Going to Colorado school of trades(maybe)

Soloman · Jun 18, 2009

Hey guys, I might be going to the Colorado school of trades next year, its all up in the air but if I do, I want to learn as much as I can now about gunsmithing\guns just from online. Anyone got any good resources?

Btw, I'm new too

I plan to stick around for the next few years

ArmySGT. · Jun 21, 2009

Soloman said:
Hey guys, I might be going to the Colorado school of trades next year, its all up in the air but if I do, I want to learn as much as I can now about gunsmithing\guns just from online. Anyone got any good resources?

Btw, I'm new too I plan to stick around for the next few years

Don't
Go
To
Colorado School of Trades...........

I regret the 3 months and the money I wasted on them. Best damn decision I ever made was to close up my tool box and walk out of there. Moved to Trinidad, Colorado and went to Trinidad State Junior College for Gunsmithing.

1,000,000% better in all conceivable ways. The summer NRA classes are on right now at TSJC so the shops are all open. Take a walk around if you can.

CST has eight gear head lathes.
TSJC has 16 belt drive Southbends, 3 gear head Colchesters, 3 Harding tool room lathes, and four more gearheads I have forgotten the type.

CST has 1 Bridgeport mill
TSJC has 16 with DROs.

CST has one bead blaster that is filled cheaply with sand.
TSJC has one filled with beads and a second with aluminium oxide.

CST doesn't have a horizontal mill and cannot teach you how to make octagonal barrels or barrel fluting.
TSJC has a horizontal mill and a variety of cutters.

CST teaches only Hot caustic bluing, if your lucky and a customers firearm requires it, you might parkerize something.

TSJC teaches Hot caustic bluing, parkerizing, rust browning, and one other old fashioned technique the name of which is on the tip of my tongue.

CST you will stock one rifle from a semi inlet and another in fiber glass.

TSJC you will do you first stock from a blank, your second may bea semi inlet or fiberglass.

I still have my one three inches three ring binder with all the handouts fom CST. Looks lonley next to the 14 or more binders of materials from TSJC.

Soloman · Jun 21, 2009

=X, when did you go?

What did you do for room and board with TSJC? And how does the price compare along with the duration?

Thanks for the reply

ArmySGT. · Jun 21, 2009

Soloman said:
=X, when did you go?

What did you do for room and board with TSJC? And how does the price compare along with the duration?

Thanks for the reply

I wasted September to December 2005 there. CST is like taking a correspondence course in a friends shop. You read the work and do the project, if you need help you ask questions. Little to none for lectures or presentations.

TSJC has dorms, which I stayed in for a year and a half. Later I moved to the Cawthon mobile home park and rented a cabin there. The dorms can be kinda noisy and distracting. The cafeteria sucks so having your own place with your own kitchen is much better. It is 2500 a semester or was to stay in the dorms with the meal plan. 2500 should carry you further with a place and a room mate if necessary.

I think it is soemthing like 30,000 for two years at TSJC (with dorm) or 17,000 for 14 months continuous at CST.

That would be 17,000 wasted in my opinion.

Brownells likes TSJC so much they donated a 40,000 dollar Haas CNC mill and is building a 10,000 square foot addition to the TSJC gunsmithing program this summer.

Another perk... The NRA Whittington center is 45 minutes away and Brownells pays for your Membership. You can go shoot at a World class facility and meet competitive shooters (ask them about their guns, bring a recorder).

The TJSC Rifle club has eight Garands, 8 or more Rem 1100s, and the college admin building has an indoor air rifle range.

Soloman · Jun 21, 2009

Just when I thought I had it all figured out

Again, I thank you for replying.

Also the main thing that striked me about CST is that they only focused on gunsmithing and no other bogus school work. Is there something like that in TSJC?

And also what other ways do you think the TSJC is better then CST?

Sorry man I'm pretty lost atm, I read alot of great reviews from the CST too..

ArmySGT. · Jun 21, 2009

Soloman said:
Hey guys, I might be going to the Colorado school of trades next year, its all up in the air but if I do, I want to learn as much as I can now about gunsmithing\guns just from online. Anyone got any good resources?

Btw, I'm new too I plan to stick around for the next few years

http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/

http://www.gunbooks.com/

http://gunmanuals.net/

http://www.e-gunparts.com/dept.asp

http://www.brownells.com/

http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/

http://www.thehuntersden.com/Gunpartsdoc.htm

http://www.midwayusa.com/

http://www.gun-parts.com/index.html/

http://www.surplusrifle.com/

http://www.jackfirstgun.com/

http://stevespages.com/page7b.htm

http://stevespages.com/page7a.htm

http://stevespages.com/page7d.htm

ArmySGT. · Jun 21, 2009

Soloman said:
Just when I thought I had it all figured out

Again, I thank you for replying.

Also the main thing that striked me about CST is that they only focused on gunsmithing and no other bogus school work. Is there something like that in TSJC?

And also what other ways do you think the TSJC is better then CST?

Sorry man I'm pretty lost atm, I read alot of great reviews from the CST too..

You can get a Certificate in Gunsmithing from TSJC or you can get an Associates Degree; if you take the other stuff like math, english, and electives.

CST will help you find a place to live, what they fail to disclose is that the owner of CST own those apartments too. :angry:

You may need to change you number or get a block on the CST number to get Sunny to stop calling you.

Speedy Gonzalez will be you machine shop instructor and if you take his rifle class you will learn to build outstandingly accurate match or sniper rifles.

Soloman · Jun 21, 2009

How long does it take to get a certificate?

ArmySGT. · Jun 21, 2009

Soloman said:
How long does it take to get a certificate?

Four semesters or two years if you start in the Fall semester with a summer off in between.
Fall
Spring
Summer (NRA classes)
Fall
Spring

Done.
Course there are electives like custom M1911s, PPC pistols, and bolt action blue printing (building F class rifles)

A third year is in the works, and supposed to start this fall, this will be all the electives and you will work in the new building as an intern getting retail and shop experience.

Soloman · Jun 21, 2009

Thanks for all your help man. one last question for now..., what are the hours of the classes? I liked how the CST is 8am-4pm mon-thrusday

ArmySGT. · Jun 21, 2009

ArmySGT. · Jun 21, 2009

Soloman said:
Thanks for all your help man. one last question for now..., what are the hours of the classes? I liked how the CST is 8am-4pm mon-thrusday

Depends on which semester you are in and what classes you are enrolled in.

http://www.trinidadstate.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=69

ArmySGT. · Jun 21, 2009

Soloman · Jun 21, 2009

wow thanks man

are they all from TSJC?

LBrooks · Jun 21, 2009

Get the Assoc. Degree

I would suggest that you go for degree program. If you have some college credits now they will transfer to TSJC. The reason that I say this from experience. You may want to go for a BA or BS degree to move into the business end rather than work with you hands.

What have you learned from the stockmaking dept at TSJC?

Maybe ArmySGT can answer that question.

ArmySGT. · Jun 26, 2009

ArmySGT. said:
TSJC teaches Hot caustic bluing, parkerizing, rust browning, and one other old fashioned technique the name of which is on the tip of my tongue.

That would be Color Case Hardening. If you are going to restore "Cowboy" guns and alot of pre WW2 firearms this is a beautiful finish that is "accurate". I could remember that process but, for some reason couldn't remember the name.

ArmySGT. said:
CST you will stock one rifle from a semi inlet and another in fiber glass.

TSJC you will do you first stock from a blank, your second may be semi inlet or fiberglass.

To cut a stock from a blank, to measure and layout on the blank for your dimensions, cuto out and attach unfinished fore end tips and grip caps, using a milling machine drill for action screws, barrel channel, and rough out the action area, cut to rough shape, using chisels, gouges, and inletting black (sharpened, hardened, and tempered yourself) inlet the action into the stock, inlet the bottom metal into the stock, rough shape the outside with rasp and blades, shape cheek piece, snad to final dimension and finish, instal and shape decelerator recoil pad, add recoil reducer (if desired). Oil or synthetic finishes.

Not really step by step, but most of it.

Stock two you can do fiber glass with fiber glass repairs, carbon fiber stiffening for accuracy or lighten weight. Painting custom or camouflage.

ArmySGT. · Jun 26, 2009

Soloman said:
wow thanks man are they all from TSJC?

The pictures are from the Machine shop, the repair lab, and the blue hardings are from the lab downstairs, plus the bluing room.

AW · Jun 26, 2009

And when you are done with that, send me a resume. We are moving to a larger building in about 4 months. The plan here is to have 3 to 4 additional employees for our custom long range/F class/BR/Police and Tac markets along with the ever expanding hardware/custom die and contract machining by the 2nd qtr. of 2010.

Take all the math courses you can get. If you don't at least know trig, I don't even want to talk to you.

Alan Warner
Warner Tool Co., Inc

ArmySGT. · Jun 26, 2009

ArmySGT. · Jun 26, 2009

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6866275

Going to Colorado school of trades(maybe)

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