Entering The Gun Industry As An Engineer

[IlikeSA]

If I were you, I would do one of two things: look at some major manufacturers of military hardware like tanks, APC's or learn from a small firearms manufacturer like a 1911 maker. You will not be using your engineering degree, but you will be gaining valuable hands on experience that will translate into a different job later on.

I do not have a degree in the field that I am in now, but got here by experience. As you move into your thirties, experience counts for a lot in the hiring process. Think of firearm manufacturing and design as a long term goal, and consider carefully the steps you need to get there.

 

[DeepSouth]

The amount of ignorance and pessimism in this thread is amazing.

Dude if you want to be a ME for a firearms company.....please ignore these people and contact people who auctually know what their talking about, people like the manufactures or maybe the instructors that teach ME.

I work in a paper mill, we have been making paper the same way for about 150 years, The mill I work at has been going strong for over 50 years....... With the same paper machines. BUT I'd guess we employ 30-40 ME's maybe more. All I'm saying is you don't know what needs a manufacture will have until THEY tell you, the majority of the people here (myself included) have NO IDEA what the manufacturing process involves so this is a bad source of info.

 

[Comrade Mike]

Except for the myriad of engineers that frequent this site? No idea what they're talking about....

 

[pokute]

When we post for an engineering position, we usually wind up taking the best of a bad lot. I've been a working engineer for 26 years, I get a pay raise and bonus every year, and have to carry 3 or 4 other engineers who seem to be perpetually clueless. I've designed MANY novel mechanisms, worked on everything from cheap Indian made Come-alongs sold at Home Depot to Beryllium bed frames for the Int'l Space Station, and rocket nozzles for ICBM's.

If you are good enough, you can get the position you want, and you can work without being beaten down by management. There is nothing made that cannot be improved. The Chicago faucet cartridge was recently redesigned and the new ones are a huge improvement, after a hundred years or so of the old one.

 

[MachIVshooter]

The amount of ignorance and pessimism in this thread is amazing.

Dude if you want to be a ME for a firearms company.....please ignore these people and contact people who auctually know what their talking about, people like the manufactures or maybe the instructors that teach ME.

I work in a paper mill, we have been making paper the same way for about 150 years, The mill I work at has been going strong for over 50 years....... With the same paper machines. BUT I'd guess we employ 30-40 ME's maybe more. All I'm saying is you don't know what needs a manufacture will have until THEY tell you, the majority of the people here (myself included) have NO IDEA what the manufacturing process involves so this is a bad source of info.

What was that you were saying about ignorance?

There are a great many members here with education and experience in technical and scientific fields that most certainly does qualify them to speak on this matter.

I'd love to know what kind of paper mill employs three dozen engineers, as well. Or do you mean people with engineering degrees who wound up working in a paper mill? Because if the latter, it kind of exemplifies the points made in this thread.

 

[DPris]

I've dealt engineers in the firearms industry, which was part of the basis for my comments.

Don't mean to be a downer, just saying gun designers are neither a large nor an easy field to get into.
Denis

 

[OneWound]

Mike, I understand that. You're right, I do not have a lot of technical experience (but this can be explained if need be), but I am currently at an internship working with engineers and I do enjoy what they do, even though the product they make is uninteresting to me. Honestly, I'd be happy working on suppressors, buttstocks, or whatever is related to guns. In reality, I may end up starting my own business doing my own little products (ideas are currently in the works).

 

[OneWound]

SA, I am trying to get as much experience as I can with engineering and machining to make myself more appealing to potential employers.

DPris, it's not just gun designing I'm trying to get into. I'd be glad as an engineer with any gun company, and I am currently trying to get internships aligned with them.

 

[DeepSouth]

What was that you were saying about ignorance?

I was saying some people are ignorant about the given topic but pretend to know what their talking about. Want an example? See below

I'd love to know what kind of paper mill employs three dozen engineers, as well. Or do you mean people with engineering degrees who wound up working in a paper mill? Because if the latter, it kind of exemplifies the points made in this thread.

There you go, that's a good example. Even if your implications are in the form of insincere questions. But to answer the questions it's a solid bleached sulfate board mill specializing in medical and food grade paper board. And yes I meant engineers, I'd hate to count the amount of people we have with engineering degrees, it'd be well over 100 probably double that, maybe 3 times that. I really can't say but it's a lot.

There are a great many members here with education and experience in technical and scientific fields that most certainly does qualify them to speak on this matter.

I completely agree BUT their are also people who are ignorant yet act like that they know what their talking about, and it can be hard to tell the two apart therefor the OP should talk to people that are credible. For instance I could work at fish skinning plant and just be BS'ing everyone. So if someone wanted to know about a future in say engineering equipment for batch digesters used in the paper making process they shouldn't ask me, they should call people/companies they KNOW to be in the industry, such as the mills/manufactures themselves.

 

[Outlaw Man]

As an engineer who was trying to get into the gun industry, I can tell you the majority of engineering positions, at least those that were open, we're manufacturing type jobs - QC/QA, machine maintenance and/or improvement, and facilities management. Still, there are design jobs out there for which a mechanical engineer would be a good fit - optics or electronics design (ok, that's more EE, but...), ballistics engineers, R&D at pretty much any location. Another one I saw, mostly because there's an ammo factory nearby, is a metallurgical engineer. That would limit your marketability in the gun industry, though.

Keep in mind that many of the jobs will be in locations where you can't own the products you design or they will be severely restricted. A lot of the people who work in the industry really aren't "gun people," per se. However, the ones that are tend to be more sought after by a lot of companies.

Keep an eye on NSSF's job postings. Most of them will require experience, but there are quite often engineering jobs posted, and it will be a good, single location to keep up with what types of jobs are out there. Many of the big names use it for job postings. I have seen a few intern/co-op jobs there before.

Or, you could do like me and go into the retail business. On second thought, I don't need anymore competition, so forget that idea.

 

[Willie Sutton]

just saying gun designers are neither a large nor an easy field to get into.


And the point being made by the *engineers* here, either those working as engineers or those who have taken their education and done something else with it (cough cough) is that *most* engineering positions that can be envisioned at *any* manufacturing firm are not those of designers, but of the reliably employed process and manufacturuing engineers.

I daresay that *nobody* is designing firearms or improvements to same before they are ABSOLUTELY EXPERT at the production engineering side of things. To know how things are made is to know how to design things that can be made... inexpensively and reliably.


If I were going to hire an engineer as a firearms *designer*, I would be looking for someone who's spent a few years on the production floor troubleshooting and keeping the manufacturing processes running. And who knew how to grind and sharpen a lathe bit. And who shot competition on weekends.


Willie

.

 

[Oldman1151]

When we post for an engineering position, we usually wind up taking the best of a bad lot. I've been a working engineer for 26 years, I get a pay raise and bonus every year, and have to carry 3 or 4 other engineers who seem to be perpetually clueless. I've designed MANY novel mechanisms, worked on everything from cheap Indian made Come-alongs sold at Home Depot to Beryllium bed frames for the Int'l Space Station, and rocket nozzles for ICBM's.

If you are good enough, you can get the position you want, and you can work without being beaten down by management. There is nothing made that cannot be improved. The Chicago faucet cartridge was recently redesigned and the new ones are a huge improvement, after a hundred years or so of the old one.

Would be interesting to know where you work being you have worked with Beryllium bed frames for the Int'l Space Station, and rocket nozzles for ICBM's. I worked for a place process the Beryllium for Beryllium components items you mention. Not suppose to talk about the ICBM thing. Can not be many sources out there. I can think of one. PM me if you want.

 

[Comrade Mike]

Would be interesting to know where you work being you have worked with Beryllium bed frames for the Int'l Space Station, and rocket nozzles for ICBM's. I worked for a place process the Beryllium for Beryllium components items you mention. Not suppose to talk about the ICBM thing. Can not be many sources out there. I can think of one. PM me if you want.

Haha no kidding, I've worked on ISS components as well. I've got work going up on a resupply mission here in the next six months.

To the detractors out there, this community does occasionally know what it's talking about

 

[larryh1108]

To the detractors out there, this community does occasionally know what it's talking about

...let me see.... who should I believe here.... the guys who are engineers and have been there done that or the guy who works at Walmart, is smoking a doob and telling the OP (via the internet) to not believe what other people say on the internet because they don't know what they are talking about..... hmmmm, tough choice....

 

[Officers'Wife]

Gentlemen, the original poster is asking for advice. We can give him that advice and allow him to accept or discard using his own intelligence. Or you can quibble and accuse like a pack of Ferengi

 

[Derry 1946]

Who stole my latinum???