Gunsmith Correspondence Courses....(any good?)

[clipse]

Has anyone here done a Gunsmith Correspondence couse. Are any of them good? I have played around with gunsmithing a bit and would like to learn more but I don't really have to time to go to an actual school or to go to a gunsmith and let him teach me. My father-in-law got to packets of info for me from Foley-Belsaw institute of Professional Gunsmithing and Modern Gun School. Just wanting to get some opinions. Thanks.


clipse

 

[kimbernut]

Gunsmithing Correspondence Schools

I very much enjoyed the Modern Gun School courses.Took me 4 years to go through the advanced course (+-65 lessons)because of my schedule.The courses were developed by the late Ralph T.Walker and he did an excellent job.All during the courses I would be on the lookout for friends,relatives,etc. that had guns that were covered in the courses as I went or after the tests were already handed in just to be sure I understood. I was able to get all but ,I think, 4-5 of the firearms studied by offering a free cleaning or parts cost only repairs and ,of course working on my own guns.(*Be very careful here or you could end up with very few friends and no relatives that will claim you.)The lack of hands on with a correspondence course could be the toughest part if you don't pursue it.You could technically graduate from the courses and never touch a firearm but book smarts and actual application are miles apart. Something else I would look into as well is the AGI Video courses. They are very well done - next best thing to being there and you can always refer back to them. Good Luck and good shooting!

 

[Traveler]

I have a full set of the AGI tapes, and have found that they are definitely worth the money. I know most the the instructors personnally now, having met them over the past 20 years, and while I learned some things differently than the methods they use the ability to go back and look at a gun I don't see with regularity is priceless.

 

[Jim K]

Both the correspondence and the video courses are OK so far as they go. But there is simply no substitute for hands-on experience under a good teacher.

If you can't find a gunsmith course, or can't go away, see if a local community college has a general machinists course. A lot of gunsmithing is simple machine work, with nothing special about it.

One method, if you can afford it, is to do the correspondence and video, then try to get on with an active gunsmith as a "gofer" and apprentice. That is the way many gunsmiths got started.

The drawback of practicing on other folks' guns is that if you goof, you not only end up paying to make things right, but can lose the friend as well. Not to mention the potential problems of doing gunsmithing without a license and without insurance if you really goof.

Jim

 

[clipse]

Hmmmmmm. My uncle is a machinist. Maybe I can look into that.

Thanks for the replies. If anyone else wants to chime in then feel free.

clipse

 

[stans]

Would you go to a car mechanic who learned his trade by correspondence school or would go to an ASE certified mechanic? Not saying correspondence schools are bad, but I think it is hard to beat hands on experience with a master looking over your shoulder.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

My dad, now dead, took the Modern Gun School courses by correspondence, and turned into a fairly proficient gunsmith in his retirement years. (There was a pawnshop, nearby, and he ended up doing all their work.)

That said, I read a lot of the MGS materials, and while good, you needed to have the right mind set and abilities before you started that course. With the right background and experience, I think they would be helpful. He had them -- he was a life-long do-it-yourselfer, jack of all trades, and journeyman mechanic. I'm almost the same way, but lacking in some regards -- I don't think I have the requisite patience.

As for the question about Mechanics and certifications -- going with an ASE-certified mechanic makes, sense, but Ive had some 'certified" mechancis do some ugly things to my cars, while a couple of non-cetified mechanics have done wonders.

One of the best gunsmiths I know was self-taught, another did an appreneticeship with an experienced smith. A few started out as police armorers. I know only one who has gone through FORMAL gunsmith training at a school.

The biggest issue, I think, is where they get their metal-working experience. If there's a good technical college nearby, with metal-working machinist courses, that's a good preliminary.

 

[stans]

I think mind set is another important aspect. A person might have the best technical skills in the world, but if he does not have the self motivation to use them, then he is not going to do good work. When doing such work, attention to details is important and can set one gunsmith above the others.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Clipse - You can learn how to be a machinist from your uncle, not how to be a gunsmith. Machinist techniques can later be applied towards gunsmithing. Plenty o' useful stuph your Uncle knows. (Sorry 'bout the Yoda inglish).