Becoming a gunsmith?

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Victor1Echo

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I am a high school teacher in a very small rural community. Many of our students grow up hunting, and around a culture of firearms. I was wondering what the job potential was for being a gunsmith? Are there trade schools? I would think it could be a very unique and satisfying job, but is it something you can do full time?
 
being a gunsmith is like being an artist...you need to marry someone who can support you until you make it BIG and someone who has a business sense to keep the bills paid

...or like most gunsmith's, you have a real job on the side...to keep the lights on. at least that has been my observation of the rather talented gunsmiths i've known.
 
My first 3 years in this trade earned me $525.00 every two weeks.

Lots of Top Ramen. . .

It's a labor of love. I've yet to meet a gunplumber living in a mansion. (I'm workin on it though!:D)
 
This whole issue has been discussed many times, with many professional gunsmiths giving advice. You can find all of that by using the Search feature.

Jim
 
9mmepiphany said:
being a gunsmith is like being an artist...you need to marry someone who can support you until you make it BIG and someone who has a business sense to keep the bills paid

...or like most gunsmith's, you have a real job on the side...to keep the lights on. at least that has been my observation of the rather talented gunsmiths i've known.
Click to expand...
You actually know a gunsmith who made it BIG?
 
it depends on if you consider Bruce Gray and Ned Christiansen BIG

being successful in the gunsmithing world isn't the same as wealthy...it's a labour of love. i'm sure either of them could make more as a welder or machinist.

Bruce once told me that he couldn't charge enough for a full-custom 1911 for the time he put into it...and he hated having customers wait multiple years for the work
 
Very true; having a big following doesn't always mean making big money but you can't beat the satisfaction of being good (and appreciated!) at what you do.

I 'smithed for years because I love it but the finances finally won out. Now I do occasional work for friends in exchange for dinner or a bottle of wine; it helps to scratch the itch but I do sometimes miss being in a shop.
 
You have to start out with a lot of money.

Then, you can be a gunsmith longer, until you run out of money.

rc
 
So there are no trade schools? Unless you become an weapons specialist in the military--even that is limited.
 
Yes there are a few good trade schools.

Trinidad School of Trades has a great gunsmith program, among others.

http://www.nragunsmithing.com/

Being an armorer or weapons specialist in the service is not going to get you very far, as
the vast majority of those folks are parts changers, not gunsmiths.
Only the top level AMU units build guns from the ground up and do machining and barrel fitting and such.

Not much call for a pillar bedded exhibition grade walnut stock for a SAW!

rc
 
Seems like it would make for a fun career.

You have to start out with a lot of money.

Then, you can be a gunsmith longer, until you run out of money.

rc
Click to expand...

Just another time in my life where I wish I had been born rich instead of so dang good lookin.
:rolleyes:

ST

:)
 
Id like to put in a plug for my schooling, 79-81 Pennsylvania Gunsmithing School in Avalon PA, just north of Pittsburgh. Back then the tuition was $230 a month, 35 hrs /per week. 18 months straight through. VA approved and no college credits at that time. I think with the web today, a talented smith with ambition stands a far better chance of steady money than ever before in a rural area. Back when I went to school, about 25 percent of the guys were willing to relocate to a gun related manufactureing job as 2 of my bench buddies were imediately hired by Winchester Custom shop right out of school. I when to work straight away for Auto Ordnance which was near home. 4 years full time smithing/dealer taught me its far too seasonal in my area to raise a family on way back then. Today, Id have to say TALENT, school, AMBITION and internet is the way to "makin a livin" on guns privately. Without any 1 of the 4....you have a side hobby (in most country settings).
 
the problem seems to be everyones desire to get their grandfathers 100 dollar single shot shotgun fixed but not pay what it costs to do so... sadly general smiths seem to struggle... Niche smiths on the other hand, seem to do well.... for ex, a friend of mine specializes in building and improving long range precision rifles and does well doing so... he also does custom 1911 work as well as general bluing and the odd repair job, but the Niches got him going.

The CMP helps too...:D
 
+1

General gunsmithing will drive you to distraction with Loricens that don't work & never did, and grandpaws old rusty single-barrel 12 ga. shotgun last made in 1902.

Everyone wants to get them fixed, then get bent when you tell them either it isn't worth fixing, or what it will cost to make parts you can't get, or fit the ones you can get.

The thing is, good quality guns that are easy to fix seldom break down.
Seems like it's always the cheapies and real old timers that come in for work.

rc
 
+10 For PGS

The Pennsylvania Gunsmith School is a very well rounded education in my opinion, that is where I studied, BTW it is 16 Months, 40 hrs a week, none of the usual college BS (english, writing, arithmetic etc) All but 2-3 hours a week are spent at your bench working on guns, those other hours are for informal lectures, on General Business practice and other FAQ type things with gunsmithing. Gary, Jim, and Pappy are great teachers with plenty of knowledge and they are very willing to teach you if you are willing to learn, this school is not for the under-motivated!

That's not to say that the school does not have its faults, they are no where near perfect, but with the BROAD spectrum of gunsmithing, if you can learn classic gunsmithing, what the specialize in, you can learn anything!
They are still teaching the art of stockmaking, from a blank, I don't believe anyone else does this. . . . The school maintains around 35-45 guys over my enrollment, they enroll the first of every month except July and December. ALL of the graduates that have applied themselves can get a job, just a short list of shops hiring when I graduated; Ballard in MI, Lou Patrick @ Blackheart Int. in WV, Doug Turnbull in NY, Gander Mtn. in a few locations, and a handfull of small shops across the states. . .

I came back home to work at a local shop, in fact I am on their website here: www.ottawaordnance.com
A gunsmith right out of school can expect $10-20/HR + commission at some shops, but benefits are tough, Gander is really a GREAT place to start, and they are almost always hiring a new smith somewhere in the US.

The KEY is being motivated, and self educate yourself, get online and study, history of guns, ammunition, reloading(taught at the school), expand your Ideas on 'custom' and find out what that really means to you, if its a drop on barrel for your 10-22, reconsider. . .

I also attended The Ohio State University for 2 years for my Associates in AgBusiness after High School and before PGS, not only did this teach me a lot about business and life in general, it allowed me to age, literally, then when I went to PGS I was 21 and could purchase hadguns which opens up pistolsmithing. . .

Check out Will at his blog, he is almost done with his schooling, and keeps an online journal here: http://willsworkbench.wordpress.com/

In conclusion, MY advise is to go to college get an associates in something, then go to PGS. . .

www.pagunsmith.com
 
if you could find the right person, kind of like a Father-Son relationship, you could
apprentice for him, things like that do happen but I believe it will take a lot of footwork
and Heart, getting rich, no, unless you come up with a patent or a better mouse trap, if
only I was younger, but I went the HVAC/R for 30 yrs. which I enjoyed very much, good luck in your endeavor.

Ron
 
you can also do an online course through penn foster. i just finished my program. like alot of these guys are saying im just planning at working on the side during my days off to get some knowlege of things. im more interested in doing custom stocking, finishing and action work with some accurizing on the side.
 
I've always loved working with machine tools and guns. after I retired from military I signed up for American Gunsmithing Inst. After about 100 vcr tapes I realized that I already knew almost as much as the tapes in most cases. After that I only ordered the tapes that I needed.
If you don't have another income your going to go hungry a lot. Most jobs don't pay for your time so I just call it education. I've managed to get a rep for my 1911 work and stay pretty busy at it. I recently spent the whole night fitting a slide to a frame. It paid $80 but a very happy customer (best advertizing).
I've spent approx. $3000- $4000 in special tools Not including lathe and milling machine with tooling I don't know if I've paid for them in work yet. But as I'm retired, handicapped and on VA disability I'm in a unique position to do what I love.
If you can afford it and love it go for it. But don't forget 1 Botched job is remembered 100 time as long as 100 good job's.
 
There was a point in time when being a Gunsmith could in reality bring you a satisfactory living.
At that time. custom rifles built on military stuff was in voge, Factory rifles were limited to either Model 70's or a Remington 700.
Money could be made mounting a scope on a rifle,( Drilling AND Tapping the reciever), and custom stock work.
Bolt alterations,Rebarreling, Restocking,Rechambering, while still a prospect has diminished severely in the last 25 years or so.
Black Powder Gunsmithing however has , a HUGE following and the artisans,and I do mean artisans, who are devoted craftsmen herein seem to not lack work.
My advice if you REALLY want to persue a gunsmithing career is to research the Traditional/Contempary "Kentucky Rifle" approach and go from there.
What is available in this mode will positively amaze you.
 
Look for the gunsmithing college right next to the become a rock star college.

These sort of things need to be learned in a school.

But once you get your degree, don't quit your day job.
 
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