GunLab (KnownHost) » Interview https://gunlab.net Adventures in gun building! Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:06:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.41 Monday update 10-13 https://gunlab.net/monday-update-10-13/ https://gunlab.net/monday-update-10-13/#comments Tue, 14 Oct 2014 02:25:09 +0000 http://gunlab.net/?p=1421 Sorry for the lack of posting, however I have an excuse. I have been having to much fun visiting friends, taking pictures to post, looking at guns and learning about metals and heat treating. I have a pile of pictures for you, some great information on metals and a couple of interesting interviews. Now on [...]]]> Sorry for the lack of posting, however I have an excuse. I have been having to much fun visiting friends, taking pictures to post, looking at guns and learning about metals and heat treating. I have a pile of pictures for you, some great information on metals and a couple of interesting interviews. Now on to the rest of my trip. I will be posting everything when I get home as for now I an just having way to much fun. Tomorrow it is off to Ohio Ordnance, to look at some fun stuff.

]]> https://gunlab.net/monday-update-10-13/feed/ 1 A GREAT DAY https://gunlab.net/a-great-day/ https://gunlab.net/a-great-day/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2014 08:00:53 +0000 http://gunlab.net/?p=1221 I am not going to do a library post today. Instead I am going to post about my day yesterday.

I had the opportunity to chat with a great design team that has been working on some new magazine and weapon designs that unfortunately at this point I can not go into. However, what I [...]]]> I am not going to do a library post today. Instead I am going to post about my day yesterday.

I had the opportunity to chat with a great design team that has been working on some new magazine and weapon designs that unfortunately at this point I can not go into. However, what I can talk about is what I learn in the few hours that I was able to spend with them. I realize that I have so much more to learn that I can not possible get to where I want to be in my life time. Just the few minutes we spent with them talking about magazine design open my eyes to what I have been doing wrong in some of my own designs. There help way beyond measure and with the insight provided I can now continue with my 7.62x54r Bren gun magazine design.

They were able to help me find other contractors that could help with wire EDM and deep hole drilling problems that we have been having. Finding good sub contractors is really a task. We have been looking for a good deep hole drilling company for quite some time. With there knowledge I will be able to take the next step on the FG-42 first model. The conversion  about dwell time open my eyes to a way to correct a design problem that we have been having with a new rifle project that we are working on.

The wire EDM guy they are using understands the accuracy needs that we are facing on one of our projects as well as the grinding and heat treating requirements that we need. The conversation concerning steels and heat treating was just great.

I was able to test fire there newest design which is better then anything else that I have shot recently. It is truly years ahead of the rest of the weapons designs out there.

One of the services they offered and I will take them up on is their use of their high speed camera. With this service I can now take detail pictures of the weapons we make making. This will answer a number of questions for us concerning the design and operation of our guns.

I just hope that I did not embarrass myself to much as to not be allowed to come back and talk with them again. I really enjoy the time I spent with people that know there stuff. I always feel a little less then adequate after a day like today, not because of anything they said or did but because of what they open my eyes to.

I hope in the future I can mention the design team by name. These are the type of people that truly make the world turn on its axis. Great men just designing and building with no fan fare.I hope that in some small measure we are able to help them continue with there project.

And as if this day could get no better I received a call from one of the members of this site and we went into the some of the problems that we have been dealing with concerning our stampings. The knowledge that he shared with me dealing with sheet metal and stamping has truly helped in the design of the next set of dies we make.

This day was just GREAT. What I hope to do with this site is to present you with the kind of information I obtained today. I know that my post today does not do the day justice. However, I have written down two pages of notes of information that I have learned today and in the future will be able to incorporate that knowledge into the designs that we build here.

Thanks again to everyone for making this a great day.

]]> https://gunlab.net/a-great-day/feed/ 2 Video Friday, 9-5-14 https://gunlab.net/video-friday-9-5-14/ https://gunlab.net/video-friday-9-5-14/#comments Fri, 05 Sep 2014 13:23:36 +0000 http://gunlab.net/?p=1126 I am still trying to get back on schedule. Between work and now school I am a little behind. So today’s post is a series of videos put out my McMillan’s. Even though they are here in Phoenix I have never had the opportunity to get into the facility. I do like there products though. [...]]]> I am still trying to get back on schedule. Between work and now school I am a little behind. So today’s post is a series of videos put out my McMillan’s. Even though they are here in Phoenix I have never had the opportunity to get into the facility. I do like there products though. If any one knows someone over there  I would really like to see a fiberglass stock made from start to finish.

So with out further adieu here are the videos.

]]> https://gunlab.net/video-friday-9-5-14/feed/ 0 Changes to Gun Lab https://gunlab.net/changes-to-gun-lab/ https://gunlab.net/changes-to-gun-lab/#comments Sat, 23 Aug 2014 17:51:20 +0000 http://gunlab.net/?p=964 I have decided to make a few changes to the way gun lab works. I personally can watch machining videos and look at solid models and guns all day. I guess that is because it is what I enjoy. I mean I take my vacations to go to factories to watch things being made Plastic [...]]]> I have decided to make a few changes to the way gun lab works. I personally can watch machining videos and look at solid models and guns all day. I guess that is because it is what I enjoy. I mean I take my vacations to go to factories to watch things being made Plastic factories, pottery factories, machine shops, museums to look at weapons and my wife goes along with me. However, I understand that most people want to see other things as well. So here are a list of the changes that I would like to make to the site.

Weekend followup Monday

Monday will be for an update of what went on during the weekend. A basic run down of everything that happen in or around  the shop. This is to give an idea of everything that has to go on to keep things running.

Shop Tuesday

Tuesday will be for showing the part that has been made.  The solid model that was worked on or the program that was written. Anything that went into making the parts that we make.

Random info Wednesday

Wednesday will be for information that we have come across that would help. Where we buy material, people and companies who have helped us,  new products, videos that we find dealing with gun or parts making. I want to do a segment on people that are in the  industry.  Anything that I feel like taking about. Classes that we are taking, talking about the shop equipment that we have and use. Talking about firearms that we are interested in making in the future, general discussions on manufacturing or weapons, interviews when possible.

Book review Thursday.

There a large number of books in the reference library here at gun lab. Machining books, gun books, manufacturing books, information that is helpful in every aspect of what we do. I want to do a basic run down of the book and where to obtain it. In some cases a sales commission is give if you buy the book through our link. All money from this will be donated to the wounded warrior project. Having served in the military and coming from a family of military people I feel strongly toward this cause. I hope that you do too.

Video Friday

This will be the day that I post videos of the parts or equipment that we have made.

Guess this part Saturday

I have a 40′ container of misc parts. Saturday will be for taking pictures of parts so you can test your knowledge of small arms.

Answer Sunday

This will be the follow up day that answers  Saturday’s  question.

I want to add a library to the site dealing with information pertaining to gun lab.

Please feel free to comment about the changes and any recommendations that you have. We are looking to involve our viewers to improve gun lab to become the best site possible.

]]> https://gunlab.net/changes-to-gun-lab/feed/ 4 My Introduction https://gunlab.net/my-introduction/ https://gunlab.net/my-introduction/#comments Wed, 18 Sep 2013 08:00:36 +0000 http://gunlab.net/?p=167 Introduction

Now that you have following along with this build I guess it is time to introduce myself. By now you know my name is Charles, however after someone meets me they generally just call me Chuck. So, on this site just call me Chuck.

I have three passions in my life. The first is [...]]]> Introduction

Now that you have following along with this build I guess it is time to introduce myself. By now you know my name is Charles, however after someone meets me they generally just call me Chuck. So, on this site just call me Chuck.

I have three passions in my life. The first is my wife of 33 years. Generally if you see a picture of me it was taken by her. She feels that there should be a human touch on this site and not just gun pictures. Not only is she my wife, she is my best friend, and travel companion. During my trips to study small arms she will spend a great deal of time copying information for me, which allows more time for me to do research and take pictures.

IMG_2837s

The second is small arms. My earliest memories are of guns. While living in Europe as a child I can remember trading cigarettes for old guns and then getting in trouble for it. I bought my first gun when I was 14 after I moved to the states. I have been studying and collecting them ever since. I enjoy all types of small arms. From cheap single shot pistols to the most expensive double guns and machine guns. Not only do I study them, I enjoy doing everything related to guns; from buying parts for weapons that I will never own to buying books on them. My library is about 3,500 books and magazines, a number of them in languages that I will never be able to read. I have had the opportunity to meet some of the greatest gun designers and collectors and have enjoyed the experience. A few of them I consider my closest friends. When the finances allow it, my wife and I travel the world to photograph and study weapons. I do not go anywhere without my measuring tools and camera, and if allowed, will take hundreds of pictures of a single weapon.

IMG_2791s

IMG_1961 cropped and written

IMG_1973crop

My third passion is machining. I have loved working with wood and metal all of my life. I bought my first tool when I was not even a teenager and have been buying them ever since. I have what I would call a nice advanced home shop where I play every chance I get. In the future we will take a tour through it and chat about each of the major items and what they are used for. With that being said, I do not know everything about machining. I consider myself to be an advanced amateur and I try to learn something new every day. In addition to just buying machines, I also build or modify a number of them. Expect to see that on this site as well. So everything is not just guns but also the equipment necessary to make them. A number of articles will deal with the fixtures and tooling necessary to build a weapon. With the advent of the CNC machinery that my shop has up-graded to, we will also cover manual machining, forging, casting of non-ferrous material and welding.

32-DSC_4275-620x430written

Now for the rest of the story; I own two businesses and generally work 12 to 14 hours a day. I will attempt to post at least two to three times a week as the builds go along. English is not my strong point, so if your comments are to bang me on that, just don’t. Also, with all the photographs I take, you would think that I would have improved over the years. I have not. Thank God for digital cameras because they allow me to take enough pictures that something will eventually turn out okay.

 

This site is going to deal with the design and manufacturing of small arms. I have a weapon manufacturing license and a SOT license.  What this means is that I can build and register any weapon except a destructive device. There a number of projects in the works and I generally work on 3 to 4 at a time. We will be covering these projects from concept through the final product. The modeling program that is used in my shop is ‘Solid Works’ and the cam program is ‘Master Cam’. Everything will be discussed from the good designs to the real mess-ups that I can do on occasion.  A number of the projects have a quite a few revisions to get to a part that will work. During a project I will attempt to post a link to where I obtained the equipment, or material, thus making it a little easier for you as well.

This site will be picture, and eventually, video heavy. It is just a lot easier to explain something that way then with just words.

I hope you enjoy the projects and I will attempt to answer any questions that I can. There are a few things not to do. Do not ask me for engineered drawings. Most of the items that will be built here have no drawings and I have spent years reverse engineering them. Also, I will not post engineered drawings on this site because it is a worldwide site and some countries do not allow their citizens to have access to that kind of information. I do not sell partial builds, everything I make is to completion. It has to be heat treated and proofed to verify safety.

I have known Ian from Forgotten Weapons for years and was part of the starting process to get Forgotten Weapons up and going. It is Ian’s site and he has done a great job with it. Ian will be helping me with this site as well.

I hope you will enjoy this site and learn something from it. Please feel free to comment and ask questions. If anyone knows of a manufacturer that would not mind being interviewed, please let me know.

Chuck

]]> https://gunlab.net/my-introduction/feed/ 18 GunLab visits Hydro Print Services https://gunlab.net/gunlab-visits-hydro-print-services/ https://gunlab.net/gunlab-visits-hydro-print-services/#comments Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:27:16 +0000 http://gunlab.net/?p=31 We recently had the opportunity to drop by Hydro Print Services and speak to the owner, Scott. He offers a really neat 3D printing/coating process which is a cool alternative to traditional firearms finishes. It allows you to have really intricate patterns (far more than you could get by painting or airbrushing), a huge variety [...]]]> We recently had the opportunity to drop by Hydro Print Services and speak to the owner, Scott. He offers a really neat 3D printing/coating process which is a cool alternative to traditional firearms finishes. It allows you to have really intricate patterns (far more than you could get by painting or airbrushing), a huge variety of colors, and a finish that isn’t susceptible to rusting like traditional bluing. The options run the gamut from plain solid colors to faux wood grain to camo patterns to zombie collage patterns. Or carbon fiber, snakeskin, diamondplate…you get the idea. There are a ton of options you can see on the company web site.

We think that some guns look best with a traditional blued or parkerized finish, but the creativity that hydroprinting allows is great for personalizing competition guns, homebuilds, and anything else you want to stand out. We had a great time hanging out with Scott, and put together a video discussing the possibilities an actually printing a part (an old AR buttstock) so you can see the process. And to top it off, Scott is offering a 10% discount on all his printing services to the community here – just mention GunLab when you place an order. I know we’ll be taking advantage of that with a couple guns we are sending him. Thanks, Scott!

]]> https://gunlab.net/gunlab-visits-hydro-print-services/feed/ 6 An Interview with David Tubb https://gunlab.net/an-interview-with-david-tubb/ https://gunlab.net/an-interview-with-david-tubb/#comments Mon, 30 Jul 2012 06:27:43 +0000 http://gunlab.net/?p=28 For those not familiar with him, David Tubb is a truly exceptional marksman, with a wall of trophies too long to list – suffice to say that it begins with 11 NRA High Power trophies form Camp Perry. He has written two books on precision shooting, and sells a long range target rifle of his [...]]]> For those not familiar with him, David Tubb is a truly exceptional marksman, with a wall of trophies too long to list – suffice to say that it begins with 11 NRA High Power trophies form Camp Perry. He has written two books on precision shooting, and sells a long range target rifle of his own design. We had the privilege of speaking with him recently, and discussed the new line of ammunition he will be bringing to market shortly. If there is anyone who understands the elements that go into extremely accurate ammunition, it’s David Tubb.

]]> https://gunlab.net/an-interview-with-david-tubb/feed/ 3