I am looking into a career as a gunsmith but I am confused, I know very little and I want to learn. I have seen that most places do not require formal education but some require certification. I do not know where to go to learn and receive certification. I see a bunch of courses to take and even schools(SDI) to attend, but I am wondering if there is any apprenticeship system to learn from a gunsmith. Thank you for your time.

Paging TDK

PM Aaron (TDK) and ask him, he'll steer you right

I will start this by forewarning you, gunsmithing is a hard road to go down and make a living, especially if you have a family to support. Most gunsmiths average $25,000-$40,000 a year, the ones making more are self-employed and for the most part “top of the trade” with a large following from which they can cherrypick their work. People at that level could focus their abilities on other paths and probably make a better living, financially speaking. Like any career it’s also filled with its headaches, but overall I enjoy what I do. Most of the customers/people are phenomenal.

I’m able to do what I do, mostly because my cost of living is fairly low.

In America the days of apprenticeship are basically over. It’s hard for a gunsmith to divert his time to train an individual while still being able to put out enough work to pay the bills. And likewise that person you train is likely to leave once they know everything. A Gunsmith needs an employee that can come in and at the very least bring in enough extra income to pay for themselves, ideally making more, from day one no less...insert schooling. To be taken seriously you will need to attend one of the schools; Murray state college in Oklahoma, or Trinidad state college in Colorado are my first recommendations. Don’t bother with internet classes.

While school isn’t required and basically anyone can call themselves a gunsmith, the cost of entry without formal education will be a tough pill to swallow. So a gunsmith probably won’t hire you without it, and jumping in as self employed will be setting yourself up to fail.


The number of REAL gunsmiths out there is low, and the demand for REAL gunsmiths shrinks every year.

I just realized something that baffles me. The person I hire to cut my hair is required by the state of Texas to have a license. I'm thinking the worst they could do is make me look ugly, as if that were possible. Now, the guy I could hire to wrench on my firearms requires nothing from the state. What's the worst he could do to me?

Being a gunsmith/gunmaker/dealer requires licensing from the ATF...there’s just no test to pass gauging ability or knowledge.

So give them the $ and get the license, seems quite relaxed for the ATF.

Plus you’d need to have a clean background and pass a background check. Be able to do paperwork correctly and be subject to random audits.

Another benefit of being a gunsmith is you get to partake in gunsmith talk with people on forums whom have no experience doing the things you do, whom know more about gunsmithing than you. Because...well...I’ve been shooting guns my whole life.

The few gunsmiths I know only offer paid apprenticeships to people that have completed 2 years of a gunsmith school and can demonstrate ability to earn their keep.
To name a few;
Trinidad state college
Yavapai college
Pine tech college

I just learned a valuable lesson and had to take my Sig P238 to a gun smith, the trigger pin is real SOB to get out, it's worth $45 to pay somebody to do it.

Aaron, do you have one of the old signs up in your shop?: Gunsmithing - $40/hr...If You Watch - $50/hr...If You Help - $75/hr

FWIW (and I've said this before but it probably bears repeating here): Aaron is NOT a gunsmith. Gunsmiths work on guns. Aaron is a gun MAKER. Gunmakers are a bastard amalgam of blacksmith, witch doctor and artisan. It strikes me as less a career and more of a calling...

Mark

Great info.

How about buying a gunsmith lathe and start doing simple jobs on your free time and take it from there?
Also, can you please elaborate on the demand for “real gunsmith” work that is shrinking?

[s][/s]By real gunsmith mean a person who is able to work and repair guns that require more ability than just changing parts. As guns advance, manufacturers are making them more serviceable by the common person able to watch a video on YouTube. Nothing wrong with a parts changer, I just don’t consider that gunsmithing. But that’s just my opinion.

If you really want to get me worked up, call someone assembling an AR a gunmaker...


As for your other question, I bet Judd has some input. If not I’ll answer.

Right now my only sign reads, “Smartest thing a Man ever said...Yes Dear.”

So not only are you incredibly talented, you're trainable!! The She-Wolf and I celebrate 30 years together this summer so I know whereof you speak!!

Mark

Congratulations on 30yrs married.

Btw, I’ve found our next project. After I finish the one of yours I’ve got now.

Get thee behind me, Satan!

Wait...before you go...what's that little jewel chambered in? And what would you expect it to weigh when complete (minor details like wood density and barrel contour excepted!)?

A stylish, modern rook rifle in embryo?

THIS (for the record) is the difference between 'smiths and 'makers. Be advised...

Mark

Save the money and just buy a dremel, same thing and more useful

Check your private messages Mark.

I bought a gunsmith lathe last July/Aug and had a plan to be able to do my own barrels/action work (as TDK says, not a gunsmith but an assembler) within a year. Time is my biggest enemy, there has been months that I've not got to even touch the lathe but I'm getting closer but still not where I would chamber my own barrel. I do think that July/August is doable but you need a good mentor. Up to this point, I've used Gordy Gritters and Richard Franklin's videos and practiced on bar stock.

My point, it can be done but you either have to have a lot of free time to learn or have a good mentor. TDK has helped me as much as he could being almost 2 hours away from me and not being able to see exactly what I'm doing.

I had zero intensions of being a machinist and just wanted to do very specific tasks as it pertains to fitting barrels and stocks...being 9/10 months into this...I believe it would've been easier to be a machinist learning to do gun work than an average joe trying to learn both.

Take TDK's advice. I'm a retired Gunsmith and believe me you won't get rich but there are some benefits. I turned down and accepted more invitations to hunt ranches in central CA. along with some Fine Duck clubs than I can count. That was the up side. I was very fortunate that I was able to learn much from a great Gunsmith who took me under his wing because right or wrong he thought I showed promise. I worked for him for three years and he encouraged me to advance my education so I attended Colorado School of Trades Gunsmith Division. At that time it had fantastic instructors including Jerry Fisher for stock work. By this I would encourage you to find a good school and forget about the correspondence course junk. Another problem is when you go to the rifle or shotgun range someone always points you out if someone is having a problem. This takes up your time but its not to bad if its a pretty gal. Anyway, best of luck!!

Very lucky to have gone to school with Jerry as the stock instructor. He visited CST while I was a student there (2011)and took an interest to what I was doing and spent a fair amount of time talking. We ended the conversation with him saying if he was a younger guy he’d let me serve an apprenticeship under him. Bittersweet moment...

A buddy of mine at work was a licensed gunsmith for awhile, also built suppressors and could built full auto guns for government agencies I guess. He only had one because he was only allowed to build one demo rifle. He struggled just to pay for the taxes and fees to do all that, and eventually an acquaintance of his that also was a dealer ran into trouble with the ATF and went to prison. This put him under a microscope. Because of that, and the fact he barely made enough to pay for his taxes and fees off his business, he eventually closed his shop. Had to chop up his full auto demo rifle when he let his license go, making phone calls to ATF, trying to stay legal as he backed out of all that.

If you're gonna be a gunsmith, you gotta be in it for love and not money. Look at it as another hobby and expect to be in the red starting out for a little while. And don't ever quit your dayjob.

I would look at it more as a hobby/side hustle, and way to pass the time when you eventually retire from your day job.

At the rate this guy gets back with people he’ll make a great Gunsmith.