I want start a gun shop and repair business in texas

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dannymc

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Jun 28, 2007
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texas
I am wanting some guidance/advice on starting a gun shop and gun repair business.

Background: I am currently a Police Officer and wanting to change careers (need another thread for this one). It's getting old. High interest in guns and gun repair. In the town i live in there is one gun shop which is a mainly a police supply. This shop doesn't do any type of gunsmithing. It sends most of the work to a gunsmith in the next town which is only 5 or 10 minutes away. The other gun shops are either extremely high priced on guns and work or over 30 minutes away.

I have been reading alot of posts on here which have given me mixed emotions. Most of what mixes me up is the truth about it being tough to make it.

My first idea was to specialize in tactical type firearms and accessories. This would intel more specific brands rather than multiple brands. It would also be carrying knives and practical type equipment for the tactical end of things.

The more I think of that idea I think i would be shooting myself in the foot by not catering to the hunting end of the spectrum.

My other problem is I looked into going to gunsmithing school and found that there isn't any in Texas. Unfortunately for me I am not able to up root and move to Colorado to 14 months. I have looked at the correspondence courses but i'm alittle sceptical on them. So I contacted a friend who has been gunsmithing for about 40 years. He attended the Colorado gunsmthing school after his tour with the military as an armorer. He has agreed to let me work under him allowing me to learn everything I can. I am able to learn about problems and how to fix them as they come into his shop.

Would it be better to sell guns, accessories and repair them also. Is this what yall do or are you strictly gunsmithing. I have found out that there isn't much mark up in new guns. So i was also thinking about offering upgrades. Especially for police. I realize things don't happen over night. But they also won't happen at all if I just sit around being frustrated. I'm looking to get into something i'm interested in and to have some satisfaction at what I do.

Any help, suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the help and all of the posts have been of great value to me.

Thanks,
Danny
 
Getting going in smithing

1st: How much cash do you want to spend up front?

2nd: start picking up not working guns from shops, pawnshops, yard sales, ETC... Even work up a few sporters.

When people see you at the range with a sporter, or see you running something that was in the as is barrel so to speak thru it's paces, it will give you a chance to sell yourself/work.

You can get an FFL, and after fixing up clunkers, although you would end selling your intial work cheap, that would be the beginings of inventory, and as people find you for intermet transfers, repairs, etc.. build up a buisness.

A lot of good shops got thier starts in basements or garages or barns, and some really well known or HIGH Dollar smiths are still in there starting places!
 
Thanks for the advice. I will look into some fixer ups and see what I can do with them. I appreciate the time you took out for me. Thanks, Danny
 
I'm with Big Al.
I'm a retired deputy sheriff. I went to gunsmithing school and worked for another smith for 2 years. My garage is my shop... I buy sale items from distributors and sometimes have to sit on them for a while 'til they sell but that is business. Be prepared to spend some bucks and don't expect to make a living right off the bat...keep your day job for a while! Fortunately I have good retirement coming in to pay the mortgage! Get yourself a website and buy some business cards. They are cheap advertising that you can start now. I've had an FFL in 3 states and they aren't that hard to get, just be patient. Check your local regulations as they may be harder to live with than the feds... Ask lots of questions!
Tim
 
The money isn't in the selling of new guns because of the mark up or rather the lack of a profitable mark up for them, the money is in the accessories, leather, ammo, scopes, etc....
Learning under your friend is a very good idea, If your going to get into building guns you can get machine training from your local community collage.
You might try http://www.thegunsmiths.com/ and http://thegunsmiths.com/phpBB2/ for more information on apprenticeship programs in your state, they can help you get reduced tuition rates from your community collage as well as set you up with apprenticeship advise that will benefit you and your friend. Get books lots of books.
Good luck it was a very good life for me for many years, I put several kids through collage on what I made.
Ps. Take business classes more shops fail because of a lack of business since then from bad smithing.
 
First of all you need to build a business model. Decide what OROOA/ROI you can live with. In other words what will your monthly nut be and what income do you need to survive. There are gunsmiths and then there are parts swappers. If you want to be a gunsmith you will need to invest in some equipment - lathe, vertical mill, surface grinder just to name a few.
A 500 sq ft shop @ $4 per foot will cost $2000 a month just for rent. You will need $11,100 of sales @ 18% profit just to pay the rent. If you want to pay yourself $4000 a month gross income then you will need another $22,200 in sales. BTW $4,000 a month is not much money.
Remember you will also be competing with the Internet.
My other advise is do not try to do this out of your home. I knew a guy over in Atlanta that sold guns out of a basement shop. One customer, that he had done business with before, decided to rip him off. My friend was shot once in the face and once in the chest. The guy then went upstairs and shot his wife twice. Their young daughter hid under a bed. Both barely survived.
 
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