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Gunsmithing Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

thumper49802

thumper49802

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 6, 2008
405
1
Kingsford, MI
#1
Ok, this hider is for my 14.5 middy build. I took it to a gunsmith that has a good rep. Now i get it back and he tells me that he has a foul up with the pin and weld. The pin went in fine he said. It was when he touched it with the welder it arc'd to the flash hider outer ring and i want your opinions to see if my hider is messed up and if i need to purchase a new one. Also will it affect the lockup of my suppressor that im already in the process of obtaining. Thanks gents.
2012-03-04_19-25-12_610.jpg
 
#3
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

It can be dressed by hand to fit and re-painted. At that point it'd be purely cosmetic. F&F will be GTG and if doing so with a soft hand it may not be that noticable.
 
#5
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

Im shocked that a smith with a good rep would just hand that back to their customer. I guess sh*t happens.

I hope you were planning on painting the rig anyways. As Wnroscoe said, that can be dressed and painted to point that nobody will notice.

Good luck with that and post pics on this thread when it is fixed!
 
#7
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

The worst part about this is the simple fact that no product or anything else other than poor worksmanship is the case here. It looks like a "I took a crap on your gun now pay me" I wouldn't even take it back since the guy must not care about his work or much less his name.
 
#8
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

yeah i dont plan on using this smith anymore. The bad thing is now my barrel is chopped to 14.5" now basically its no good to me since sbr's are illegal here. So a new barrel and break are needed. I am looking for any good smith that i can trust my rifle with now.
 
#9
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

We actually had an almost identical issue with an AAC 18T FH. We made sure there wasn't any loss of material (burnt off) and carefully filled any small pits. Then dressed it by hand, blasted, parked, and coated it. We sent it back to the customer and let them know what happened, to look it over, and if it was up to their standards, pay at their convenience. Honestly when we were done you couldn't really tell anything was amiss, but honesty is the best policy.

That person is still a customer.
 
#10
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: thumper49802</div><div class="ubbcode-body">yeah i dont plan on using this smith anymore. The bad thing is now my barrel is chopped to 14.5" now basically its no good to me since sbr's are illegal here. So a new barrel and break are needed. I am looking for any good smith that i can trust my rifle with now. </div></div>
I don't think a new barrel and brake are needed. I would first smooth it off, fill in whatever needs touched up and paint over. It does not look like the rifle will cause any danger to shoot.
 
#14
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

Come clean Thumper, was that done by a gunsmith, or your local high school shop class?
frown.gif
 
#15
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

A prime example of why you make certain you have a good solid ground and a well pointed tungsten before you go stomping on the pedal.
 
#17
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

milo-2 - I was told by others who had work done and were happy with it.

theres cold bluing on it. Ive got some as well, im going to hit the weld with a dremel and the marring on the flash hider with some fine touch sanding. then blue the thing again.
 
#18
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tactical Support</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am trying to figure out why it's welded to the barrel? </div></div>

the pin is in there, the weld is just huge.
 
#19
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: thumper49802</div><div class="ubbcode-body">milo-2 - I was told by others who had work done and were happy with it.

theres cold bluing on it. Ive got some as well, im going to hit the weld with a dremel and the marring on the flash hider with some fine touch sanding. then blue the thing again. </div></div>
If you had to float a small bedding compound on there then sand smooth.
 
#21
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

maybe i am misunderstanding exactly what i am looking at here. it looks like the pin/weld is well behind the end of the flash hider. wasn't the idea to permanently attach the adapter with a welded blind pin to comply with minimum barrel lengths?

personally, i like the black oxide type finish on the sf adapters and wouldn't be happy if someone had to paint it because they screwed it up by using a stick or flux core mig instead of a tig machine to burn in a blind pin. what did the smith give you for options to take care of the issue? are these pictures he sent you letting you know what happened or is this how he shipped it back to you?
 
#22
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: strangedays</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: thumper49802</div><div class="ubbcode-body">milo-2 - I was told by others who had work done and were happy with it.

theres cold bluing on it. Ive got some as well, im going to hit the weld with a dremel and the marring on the flash hider with some fine touch sanding. then blue the thing again. </div></div>
If you had to float a small bedding compound on there then sand smooth. </div></div>

if this was done by a smith he payed for the services, he shouldn't have to do anything with bedding compound or cold blue. if this was done by a buddy helping him out with his old lincoln tombstone welder in the barn, then that's a different story.
 
#23
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

done by a smith, and thats my photos i took of it. Your looking at the seam of where the flash hider and barrel meet. the weld goes across both. per his words the pin is under that weld.
 
#24
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

The pin should be in the adapter body, running into the threads......not a spot weld joining the two together. Also, Why and how on earth is the weld that frickin big? I would take it back and tell him he owes me a new barrel and brake. Not that either are remotely in bad shape, just his shitty work
 
#25
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Deadly0311</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The pin should be in the adapter body, running into the threads......not a spot weld joining the two together. Also, Why and how on earth is the weld that frickin big? I would take it back and tell him he owes me a new barrel and brake. Not that either are remotely in bad shape, just his shitty work </div></div>

this i know, ive already called him. He refuses to cover the work. It is pinned into the threads, the weld just so happened to be across both.
 
#27
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

well now that we have offically established that he is garbage. Now to go about fixing this. I still dont know if its going to mess with my surefire can thats on the way.
 
#28
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

That should've been tig'ed on. That looks like a stick welder or a gasless mig got to it. terrible. Im sure itll still shoot and funtion fine though.
 
#30
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

Ideally that should be cleaned up on a lathe, assuming the suppressor centers over that diameter, but having the gas block and barrel nut stuck with the barrel may make that difficult. If the suppressor doesn't ride on that ring, a little careful work with a file and/or die grinder should cure what ails you. That said, you need to have a serious talk with this guy or find somebody new (Or both, for that matter).

-matt
 
#33
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

I've had my share of problems with "good" gunsmiths and suppose that many of the forum members have as well. This is part of the reasons why so many of us have taken the time to learn how to do our own work.

If the gunsmith is truly worth his salt, he would have replaced the parts for you himself.

I am sorry that it did not work out for you.
 
#34
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

Skip the Dremel and hand file it smooth. The Dremel works too fast and if you believe you may have issues, the Dremel will get you issues much too quickly.

Once you have it smooth, JB it to cover any small voids and refinish it.

I can't comment on the can from experience, but I don't think it would hurt
 
#35
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

sorry to see that, and i'd go for a good file to take the weld slag off. not familiar with surefire cans and attachment, but your going to loose very little if any of that shoulder, i think its fine
 
#36
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

What I see is a dab on the top of the pin itself with, maybe, a little fusion between the pin and the hole in front. My guess is that once you dress that down with a file your pin is going to fall out.

Shit job for sure. If it were mine, I’d bring it back and tell him to dress it up and refinish. If he refuses let him know that you’ll be happy to let everyone know how he does business.

It'll probably shoot fine but I couldn't live with the looks of it.
 
#37
Re: Gunsmith might have fouled my Surefire Flash Hider

well I would be a prick about it and make them take care of it. You certainly didn't hand it to them like that unless you went at it with a car battery and jumper cables... hack job on a 150 dollar break. I have one on the end of my rifle and if I was to hand it to a shop for work it better come back to me in the same shape it left in. UNSAT
 
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