Good basic post on getting started with simple home gunsmithing chores at WeaponsMan.
A few years back, when my visits to the gunsmithing shack became quarterly rather than hourly, I had to start doing more of my own gun chores rather than just dropping them off with the guys. This post would have been a handy headspace check when I was in that "Ohmigod, now I have to go buy my own copy of one of everything they had out in gunsmithing" phase.
.