Do guns turn everyone into mechanical engineers?

[nascarfantoo]

I am a mechanical engineer and know that I am better off letting a mechanic work on my car or a gunsmith repair my firearms. But I spend 4 years learning what direction shxx will flow ... unless it is pumped.

 

[Wanderer]

I'm the same way, to an extent. The first thing I do when I get a new gun is take it apart to give it a thorough cleaning (the fact that most of my guns are decades-old military surplus rifles that are incredibly dirty when I first get them contributes to this) but also to understand their inner workings. I find it fascinating how the bolts of different bolt-action rifles work, and how they come apart. I grew up without a father and thus never learned many of the mechanical skills that many other American boys do, so I had to teach myself most of this stuff. I'm now pretty confident in my ability to disassemble and maintain my old rifles (except for the Lee-Enfield, damn thing is way too complicated).

 

[Snizz1911]

I am a mechanical engineer and I'm still similar to the op. grew up on a farm, was always used to hard work and machinery. However, even with a mechanical understanding I am still horrible at "fixing" things. I can take about anything apart, understand what's going on and put it back together. But when you start talking about fabricating, welding, whatever I'm terrible. Which has given me a great appreciation for friends and others that do have those skills. I will say I've always been able to see something done once then be able to do it, but just have little experience/was never taught the skills mentioned.

 

[Cowboy76]

No offense to any of the mechanical engineers but I wouldn't let most of the touch my guns let alone disassemble them. Most can draw it/assemble on a computer ,but don't know which end of a hammer to hold. Not all, just the ones they hire at my work.

 

[LarryC]

I worked as an Engineer for about 40 years before I retired, built and debugged a lot of automation assembly and test equipment. Decided I would quit working metal when I retired - do woodworking, but still love to tinker with firearms and reloading.

Only one I really had any trouble with was my Winchester .308 lever action. I stripped it down to parts, deburred, and polished the working parts. Then after a few hours of struggle determined I had to make an undersized pin as a fixture to reassemble. That gun is not for a beginner.

 

[superjoe76]

I am a cautious "tinkerer" when it comes to anything mechanical. I can change oil in my vehicles and check fluid but anything else it goes to the pros.

I will take computers apart to the point where I am able, RAM, HDD and so on, anything else it goes to the pros.

My guns are no different. I will take them down as far as I can without needing specific tools. I really don't want to break what I have because my curiosity got the best of me.

So, as always, it goes to the pros.

 

[cbhausen]

No offense to any of the mechanical engineers but I wouldn't let most of the touch my guns let alone disassemble them. Most can draw it/assemble on a computer ,but don't know which end of a hammer to hold. Not all, just the ones they hire at my work.

You don't know me, do you? I was working in my dad's shop designing and building race cars for everything up to and including the Indy 500 BEFORE I went off to college and I didn't do 3D CAD (ProE and SolidWorks) until after I got out of college. Generalizations are a bad thing. I definitely know one end of a wrench from the other.

 

[Enkrypter]

I just feel like I have no business shooting a new gun until I am intimately familiar with all of its bits and pieces. I want to know where anything and everything can go wrong. Every gun has its quirks and I think having this knowledge is an important step in respecting the firearm and exercising safety.

Knowing which end the bullets come out is always a priority on my list of things to investigate, shortly followed by where to put them in.

 

[Irukanji]

More mech eng / physicist....

 

[theblackhat]

Reading the Improvised Munitions Handbook has a tendency to make one wonder just how feasible it is to make an improvised 12g out of a piece of pipe, a clothes pin, piece of wood and some wire. Not that I've ever been desperate enough to try this, but the thought has crossed my mind...what if???

 

[fro65]

It often seems that everyone would like to think so. Some of the best deals I have ever gotten on firearms are the ones that others have buggered up.

 

[Hookeye]

Have seen doctors, engineers, tool and die folks etc..........all pretty much clueless when it comes to guns/problems (but actually quite good at their jobs).

ID the problem first, then look at possible solutions.

Most folks, regardless of profession, pretty much suck at that type of patient methodical logic stuff.

 

[Hookeye]

Loved the customers who were OCD and had to tear every new gun down to the last screw and detent.

One gent, bless his heart, brought me several new guns in bags.

And one time he was so flustered he brought me all the parts, plus an extra little pin. That threw me for a minute

 

[Sirshredalot]

Based on the number of times I've seen a brand new gun carried inside a Ziploc baggie for me to reassemble...No. Owning a gun does not bring about a magical transformation of mechanical skills.

I think were giving mechanical engineers too much credit here....I work with a half a dozen of them on a daily basis and I'm surprised every morning when they come in dressed with their shoes tied.

Down by the tracks, there are some guns that are REALLY hard to reassemble
after a detail strip...Had a browning BDM that required hot glue, crossed eyes, tongue twisted, and butt puckered to reassemble.

God bless
-Shred