How do I become a firearms manufacturer

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Hodge2202

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I recently graduated with an AA in Machine Tool Technology. I really want to machine gun parts and build guns what is my next step ? PLEASE HELP !!!
 
FFL license to manufacture (I think it is a 07 but don't quote me on that). Then, LOTS of liability insurance.
 
Probably a question better asked in the Law and Civil Rights area.
But, I'll take a small stab at trying to assist. I am NOT a lawyer!
To get started, my suggestion is to get a lawyer familiar with firearms manufacturing, a type 06 FFL, and lots of insurance.
Not much I know. But those should get you started.
 
If you have to ask here you are not prepared or qualified to start such a business. But, I'll give some starter tips.
1) Hire a good law firm and give them about $20,000.00 for retainer.
2) Borrow a few hundred thousand dollars for location and machinery.
3) Hire a good PR/marketing/advertising person for $100,000.00 per year with at least a $500,000.00 advertising budget.
4) Bank about one million dollars for operating funds until a cash flow starts. That will take no less than two years from the day your first gun comes off the production line.
Good luck.
 
The license is the least of your problems. How about minor details like capital, machinery, tooling, design, material, location, etc., etc.

And mainly, what will you offer the market? There is no point in making Mauser 98 actions, or 1911's or yet another AR-15 clone - the market is up to here in all three. If you want to succeed you have to either make a better mousetrap or make the old kind at lower cost, and few small makers are able to do either.

Jim
 
How do I become a firearms manufacturer
I recently graduated with an AA in Machine Tool Technology. I really want to machine gun parts and build guns what is my next step ? PLEASE HELP !!!
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An AA in Machine Tool is not enough. Now you need extensive experiance. You need to go to work for a firearms company to get the experiance you need before you try to go out on your own as a parts manufacturer. Time to send out some resume's
 
An AA in Machine Tool is not enough. Now you need extensive experiance. You need to go to work for a firearms company to get the experiance you need before you try to go out on your own as a parts manufacturer. Time to send out some resume's
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I wouldn't go that far. There is a guy here in town that has his 07 license. He makes a handful of very specific parts for very specific weapons. He has a really nice CNC machine set up to run the parts. He has a successful side business without having had any real firearms manufacturing experience. (side business because his main business is manufacturing parts for another industry).
 
rifleman1776 said:
If you have to ask here you are not prepared or qualified to start such a business. But, I'll give some starter tips.
1) Hire a good law firm and give them about $20,000.00 for retainer.
2) Borrow a few hundred thousand dollars for location and machinery.
3) Hire a good PR/marketing/advertising person for $100,000.00 per year with at least a $500,000.00 advertising budget.
4) Bank about one million dollars for operating funds until a cash flow starts. That will take no less than two years from the day your first gun comes off the production line.
Good luck.
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Please. :rolleyes:

He didn't ask how to compete with Remington.

First off, how is he to know without asking? Starting a business is complex. People don't just "know". You have to ask. That comment is not helpful.

As to the expense, yes, it's expensive. No, you don't need a 1/2 million dollars for advertising. That's asinine.

When I was looking at machines 8 or 10 years ago (for building transmission parts), you could get a decent, used CNC machine that would build firearms for $30-$60,000. I have no idea what they cost now.

On top of that, you'd need a designer and programmer. Some people could do both. Maybe you can do both, I don't know what you know.

You'll need insurance and, yes, it's going to be expensive.

You'll want to be a corporation. Probably an S-Corp. Forming those isn't too hard, but you're honestly better off with an attorney, most likely.
 
There's a company I saw online that does nothing but build SG-43 Goryunov's from demilled kits. They say on their website, don't even call about anything else, because they're booked for months.

Specialize.

But, as others have said, while I do agree that machining experience is probably the largest concern, you still need to learn/understand how that transfers to firearms manufacturing.

Understand as well (as I know a bit about commercial insurance having been a licensed general lines agent) that NO company is going to insure you without a deep breadth of verifiable experience...

Suggest you get that experience in the manufacturing environment, first.
 
Have you got machine tools of your own?
It is legal for you to manufacture a gun for your own use, anything that is legal for you to own in the first place.

Otherwise, I agree, get a paying job and get some experience before taking on an entirely new profession.
 
As long as you stay away from some kinds of parts you don't need any license to make parts. In fact, you could probably do well just turning out one-off parts for collector guns for which parts are no longer available. The trouble is that you would either have to take a chance on a lot of returns or fit the parts yourself, which would be gunsmithing and for which a license would be needed.

Jim
 
As mentioned, SPECIALIZE in something unique - maybe a new clamp for shotguns and extended mag tubes, or a new P rail or whatever - without needing the FFL and liability of a gun maker
 
of course, another option would be to buy out a smaller, existing firearms company and go from there. but, that would require a ton of capital :eek:
 
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Truthfully, my suggestion is to go find a job in an established shop, with an eye to going out on your own later. I mean no offense by this, but if you just got your AA, there's still a ton to learn. It's like that with every degree. What you need not shiny new equipment and tons of debt. What you need is experience.
 
STOP.

Wait ...wait.... wait.

What kind of guns are you going to make? It's not hard and doesn't require millions of dollars like people who don't know what they are talking about are proclaiming, and here's why:

You don't need an AA or any degree, you just need common sense enough to understand the law and operate your tools.

It WILL cost several thousand though depending on what you are going to do. After going through the step to receive your 07 FFL you will have to pay ~$2700 per year in ITAR fees (International taxes on arms).
(You will also have to pay a 10% excise tax to the feds on your total profit if you produce more than 49 firearms in your fiscal year).

All that being the case now, you decide exactly what youyour operation is going to do.
I recomend bending AK flats or something easy to start. You can save money and buy tooling like a lathe you need to maybe finish the 80% receivers that are avaiable for ARs and 10-22 rifles, etc...

IF you are going to set up a giant commercial plant and crank out hundreds of thousands of guns and pay for the tools and employees, etc... then yeah it will run you an aweful lot.

#1 thing is to not ask people on an internet forum and base your plan according to what you might hear. What you should do is check with the BATFE and they will get you going on what has to happen.
 
Hodge2202, welcome to TFL!

One thing that hasn't been touched on in the commentary so far is...how much experience do you have running a business? Knowledge of how to run a business profitably is equally important as the technical knowledge needed to produce a product.
 
Get a copy of the book "Bren Ten: Heir Apparent". It's about two guys who had a bit of money, a bit of mechanical and marketing ability, and a burning desire to build a gun.
 
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