become a gunsmith?

[SilenceIsGolden]

i want to become a gunsmith and have found a mail order school for the certification and the FFL. i just want some pointers as i am just a begginner and will not pretend to know much about the trade.

 

[Tim the student]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=437500
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=437428

 

[SilenceIsGolden]

thanks this helped alot. guess im going to have to think on it a bit more.

 

[iiranger]

Really?

FFL requires $300.00 and a government background check... Contact BATF (sometimes in phone book, if not FBI can direct you), they have a packet. You do not need any correspondence school for that. -!!-

"Certification?" Really. By whom for what about ??? I am sure they will sell you a nice piece of paper for your money. Worth it? I doubt... Friend of mine took one. He got all excited to learn that Browning had licensed the A-5 to be made in USA and now the USA model was cheap, cheap, cheap... Great history info, not much about working on guns... USA model? Remington model 11. Savage made a copy too. Model 750 I think. Remington could use Belgium parts WITH FITTING. Savage was not that close.

Basically, the gunsmith is a machinist, a wood worker and a small business person. You probably have a local community college with courses on all three AND help finding work in these fields while you get your business up and running. [Or decide to do something else.] You need some manual dexterity/ fine motor skills. I wanted too. My "fine motor skills" said NO. Luck.

 

[jbaker]

Being able to learn under a gunsmith sure helps there is a lot of tricks of the trade. Going to one of the gunsmith college is a plus to get hired at a gunshop to learn under someone. Just look at it this way you take a class in wood working at the community college will it really show you how to inlet a mauser barrel action? do you inlet the action first or the bottom metal? how far down do you inlet it how much space do you leave between the mag well and the action? also who would you take your gun too, the kid that got a certification or the one that got a degree worked at a gunshop for a couple of years then started his own business?

 

[SilenceIsGolden]

ok i understand what you both are saying. what about this, my older friend at work says i would not be able to get a FFL without a storefront or shop-like place to sell out of. is this true?

also that cert course would be through Penn Foster.

 

[jbaker]

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/fflc/about.htm
Here is a site to start at about getting a FFL
Never heard of Penn Foster looked it up dont look like the offer any tools.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

This may be more up your alley and more in your neighborhood than the school I attended. http://www.pagunsmith.com/courses.php

 

[SilenceIsGolden]

ok i figure i just want to buy and sell firearms and provide limited services so which FFL would be good for that? a Dealer license or a Pawnbroker one because the ATF does not provide any definition for the differences between the two.