Professional gunsmiths?

Hey folks,

I've been reading through this site for the past several days and was looking for some advice. I am 28 and have a job that I could easily make a career out of; however, it is not really what I want to be doing. I've had a passion for firearms and reloading for several years now; and have aspirations of opening my own custom rifle shop some day. I am currently in school working towards a bachelor's degree in business management, and am considering taking some metal working classes at a local college. I would like to get an apprenticeship as a gunsmith, eventually leading to me owning my own business.

I am curious if there are any one here that makes a living at being a gunsmith? If so, what was the path you took to get there?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

Don't quit your day job.

I know that you are in Texas and this school in California....

http://www.lassencollege.edu/academics/our-programs/gunsmithing

Finish your degree; it will give you a leg up on running the business side. It might even be what a practicing smith needs for his business, which would give you some trading material when you ask him to train you. Take some machine tool operation classes as electives if you can. Maybe your school has an engineering college and they may have a shop or some actual classes. Or try a community college; they tend to be closer to reality than big universities.

You will hear that getting started in gunsmithing is almost impossible, but that is true of almost all startups. Getting started is the challenge.

Mr. Gaskill speaks in sooth. I started a business in electronics and mechanical work, a little different product but the same issues. The biggest mistake I made was in concentrating on the work instead of management. The advice I have given to everyone who asked about starting a business (and they never take) is before you look for equipment, building, etc., take an accounting course and set up your books first. Obviously it will be sketchy before you acquire equipment and start doing jobs, but get clear on the framework.

When I first had a business accounting programs were minimal. Now there are lots. One thing to avoid is one that requires you to pay a yearly fee to reset things like withholding percentages. I still use an ancient copy of Manzanita Businessworks that allows me to enter them. I don't know what is available now.

You can be learning the trade as you go, but finish the degree first. No doubt the required accounting is included.

Bill

I went to Colorado School of Trades in 1986. After that I apprenticed with a custom gunmaker. Along the way I picked up a Machinist degree and some welding. I worked at a couple of other shops for a number of years. Have you ever noticed that in every field there are sucessful people who have " made it"? It's the individual. Not the easiest occupation but.....


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Once you get your degree in Business Management, you'll probably know enough to stay away from gunsmithig as a business!

300sniper said:

Once you get your degree in Business Management, you'll probably know enough to stay away from gunsmithig as a business!

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The whole gun deal is on cruse now that Trump won. Sooner or later we will put another dem in charge and they will be pushing gun control again. Why would you want to make a career out of something a lot of people are trying to outlaw?

It seems to me like a person would have a pretty hard time making a good living by just being a gunsmith, but if they owned a gun shop that retailed all of the related gun stuff and also happened to be owned by a good gunsmith you could probably live pretty good.

moonlight machine said:

The whole gun deal is on cruse now that Trump won. Sooner or later we will put another dem in charge and they will be pushing gun control again. Why would you want to make a career out of something a lot of people are trying to outlaw?

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Because, typically speaking, that's when business is at its best.

Finish your degree. Find a job that pays a good living. Get a Federal Firearms Gunsmith License. Print some business cards. Circulate the word that you can, and will, repair firearms. Accumulate the tools and pieces needed to do the work you want to do. Somewhere along the way, you will see, or not see, a path to full time gunsmithing. You will find that most custom rifle and pistol makers did not have to depend on their gun business to make their living. There are ways to go where you want to go, but not on a shoestring. Regards, Clark

TX_Medic said:

.............what was the path you took to get there?

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I've known a couple of gunsmiths. Each of them had "real" jobs and began gunsmithing on the side. As their business and reputation built up (think years here) they were able to make the jump into doing it full time.

Never, ever underestimate the value of having a paycheck coming in every week.

Steve

It can be a big help to have some unique products of your own which you have designed and which you manufacture,

- Nick

To quote Jack Weigand "What's the difference between a large pizza and a gunsmith?" "You can feed a family of 4 with a large pizza". There is a lot of truth to that. Most gunsmithing operations fail because of the business side, it's so easy to love guns and fail to see that in the end it is a business just like all others. You have a leg up on that getting a degree. Unless you can get a job with an established custom shop I think the easiest path is to set up your own shop at home working part time to gain experience and reputation. In most places it's not that difficult to set up a FFL at home. Just like machining it's not the cost of the big machines that get you, it's all the accessories and speciality hand tools that add up. Good luck and don't let anyone tell you..you can't do it.

Impending gun control is nearly always good for the business.
But big differences between traditional gunsmithing and full-on firearms manufacturing.
Specialty parts seems to be active, as long as your specialty parts don't get legislated into oblivion.

Gathering accounting knowledge is worthwhile, but the general goal is to be too busy otherwise to actually do it. But you definitely want to know enough to suitably oversee those who do it for you.

Chip

Another old gunsmith joke:

"The fastest way to make a small fortune as a gunsmith is to start out with a large fortune."

Ask around to find the best and busiest gunsmith in your area. Visit his shop to get a feel for his volume of business. If he works out of his home see what kind of house and vehicle he owns. That might tell you something.

I have been working as a gunsmith for the last 30 years and opened my own gunsmith shop 15 years ago. I only do gunsmithing and make gun parts. I do not have a storefront my shop is at my home. I do not sell guns or accessories. My wife quit work 22 years ago when she got pregnant with our oldest child. I have been able to support a family of four the whole time. I have found my niche and I am making a good living.

I'm glad somebody can still make a good living at it. I don't think there are any more individual full-service gunsmiths around here. Probably not enough business or maybe there were too many splitting what work there was.

There is one guy advertising as a gunsmith but I think he only does very minor stuff. He mostly does Cerakote type refinishing.

I retired from a career as a gunsmith awhile back. I worked for a very high-volume shop in a large urban setting.

If you really want to be a gunsmith, go through the program at Trinidad. When you get out, the school will help you to get a decent first job. IMHO, your best bet for that first job would be as an apprentice in a very busy shop. I know you want to be a riflesmith, but you really don't know enough yet to know what you want. With the kind of apprenticeship I'm talking about, you will be exposed to lots of new things. I started out wanting to be a riflesmith, but as an apprentice, I fell in love with fine shotguns and became very proficient with shotgun work. Even worked on a few Purdy's! I loved it!

Anyway, get your ticket from Trinidad. Then go with a busy,busy top-rung shop for your apprenticeship. After about a gazillion "Clean & Oil" and general repair tickets, you will be able to repair anything from a hardware store .22 to a $40,000 shotgun in your sleep. Also, you will become FAST, an essential skill if you want to keep your job or hang out a shingle.

Also, start building a shop at home and take on side work. If your boss is a good guy, he may turn you on to some work. Alternatively, go to all the little shops who can't afford a FT gunsmith and see what you can get from them. I had two or three small shops and a chain of 60 pawnshops. Believe it or not, pawnshops do take in some nice guns along with the junk. Anyway, it's good income on top of what you earn at work.

If you still want to be a riflesmith after, say, 7-10 years, tell your boss and he will help you get started. By then you will have a strong following and plenty of "side work" to keep you afloat. Also, ask your boss, early on, to put rifle work on your rack. After 7-10 years, you actually begin to know what the hell you're doing.

You might just find that you like it where you are. I did, and spent my entire career at the same place I started.

Striking out on your own at an early time is risky as hell. First of all you don't know enough to know what you don't know. My advice is to get your ticket, do at least 7- 10 years as an apprentice, then evaluate your options. You may specialize in rifles, but keep that work on the side rollin-in. Otherwise, you will go hungry.

Final thought: If you want to be a gunsmith - not some hack who ruins good firearms - you had better have one hell of a work ethic. You will put in 70 hours per week and work six days out of seven. Forget about hunting. When everyone else is out hunting you're working your butt off repairing/customizing their guns. You will work your day job every holiday except Christmas and Thanksgiving Day. On both of those holidays, I was usually out in my home-shop by 2-3 pm and worked till 10 or 12 at night.

I absolutely loved my job, but I sure did have to work hard. It took a big physical toll on me. When I had downtime, I drank. A lot! My body was so tight and sore and tired, I anesthetized. I was/am crazy about women, and that too became a vice. Now, I need a liver transplant. Try to get more downtime than I did. I'm not kidding when I tell you there a very few "old" gunsmiths. It's a hard life.

Well, I'm rambling now. I wish you the best of luck.

Squire



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Being dedicated to a hobby is very different than being dependent on a career.
If you start out as an apprentice you will see all of the grunt work there is..... If you can find a shop to take you on full time. Trying to make a living for you and your family is double hard if you dont work all the time.

A decent career that makes a good living isnt so bad. If you can afford gunsmithing as a hobby you will either become skilled or just another retiree with a lathe and mill.

Trying to make a living at something you love can be difficult.
A good career that pays well sets the scene for a hobby that you dont have to pinch pennies.