Botched jobs with dremel tools - The Firearms Forum

Helix_FR · 03-12-2010, 09:48 AM

OK so I decided to start this thread based on another thread that we were having this discussion. As JLA put it an I've heard this before, "the dremel is a gunsmiths best friend and weapon of mass destruction to the weekend gunsmith." So anyway post your stories here of bad dremel jobs you've seen on some poor unexpecting firearms.

I'm only taking botched jobs here, if you've sucessfully done something nice with a dremel then pat yourself on the back

I have 2 that come to mind every time.
First, Marlin 1894 in a .357. Guy has a problem with it double feeding (typical marlin jamb) anyway that wasn't what was so funny. On the top of the receiver there were two parallel cuts that were cut in at a angle and ran almost the length of the top of the receiver and they were not the least bit straight or continuous. They weren't all that deep but I could not figure out why they were there. (he had iron sights mind you)I asked when he came back to pick up the gun. They were his scope mounts

and he was using rimfire rings to then bite into the grooves he cut.

Second. S&W 10. I was at the range and they guy was really having a tough time ejecting his spent brass like where he was taking a wooden dowel and pounding them out. During the cease fire I asked him what was going on just to be nosy. He bought this gun used and it was in really sad shape and very dirty. So he cleaned it up and I really do have to say for a cold blue it did look pretty nice. Anyway the inside of the cylinder walls looked like a bad piece of land. The cylinder was rusty so he took a sanding cylinder to it. It cleaned it out but it left these grooves and pits inside. The brass then would expand and lock in.
And last and my all time favorite, fluted mauser barrel done with grinding ball-nuff said b/c you can imagine

Jim K · 03-12-2010, 02:11 PM

I have heard of some ambitious jobs undertaken by Dremel users, but fluting a barrel? Wow!

Jim

louielouie · 03-12-2010, 03:32 PM

I myslef watched a guy really mess up a simple cut with a Dremmel.
He wasn't used to it and the high speed of the Dremmel would cause it to almost jump when it first touched the metal.

Turned a simple pistol grip hole into a parallelgram that required extra support at the pistol grip.

I was the guy.

I am almost scared to death to do anything precise with a Dremmel.

louielouie

Helix_FR · 03-12-2010, 04:15 PM

Well it seems that you redeemed yourself by fixing your slide

JLA · 03-12-2010, 06:11 PM

Ive got the doosey of all dooseys. When I first started working at the gunshop a guy brought a colt 1911 govt mod. circa 1917 into the shop for repair. He said the rounds wouldnt go into the barrel when he pulled the slide. Upon inspection i find he throated the original barrel and altered the feed ramp with a dremel. As has been mentioned a dremel will easily get away from you if you arent careful and it looked like he whittled the throat in there with a pocket knife and the feed ramp was cut so deep the gap between the barrel and frame was over 1/8 inch. I was sick to my stomach and told the guy the gun was ruined. That was the first time I ever got the ol' "my brothers friend" routine as he attempted to explain the 'modifications'.

Another one was a feller brought in his dads double barrel shotgun asking me to see if i could fix the ports he cut into the barrel with a dremel. The shotgun was an LC smith SXS worth more than the kid ever thought and I couldnt get another barrel for it. so i had to send him on his way to face his dad. He was actually very honest about trying to modify his fathers gun for the better but as has been stated, dremels sure are hard to hang on to if you arent careful. lets suffice it to say he probably coulda cut nicer ports with an acetylene torch.

Gimme a bit and Ill think of some more...

louielouie · 03-13-2010, 01:07 PM

Helix FR,
I did do right by my Radom. I have learned to "ask twice and cut once". Had I not learned about Dental burs and protecting what I didn't want to cut, I may have botched my Radom job too. BUT I DID NOT BOTCH IT UP!!!!!
Thanks to all,
louielouie

Jim K · 03-13-2010, 01:44 PM

The Dremel reminds me a bit of the old saying about computers. A computer won't screw things up any worse than you could screw up without it, but with it you can screw up a lot faster.

Not bragging, and I'll probably be punished by really messing up, but someone once told me I used a Dremel like an artist uses a brush. I guess that may be true. It is not a substitute for a milling machine, it is a substitute for a lot of time consuming file or stone work.

Jim

JLA · 03-15-2010, 08:31 PM

Understanding its intended uses is the key to unlocking its usefulness... and the defining line between doing well with one and really jacking something up with it

JLA · 03-20-2010, 10:33 AM

Got a new one... I would say it was a botched job by many tools but the dremel was involved in this one... Just a couple days ago I had a guy call me up asking If I could get him another barrel for his remington 870. I said of course, what kind do you want. He said he wanted a tactical door breacher barrel and another 28" field barrel. So I looked them up and give him an estimate and he said cool Ill bring it on down. So i put in his order and an hour later a guy walks in with an 870 that had a homemade door breecher barrel on it that split from the muzzle to about 3 inches back from the muzzle. What he had done was took a brake cylinder hone and removed the choke (he didnt realize they unscrewed) and then took a dremel and cut the castle notches in the muzzle and 'ported' it. He did a decent job aesthetically but the metal was so thin at the muzzle it split on the first shot... and yes, he butted the muzzle up against the hinge of his barn door to test it. He wasnt IMO a dumb@$$, he was just uninformed and uneducated and thought he had it figured out, and i didnt get the ol' look what my brothers friends cousin did...

03-12-2010, 09:48 AM	#1
Helix_FR TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Imperial, MO Posts: 3,627	Botched jobs with dremel tools OK so I decided to start this thread based on another thread that we were having this discussion. As JLA put it an I've heard this before, "the dremel is a gunsmiths best friend and weapon of mass destruction to the weekend gunsmith." So anyway post your stories here of bad dremel jobs you've seen on some poor unexpecting firearms. I'm only taking botched jobs here, if you've sucessfully done something nice with a dremel then pat yourself on the back I have 2 that come to mind every time. First, Marlin 1894 in a .357. Guy has a problem with it double feeding (typical marlin jamb) anyway that wasn't what was so funny. On the top of the receiver there were two parallel cuts that were cut in at a angle and ran almost the length of the top of the receiver and they were not the least bit straight or continuous. They weren't all that deep but I could not figure out why they were there. (he had iron sights mind you)I asked when he came back to pick up the gun. They were his scope mounts and he was using rimfire rings to then bite into the grooves he cut. Second. S&W 10. I was at the range and they guy was really having a tough time ejecting his spent brass like where he was taking a wooden dowel and pounding them out. During the cease fire I asked him what was going on just to be nosy. He bought this gun used and it was in really sad shape and very dirty. So he cleaned it up and I really do have to say for a cold blue it did look pretty nice. Anyway the inside of the cylinder walls looked like a bad piece of land. The cylinder was rusty so he took a sanding cylinder to it. It cleaned it out but it left these grooves and pits inside. The brass then would expand and lock in. And last and my all time favorite, fluted mauser barrel done with grinding ball-nuff said b/c you can imagine __________________ Only cowards shoot with their eyes closed.... helixgunsmith.com -->

03-12-2010, 02:11 PM	#2
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: Botched jobs with dremel tools I have heard of some ambitious jobs undertaken by Dremel users, but fluting a barrel? Wow! Jim

03-12-2010, 03:32 PM	#3
louielouie Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 26	Re: Botched jobs with dremel tools I myslef watched a guy really mess up a simple cut with a Dremmel. He wasn't used to it and the high speed of the Dremmel would cause it to almost jump when it first touched the metal. Turned a simple pistol grip hole into a parallelgram that required extra support at the pistol grip. I was the guy. I am almost scared to death to do anything precise with a Dremmel. louielouie

03-12-2010, 04:15 PM	#4
Helix_FR TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Imperial, MO Posts: 3,627	Re: Botched jobs with dremel tools Well it seems that you redeemed yourself by fixing your slide __________________ Only cowards shoot with their eyes closed.... helixgunsmith.com

03-12-2010, 06:11 PM	#5
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,319	Re: Botched jobs with dremel tools Ive got the doosey of all dooseys. When I first started working at the gunshop a guy brought a colt 1911 govt mod. circa 1917 into the shop for repair. He said the rounds wouldnt go into the barrel when he pulled the slide. Upon inspection i find he throated the original barrel and altered the feed ramp with a dremel. As has been mentioned a dremel will easily get away from you if you arent careful and it looked like he whittled the throat in there with a pocket knife and the feed ramp was cut so deep the gap between the barrel and frame was over 1/8 inch. I was sick to my stomach and told the guy the gun was ruined. That was the first time I ever got the ol' "my brothers friend" routine as he attempted to explain the 'modifications'. Another one was a feller brought in his dads double barrel shotgun asking me to see if i could fix the ports he cut into the barrel with a dremel. The shotgun was an LC smith SXS worth more than the kid ever thought and I couldnt get another barrel for it. so i had to send him on his way to face his dad. He was actually very honest about trying to modify his fathers gun for the better but as has been stated, dremels sure are hard to hang on to if you arent careful. lets suffice it to say he probably coulda cut nicer ports with an acetylene torch. Gimme a bit and Ill think of some more... __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!

03-13-2010, 01:07 PM	#6
louielouie Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 26	Re: Botched jobs with dremel tools Helix FR, I did do right by my Radom. I have learned to "ask twice and cut once". Had I not learned about Dental burs and protecting what I didn't want to cut, I may have botched my Radom job too. BUT I DID NOT BOTCH IT UP!!!!! Thanks to all, louielouie

03-13-2010, 01:44 PM	#7
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: Botched jobs with dremel tools The Dremel reminds me a bit of the old saying about computers. A computer won't screw things up any worse than you could screw up without it, but with it you can screw up a lot faster. Not bragging, and I'll probably be punished by really messing up, but someone once told me I used a Dremel like an artist uses a brush. I guess that may be true. It is not a substitute for a milling machine, it is a substitute for a lot of time consuming file or stone work. Jim Last edited by Jim K; 03-13-2010 at 01:47 PM..

03-15-2010, 08:31 PM	#8
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,319	Re: Botched jobs with dremel tools Understanding its intended uses is the key to unlocking its usefulness... and the defining line between doing well with one and really jacking something up with it __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!

03-20-2010, 10:33 AM	#9
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,319	Re: Botched jobs with dremel tools Got a new one... I would say it was a botched job by many tools but the dremel was involved in this one... Just a couple days ago I had a guy call me up asking If I could get him another barrel for his remington 870. I said of course, what kind do you want. He said he wanted a tactical door breacher barrel and another 28" field barrel. So I looked them up and give him an estimate and he said cool Ill bring it on down. So i put in his order and an hour later a guy walks in with an 870 that had a homemade door breecher barrel on it that split from the muzzle to about 3 inches back from the muzzle. What he had done was took a brake cylinder hone and removed the choke (he didnt realize they unscrewed) and then took a dremel and cut the castle notches in the muzzle and 'ported' it. He did a decent job aesthetically but the metal was so thin at the muzzle it split on the first shot... and yes, he butted the muzzle up against the hinge of his barn door to test it. He wasnt IMO a dumb@$$, he was just uninformed and uneducated and thought he had it figured out, and i didnt get the ol' look what my brothers friends cousin did... __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!