Qualities To Become Good Gunsmith

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ADAMSLARRYD326@COMCA

Inactive
Hi again everyone. I am really thinking about going to the Colorado School of Trades to become a gunsmith. I would like to know if you have to be very mechanically inclined and very good in math to become a gunsmith. Also what other things make a good gunsmith? Has anyone graduated from this school, what did you think of it? I have heard some good things about them but I'd like to know more before I spend my money. If you don't want to go into business for yourself, how much can you make working for some else?

Thanks

Larry
 
I would have to tell you that yes, to be a smith, you need to be very mechanically inclined to be a good smith. Don't let it bother you though because most of it can be learned. Math is going to be a part of most any job you find except being a ditch digger and it will as well unless you never want to move up in life. They have good schools all over, but it will be up to you what you learn and take away from it.
 
I will again preach the sermon. Working on guns is only part of being a gunsmith, and the gunsmith who knows only about gun work won't stay in business long. You also have to learn how to run a small business, learn to deal with all the licensing and regulation (an FFL is the least of your problems), know how to keep business records, have a good business premises (not your home), etc. And always keep in mind that your goal should be to make money, not do favors for your friends, not to be a fountain of free advice, and not to be a lending library for expensive tools.

So the trade school is fine, and they do teach some of that. But you may be able to start learning at less cost. Many community colleges have adult machine shop classes, at a very nominal tuition, where you can find out if you have "the knack" for it. The same places have small business classes, where you can learn about zoning, book keeping, insurance, and all the other stuff involved in being in business.

Lots of luck.

Jim
 
I worked on guns for 13 years under a very skilled gunsmith and machinist, whom was an armoror in the navy, he probably has over 40 years experiance under his belt, i had been tinkering with guns since i was 14 and thru the 13 years i was always learning new things, i really could not count the numerous firearms i have been into, tooken apart and put back together, was always something new everyday:D I became disabled with lower back problems and decided to retire and now i just shoot and enjoy my guns, and do what work i can to help pass the time, it is a rewarding career and can make tons a money if you do it long enough
 
To Jim Keenan

Thanks for the reply Jim. I really don't plan to go into business for myself right away. After schooling I would like to work in for someone with their own shop, or even a large sporting goods store with their own gunsmiths. I think this will help me a great deal in my gunsmithing career. What do you think?

Larry:)
 
Hi, Larry,

I agree that is a good idea if you can find a place like that. The problem is that there are a lot more folks who like to tinker with guns than there are positions in gun shops. A certificate from a gunsmith school should put you well ahead of the guys who took apart one gun and want to be gunsmiths, but there is no guarantee.

If it were me, I would seriously consider going into my own business and start accumulating capital. Start-up costs are high, plus it takes a while to get established and you have to live until you do. Also, you would want to decide what you want to work on and what you won't touch. You can specialize (AR-15 and 1911 are good areas, but rather crowded), or do general gun work. Part of the trick is knowing when to turn work away and how to do it without offending anyone. For example, fixing a cheap, century-old Iver Johnson can take a day or more, and there is no way anyone is going to pay you for that amount of labor on that gun, no matter what they say before you present the bill.

Even jobs that used to be "bread and butter", like drilling and tapping for a scope, are uncommon today with almost all factory rifles already drilled. Rechambering and re-barreling are good work, but also time consuming when done right, and there is no other way unless you want to get a rep as a poor gunsmith or even sued.

One thing you might do is to just look at this forum and all the stuff folks want done. Do you want to tackle those jobs? Can you do the work at a reasonable price and still make good money? If the answer is yes, have at it.

Jim
 
I not so sure now

Wow after reading all that I'm not so sure I can make a living. Doing a job that I love. i need to make a living, and I don't want to go into something that I end up regreting later. Thanks for the advice guys.

Larry:confused:
 
I was in your shoes twenty years ago and wanted to be a gunsmith. I went to Trinidad State JC in Trinidad, CO and got my degree in gunsmithing.
Found out that you could make money in gunsmithing and you could loose your shirt in gunsmithing as well.
I ended up in mold making and got my cerficate from the NTMA in tool/die work.
I worked for several local machine shops and ended up as a machinist for a local food plant ( fancy name for a pork slaughter house:o )
and do gunsmithing after work in the evenings and sometimes late nights as well.
I have my own office space and a shop full of customers guns and tools.
Don't not live your dream just keep a head up.
 
Becoming a Gunsith

Dear Larry,

The last post is correct about working other places as a machinist and such. Like I said in a past post, I went to Lassen College and earned my Gunsmithing degree. I spent over 20 years in the Army and still worked on guns. My seconday job in the Army was Small Arms Repair. I am retired now and I still work on guns and reload odd ball ammunition for myself and friends and the general public. So there is life after Gunsmithing School. I will encourage you to go and earn your Gunsithing Degree, and use it as a stepping stone to future jobs and higher education. It has been well worth it for me.

Peace Be With You,
Williamr
 
gunsmith

Dear Sir:
It takes, "blood, sweat, and tears plus a lot of sand"! It must be a labor of love! You will not die rich! Get a good long lasting job, care for your family and your dog and use your gunsmithing as a rewarding hobby. By the time you retire you will just then maybe be fit to be called, "a gunsmith."
Harry B.
 
The school you mentioned is a great school. That will only get you the proper way to perform the basics. You will get your real experience actually working for someone.

I wish you all the best. It can be fun and very rewarding. Remember they call it work for a reason. Don't base your desire on the romantics of being a 'gunsmith' You really need to love that kind of work and be above average mechanically inclined.
 
Larry,

I am currently attending CST - started last July. It is a big step but one I'm glad I took. You will definitely benefit by having some machining/mechanical experience as well as some solid math skills. I had none of the former but was fortunate in the math dept. (For the record, you don't need to an expert in Differential Equations or Advanced Calculus - just have a good grounding in the basics.) Do you live in CO? If not you'll have to re-locate. That's not that big a deal as the majority of the students here are from all over the country and there's even a couple from outside the U.S. I'm a local (13+ yrs.) and I'm in the minority. It's a 14-mos. program and it isn't exactly cheap ~ $20,000 if memory serves.

As some other, more well-informed posters have noted, the school will give you a good introduction and will provide the opportunity to get into the industry. Jim is correct when he says that actual gunsmithing is a very small portion of your day to day operation. Guncrank is also correct when he notes that you can lose your shirt gunsmithing. (At least it's not quite as bad as owning a winery, where the running joke goes something like, "How do you make $1 million dollars in the wine busines? Start with $10 million!") Don't want to discourage you, just trying to offer a pragmatic perspective. Hope to see you here!!
 
There does not seem to be as many good big shops out there as there were.
But there are alot of bad big shops out there. if you choose to specialize in 1911's there are some good shops out there to apply when your finished with school.
But there's nothing wrong with working on old colt "v"spring guns.any kind of different work will be remembered, hopefull well remembered.
Most of the things i do were not taught at CST, not because of lack of skill of the teachers(i think these guys are some of the best) but the time factor.
I repair customers guns when i have the time to do so, most of the time i am building shotgun barrel sets from scratch, polishing parts for re-bluing, learning how to solder up double barrel sets, lots of blown barrels so far this year so i am buisy. the basics help alot but it's what you get into after that counts.
Pinotguy,tell john stewart hi from paul at simmons and griz(eating,hunting and sleeping).
 
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