HPAdmin | Hall Precision and Gunsmithing
We will be doing our first ever Coffee with a cop in our store front on May, 20, 2018. We will have our friends from US LawShield and a law enforcement professional on hand to help answer your questions on concealed carry.
If you have ever had a question as far as what to do during a traffic stop, how to make a proper 911 call, what to do AFTER you use your firearm in self defense? We can help you answer these questions and more about concealed carry and the law during this free seminar.
We will have donuts and coffee available for all who attend!
Just RSVP on our facebook event page to secure yourself a spot.
Author HPAdminPosted on May 6, 2018 May 6, 2018 Categories EventsTags Concealed Carry, US Lawshield	
Here is our gun show schedule for the 2018 calendar year.
Hampton, VA – January 13-14, 2018
Fredericksburg, VA – January 27-28, 2018
Virginia Beach, VA – February 3-4, 2018
Nation’s Gun Show Chantilly, VA – February 9, 10 & 11, 2018
Doswell, VA – Februrary 24-26, 2018
Fredericksburg, VA – March 24-25, 2018
Nation’s Gun Show Chantilly, VA – April 20, 21 & 22, 2018
Doswell, VA – May 5-6, 2018
Hampton, VA – May 26-27 2018
Nation’s Gun Show Chantilly, VA – June 8, 9 & 10, 2018
Fredericksburg, VA – June 30 – July 1 2018
Nation’s Gun Show Chantilly, VA – July 27, 28 & 29, 2018
Doswell, VA – September 8-9, 2018
Hampton, VA – September 22-23, 2018
Nation’s Gun Show Chantilly, VA – September 28, 29 & 30, 2018
Fredericksburg, VA – October 27-28, 2018
Nation’s Gun Show Chantilly, VA – November 16, 17 & 18, 2018
Hampton, VA – November 24-25, 2018
Fredericksburg, VA – December 8-9, 2018
​Nation’s Gun Show Chantilly, VA – December 28, 29 & 30, 2018
Author HPAdminPosted on January 3, 2018 May 2, 2018 Categories Events, Gun ShowsTags Virginia Gun Shows	
Being a dealer in what is often referred to as “Class 3” firearms (they are actually title 2 firearms, the class refers to the type of SOT a dealer has.) we get a lot of customers that are curious about purchasing a suppressor, short barrel rifle, or even a machine gun. However the biggest thing is that they are terribly informed about the whole process, and believe it to be far more intense than it really is. In reality the biggest thing with purchasing a suppressor, or other title 2 firearm is the wait time for the process to complete.
Now a bit of a disclaimer here, some states don’t allow all devices, or might have some additional registration processes involved, so what we are giving you here is how the process works in most freedom loving states, such as ours here in Virginia. Check with your local NFA firearms dealer to see how the process might be different for you. Also note the process might change a bit from when this was written depending on laws that might get passed.
When you go to purchase your short barrel rifle, suppressor, short barrel shotgun, or Any Other Weapon (AOW) the process is going to be the same for them. You fill out what is called a form 4, this is a form that requests the transfer of such a device to an individual, trust or other legal entity. When you fill out the form 4 with your dealer your going to choose between filling it out as a trust or as an individual. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of those that we’ll get into in a bit, but know that either way you’ll have to provide 2 passport style photos and a set of ATF finger print cards. Along with the form 4, a payment directly to the ATF must be made, for most NFA weapons you are looking at a $200 fee, but for Any Other Weapons (AOW) they are $5. Once the paperwork is sent in, the fun begins; all you have to do is wait. Processing times vary depending on surges in the market, but they generally are going to take a couple of months. During this time the ATF will do a background check to see if you are eligible to get the NFA device. This is the other aspect people get overly worried about… but it’s really just the same background check as to when you purchase your firearm over the counter normally. It just takes longer because there are so many applications, and so few people who can process them. Laws were enacted under former presidents to keep the number of ATF employees who process such paperwork limited to a set number. Making it a bottleneck to get the paperwork done. So your not waiting for something crazy to be done, just for paperwork to be physically processed. When that paperwork is complete on the ATF’s end, they send out a tax stamp to the dealer you did your paperwork with, who will call you up to come by and pick up your suppressor or other device. At which time they will have you do another background check like you normally would for any other firearm to pick it up.
It’s really simple, so to recap:
Fill out the form 4 with your dealer
Get passport photos taken and finger print cards made
Send it in and wait
Pick it up a few months later
It’s just that simple, and there really is no other catches to it all. There is sometimes a bit more work on the dealer’s end to process a machine gun, and in some states some paperwork that has to be done for the individual on them, but it’s not alot more.
Now a few things people get wrong on owning an NFA device:
They can’t just come into your house to search, but they came come and ask for you to show them the device
You don’t have to keep the original tax stamp on you at all times, a copy will suffice, as long as you still have the original in a safe location.
If you move you must notify the ATF that the NFA device has changed locations.
You can’t just sell a NFA device to someone outright without them completing a form 4 to transfer it from you.
A tax stamp is not a license, just a tax that you pay on purchasing that specific category of firearm.
Owning a suppressor or short barrel rifle is fairly easy and straight forward to do, and doesn’t require a burden of any sort on your end besides safely storing your tax stamp.
Author HPAdminPosted on November 18, 2017 November 19, 2017 Categories NFA and Class 3Tags Any Other Weapons, NFA and Class 3, Short Barrel Rifles, Short Barrel Shotguns, Suppressors	
Many people have older firearms, and even sometimes a newer firearm that looks a bit rough, or maybe even just traded for another firearm, something that you just don’t really know the true condition of the firearm as it was used by someone else. Many times the firearm is just fine, but regardless the firearm should be inspected to make sure it is operating correctly, and safe to fire. Be this something you do yourself or you bring in for us to look at; there are a few key things to check on your newly acquired firearm before shooting it.
Make sure the firearm is unloaded before you inspect it!
This should go without saying, but the number of times we have customers bring in loaded guns for us to look at is too damn high. So remove the magazine from the firearm, and check the chamber to be empty before proceeding.
Check for bore obstructions
Check your barrel to make sure you can see light at the other end. It doesn’t matter if it is grease, dirt, or a bullet stuck down the barrel, it will create back pressure and blow up. Your gun doesn’t care why or what it’s plugged with, just that it is. If the obstruction doesn’t come out with a cleaning patch or a jag, then bring it in to us to investigate and attempt removal. Incorrect removal techniques on obstructions will only cause more damage to the firearm.
The firearm must work correctly to fire as well as be safe to use. Check that the bolt, slide, or charging handle operates freely and without hangups or hesitation. Make sure that the safety engages and that the firearm does not fire with the safety turned on. Make sure that attempting to fire with the safety on does not disengage the safety as well. Ensure magazines fit and remove from the firearm correctly. Look for marks and indications that the fire control components might have been modified or tampered with. Sometimes people will attempt to do a trigger job or lighten a trigger to a point that the firearm can become unsafe. Part of this check should be engaging the safety on the firearm and giving it a good solid thump. Weakened fire control components will often discharge the firearm when subjected to a solid bump or jarring. A gun that is unsafe no matter the age or condition is unsafe for firing or use, and should be corrected or made unable to fire to prevent a potentially deadly accident from occurring.
Check for rust, cracking, signs of fatigue
If you can see pitting, deep rust, cracked metal, or other signs of metals stressing… chances are it’s not safe to shoot either. Some pitting is alright and can allow a firearm to still be shot and used, it’s a matter of where, on what, and how deep the pitting is that can change a simply neglected gun into an unsafe gun. If you see any signs of the above, you should have it looked at by a gunsmith. Even a cracked stock will worsen unless you attend to it, just like the metal on the firearm. No one wants a gun to blow up on them, and no one wants a sharp piece of wood from a broken stock going into their shoulder or face when it shatters under recoil.
Be sure of what the firearm is chambered for
The number of firearms that have been reworked, re-barreled, or re-chambered and don’t have the correct designations on them is surprisingly high. It’s not uncommon for us to see an AR-15 or even old hunting rifles with no markings on the barrel for it’s chambering. Many times if it is marked it is going to be as marked, but it doesn’t hurt to check the head-space to make sure that it is safe to fire as well as give you confirmation that it is as advertised. If a barrel is not marked, usually the only way to verify the chamber dimensions is to do a cast and take measurements to confirm what it is setup for. Specialty metals are used specifically for this purpose so as to not cause damage to the firearm and to reduce shrinking (or expansion) of materials to make sure you get the most accurate measurements possible for cross reference.
There is alot more details to go over when inspecting a firearm as well. But those are all key things needed just to make sure the firearm is safe for use. Other things can affect performance, behavior, or even show indications of a firearm that is on the verge of failing that an experienced gunsmith is going to be able to identify. Signs of where someone else got into a firearm and might have tampered with something, stress indicators, lockup tolerances and slop within components. All indicators that the firearm is having trouble in a specific area that is far too much to go into for a post on the internet. If you are ever unsure if your firearm is unsafe to fire then you should bring it by an experienced gunsmith for a proper inspection. Most will offer that as part of their cleaning service to make sure you are getting a firearm back in your hands that is safe to fire.
Author HPAdminPosted on October 15, 2017 October 15, 2017 Categories GunsmithingTags GunsmithingLeave a comment on A proper inspection of a firearm	
In most states it is not required to have a pinned and welded muzzle brake or flash hider. Only a few require such so as to prevent a firearm from having a threaded barrel. Usually that requirement is made so that you can’t easily attach a silencer to the firearm. Without much surprise you can get suppressors that work with muzzle brakes for quick detach features. Making this all really a silly thing in the big picture.
So besides those states why would you ever pin and weld a muzzle brake onto your gun? Unfortunately it’s all because of a minimum length requirement. Having a barrel less than 16 inches on a rifle turns its classification into a short barrel rifle. Which would need a $200 tax stamp from the ATF to legally own. To avoid the firearm being classified as a short barrel rifle, folks will pin and weld onto it a muzzle brake to bring its length back out to the 16 inch minimum.
But why make your barrel less than 16 inches to start with? Look at the detractors first:
Less accuracy, a longer barrel will always reduce your cone of fire thus making it more accurate.
Less velocity, most rifle cartridges are based around a 16 or 18 inch barrel. Being less than that means less powder is being burned and used.
Barrel material, some barrels simply can’t be cut down due to what they are made of and how they were heat treated. It could potentially introduce cracking, flaking, or even damage to barrel linings.
Uneven twist rates, cutting down a barrel or picking a shorter than normal barrel length for that twist rate can make the bullet unstable in its flight, creating wider shot groups or even keyholeing (the bullet hitting the target sideways).
Disruption to natural barrel harmonics, resulting in opening up shot groups.
Usually customers don’t mind a little loss of accuracy or a bit less distance in the capabilities of their gun. But the last few mentioned is something critical to keep in mind. Some barrels are very specific in how they are tuned, in materials, twist rate, heat treatment, and barrel profile. Disrupting the design of the barrel by cutting it down can have major effects to it, including a possibility of baffle strikes inside of a suppressor if you attach one. So the real question comes down to what do you have to gain from cutting a barrel down?
The only reasons we get is that someone wants to mimic a certain style of firearm such as an M4, or want a little bit shorter gun to transition from inside a vehicle to outside but want to stay to minimal legal lengths. And there is no problem with that! But we always strongly encourage getting a barrel specifically made to such a length instead of cutting one down so that you can get the highest quality results out of it. Barrels made to be the often needed 14.5 inches will have an optimized twist rate, the harmonics shifted with changes to barrel contour profiles, through barrel coatings inside and out, and correct tempering and heat treatment of the barrel for that length. Several factors that will make it shoot circles around a barrel that has been cut down.
Long story short, it’s cool if you want an Mforgery (reproduction m4) but spend a bit of extra money and get a barrel that is made at the factory specifically to be used for that application.
Author HPAdminPosted on September 23, 2017 November 13, 2017 Categories GunsmithingTags Barrel cutting, Gunsmithing, Reproductions	