Starting toolset for gunsmithing shop?
- Thread starter Tamren
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
First?
A FFL from the ATF so I could work on other peoples guns legally.
Then lots of liability insurance.
Then a decent floor drill press, letter, number & fractional bit sets, gun thread taps & handle, and a real good machinists vice.
If I had anything left over, I would buy a 1"x42" belt / disk sander combo.
Thats assuming of course, I already had a shop full of gunsmiths screwdrivers, punches, files, stones jigs, etc, which I do.
rc
A FFL from the ATF so I could work on other peoples guns legally.
Then lots of liability insurance.
Then a decent floor drill press, letter, number & fractional bit sets, gun thread taps & handle, and a real good machinists vice.
If I had anything left over, I would buy a 1"x42" belt / disk sander combo.
Thats assuming of course, I already had a shop full of gunsmiths screwdrivers, punches, files, stones jigs, etc, which I do.
rc
dirtyjim
Member
i would say spend the money on general items such as files, punches, screwdrivers etc. then buy the rifle or pistol specific items as you need them.
what type of smithing are you planning on doing?
what type of smithing are you planning on doing?
I'd love to specialize in pistol smithing, but I was planning on starting out with general repairs and refinishing. A nice drill press with accessories for drilling and tapping was pretty high on my list.
Then maybe getting a kit for parkerising or see if I can find a local shop that I can work out something for hot blueing. Another idea was to possibly get a class 7 FFL and start putting together competition guns.
We're finally starting to recover financially from when I was at CST and I'm making a decent amount of money at my current non-gunsmithing job, but it's not something I want to still be doing in another year or two.
Then maybe getting a kit for parkerising or see if I can find a local shop that I can work out something for hot blueing. Another idea was to possibly get a class 7 FFL and start putting together competition guns.
We're finally starting to recover financially from when I was at CST and I'm making a decent amount of money at my current non-gunsmithing job, but it's not something I want to still be doing in another year or two.
If you only have $1500, forget it. You are nowhere near able to open a shop if you want quality tools, even hand tools. Examples: A Brownells file starter set runs $300. A plain good quality general purpose metal file runs $20. One chambering reamer for one caliber (the kind of thing everyone here just assumes all gunsmiths have - "just have it rechambered") is $80. Any kind of a decent drill press will be $600. Your $1500 won't go far, believe me. And I didn't even mention licenses (local as well as the FFL), insurance, rent on the building (a shop in the home is NOT a good idea), etc., etc., et forever cetera.
Jim
Jim
RhinoDefense
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- 883
$1,500 is a joke for a gunsmith.
Buy what you need as you need it. If you try to buy what you think you will need you will have things you will never use and lack things you need. You can do it, but first work on your own stuff till your quality is good enough to sell. You best advertisment is word of mouth, that will take time and it needs to.
riceone
riceone
$1500 to start, I'm anticipating everything coming to somewhere around 20k when it's done. Right now I already have about around 5k in punches, files, lathe bits, and other assorted hand tools.
Perhaps I should have been more in depth with the original question. I really started this to see what people who are more knowledgeable then I had for starting advice and see what comes up that I haven't thought of yet.
Perhaps I should have been more in depth with the original question. I really started this to see what people who are more knowledgeable then I had for starting advice and see what comes up that I haven't thought of yet.
Last edited:
Ozarkrick
Member
Grow slow
I graduated from CST in 87' - worked for and importer and a small gunshop before hanging out a sign. Focus on one area of the market to start with - repair and refinish work is very common. Get your FFL, open up accounts with key parts suppliers, purchase bluing & parkerizing tanks & burners - try to fabricate your own rack to save $. Get a bead blaster, polishing wheels, airbrush, and compressor. Buy used when you can. Most of my refinish work is using Moly-Resin coatings. Grow slow and focus on doing good work. Best of luck to you.
I graduated from CST in 87' - worked for and importer and a small gunshop before hanging out a sign. Focus on one area of the market to start with - repair and refinish work is very common. Get your FFL, open up accounts with key parts suppliers, purchase bluing & parkerizing tanks & burners - try to fabricate your own rack to save $. Get a bead blaster, polishing wheels, airbrush, and compressor. Buy used when you can. Most of my refinish work is using Moly-Resin coatings. Grow slow and focus on doing good work. Best of luck to you.
You mentioned lathe bits so I assume you have a metal lathe. If not I would start looking around for a good used lathe. If you are careful and a bit lucky you can find a good used lathe in that price range. If you already have a lathe than think about a mill. If you already have both than start making some of the tooling you need in your spare time. I for one would far rather have a good milling machine than a drill press, I have both but guess which one I use more often?
Striker Fired
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Some of your metalworking tools can be bought at MSC(J&L) industrial supply.If you set up an account with your business,they offer 25% or more off there book prices in most cases,so that can be a great savings. For lathe and mills there are companies that buy machins from businesses and refurbish or sell as is,they can find machines for you.For a starter machine a drill/mill combo may work for the time being to get you started,but dedicated machines would be best down the road.
I am against having a shop at home for several reasons. (And I am assuming it would be legal under zoning laws, etc.)
One thing is that gun shops tend to attract attention from folks who are not always law-abiding citzens. Even if the shop is in an outbuilding, a couple of BGs who want guns at 3 AM will come to the house. Even if you are so macho that you are sure you will win a shootout, your family just might lose - their lives. As for alarms, those guys cut their teeth on disabling alarms.
Another thing is the same 3 AM knocking and pounding, but not from a crazed drug gang. Just a crazed hunter on opening day wanting you to fix, right now, the gun he broke last year. Or the guy who wants to wring your neck at 10 PM because he missed his deer due to the scope being crooked - he had it put on by another shop, but they are out of business, so it is your fault. Less dangerous, but no fun either.
Another concern is fire. Gunsmith shops have gas welders, oily rags, and all the other goodies necessary to create a nice blaze. Having one in or near your house is not only a danger in itself, but will raise your home insurance rates skyhigh and also be a danger to your family.
Then another enemy. If your shop in in or near your house, you will stay there long hours to "just finish this one little thing". If you are married, the little thing that gets finished will likely be your marriage. If you have a storefront with fixed hours, you will be more likely to go in at 9 AM and leave at 5 PM (or whatever hours you set).
OK, if you think none of the above applies, and that I am full of it, feel free to tell me and just consider the above MHO.
Jim
One thing is that gun shops tend to attract attention from folks who are not always law-abiding citzens. Even if the shop is in an outbuilding, a couple of BGs who want guns at 3 AM will come to the house. Even if you are so macho that you are sure you will win a shootout, your family just might lose - their lives. As for alarms, those guys cut their teeth on disabling alarms.
Another thing is the same 3 AM knocking and pounding, but not from a crazed drug gang. Just a crazed hunter on opening day wanting you to fix, right now, the gun he broke last year. Or the guy who wants to wring your neck at 10 PM because he missed his deer due to the scope being crooked - he had it put on by another shop, but they are out of business, so it is your fault. Less dangerous, but no fun either.
Another concern is fire. Gunsmith shops have gas welders, oily rags, and all the other goodies necessary to create a nice blaze. Having one in or near your house is not only a danger in itself, but will raise your home insurance rates skyhigh and also be a danger to your family.
Then another enemy. If your shop in in or near your house, you will stay there long hours to "just finish this one little thing". If you are married, the little thing that gets finished will likely be your marriage. If you have a storefront with fixed hours, you will be more likely to go in at 9 AM and leave at 5 PM (or whatever hours you set).
OK, if you think none of the above applies, and that I am full of it, feel free to tell me and just consider the above MHO.
Jim
BBBBill
Member
Golden advice from Jim K. Consider it well...
dirtyjim
Member
i know a few people who have and some who still do work out of home shops.
what jim k said is correct but some people prefer to work close to home.
if you specialize doubt you'll have people knocking at 3am, but i also know a few smiths and machinist who will answer their phones and do work at any hour. after normal hours their rate goes up considerably.
i've worked in shops and from my garage and a few other peoples garages, i would prefer to have a shop within walking distance from my house and i also prefer to work from around 6pm till sunrise.
what jim k said is correct but some people prefer to work close to home.
if you specialize doubt you'll have people knocking at 3am, but i also know a few smiths and machinist who will answer their phones and do work at any hour. after normal hours their rate goes up considerably.
i've worked in shops and from my garage and a few other peoples garages, i would prefer to have a shop within walking distance from my house and i also prefer to work from around 6pm till sunrise.
Bill37m
Member
Since i have a big shed to work out of and almost the size of my 2&1/2 stall garage a hundred yards away from my home and is heated.i would just take that $1500.00 and just invest in what i needed just to get me started.i have most of the tools needed for disassembly and reassembly,bluing and refinishing and so on but i can never have enough tools,,i might pick up a job the might require something that i don't have,,hopefully that wouldn't happen lol
Clark
Member
15 years ago I started buying broken guns from pawn shops during lunch break.
At night after dinner, I would take them apart, and then order replacement parts from Numrich.
Then I would sell the fixed guns on consignment at a different pawn shop.
Mostly it was 22 rifles.
Society paid $X/hour and $1.5X/hour overtime, but I could make $0.01X/hour fixing those beat up old 22s.
Then a couple years ago, I had a job paying $1.7X/hour.
I would take home 19" rack face plates and after dinner, cut holes in them with my mill. I would bill for extra hours at $1.7X/hour.
I was not an approved supplier and there was no purchase order for the machine work. They thought they were paying for more engineering. It was black ops machining.
My gunsmithing lathe, mill, welder, shop framing, wiring, sheet rock, work benches, etc. were all quickly paid for.
So my big money loosing gunsmithing hobby paid for itself in the end.
And your wife will not like it, and will not like the metal shavings tracked into the house.
At night after dinner, I would take them apart, and then order replacement parts from Numrich.
Then I would sell the fixed guns on consignment at a different pawn shop.
Mostly it was 22 rifles.
Society paid $X/hour and $1.5X/hour overtime, but I could make $0.01X/hour fixing those beat up old 22s.
Then a couple years ago, I had a job paying $1.7X/hour.
I would take home 19" rack face plates and after dinner, cut holes in them with my mill. I would bill for extra hours at $1.7X/hour.
I was not an approved supplier and there was no purchase order for the machine work. They thought they were paying for more engineering. It was black ops machining.
My gunsmithing lathe, mill, welder, shop framing, wiring, sheet rock, work benches, etc. were all quickly paid for.
So my big money loosing gunsmithing hobby paid for itself in the end.
And your wife will not like it, and will not like the metal shavings tracked into the house.
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