How Guns are Made: Tolerances, Methods, and Metallurgy (Q&A January 2026)

Today’s Q&A is sponsored by Kyrö – get 10% off all their spirits with code FORGOTTENGIN10 at:
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0:02:41 – Could the US scale up small arms production to wartime mass levels?
0:08:57 – How were wood gunstocks made?
0:13:36 – Barrel attachment; alternatives to threading?
0:15:50 – Decline in gunsmiths and gunsmithing
0:20:34 – What would emergency small arms look like today?

Video – “Last Ditch” M16: https://youtu.be/1SDL4n8yUe8
Video – Croatian Crogar M91: https://youtu.be/Ruif6Qym3zw
Video – Croatian Vila Velabita: https://youtu.be/vLOwArnKWV8
Video – Croatian Sokac: https://youtu.be/d82b4xb6bAA

0:23:36 – Lost manufacturing methods
0:25:19 – Metallurgy and alloys in gunmaking
0:29:31 – Manufacturing tolerances
0:41:54 – Simplification of designs
0:44:18 – Why don’t we have stamped guns today?
0:46:49 – Venezuelan AK-100s in the US?
0:48:58 – Home-scale metal 3D printers?
0:50:43 – 3D printing applications besides suppressors?
0:54:17 – AI and 3D printing for reproduction guns?
0:56:46 – Books about the gunmaking business
0:57:37 – What if Stoner didn’t get into guns?
0:59:37 – Ammunition production quality
1:05:46 – Do I have my own gun design I want to make?
1:06:46 – Historical metallurgy in gun manufacture

Book – “Fighting Iron”: https://amzn.to/3Z89Fsk

1:09:04 – Why are magazines so hard to make?
1:14:47 – Advice for new reproduction gunmakers
1:19:47 – Pros and cons of different manufacturing methods