Gunsmiths

There is a real lack of established trade programs or even apprenticeships for gunsmiths, so the education that is out there is hard to come by.
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This is true as far as the lack of apprenticeship programs. But most schools turn out students who know little or nothing about how to work on most guns. Many will have worked on half a dozen rifles by the time they graduate, but have no hand-on experience with handguns or shotguns. Some go to school with good knowledge of machining or welding, but have no experience with firearms. And many go to gunsmithing school thinking it will be fun and they can become something, anything, and neither apply themselves nor seek knowledge. And even the best and brightest never expect the first 3 years in business when you have to get a second job just to be able to afford to starve. Schools tell them they are gunsmiths when they graduate, so they never try to find a mentor or become an apprentice, they just jump into business and learn the hard way.
 
Montgomery Community College located in Troy, NC offers a gunsmith program as well as some NRA Summer Courses. Years ago my brother-in-law and I would sign up for the summer courses, it was just as a fun thing to do but the NRA Summer Courses were quite good and enjoyable. The NRA is very helpful in finding good gunsmith schools and there seems to be plenty around the country. The kid who bought our business went to gunsmith school in PA for a year or two and lived on the campus.

Ron
 
Scorch, you are correct. It has taken me two years of learning to realize how much I don't know (sounds like Socrates might have said something like that) and I'm graduating in a few months. The school opportunity truly gives you just enough time to start learning equipment and understanding the bare basics of many broad types of work. I know many graduates of various schools who thought their learning was done and now unfortunately call themselves gunsmiths.

Unfortunately, it seems the number of people who want to become gunsmiths outnumbers the educational opportunities available and many are unaware of the level of their own incompetence or inexperience (Dunning-Krueger Effect).
 
When I was a young man most gunsmiths were retired Machinist with years of experience . They needed a income and Gunsmithing fit .
 
When I was a young man most gunsmiths were retired Machinist with years of experience . They needed a income and Gunsmithing fit
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Every good gunsmith I have met had a strong machinist background or tool & die maker background. Before I retired I had the pleasure of access to a nice proto typing machine shop and some of the best mechanical engineers and machinist in the business. While I don't miss going to work everyday I sure miss that machine shop. :)
 
School and the real world are often miles apart. I've had a couple years of Machinist training, then HVAC and Surgical tech schools. In each instance, real world practices were vastly different than what the schools taught.

So.. Are there any certifications for gunsmiths that one can rely on?
 
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