Firearm related jobs

[skeet king]

I am 17 and just starting to look into what I want to do for a job. What good firearm related jobs are out there? I've heard the military thing like crazy and don't intend on enlisting. Have you heard of any interesting jobs that I could look into?

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Machinist in a gun factory -- not too bad, but you'll be working in Brazil for $4 a day.

Sales clerk at a gun store -- I couldn't do that for a day.

Gunsmith -- lots of luck supporting yourself when a new gun costs less than the repairs to an old gun.

Mall security guard -- too dangerous.

Guns are our hobby, not our job -- even if some of us sometimes carry them on the job for extra pay, or moonlight as firearms instructors.

 

[kirklandkie]

gunsmith
police officer
swat officer
tacticool ninja

-kirk

 

[Sommerled]

Skeet king,

There is a young man on this forum that did an internship with ATK in Anoka, MN where Federal Cartridges are made. He goes by JFettig (IIRC). He is studying some sort of engineering I think. Try a PM to him.

I would encourage you to consider making yourself a valuable person to prospective employers by getting training in a technical field at a community type college or a 4 year degree (or more) to gain the skills to be competitive in today's job market. By the time you get out of school I'll bet that the outlook will have improved.

Don't be discouraged by some posters. There is always a place for a skilled and ambitious young man. You'll run into a few disappointments but with determination you will eventually succeed! A dream can carry you forward like nothing else can, so keep your goals ahead of you.

Get more training than high school. I think Duke of Doubt is an attorney and may be experiencing the bitter consequences of a very crowded profession. Let me tell you that a skilled machinist is a far rarer commodity and has little difficulty in finding good paying employment even today (at least in my area of Minnesota). Take the road that is more difficult while you are young and you will find it less crowded when you are older. I am an average machinist at best as a hobby, (I am a surgeon) and am amazed at what the truely skilled man can do. Make yourself valuable, hard work creates it's own lucky breaks.

Best wishes to you!

Sommerled

 

[finnerandr]

You might not be able to support yourself full time doing it, but being an instructor would be a good part time/weekend job. If you could get certified to teach NRA classes and/or Concealed Carry courses(if legal in your state), then it would give you a job in which you can share your love of firearms with your students.

 

[ldyates]

Go to College and get a conceal carry license.

 

[heron]

There's an awful lot of science involved with firearms and shooting, and there seems to be a shortage of mathematicians, physicists, etc. here (we import many of these now). If you're planning on college, think along the lines of metallurgy, engineering, manufacturing engineering, etc. for the guns themselves, and chemistry for the powder. Chemistry and metallurgy also go together in the specialty of metal surface treatments, like bluing and melonite (Tenifer). The more you know about any or all of these things, the better you'll understand and appreciate firearms. Take all the machining and metalworking classes you can get.

 

[gym]

Get a PI license, and get with a company that does personal security, the pay is good, and you get to travel all over the world. You will have to take some classes.

 

[Owen]

skeet king, where are you located?

 

[3pairs12]

You could try and become a regional sales type person for a distributor suchs as Lipsey's.

 

[CWL]

If you are into skeet, how about a job at your local range? If you really are good competitively, you can get sponsorships.

My advice is to go to college and learn a profession that may be tuned towards the firearms industry if you still desire to work with firearms after you graduate. This country needs mechanical engineers and chemists. If you don't go to college, learning a trade like becoming a machinist or toolmaker would be useful.

Honestly, it would be more lucrative if you chose another profession where you'd make more money and just spent your dough on firearms as a hobby.

 

[LoneCoon]

Learn machining and/or Mechanical Engineering. From there, you can either get training as a gun smith, or look for positions in factory assemblies and the like.

And if you can't find a job in that industry, there's jobs elsewhere for skilled machinists and engineers.

 

[SpecialKalltheway]

Law school. There are plenty of lawyers that specialize in gun law.

 

[mljdeckard]

Most people who join the military planning on doing a lot of shooting are going to be VERY disappointed.

I would love to become a gunsmith, but it is a long process to become profitable or wealthy doing it. I'm going to go to law school.

 

[Mike OTDP]

+1 to the recommendations for mechanical engineering if possible, machinist if not. Bonus points if you can do both.

Then start looking for a job with either the Department of Defense (Aberdeen Proving Grounds or the Naval Surface Warfare Center facility in Crane, Indiana). Or possibly with one of the major small arms firms.

Remember that if you have a college degree, you can go into the armed forces as a comissioned officer. Much better deal than enlisting. And they will do just about anything for people with hard science or engineering backgrounds.

 

[CountGlockula]

Get accepted into a college that's famous for its Science, Biology and Chemistry. Graduate with a Masters' degree in either field, and apply to become a Firearms Inspector at the local PD. Crime Scene Investigator is where the money is at.

 

[Dark Skies]

Bounty hunter?

 

[eye5600]

Hollywood stunt man?
Forest ranger?
Rancher?
Varmint control?

One of the big questions that folks don't ask is about the ambiance they would like to work in. Do you want to work in an office, or in workshop, or in a store, or in the great outdoors? Do you want to work with people, or with animals, with things, or with ideas? You can make good money any of these ways, but it helps to plan early.

 

[CoRoMo]

Manufacturer's Sales Rep.

I think these guys have dream jobs. Maybe not right now with all the hysteria, but otherwise, from what I've seen, they have it made. They make a fat salary plus commission.

One of the S&W guys I knew of through a friend kept a working sample of every single item that S&W produced. He would of course take these guns to any and all local dealers to persuade them to carry a line of Smiths, but what was cool for me was the recurring shoots. S&W often sponsors firearms events, and I was invited to go to a range where this sales rep was going to be. The deal was that as long as we brought all the ammo, we could shoot any or all of the Smiths. He had a booth and had every gun that S&W manufactures available. Revolvers, pistols, M&P15s, you name it.

I think he has to clean all those guns, so that might be the downside, or it might not.
You're going to have to at least have a bachelor's degree, sales experience with a record of success, and a good knowledge of guns.

 

[longdayjake]

Find something that you spend a lot of money on in the business and then find a way to make and sell similar items for profit. I think that lazer grips are something that could be much cheaper and still be profitable.

 

[Rob P.]

If you want a job which involves shooting guns all day, then you are looking at being self employed as a firearms instructor. And starving most of the time.

If you're looking for a career in a gun carrying field, then you have several choices to make BEFORE you do anything. You need to decide whether you are going to be a professional or skilled labor. IF you're going to be professional then you need to decide what degree you need and what university to go to.

Skilled labor jobs are things like armed security guard, armored car employee, private investigator, gun smith, gun shop owner or employee, etc. These jobs require little or no education and entry level openings usually require no experience. Some jobs require training and certification but this can usually be obtained at the local community college.

Professional jobs are things like law enforcement (corrections, probation or LEO), Attorney (FBI agent's are usually atty's too), CSI, etc. These jobs usually require at least a bachelors degree or more. Entry level requires a degree but often no experience.

For my money, right now I'd be looking at a field other than exclusively crime scene investigations. Most city/state government budgets are going to require a reduction in payroll and layoffs due to the economic situation.

A better bet would be to look at the possible future employment requirements 5 - 10 years from now. Jobs in environmental health, energy, and other emerging fields are a better bet than "yesterday jobs" of nursing, CSI, & law.

As for the best prospect: become a doctor.

 

[Trustin]

take classes in Sales, Psychology, Sociology, Firearms training (if the college offers it) if not, become an NRA certified instructor in the meantime, and you might as well get the Range Safety Officer certification too since after NRA instructor, you can do it from home. try working part time at gun stores in the mean time, possibly one with an indoor range so you can use that RSO cert.

All of this would lead up to what my dream job would be. which is a Sales/Demo rep for a large firearms manufacturer selling to LE/Gov't.

Big money, Big Business, and a license, because you are a class III salesman, to possess a Full Auto.

not to mention: free ammo and an actual need to do all kinds of shennanigans with a machine gun

 

[X-Rap]

I always thought being a good gun writer would be a great job. If you are young I would sure look at the military and Combat Arms especially advanced as in Rangers or other Spec. OPs to get a good base for experience and credibility if you intend to instruct or do serious security. For that matter even as a writer I would think military training would be a plus.
The rest of us can hypothesize, and speculate about what is and isn't but unless you have really been BTDT its all really just a stab in the dark.
Some LE I would bet get a fair picture in their duty but the actual combat that some men have seen in the present GWOT will be of much value in the future just as the experience of those warriors of the past have been.

 

[CoRoMo]

Just don't join the ATF... please.

 

[nachosgrande]

I second the mechanical engineering degree although I'm not sure how many positions there are in gun design.