NH gunsmith?

[M1911]

Can someone recommend a NH gunsmith, preferably southern NH? I want someone to check headspace on an AK.

 

[QTHNH]

Anthony at Stateline in Plaistow.

 

[slap shot]

Hear these guys are pretty good.

Home 2 | Macpherson Firearms

Full service Repair | Retail | Cerakote | Laser engraving Buy, Sell, Trade and consign firearms. We build AK's! Contact us by email to fi ...

macphersonfirearms.com

 

[hijinx]

Where in southern NH? I have go/no go gauges if that’ll help.

 

[M1911]

Where in southern NH? I have go/no go gauges if that’ll help.

I have the go/no go gages, but not the skill to use them properly.

 

[MSant]

macpherson or canobie lake(salem). can ask next level

 

[track65]

Larry Racine Keene NH. He does a lot of rifle work. I had him install a barrel on a old Mauser

 

[Road_Clam]

I have the go/no go gages, but not the skill to use them properly.

Another vote for Stateline guns , just call them first I'm pretty sure the gunsmith visits the store only one or two days during the week.

 

[QTHNH]

Another vote for Stateline guns , just call them first I'm pretty sure the gunsmith visits the store only one or two days during the week.

I think he only smiths on Fridays (or primarily on Fridays.) Yes, do call or email. He is very responsive.

 

[FisherTech]

Here is Larry Racine's contact information:

www.lprgunsmith.com
LP Racine Gunsmith
11 Suburban Acres, North Swanzey, NH 03431
(603) 357-0055

 

[houdini]

old glory greenville nh

 

[50wt]

Is there any adjustment in the barrel or is it like an AR barrel where its either good or no good ?

 

[Tartakovsky]

Can someone recommend a NH gunsmith, preferably southern NH? I want someone to check headspace on an AK.

Northeast Gunworks in Hudson

 

[SHOCKNAWE]

Hear these guys are pretty good.

Home 2 | Macpherson Firearms

Full service Repair | Retail | Cerakote | Laser engraving Buy, Sell, Trade and consign firearms. We build AK's! Contact us by email to fi ...

macphersonfirearms.com

I second McPherson, Vinny the owner is an AK guy and does solid work

 

[Qwikdraw45]

Can someone recommend a NH gunsmith, preferably southern NH? I want someone to check headspace on an AK.

MacPherson Firearms in Brentwood. Not sure where you are in MA, but they are right up Rt. 125. Last time I was there, he was "testing" his work inside the shop, to make sure it functioned properly. They are known as "AK Wizards".

 

[193rdsoldier]

Northeast Gunworks in Hudson

Second this. Has done some work for me and a friend. All came out well. Sometimes he takes a day or two to respond.

 

[ChevyGuy91]

I second McPherson, Vinny the owner is an AK guy and does solid work

3rd

 

[Golddiggie]

Northeast Gunworks in Hudson

He's done work on some of my guns over the years. Quality work at reasonable prices IMO. Just be aware that leading up to hunting season, he gets slammed with work.

 

[Bt74]

Is there any adjustment in the barrel or is it like an AR barrel where its either good or no good ?

Sure...press out the barrel pin, set HS and rebore to an oversized pin. Take it to someone that KNOWS AKs. McPhersons specializes in them.

 

[50wt]

Sure...press out the barrel pin, set HS and rebore to an oversized pin. Take it to someone that KNOWS AKs. McPhersons specializes in them.

So, your saying that dropping 2 gages in the chamber requires the skills of a gunsmith?

 

[MAJoe]

I have the go/no go gages, but not the skill to use them properly.

Newly built or has it been running for a while? If you’re just checking for the hell of it, it should be simple. If it closes on a no go gauge, then headspace is too big. If it won’t close on a go gauge, it’s too small.

If you just put it together and need to make adjustments, that’s a lot more involved.

 

[Da_lucche]

So, your saying that dropping 2 gages in the chamber requires the skills of a gunsmith?

AKs are tricky beasts and not all gunsmiths can work on aks. I was looking around for someone to thread my zastava 1/2 x 28 and majority I contacted couldn't do it because you need to press out the barrel to do that work. All the gunsmiths who could, with the exception of 1, was asking over $400 for the work. I used Blackburn AKs in N Carolina to do the work.

 

[CrackPot]

So, your saying that dropping 2 gages in the chamber requires the skills of a gunsmith?

3 gauges. But unfortunately that is not enough. You often have go, no-go and field. Go is at the low end of spec for size. Should always fit "properly". Field is at the high end of spec for size. It too should always fit "properly". No-Go is just over the acceptable size and in theory it should not properly seat with a closed bolt.

The reality is that many older guns, the no-go will seat just fine AND the gun is perfectly safe to fire and use. You can always get a new barrel pressed into your AK that properly head spaces if you don't like that the no-go seats. What I recommend is seeing if the no-go seats. If it does, is it really snug? Does it require a little effort to remove? If yes, then you are fine. If no, then it comes to judgement. If its clearly loose, then likely a problem. But if its in between, I would fire one round and inspect the case. Use brass and not steel. Now check the case with calipers and see how much expansion (if any) you are getting. You should now have enough data to decide whether to use it as is or to make a change.

Of course, you can always have a gunsmith do all this. But if you have the gauges, you have the brass rounds, you have a place to shoot, and you have calipers, then just do the testing.

 

[50wt]

3 gauges. But unfortunately that is not enough. You often have go, no-go and field. Go is at the low end of spec for size. Should always fit "properly". Field is at the high end of spec for size. It too should always fit "properly". No-Go is just over the acceptable size and in theory it should not properly seat with a closed bolt.

The reality is that many older guns, the no-go will seat just fine AND the gun is perfectly safe to fire and use. You can always get a new barrel pressed into your AK that properly head spaces if you don't like that the no-go seats. What I recommend is seeing if the no-go seats. If it does, is it really snug? Does it require a little effort to remove? If yes, then you are fine. If no, then it comes to judgement. If its clearly loose, then likely a problem. But if its in between, I would fire one round and inspect the case. Use brass and not steel. Now check the case with calipers and see how much expansion (if any) you are getting. You should now have enough data to decide whether to use it as is or to make a change.

Of course, you can always have a gunsmith do all this. But if you have the gauges, you have the brass rounds, you have a place to shoot, and you have calipers, then just do the testing.

Thank you .

OP was asking for a gunsmith to check headspace , which looks like a 5 min job.. Others started chiming in about reworking a barrel , which is obviously a little more complicated.