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KelTec 380 whatever model it was; huge P.O.S. gun that couldn't get through a mag of ammo. Sold it and got a Ruger LCP and never looked back.

COP 357. Old guys will probably remember those. A stainless steel paperweight four-barrel derringer for 357 Magnum. What's not to like? The trigger pull and then trying to hold onto the tiny thing when it went off.

Para Ordnance double-action 45, whatever it was called. World's longest trigger pull. No thanks.

Kimber something or another in 45. Nope. Reminded me of my second wife. Seemed very pretty at the time and eventually never wanted to see her again.

Ruger LC9. Opposite of LCP. Awful trigger.

Glock 17 that was Made in USA. Problem after problem with that thing. Buh bye. Austrian Glocks are great (well, they're still Glocks, but they're great Glocks).

Ruger Blackhawk .30 Carbine. Another gun that seemed like a good idea at the time. They're great if you like really loud single-action revolvers. Not my thing.

I'm sure there are others, but these were the memorable ones.
 
Those factory collapsible mini-14 stocks are worth more than the gun alone is nowadays.
There is reproduction coming out by Samson MFG, though.(not sure if released yet)
I don't blame you for the trade though, MP5's are sweet, won't ever sell mine.

He wanted $1,400 for the POF MP5.
I got $1,000 for the Mini-14 and paid $400 cash.

Given that I paid $900 for the mini-14 6 years prior, I feel I got a good deal on trading a gun I didn't use.

I do agree with you; MP5s are sweet :D:cool:
 
Probably the TNW Aero rifle I put together while working there. Though it was likely the most reliable rifle to leave that shack out there in Vernonia. It was nice to get rid of that little bit of life I spent blinded by "getting to build guns for a living" in a shack surrounded by drugged out yokals that knew nothing about firearms.
 
He wanted $1,400 for the POF MP5.
I got $1,000 for the Mini-14 and paid $400 cash.

Given that I paid $900 for the mini-14 6 years prior, I feel I got a good deal on trading a gun I didn't use.

I do agree with you; MP5s are sweet :D:cool:


The folding mini 14 is also one of those guns I was happy to see go. No real good way to put a scope on it and the 5-7 " grouping was pretty pathetic. Every time I'd shoot mine I'd think about what a douche Bill Ruger was. Should have kept the stock though but it would have been sold too at some point.
 
Mine seems ok. Doesn't look that there is that much to go wrong with them. Anything I should look for?
Depending on when yours was made. There are so many things.

The most annoying design flaw, among a few, is that they use plain ole McMaster Carr bolts and screws to hold the thing together. The upper receiver has two of these nuts screwed into it. They are never the same receiver to receiver. Meaning yours might be sticking out a few mils and will walk in or out unless red locktighted. Funny enough, the owner, likely knows this is a flaw, but markets it as a feature! Lol. The tolerances in the lowers and uppers are so far off nothing ever fit together just right.


Keep an eye on the two (also McMaster Carr screws) that are in the top of the upper receiver to act as bolt guides. They are never fully seated as that would bind the bolt. So they are usually just screwed in enough to hold the bolt in place. They walk out and allow the bolt to rotate inside The receiver.

They parkerize in house, and reuse the same fluid for months. They also have no temperature control and at times parkerized at incorrect temperatures so the process was botched and didn't hold very well if at all.

Man I could go on. I saw so many things wrong there, but I had blinders on because I thought I was living the dream building guns for a living!
 
A Llama 1911 copy. That thing was terrible!! The little safety tube on the side was made out of plastic and broke all the time. Finally replaced the tube one last time and sold it to somebody for super cheap with a warning of how much it sucked.

Considering selling my Kel-Tec P11 I've had for years. It's a compact design but it is uncomfortable, even with an upgraded trigger. In general, I've tried to like it, but my P365 is such a nicer gun all around.

I also have a Star BM I'm considering selling. As fun as everyone says they are, and as great as it feels in my hand, I've never been able to run a full mag through it without some sort of problem. Really takes the joy out of shooting.

I have a few single shot 22lr rifles from various manufacturers I've considered selling too. None of them are worth much and all they do is take up space in the safe. They're not horrible but if I'm going to do single shot, bolt action 22 shooting, I'd rather do it in my Ruger American Rimfire with a single shot adapter. It's just a better gun that is more fun to shoot.

If only selling wasn't such a hassle, I'd have a number of others I don't regret selling, but the Llama is still my top pick. Never again anything made (or branded) Llama.
 
Man I could go on. I saw so many things wrong there, but I had blinders on because I thought I was living the dream building guns for a living!
I wonder how many of us here have tried that dream at one time of another. I did myself for several years, a long time ago. I became disenchanted and found an industrial job that paid double, probable quadruple when you count the better hours, overtime, and full benefits. I haven't looked back for an instant.

I've had a lot of friends tell me over the years that I should be a gunsmith. I always reply HECK No! Why would I want to take that kind of pay cut?

It takes many many years to get good enough to where you can call yourself a real gunsmith, and tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools, and on top of that you have to deal with "gun people", who are some of the worst cheapskate bastards around! :)
 
I wonder how many of us here have tried that dream at one time of another. I did myself for several years, a long time ago. I became disenchanted and found an industrial job that paid double, probable quadruple when you count the better hours, overtime, and full benefits. I haven't looked back for an instant.

I've had a lot of friends tell me over the years that I should be a gunsmith. I always reply HECK No! Why would I want to take that kind of pay cut?

It takes many many years to get good enough to where you can call yourself a real gunsmith, and tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools, and on top of that you have to deal with "gun people", who are some of the worst cheapskate bastards around! :)
So true!

I'm glad I got the opportunity to step into that realm, even if my experience was with one of the lessor manufactures (TNW is far far from a role model employer much less gun manufacturer), at least I was able to.

I got to dick around too and have fun,. I pretty much developed their 10mm and fixed the extraction issues all the early versions had. Used down time to work on my own stuff. Took advantage of the free parkerization tank, lathes and mills. Made my own can cannon.

Back on topic, I don't miss the funky half arsed carbine thingy they make. I have no qualms pointing out the absolutely garbage design points to others either.
 
Ruger PC Carbine.

After adopting the first gen Carbines, Ruger releases a new chassis that isn't compatible with the early adopters. I recently built an AR9, and I regret not doing that first.

The PC carbine burned my thumb, the sights were too low and sucked. The recoil impulse with the massive tungsten weight was annoying, and the lack of a pistol grip was unwieldy for me.
 
Diamondback DB 9. Usually a single shot pistol. Sold it to a guy who told me he was gonna carry it with a mag of alternating fmj and HP, because ninja reasons.
Century C39 v2 milled "Ak-47". The cast parts weren't too confidence inspiring. Soft bolt carrier.
Good riddance.
 
So true!

I'm glad I got the opportunity to step into that realm, even if my experience was with one of the lessor manufactures (TNW is far far from a role model employer much less gun manufacturer), at least I was able to.

I got to dick around too and have fun,. I pretty much developed their 10mm and fixed the extraction issues all the early versions had. Used down time to work on my own stuff. Took advantage of the free parkerization tank, lathes and mills. Made my own can cannon.

Back on topic, I don't miss the funky half arsed carbine thingy they make. I have no qualms pointing out the absolutely garbage design points to others either.
I have one of those. it doesn't extract but I don't feel like inflicting it on someone else. got any recommendations to fix the extraction?
 

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