Triggernosis said:
Regardless of CNC processes and such, the barrel is still most likely screwed on by HAND by an individual person or two. I'm pickier than most people about things lining up, but some of the Rugers I've seen lately anyone could tell the front sight was not lined up. Whoever's doin' the screwin' should learn to do it right!
Properly "screwing on" a barrel requires more than simply stopping when the front sight is "strait up". Yeah, the guy doin' the scewin' could stop at that point....but only if "strait up" happens to coincide with the proper torque value (AKA-tightness) of the barrel to frame connection.
For the above two aspects to co-exist, multiple machine operations must first properly co-exist. And if they don't, it's either hand-fit some stuff, or let her go as-is.
High-speed, high-output production don't allow for much hand-fitting, and even if it did, the type of "corrective machining" it takes aint done on CNC machinery. Fact is, in all the shops I've seen, the production guys aint even got access to the equipment it does take, and couldn't run it if they did. All of that stuff is in the repair dept...where the more-skilled guys work.
Just sayin' that there aint many gunsmiths working in shops these days because modern manufacturing don't require much of it. All in all though, that's probably a good thing. Otherwize, we'd be paying twice the price for stuff.
DGW
