Gunsmithing

[Thunder Struck]

I would like to learn gunsmithing and maybe if i get good enough open up my own small business. I am currently looking into AGI institute, at home learning. Since i have a full schedule. Does anyone here have any dealings with them? I am in the kicking tires stage so i am looking around. Penn foster is alot cheaper and i am looking at them as well. Any thoughts on this? Any gun smiths have any imput?? Thank you

 

[forestdavegump]

No personal experience, but my nephew looked into them all and even though AGI was a considerable amount more he has gone with that. If you have the money... If you are serious you will finish and start a business even if you pick Penn Foster. You can ask your accountant about deducting all these as expenses. Research what is best and affordable for you. Going cheaper might not be the best investment long term. Invest in you, your worth it...Right?

 

[saturdaynightpolitics]

I have been researching the same topic myself.

If you are looking to get a little more hands on, but still just a taste try the NRA short term gunsmithing schools. Fairly cheap investment wise and short term for those of us who still have to keep a day job. I know most of these schools also offer full length courses.

I am looking at taking a few armorers courses and machining course work locally before I invest in a full time gunsmithing course; need to make sure this how I want to make my money for sure.

Good luck with your search!

 

[ball3006]

As an alumni of Trinidad St Jr College, I have to recommend their gunsmith school.....chris3

 

[Outlaw Man]

Keeping in mind I'm not a gunsmith, I would think your best option, of you want a formal education, is a trade school or similar, like Trinidad State mentioned earlier, where you are learning to be a machinist. Applying your current gun knowledge to the machinist trade will likely make you a better gunsmith than those DVD courses, which from what I gather are glorified admirers courses. Plus, you have a skill that is marketable in other fields in case gun smithing turns out to be far less fun and profitable than you think.

 

[rcmodel]

See these old threads:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=732519&highlight=gunsmith+school

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...unsmith+school

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...unsmith+school

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...unsmith+school

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...unsmith+school

As for becoming a gunsmith?

Make sure you start out with a LOT of money.
That way you can be a gunsmith longer, before you run clear out of money.

If you want a blue collar profession where you can make a really decent steady living?
Electrician or Plumber come to mind right off the top of my head.

rc

 

[kendak]

why waste your time in 10yrs. the way we're headed there won't be any guns to work on

 

[Thunder Struck]

Hmmmm

Well i have a decent job, i am a plant manager, we also offload ocean going vessels, I fix peoples houses, cars, and whatever they got in the evenings after work. Custom wood working, I was a moulder machinist for 12 years, i can profile metal into just about any shape you want, I have fixed a few guns in my life just by pulling them apart and figuring them out and repairing or replacing broken parts. I went LLC in 95 because of all the construction work thrown at me, I have built 10-12 houses/camps for friends over the years, especially since Katrina. Now all i'm doing is small jobs in peoples houses. I've rebuilt trucks, 4 wheelers and tractors from the ground up, I am getting into farming now and learning how to plant and grow. So i do have trades and ability's. Just wanting something easy and different i guess??
I am just getting old and tired of running everywhere and the thought of coming home after work and fixing guns in the evening at "MY" house sounds good. The wife can see me and feed me hot meals instead of my plate is in the refrigerator, cold...Kinda thinking outloud but Establish a name now and maybe in 10 years or so if i retire kinda do gunsmithing to keep my hands and brain busy. Thanks for the imput though.

 

[Thunder Struck]

why waste your time in 10yrs. the way we're headed there won't be any guns to work on.

I was wondering that myself????

 

[Reloadron]

See these old threads:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=732519&highlight=gunsmith+school

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...unsmith+school

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...unsmith+school

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...unsmith+school

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...unsmith+school

As for becoming a gunsmith?

Make sure you start out with a LOT of money.
That way you can be a gunsmith longer, before you run clear out of money.

If you want a blue collar profession where you can make a really decent steady living?
Electrician or Plumber come to mind right off the top of my head.

rc

OMG not just humorous but true.

As to a good gunsmithing school? Sorry but I don't see any online or mail order school as viable and here is why.

Years ago my brother-in-law and I would make a trip down to Montgomery Community College in NC and take NRA courses in smithing. Excellent instructors but more important hands on working with the tools. We only took the mini courses but the college offered full time classes with the ever so important hands on experience.

As to RC's comment. My brother (10 years my junior) has his masters in theater and the arts. Russ teaches at the university level. Russ is also mechanically challenged. I fix things around the house and always have. Our niece was graduating Ohio U and we were having a discussion when he goes into this rant that a Bachelor of Science degree is useless and she needs to continue ... blah, blah. I quietly put my beer down, looked across the table and asked Russ when was the last time he needed to call a plumber on a Sunday was. Dead silence!

Ron

 

[Outlaw Man]

If you're just wanting to supplement your income or something after you're retired, one of these armorers courses might be fine. When I hear "gunsmith" I think of a guy who can do everything short of build a gun from the ground up and maybe even do that. That's why I responded the way I did.

Go take some of those week long 1911-building classes and learn how to do ANYTHING to a 1911. It seems like all the really good 1911 guys are booked for a year or more, so if you're good you should be able to keep some work flowing in.

 

[Black Knight]

Not a gunsmith but will police armorer work? I have several of the AGI courses and they are very good. They helped me get a good base before I was sent through the armorers schools. In lieu of the hands on schools AGI is well worth it.

 

[EHL]

tagged

 

[oneounceload]

First decide what type of gunsmith you want to be - any particular niche like only working on 1911s or SxS shotguns or similar? Each specialty requires a decent investment in tooling and machinery. Then find a really good gunsmith and ask to become his apprentice and study under him for a few years -(that was how it was done in Europe for a few centuries)