Gunsmithing as a career

[SKS Ray]

I hear all the time about gunsmiths being backed up and the money they charge, etc. and was thinking... What a way to earn a living. Doing something you enjoy, getting good cash for it, plus often you're able to work from home. I also hear about refinishing rifle stocks as being one of the top requests for gunsmith work which is something I already do now as just a hobby.
Then theres barrel changing, re-bluing, scope mounting, tapping receivers, headspacing, repairing broken springs, stripped screws, etc. etc. The list is pretty much endless. If someone wanted to do this for a living, whats the best way to aproach learning this trade? I know studying under a master smith is one way, but there is only one in my area and its more of a side business for them.
So where is the night school of gunsmithing?

 

[Lugnut]

Do you need somekind of license to do this? I admit it does sound like it could be fun. Not sure there are many schools that teach it although this might have some good info:

http://www.americangunsmith.com/

 

[Moderator]

There are at home courses for it but I would recommend going to armorer schools. It gets expensive, so be prepared. Check out some of the courses at Smith&Wesson and Sig.

 

[Moderator]

Do you need somekind of license to do this? I admit it does sound like it could be fun. Not sure there are many schools that teach it although this might have some good info:

http://www.americangunsmith.com/

AFAIK IANAL

You need a license in Ma to do anything to a gun that is not yours.

 

[Len-2A Training]

You need an FFL to accept guns and ship them back. There is a gunsmith class of FFL.

In MA you also need a MA License to do this.

Problem is that in MA, gunsmiths were screwed by the 1998 law and can no longer legally operate out of a residentially zoned property, etc. Same as gun dealers at least in the eyes of MA laws.

So unless you have a place of business you can use as your legal address for licensing, you are not going to do this in MA! [I don't know the legality of doing it without the licenses and taking/delivering guns in person only, but that limits your income tremendously if you are running a business.]

 

[jhrosier]

An apprenticeship with an established gunsmith would be one way to start.

 

[C-pher]

Don't forget the costs of all the equipment that's needed. and it's not cheap... I've seen lathes that were in the 5 digit range for deep hole drilling and the like.

It's priced the way for a reason. I've done some work to my guns that only needed stones, parts, and minor tools... And it's time consuming.

I've slicked up one rifle with someone, and I easily spent 2-3 hours working on it. I can see if you were to get a crapload of guns, why you would be backed up...

And parts are small, and fly away really fast. So it's teadious...

I've looked into working under a smith for sometime...and think that when things change, I'll still do that. But I'm going to stick with one area, like cowboy guns or something. Leave 1911's to the Greg's of the world...

And, it's going to be a side hobby, not a job.

And right now, it's still a dream. LOL!

 

[Arioch]

I know a good smith who has left the business because of medical issues. He trained at the Colorado School of Trades (one of the best) and did good work, including hot blueing. He had a tough time making enough to support his family in this state, so you may want to start small and see where it takes you. All his macine shop equipment is for sale, but it's heavy and pricey.

 

[bpm990d]

You can ask about gunsmithing on each of these forums, or search around and read some of the threads that are already there.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com

http://www.homegunsmith.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi

 

[jhrosier]

The old-time gunmakers had no power tools and seemed to make out just fine.
To a great extent, it is still possible to repair or modify guns without getting caught up in what you don't have.
A good self directed apprenticeship might start with building a muzzle loading rifle from a kit.

 

[C-pher]

The old-time gunmakers had no power tools and seemed to make out just fine.
To a great extent, it is still possible to repair or modify guns without getting caught up in what you don't have.
A good self directed apprenticeship might start with building a muzzle loading rifle from a kit.

Have you ever seen those old pictures of the Colt Factory back in the 1800s? They still have machines driven with belts everywhere and the like. So they still had equipment. It just took longer.

My comments were in reference to todays gunsmiting and smiths being backed up and the prices.

 

[SKS Ray]

If I did it it wouldn't be here in Massachusetts. My wife and I have plans on moving to southern NH eventually. If I do learn the trade, once I'm settled I'd wind up taking out a small loan that can be paid off over time and use it to furnish a shop with whatever other tools I'll need.
I can't see myself buidling custom rifles, but bedding, crowning, scope mounting, stock refinishing, repairing/cleaning milsurps, etc. is something that I think I could realy enjoy and get some extra income from it. As it is now I do many of those things as favors for friends. With a few years of schooling I could probably pick up enough to do a lot more. It surprises me how many people are buying milsurps and having smiths simply clean and inspect them, let alone the amount of repairs that are done.

 

[Cross-X]

If you want to get an insider's scoop, send an IM to GregDerrr, a member of this fine board.

He is a former Olympian pistol competitor and heck of a professional gunsmith.

 

[LoginName]

You can always attend the Wile E. Coyote School Of Gunsmithing (WECSOG),
http://www.wecsog.org/wecsog.html.

Just git yourself a Dremel, hammer, vice and you're in buisness!

BTW... does anyone else remember the old Sally Struthers correspondence course infomercials? One of the courses offered was "gun repair" or something like that.

 

[PatMcD]

To be a competent, all-round gunsmith, prior experience as a machinist is almost required. Most anybody can put together an AR or mount a scope, but to do real technical gun work, you need to know your way around a lathe and a milling machine. These are skills that can be learned at your local voc-ed/tech schools at night.

The biggest obstacle, and one that should be investigated before a potential new gunsmith goes any further, is to find out what liability insurance is going to cost in your state. The numbers here in Maine are staggering, and I'm sure are the reason we don't have all that many guys around who I would feel comfortable taking my guns to.

 

[Hamar]

Youre right about having a Machine Shop background or training. I built this Para .40 this past winter. I've been a machinist for over 20 years. There was nothing as far as machining that gave me any trouble, It was more the details of how the 1911 operated and tolerances in fit of certain parts that I had a difficult time on. It was a good thing I had a very experienced 1911 pistolsmith available to me the next work bench over. I'm sure without his intimate knowledge and many years of experience, I would have gone through a bunch of extra parts before I got it right. Let me tell you, there is a ton of work building a custom pistol. I had over 40 hours in just smoothing all the hard edges on the frame alone. Not to mention fitting the slide to frame, barrel to slide, beaver tail to frame, custom work on the safety..blah blah blah......Yep, I'm proud that I built this, it shoots super sweet and accurate. But to open a shop and do this for a living well, God bless you if you have the ability to deal with customers.