Looking for info on learning gunsmithing

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Detritus

Detritus

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Jan 19, 2003
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Well, after thinking "It'd be cool, but probably a waste of time & money", almost since i was 18 and 4-5 years of my wife asking me at least once every two months "why don't you? you KNOW you'd like to.." i have finally coem to teh conclusion that i should break down and at least find out more about what avenues are open to becoming a gunsmith.

Info i am looking for is along the lines of what types of courses/avenues are there that would lead to this as a profession. i am assuming that most of those "learn to be a gunsmith in your own home at your own pace" courses advertised in magazines, are not the way to go.

frankly about all i know is that i don't really knwo where to start, i have an interest. but i would like to know where to go from there.

i guess i should probably leave it at that, and just ask any questions that come up based on the replies i get...

As always and Especially in this case, any and all information and advice you kind folks can give me is greatly appreciated.
thank you
 
Something I've noticed, technical colleges seem to have quite a few of these kinds of "oddball" or non-traditional courses.
Click to expand...

Irony is, my local Community college (brazosport college) used to have a gunsmithing course program, but discontinued it well before i ever moved here. I met the guy who bought most of the shop machinery that was surplused when they canceled the program..:banghead:

I'll have to look into that listing once i get up in the morning (been up too long to navigate the sites).
 
I'm not a gunsmith but I've asked some I've met the same question. The most common response is learn machining first. After thinking about their answer it makes sense. How many times have you heard about the gunsmith that tried to machine something and bubba'd the job because they didn't use the right equipment, tool or understand clearances and really screwed the pooch.
 
There's no doubt in my mind that one needs to become a "machinist" to do good gunsmithing at any serious level. You could begin doing the metalworking courses at a nearby tech-school or community college. This approach would definitely get the fundamentals one needs in an easy-to-do way, with little disruption and / or expense.

However, there are a couple of resources for you on how to sort this out. First, check out Brownell's. They have many resources about amateur and professional gunsmithing information--check out their books, whatever--call, and I am sure you will find out more.

Finally, over the years I have repeatedly heard of two gunsmithing courses of study as being "the ones to do:" there's one in Colorado--Trinidad CC?--and there is one in Pine City, MN. IIRC, these are the two-year, accredited 'community college' packages that lead to an Associate's degree. A google ought to bring up this information.

That's the formal side of things. The gunsmith I consider 'mine,' and who has done anything from fix boys'-camp-.22s to build a rifle for me--started out as a machinist and became a tool-and-die-maker before he jumped into his own business. Currently, he's doing minor work on my handguns--action work on J-frames, tuning up 1911s, that sort of thing--while I save and sort out how to pay for a rebuilt 1885 LowWall turned into a fine example of an early 1900s marksmanship rifle.

Good luck with your chasing on this career move. Keep us posted.

Jim H.
 
If you intend on doing this for other people (profit or not), set up an S-corp and get INSURANCE.
 
well, i guess the next step is the one I was planning to take for unrelated reasons anyway. ie talk to the folks down at the Community College. they don't have a gunsmith program but like every technical college i've ever heard of they offer machinist/millwright courses. hopefully someone there will have more advice on the exact course of study i should be taking to acheive this goal.
 
I'd say the best smiths are machinists first (or at heart at least). My Dad was a machinist/tool and die maker who also smithed and I grew up in that environment. The scent of Tool oil and hot metal. Good memories...
The Starret Book for Student Machinists (1942) can be found and is a must for a newbie. (Check out Alibris... they have 2 used copies right now, Amazon, none)

Find a nearby Machine Shop or quality Gunsmith who'll take in an apprentice and plan on sweeping brooms, cleaning up, doing every dirty job in the shop for no pay, but keeping your eyes and ears open. You might even consider buying an apprenticeship if the shop/smith is good.

Start your library now. Kuhnhausen. Gun Digest Assembly/Disassembly Volumes I thru... (all of 'em). Brownell's "Gunsmith Kinks". TM's from Uncle Sugar.

Get your C&R license. Buy a few good tools from Brownells initially. There'll be more later. Later on you might need to get your 01 FFL.

Learn how to mount a scope/rings and boresight. Lots of ways to do it wrong. Figure those out early.

You going to focus on metal or wood or both? Plastics? (er, polymers).
You going to focus on one or two specialties? Know the market in your area most needed/used by Gun Owners. An IDPA smithy might be able to set up an IPSC racer or fix a CAS 6 shooter, or maybe deer hunting is supreme or smoothbore waterfowlers in your area. Follow the need/money.

College classes are great. Seminars put on by big-time national smiths too. Plan on specializing but have enough smarts and flexibilty to be a jack of all trades.

Finally, win the lottery and practice gunsmithing until you run out of money (old joke). ;)

All joking aside, since you are serious Detritus, take a few business classes along the way. A life long hobby is one thing (and a good thing). Putting food on the table and paying the bills is another. But don't let that stop you, especially since your better half supports your dream. Just do it. Strive to be the best.
(Psssst. Have your wife learn engraving or leatherworking AND the business end of things. 2 people working together as a team can be a powerful force)

Found this online. Some of the syllabus would be a good path to follow.
http://www.transalert.com/pdf/Machinist.pdf
 
Contact the guy at www.cncguns.com he may be able to provide you some information. While not a gunsmith he has built ARs, 1911, STI etc... from blocks of metal and a parts kit.
 
My suggestion would be first learn Cad Key is a machine design format shape design program, AutoCad is a general drawing tool for 3- D objects and Master Cam is a tool path design tool software. Machines are machines if you know how to change a chuck, however getting to know all the different tools for CNC is a years worth of knowledge or more. There are thousands of different tools for CNC. Over 250,000. There is at least 2 years of college courses without a degree for the above programs. Good luck and live your dream. I have 3 years of college and have yet to get to CNC. However have all the above courses and a year and a half in manufacturing plus math and english classes etc.
 
Detritus -

First off, congratulations on deciding to pursue your dreams.... and double kudos for wanting to do it the right way.

I am a trained gunsmith, did it both at an established school and as a apprentice/journeyman/master program. I found that the most knowledge I received was from the school, as the apprenticeship was mostly part replacement, not gunsmithing.

I went to the Pennsylvania Gunsmith School, where we were required to be proficient at machining (we had to make most of our own tools), bluing, stock making, checkering, repair, barreling & chambering. It was a 16 month course, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week... with almost no vacations.

From everyone else I have spoken to, every horror story you hear is from self-described "gunsmiths"... who never had any training of any kind and decided to turn their hobby into a job... and ended up butchering guns. There are plenty of self-trained gunsmiths who do good work, but those are the only problem stories I hear.


Oh, and did you select your name from a character in a well known satirical book series? ;)
 
This is a question I see on lots of boards, Over the last two years A group of gunsmiths, and recently groups from the firearms industry and Pete Brownell have been heading to the same point, developing a gunsmith apprenticeship program acceptable to all 50 states and the U.S. Dept of Labor, Information on the program can be found on www.thegunsmiths.com and on the gunsmiths forum http://thegunsmiths.com/phpBB2/ at this time the program can help you with several types of assistance from reduced tuition at community collages to finding a gunsmith to apprentice under, also their are programs to help the gunsmith with training costs and possibly with wages through your state apprenticeship program.
Machining classes are an important part of being a gunsmith but as important are classes in business, you can be a great gunsmith and still go broke because of lax business practices.
Good luck it is an awarding trade and one in which you can make a very respectable living, In over 30 years I never woke up and felt I didn't want to go to work.
 
Learn wherever you can, not just guns. I'd love to go to Colorado School of Trades and use up my GI bill, I just don't have several years to waste. I grew up in a machine shop, I made a career out of aviation metalwork. None of that is guns, but it made me good with my hands, aware of what metal can do, and patient. I am learning gunsmithing now by working my own stuff, buying a book if I need it, buying a tool if I need it. Maybe one day I will work on others stuff.
 
Update

Well this is how it stands at the moment...

The Good.
have spoken to the local Comm. College, and if i can get the funds together (currently unemployed and finding work will be a factor) am planning to enroll in the Machinist program there, possibly taking the basic course and the CNC course concurrently (as suggested by the prefessor in charge of the classes), that is IF they can get 9 other folks to sign up for the CNC class this next semmester (minimum enrollment is 10 to hold the class, but typiclly only 4-5 sign up).... :):)

The Bad
the local office of Texas Worksource (the point of contact for the state apprenticeship programs, and our version of an "unemployment office") looked at me like i had 3 heads, when i asked for information or if there were any resources open to me in finding a place to apprentice. the basic response was that they didn't know squat about ANY state funded/supported/etc apprenticeship programs for any trade/profession, didn't have any resources related to any such, yadda yadda... BUT said they COULD possibly help me with tuition assistance for a machinist program.... but no wait, not only is the LOCAL Comm. College not on the approved list for that program, but my wife most likely makes too much money for me to qualify for ANY programs.

Translation of above; "Yesterday, I re-confirmed that, at least for anyone not already on some form of other government assistance, talking to my local Worksource office about anything, other than where to call the automated unemployment claim system, is akin to trying to drive accross-country by getting on a merry-go-round" :banghead::cuss:

The "gotta figure out who to talk to next"
So anyway that leaves me in the following situation, my next move looks to be finding an actual gunsmith willing to take on an apprentice. and i'm not so sure of what my local prospects for this are. based on what i am hearing neither of the two local guys that I actually at least know of by name, is able healthwise to take on an apprentice.
So now i guess i need to look up a listing of smiths in my general area to see who's both qualified and willing to take on an apprentice... (what fun THIS ought to be :rolleyes:)

as always y'all have a nice day or evening, and thanks for the encouragement so far. and any and all further info, leads, etc you can give is greatly appreciated.
 
Midway sent me a nice gunsmithing tools catalog, which has an article about schools in the front. The ones mentioned are:

Lassen Community College
www.lassen.cc.ca.us

Colorado School of Trades
www.schooloftrades.com

Trinidad State Junior College
www.trinidadstate.edu

Pennsylvania Gunsmith School
www.pagunsmith.edu

Montgomery Community College
www.montgomery.cc.nc.us

Murray State College
www.mscok.edu

Pine Technical College
www.ptc.tec.mn.us

Piedmont Community College
www.piedmont.cc.nc.us

Yavapai College
www.gunsmithing.org
 
While i would LOVE to be able to go there, currently the school of trades is out of my reach, b/c i just flat can't afford the costs involved... :(

though the existance of a gunsmithing program near to central NC (Piedmont Community College, in Roxboro) does provide a spark of hope for getting into a course on teh subject, if certain other hoped for changes occur (ie my wife is trying to get a transfer to NC anyway)... but that's still a bit off.

as it stands now it looks like what i need to do to make any real progress on this dream, is to find a 'smith near me willing to take on an apprentice, or similar.

If that dosen't turn out to be viable i'll have to put all of this on hold till such time as i CAN afford to go to one of the Comm. College programs.

in other words, more importantly than wanting/needing to make progress towards becoming a gunsmith, i need to find work!
at this time i am hoping to find something that combines the two goals but, if not.. unfortunately Bringing in money has to take precedence(sp?).
 
I've actually looked into it also and found a university that specializes in gunsmithing.

But the main thing would be if you had a sort of mechanical engineering/automotive mechanic-type of back ground because you're going to do a lot of machining. Also having a huge garage would help for a nice little work area. I wouldn't recommend using the dining room table.

My main concern is finding a job afterwards, or making it more of a personal hobby.
 
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