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Question for for experienced gunsmith from student.
- Thread starter Howlingmoonknives
- Start date
Be careful about working as a gunsmith if you do not have an FFL. It would suck to get convicted and become a prohibited person after spending money on an education.
I know a guy from a long time ago that was a skilled Gunsmith with years of experience but made bad choices. Last I heard he still could not touch a gun.
I know a guy from a long time ago that was a skilled Gunsmith with years of experience but made bad choices. Last I heard he still could not touch a gun.
Can't agree with this more. You can do work on all your own stuff but I'd avoid doing work for others especially if you are gaining anything financially from it unless you have a license. Not worth the risk of losing your rights over something simple like repairing someone's gun.
Good luck on the New Endeavor. LOTS of GR8 info here.
Be a SPONGE!! Soak it Up!!
Be a SPONGE!! Soak it Up!!
I'm no professional, but I might know where you are ...
I started working on Glock when I was younger and I eventually completed Glock Armorer classes - I wanted to be a professional gunsmith. I spent a lot of my own money and time disassembling, reassembling and shooting my own personal Glock(s). When cleaning I completely broke the gun down, inspected every part and put it back together. I purchased all the tools - like three of them
- necessary to work on a Glock, and then I bought specialty tools. Glocks are relatively inexpensive, support from Glock is world class and parts are readily available. Working on Glock helped me to understand the basic functions of a firearm and all the related parts. I also hammered home firearm safety with constant handling, dry fire practice and test shooting. I learned what not to do, and what should not be changed from manufacturer specs.
From Glock I went to 1911, then bolt rifles and then purchased C&R milsurp ... whatever was inexpensive. As an example right now you can find Italian Carcanos for under $300. Iron and wood ... take it apart, punch it, hammer it, blue it, steam it, oil it, shoot it - repeat. The pawn shop idea works great ... I bought many Remington 700s, did my tear-down, clean and assembly, and then airbrushed camouflage. The rifles always brought an extra $100 after I painted them - I used local foliage to make patterns.
In closing I'd say just find your own passion and let it evolve over time. Worth noting, I do not think there is a lot of money to be made in gunsmithing unless you're in a high volume store, or practicing at a high level. I worked at a range for a short while and customers would look at me like I asked them to have sex with their dog when I told them it was $35 to install sights.... So just work on stuff that you're interested in. Also ... I would recommend finding books on the firearms you are interested in. Learn about their origins, manufacturing process, metallurgy... however deep down the rabbit hole you can tolerate ... As an example I collect the M1 and so by default I have become a war historian and have books with lots of pictures that I can refer to for identification purposes.
Good luck on your journey
I started working on Glock when I was younger and I eventually completed Glock Armorer classes - I wanted to be a professional gunsmith. I spent a lot of my own money and time disassembling, reassembling and shooting my own personal Glock(s). When cleaning I completely broke the gun down, inspected every part and put it back together. I purchased all the tools - like three of them
- necessary to work on a Glock, and then I bought specialty tools. Glocks are relatively inexpensive, support from Glock is world class and parts are readily available. Working on Glock helped me to understand the basic functions of a firearm and all the related parts. I also hammered home firearm safety with constant handling, dry fire practice and test shooting. I learned what not to do, and what should not be changed from manufacturer specs.From Glock I went to 1911, then bolt rifles and then purchased C&R milsurp ... whatever was inexpensive. As an example right now you can find Italian Carcanos for under $300. Iron and wood ... take it apart, punch it, hammer it, blue it, steam it, oil it, shoot it - repeat. The pawn shop idea works great ... I bought many Remington 700s, did my tear-down, clean and assembly, and then airbrushed camouflage. The rifles always brought an extra $100 after I painted them - I used local foliage to make patterns.
In closing I'd say just find your own passion and let it evolve over time. Worth noting, I do not think there is a lot of money to be made in gunsmithing unless you're in a high volume store, or practicing at a high level. I worked at a range for a short while and customers would look at me like I asked them to have sex with their dog when I told them it was $35 to install sights.... So just work on stuff that you're interested in. Also ... I would recommend finding books on the firearms you are interested in. Learn about their origins, manufacturing process, metallurgy... however deep down the rabbit hole you can tolerate ... As an example I collect the M1 and so by default I have become a war historian and have books with lots of pictures that I can refer to for identification purposes.
Good luck on your journey
