Arms Expert

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LANDMAN4389

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Does anyone happen to know if there is any kind of certification to become an arms and armor expert?

Possibly classes or a degree that could be obtained?

Possibly to gain a job working in the film industry or doing appraisals for individuals, estates, etc?
 
^^ What Rhino said.

I know so much about guns that people in the non-THR world drop their jaw when I talk about them. I am starting a side business doing instruction and light building and modifications, but I went out of my way to get some NRA and state certifications which taught me absolutely not a single thing I didn't already know, to be able to attach some credibility to my business cards. (If you don't believe me, take the NRA basic pistol instructor course.)

It kind of depends on whom you are trying to convince you are an 'expert'. If you are talking about being a court expert witness of some kind, you are generally going to be some kind of professional in the field with a degree, like a crime lab tech or a ballistic engineer. When you are put on the stand as an 'expert' witness, the other side has the opportunity to challenge your knowledge. I THINK, (although I have not yet had the chance to try in real life,) that I could trip up the vast majority of people who give expert testimony in court concerning firearms. You would therefore want to narrow your scope of expertise. You wouldn't say; "I know everything there is to know about the history, manufacture, procurement, implementation, and maintenence of firearms." You would rather say; "I am an expert in the field of forensic ballistics." This way, you don't open yourself up to a challenge trick question you can't see coming.
 
I know a lot about guns but not all guns so I wouldn't consider myself an expert. :D

I was just curious if there were any degrees or such that could be obtained.

I'd love to find a job in the firearms industry.

Appreciate all the info!
 
I would think most "experts" that get paid for their services come from 2 backgrounds. Experienced or Academic. I I wanted to become an "expert" I would either join a branch of the military or law enforcement and get as much training as possible, or get a degree like History and spend a lot of time reseaching.

Then publish a book. If it is good, it will get you noticed by the sorts of people who pay "experts".

You could also go the technical route of working in the firearms industry.

Paid "experts" are generally worth what the community thinks they are worth, so you will need to promote yourself to get ahead. Many "experts" don't know 1/10th of what some THR members do, but they have enough credibility and got noticed by the right people.

It will take some work, but it's not impossible. Like TWOWHEELFIEND said, you will need to dedicate your life to it.
 
Keep in mind, what makes an 'expert' depends on who you're talking to...

I've been called a computer and gun expert by people that know considerably less than me about both... However I know next to nothing about both compared to a LOT of other people.

I'd also second reading, a LOT. That'll get you somewhere at least.
 
This world seems to expect a college degree before they give you any credence and respect, so you might consider any piece of gilted paper that marginally resembles the angle you are attempting follow.

Otherwise, be content to be smarter than a lot of people and occasionally have the opportunity to lead the discussion.
 
The more I read into the topic of firearms, the more I realize that I don't know.

Knowing a bit, a pinch, or a lot more than the "average person" about firearms does not make one an expert, by any stretch.
 
An expert is a guy with a briefcase more than 50 miles from home. I have been involved as a firearms curator/armourer for 40+ years, and NRA instructor for at least that long, and a Training Counsleor for 25+ years. I still consider myself a student. The more I learn, the more I see I do not know, and the more I am surprized to find some of what I thought I knew was actually wrong. I try to specialize in American 18th and 19th century firearms and avoid giving opinions on anything made after 1945.
 
An expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be, by virtue of credential, training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the individual's opinion. Historically, an expert was referred to as a sage (Sophos). The individual was usually a profound thinker distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment.

Experts have a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field. In specific fields, the definition of expert is well established by consensus and therefore it is not necessary for an individual to have a professional or academic qualification for them to be accepted as an expert. In this respect, a shepherd with 50 years of experience tending flocks would be widely recognized as having complete expertise in the use and training of sheep dogs and the care of sheep. Another example from computer science is that an expert system may be taught by a human and thereafter considered an expert, often outperforming human beings at particular tasks. In law, an expert witness must be recognized by argument and authority.
Look up expert in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Research in this area attempts to understand the relation between expert knowledge and exceptional performance in terms of cognitive structures and processes. The fundamental research endeavor is to describe what it is that experts know and how they use their knowledge to achieve performance that most people assume requires extreme or extraordinary ability. Studies have investigated the factors that enable experts to be fast and accurate.
 
Experts are generally self proclaimed.
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There are different levels of credentials, of course.

If you are a teacher (and there are often certifications for that) of students interested in the field, and can point to students that have learned from you, that's one thing. If you are a master (a teacher of other teachers), and can point to other teachers that have paid to learn from you, that's another. And if you can point to masters who have traveled to learn from you, that's another yet.

Of course, if you are making your living in the field in question (employed by several auction houses to give value estimates for firearms under the gavel, for example), and have done that for long enough for the market to have decided to keep you, that says something. Of course, what we often see is a person who is employed in related fields (like an LEO or a firearms safety instructor or a doctor, etc.) who claims to be an expert in, for example, "terminal ballistics and wounding," when they know about as much on that as you and I do.

Courts sometimes need expert witnesses. The experts usually go through a voir dire process so that the judge is convinced he (or she) is in fact expert in the field in question. Having had trial experience as an expert is also a credential.

"Amateur" means a person who does somethng because he loves it. I'm sure many "professional" experts love what they do; but dedicated amateurs can be pretty darn knowlegeable (as a walk through our Reloading forum, for example, will demonstrate), even if they lack credentials.
 
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Depends on who you talk to. Many people attach a lot of credibility to certifications, which is why I am about to take my NRA instructor courses. I have been told by the guys who taught me to shoot (men who spent a lot of time getting shot at) that they really didn't learn a thing from the course, but it got them the certificate to show people.
 
they really didn't learn a thing from the course, but it got them the certificate to show people.
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I hope they meant they didn't learn a lot about gun safety or target shooting (or whatever their cert is).

Because I learned a lot about how to structure a firearms course, and how to teach persons what is in large part a mechanical skill, but in some ways is even more about attitude.

Of course, if they got the cert with no intention of teaching, that may not matter. And that's fine; to each his own.
 
While most experts are self-proclaimed, if you're looking at an expert witness for a particular firearms subject (legal, manufacturing, gunsmithing, ballistics, tactics, training, etc) then you need to look at the person's resume, history on other cases, etc.
 
Well, compared to just about everyone on campus and at home, I know several tons about guns, ammo, and other such things. However, I wouldn't call myself an expert. I'm definitely knowledgeable, but I don't have the great detailed knowledge to be an expert. I'm not a certified gun guru. An expert typically gets certified in the stuff through things like military history courses, studying ballistics, learning metallurgy, shooting lots of different firearms, and doing a ton of research, and maybe writing some books.

Now for my knowledge, I've spent at least a good few hundred hours on Wikipedia over the years, which has built up my academic knowledge of weaponry. Some FPS games give you a bit of rough theoretical knowledge such as how to operate the weapon and aim down the sites, but don't expect very much in the way of real world instruction. I got some working knowledge by doing shooting and browsing of my own, as well as from what I've learned on THR.

For all academic purposes, you could become extremely knowledgeable about arms through a combination of THR and Wikipedia.
 
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I'm going to have to discount the military as a place to become a firearms expert. Unless you are a weapon tech for a unit like the Marine or Army marksmanship unit, you really don't learn much about guns. It is entirely possible to be in the army for twenty years and learn basic use and maintenence of an M-16, familiarization with a pistol and a couple of machine guns, and nothing more. Nothing about ballistic theory, (Or much more likely, a lot of BAD info about ballistic theory,) history, or any other weapon or ammo. The military likes to keep weapon training short, simple, and uncomplicated.
 
Other options would be to seek a job, apprenticeship, or volunteer position with:

Museums that house or display arms & armor...

Auction Houses that sell such items...

Antique shops that deal in collectible arms & armor...

Universities with Anthropology or History departments sponsor digs, artifact restorations, or historical research...

Re-enactment societies...
 
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In order to qualify as a firearms expert (on the internet) you must be
and/or do all of the following:

- be retired from the military and a scout/sniper with at least 108 kills.
- be a retired law enforcement officer and a SWAT team leader.
- be a retired Taurus armorer.
- have a black belt in Sha-Na-Na (in case you forget your gun).
- have attended at least 6 dozen Gunsite courses until wounded by
Clint Smith personally.
- belong to at least 2 dozen firearms related forums with a minimum
of 9,000 posts in each and moderator in at least 8.
- certify yourself as an expert whenever you post.

:D:D
 
Loosedhorse said:
I hope they meant they didn't learn a lot about gun safety or target shooting (or whatever their cert is).

Because I learned a lot about how to structure a firearms course, and how to teach persons what is in large part a mechanical skill, but in some ways is even more about attitude.

Of course, if they got the cert with no intention of teaching, that may not matter. And that's fine; to each his own.
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They already had extensive experience teaching everything from basic qualifications to close quarters combat, just no civilian certification, so for the jobs they were applying for, they weren't paper "experts".

I have solid firearms experience, and solid instructing experience, but I have never combined the two. I hope to gain a lot when I take the course in two weeks.
 
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