at Ranger to see what they can do. I'll probably need a new barrel, and a couple of (new bolts now).

 

[Squirt239]

Smith has a lifetime warranty. Send it back to them. That way your lifetime warranty will be honored, and you won't have to pay anything to a local gunsmith. Just my two cents.

 

[CulpeperMM]

Smith has a lifetime warranty. Send it back to them. That way your lifetime warranty will be honored, and you won't have to pay anything to a local gunsmith. Just my two cents.

i think i voided my warranty when i put my smith BCG in the Rock River upper. i'll contact them to see if they can send me a new bolt. i think the extractor was damaged when the case exploded. (it looks bent)

this was all very stupid on my part. i was able to determine the problem wasn't the Daniel Defense BCG i had in the frankengun, but was in fact the chamber on the RRA barrel/ upper,... by destroying my smith bolt. ugh.

 

[Ccook1065]

I am also looking for a gunsmith in the fort wayne area. I want a trigger job for a 10/22 and I am not sure who might be reputable.

 

[I Love Bourbon]

+1 on Neil Keller.
You have a headspace issue, your chamber is worn/overcut. If there was a "burr" in the chamber it would be showing up as marks on the brass.
My guess is you need to start looking for another barrel.

Changing out the barrel is pretty simple on an AR, they're the "Lego sets" of rifles. Pull the handguards, tap out the roll pin holding the gas tube into the gas block, pull out the gas tube, this might be difficult if it's ran a bunch of rounds through it and it's carboned up. Once it's out all yo have to do is use the nut wrench and loosen the barrel retaining nut, unscrew it and pull the barrel out of the receiver. the difficult part of this is going to be holding the receiver if you don't have a fixture, I bought one years ago because I wanted to build my own AR, since then it's been used literally dozens of times.
Assembly is the opposite, torque the barrel nut to a minimum of 30ftlbs, if the gas tube notch doesn't line up tighten more until the gas tube fits in with no interferiance, don't tighten more than 85ftlbs. Check headspace, if it's in spec then reinstall the gas tube and pin, install the handguards, go shooting.
It's as easy as it sounds...

 

[Gamez235]

Contact 21st. They have a full time smith whom they are working with now. Guy is nice and thus far has impressed me. I no longer work there, but also could take a look.