I want to learn gunsmithing

[Clark]

Gunsmithing is not something ever mastered.
It is like being a machinist or a musician.
You just get better.

I bought broken guns at pawn shops, bought the replacement parts at Numrich, and sold the guns on consignment at other pawn shops.

After a few years, I could fix broken guns.
Then I built FALs.
Now I build Mausers and 91/30s.
I hope to start rebarrelling Ruger #1s and 1885 Win.

 

[trbon8r]

Allow me to ask this:
What defines a 'gunsmith'?
Is it competency with simple cleaning jobs? Or building exotic pieces from the ground up?
Is it wearing an OptiVisor 12 hours a day? Or treating everyone younger than 45 with disrespect?
Tuner and Old Fuff know more than more 'gunsmiths' have forgotten, yet neither will tolerate that label.

Give me a break. Calling a skilled smith or whatever the politically correct term is a "gunsmith" is no more an insult than calling an automotive technician a "mechanic", or calling a chef a "cook".

I used to work on swimming pools for a living, and had no problems being called a "pool man". Maybe I should have insisted on being called an "aquatic engineer" lest my title be perceived as demeaning.