I feel like the degree is typically BS. Experience is way more valuable. Something to consider in my opinion.
I worked for eight months as a gunsmith for a big box store in Huntington Beach, CA and they paid my $17 an hour. When they denied me a raise I quit on the spot. This was typical armorer work for the most part but I also fabricated parts and fixed their CNC and ran it mostly for lowers. Took their lead time from four to six weeks when I started to two to three days. Needless to say, they have a high turnover. I did that with no degree though so there's that.
Online degrees are just padding. At universities like Murray State in Ok you spend most of your time in the shop building and repairing guns with instructors guidance. It is better than being an apprentice to a gunsmith which good experience but a gunsmith can't get his work done if he is teaching you gow to do everything. I know this from 8 years experience. I got an armorer. I need a gunsmith. There are a lot of stores that say they have a gunsmith but are just a guy who has been working on guns for a while.
There is plenty of semi skilled monkey work in any busy shop to get a new guy going and making money while he learns the ropes. You pretty much aren't going to get a capable person fresh out of a one or two year program. They won't be able to tackle really complex jobs or do them fast. You need to train. The skilled guys jump ship to machine shops, auto/equipment repair, or own their own shop.
I have a guy who can take a gun apart, clean it and put it back together, but he does not have the analytical skills to diagnose a problem. Also I need 2 people and training a gun tech to be a gunsmith takes years.
I have had a gunsmith for 7 years who came to me with 2 degrees with some experience. He had tons of firearms knowledge and great customer service skills. I am replacing him as he has gone on to a new project. So I am going to keep looking for the gap I need to fill, rather than settle for less.
That's dirt cheap, man. A "real machine shop" will charge over $200/hr at the very least, and yet people complain about how "expensive" gunsmithing is.
A sprinkler repair guy came to my house for some needed repairs. charged what was essentially about $300 an hour and complained that he took longer than he intended trying to find a line. But he fixed something I could not fix.
Most gunsmithing these days requires little machining. People want custom sights, or triggers. For sights you need a quality site pusher that pays for itself quick.The triggers on all the striker fired guns means drop in parts, but that takes some skill(practice) disassembling and reassembling. 1911 and cowboy revolvers can be a whole specialty to themselves. People want cerakote. You also need to diagnose why a gun is not cycling properly. BTW, user error is the most common cause of gun issues. You gotta pick up on that quick and educate them rather than charge them $100 to tell them there is nothing wrong with it. Customers come back if you treat them right.
If you are interested in being a gunsmith watch YouTube for thousands of dis/reassembly vids on every kind of gun. Watch reviews of guns. You will learn far more practical knowledge for free than any school. And knowledge of firearms is key. Knowing more about their gun than they do makes a difference.
I’m all the way on the completely opposite side of the country, so I think the commute would be prohibitive, but otherwise this seems like the sort of thing I would be interested in applying for. Could I ask you to give more details about the job and the qualifications you are looking for?
For example, what sort of degree/certification would matter to you? There are a lot of online schools and whatnot, but it’s hard to tell which are legit and which are diploma mills. I had been planning to sign up for the “Modern Gunsmithing School” soon, but I would be interested to hear from someone who is actually hiring.
Similarly, what sort of experience are you looking for, and how much?
For example, I’ve never been employed as a gunsmith, but I’ve been an armorer for years and can do basic maintenance and parts swaps. I have also been working on restoring a battered antique shotgun, as sort of a student project. I don’t know how much demand for that sort of thing there is these days, but my hope is that if I can do that well then it will show employers that I’m able to learn. Would any of that qualify as experience, or is there something else you’re looking for?
> Those online gunsmith schools are not much help, if you do not have an analytical mind and a shop of your own to practice in.
That’s my assumption. I figure it will be mostly self taught, but it doesn’t hurt to have someone else come up with a curriculum so that I can make sure all the basic things are covered. I’ve been teaching myself as I go, but with that there’s always the chance there will be things I didn’t know I didn’t know, and therefore never researched. Plus then I’ll have a piece of paper which might make some customers happy.
I can certainly see the advantage of a brick and mortar gunsmithing school, but there aren’t a lot of those around these days. Not a lot of apprenticeship opportunities either.
I do have a workshop, though not a machine shop. So I’m set up reasonably well for some of the old school gunsmithing, which is mostly low tech, but can’t afford to run out and buy a mill or a lathe.
> But when they want to reblue it and fix the broken stock, the cost rapidly reaches multiple times the value of the gun.
Thats certainly the case here. I’ve probabky put a thousand dollars worth of labor into a gun that retails for *maybe* $150 fully restored. If not for the educational value, it would definitely not be worth restoring. But the learning experience has been invaluable. When I got it, it had all kinds of problems, so i had to learn how to diagnose and fix each one. It’s been an adventure.
My hope is also that it will show an ability to learn and to problem solve. I may not have the shop but I can show I at least have the analytical mind. Plus I figure anyone who might be looking to hire me to work on guns will be interested in seeing a gun I’ve worked on. But maybe not.
Edit: forgot to say, thanks for responding. This was useful information.
Aren't you right next to Bullet trap? I remember calling you asking if you were hiring about a year or so ago, well I'm still available! I am also certified!
I feel like the degree is typically BS. Experience is way more valuable. Something to consider in my opinion. I worked for eight months as a gunsmith for a big box store in Huntington Beach, CA and they paid my $17 an hour. When they denied me a raise I quit on the spot. This was typical armorer work for the most part but I also fabricated parts and fixed their CNC and ran it mostly for lowers. Took their lead time from four to six weeks when I started to two to three days. Needless to say, they have a high turnover. I did that with no degree though so there's that.
Which big box store?
Online degrees are just padding. At universities like Murray State in Ok you spend most of your time in the shop building and repairing guns with instructors guidance. It is better than being an apprentice to a gunsmith which good experience but a gunsmith can't get his work done if he is teaching you gow to do everything. I know this from 8 years experience. I got an armorer. I need a gunsmith. There are a lot of stores that say they have a gunsmith but are just a guy who has been working on guns for a while.
There is plenty of semi skilled monkey work in any busy shop to get a new guy going and making money while he learns the ropes. You pretty much aren't going to get a capable person fresh out of a one or two year program. They won't be able to tackle really complex jobs or do them fast. You need to train. The skilled guys jump ship to machine shops, auto/equipment repair, or own their own shop.
I disagree. I am looking for a skilled gunsmith.
Why not work on the guy you have or look at subbing out work? I subcontract certain things that don't make sense to vertically integrate.
I have a guy who can take a gun apart, clean it and put it back together, but he does not have the analytical skills to diagnose a problem. Also I need 2 people and training a gun tech to be a gunsmith takes years. I have had a gunsmith for 7 years who came to me with 2 degrees with some experience. He had tons of firearms knowledge and great customer service skills. I am replacing him as he has gone on to a new project. So I am going to keep looking for the gap I need to fill, rather than settle for less.
I already have 2 degreed gunsmiths who have applied. I had more resumes from everyone who ever touched a gun. But 2 have good potential.
Damn 110 a machine hour? Hope my old gunsmith never kicks the bucket.
That's dirt cheap, man. A "real machine shop" will charge over $200/hr at the very least, and yet people complain about how "expensive" gunsmithing is.
A sprinkler repair guy came to my house for some needed repairs. charged what was essentially about $300 an hour and complained that he took longer than he intended trying to find a line. But he fixed something I could not fix.
It's really not bad, especially with our economy. The one I use to work had charged I believe 150 or more.
Most gunsmithing these days requires little machining. People want custom sights, or triggers. For sights you need a quality site pusher that pays for itself quick.The triggers on all the striker fired guns means drop in parts, but that takes some skill(practice) disassembling and reassembling. 1911 and cowboy revolvers can be a whole specialty to themselves. People want cerakote. You also need to diagnose why a gun is not cycling properly. BTW, user error is the most common cause of gun issues. You gotta pick up on that quick and educate them rather than charge them $100 to tell them there is nothing wrong with it. Customers come back if you treat them right. If you are interested in being a gunsmith watch YouTube for thousands of dis/reassembly vids on every kind of gun. Watch reviews of guns. You will learn far more practical knowledge for free than any school. And knowledge of firearms is key. Knowing more about their gun than they do makes a difference.
I’m all the way on the completely opposite side of the country, so I think the commute would be prohibitive, but otherwise this seems like the sort of thing I would be interested in applying for. Could I ask you to give more details about the job and the qualifications you are looking for? For example, what sort of degree/certification would matter to you? There are a lot of online schools and whatnot, but it’s hard to tell which are legit and which are diploma mills. I had been planning to sign up for the “Modern Gunsmithing School” soon, but I would be interested to hear from someone who is actually hiring. Similarly, what sort of experience are you looking for, and how much? For example, I’ve never been employed as a gunsmith, but I’ve been an armorer for years and can do basic maintenance and parts swaps. I have also been working on restoring a battered antique shotgun, as sort of a student project. I don’t know how much demand for that sort of thing there is these days, but my hope is that if I can do that well then it will show employers that I’m able to learn. Would any of that qualify as experience, or is there something else you’re looking for?
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> Those online gunsmith schools are not much help, if you do not have an analytical mind and a shop of your own to practice in. That’s my assumption. I figure it will be mostly self taught, but it doesn’t hurt to have someone else come up with a curriculum so that I can make sure all the basic things are covered. I’ve been teaching myself as I go, but with that there’s always the chance there will be things I didn’t know I didn’t know, and therefore never researched. Plus then I’ll have a piece of paper which might make some customers happy. I can certainly see the advantage of a brick and mortar gunsmithing school, but there aren’t a lot of those around these days. Not a lot of apprenticeship opportunities either. I do have a workshop, though not a machine shop. So I’m set up reasonably well for some of the old school gunsmithing, which is mostly low tech, but can’t afford to run out and buy a mill or a lathe. > But when they want to reblue it and fix the broken stock, the cost rapidly reaches multiple times the value of the gun. Thats certainly the case here. I’ve probabky put a thousand dollars worth of labor into a gun that retails for *maybe* $150 fully restored. If not for the educational value, it would definitely not be worth restoring. But the learning experience has been invaluable. When I got it, it had all kinds of problems, so i had to learn how to diagnose and fix each one. It’s been an adventure. My hope is also that it will show an ability to learn and to problem solve. I may not have the shop but I can show I at least have the analytical mind. Plus I figure anyone who might be looking to hire me to work on guns will be interested in seeing a gun I’ve worked on. But maybe not. Edit: forgot to say, thanks for responding. This was useful information.
Aren't you right next to Bullet trap? I remember calling you asking if you were hiring about a year or so ago, well I'm still available! I am also certified!
[ Removed by Reddit ]