new to gunsmithing

D

dozer184

Inactive
Hello im new to this site but maybe some one can help me
I have always loved guns so i am getting my gunsmith degree from foley-belsaw institute for in home schooling and i feel like i might have made a mistake becuase now i think i should have gone to a collage but i guess the main question is will gunsmiths allow me to have a apprentice ship or would they ignore me becuase i have been looking on the web for jobs but i found nothing i am going to check my local gunsmith but any advice on how to get an edge for him to allow me to have a shot i would really appreciate it. thank you all for you time on reading this and any advice i would really like to hear thank you.

andy

Whatever you do, if you do it hard enough you'll enjoy it. The important thing is to work and work hard. -David Rockerfeller

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. -Theodore Roosevelt
 
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never hurts to ask

As far as the Foley Belshaw course, it isn't a very detailed course. You can ask any gunsmith about doing an apprenticeship program. If he does very much business, he will most likely need the help. Check with your state employment office about the specifics before you go for a visit to the shop. Most states will have a program that will allow him to get part of your salary paid by the apprenticeship program. This helps get him cheap labor, and you learn a trade. Don't be afraid to ask questions here or there. You won't learn if you don't ask. Also, don't expect to make much in the beginning. Your salary will grow as your knowledge does. I would try to have a full time job at night while doing the apprenticeship, as it may take a while before you make enough to live off of. Good luck with it.
 
Ah agree with all of the above but might I add...

If there's a junior college within driving distance, I suggest a year or two of machine operations? You want to learn how to use a lathe and milling machine right. These skills will help you later with gunsmithing.
 
thank you i do have a community collage close by im chencking into lathe and cnc and also welding classes thank you so much for answering.
 
re-gunsmithing

:) Dear Sir:
I hate to say this but many "gunsmiths" are unwilling to help, or share secrets to a new man on the scene; not all, but many.
I think this is due mainly to ego, or fear of competicion, or revealing just how little they really know. In the past students were indentured (apprenticed) to a gunsmith who let the student learn alongside of them. But the central question needs to be asked, "how did those gunsmiths get their education"?
A school is a great idea, but after graduation you, then, will just be ready to learn. Water rises no higher than its source, so all you will know as a graduste are the nuts and bolts of the craft; or, if you've specialized, just that specialty.
Many gunsmiths, the best, have learned from books and their own drive and experience. Gunsmiths become really good gunsmiths by making mistakes, learning from them and not repeating them; be careful of a man who hides his mistakes - he's dishonest!
Read the books, don't be afraid to admit your mistakes or lack of knowledge and you'll do fine.
Harry
 
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