learning the armorer / smithing business

[Art S]

Just wondering if anyone could give me some info on the armorer/smithing business. I can't seem to get much info on getting trained and certified in this field of business. I am looking into this for a carrier move.
AGI has a Certified Law Enforcement Armorer Course and I was curious if anyone knew of the quality of AGI courses.
All replies much appreciated.

[Dave2]

Everything I know about gunsmithing I've learned from watching Sons of Guns...

(If that doesn't put the fear of, well, me in you, I don't know what will.)

[Art S]

Everything I know about gunsmithing I've learned from watching Sons of Guns...

(If that doesn't put the fear of, well, me in you, I don't know what will.)

That is just SCARY.

[texasmusic]

Just wondering if anyone could give me some info on the armorer/smithing business. I can't seem to get much info on getting trained and certified in this field of business. I am looking into this for a carrier move.
AGI has a Certified Law Enforcement Armorer Course and I was curious if anyone knew of the quality of AGI courses.
All replies much appreciated.

I've been buying the Kuhnhausen shop manuals for guns I own. I'll read them and take my guns apart and put them together... find out how they work. One of these days I'll find a beat up/ broken project gun and I'm going to town .

I couldn't help you with the class recommendation though, don't have the time or money for a class. The books are a good way for me to gain some knowledge at my own pace with no risk or large sum of money involved.

[sjfcontrol]

Everything I know about gunsmithing I've learned from watching Sons of Guns...

(If that doesn't put the fear of, well, me in you, I don't know what will.)

Everything I've learned about quiting jobs, I've learned from Sons of Guns...

[OldCannon]

1) Get an 01 FFL license (if you skip this, expect to be arrested if you work on anybody's guns but the ones you own)
2) Call yourself a gunsmith.

Seriously, you COULD take the AGI courses. There's people that love 'em and hate 'em. Taking all of them won't make you a gunsmith though, although it CAN make you smarter about gun construction and repair. I have a few of the videos. They're pretty dated (the DVDs are just copies of old VHS movies), but they're very informative.

Manufacturers often offer armorer courses, but many of them will require you travel, and that will get expensive REAL quick. Still, such certifications help you get the foot in a door.

Machinist experience helps too (my knowledge is 20+ years old now, so I'm not sure that counts any more).

[Thomas]

Machinist experience helps too (my knowledge is 20+ years old now, so I'm not sure that counts any more).

I would still say that counts. Lathes, drill presses, etc - it's all the same. The only thing new is adding computers. In my machine shop class a few years ago, we were watching instructional videos from at least the 80s.

[OldCannon]

Machinist experience helps too (my knowledge is 20+ years old now, so I'm not sure that counts any more).

I would still say that counts. Lathes, drill presses, etc - it's all the same. The only thing new is adding computers. In my machine shop class a few years ago, we were watching instructional videos from at least the 80s.

I'm sure you're right. I just don't have mill experience, just lathe and welding. I've always wanted to take a refresher and get some CNC experience, but I can't find anything in Austin. Houston is pretty rich in night classes for machinists, but not much demand for machinists in Austin.

[OldCannon]

There is a bona fide school that I know of, but it is in Colorado.

Brownell's gunsmithing supplies used to help aspiring 'smiths. Google them, make contact, and apprentice under someone.

There's actually 4, here's the list and info: http://www.nragunsmithing.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There's also a small organization called the American Gunsmithing Organization (http://americangunsmith.wordpress.com/subscribe/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). Their magazine is ok for the price, although a lot of the info can be found in other places.

For some cool reading, check out Jeremy Chan's Nerdgun blog. He's attending Trinidad Gunsmithing school and has lots of entries on the work he's done and the experience he's getting: http://www.nerdgun.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One last thing: Always keep this website handy -- it's a massive collection of gun manuals. The best hidden treasure on the internet http://stevespages.com/page7.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Art S]

Thank all of you that replied.
I would like to add, this seems to be the most active and friendly forum I belong to.
Thanks again!

[OldCannon]

I would like to add, this seems to be the most active and friendly forum I belong to.

Our fees for all this advice are pretty reasonable too

[gigag04]

I would caution that the successful business models often start from a current competency. So...deciding the to open a business of gunsmithing as a career should happen only after one becomes a reputable gun smith.

To have the proper tools, shop, and advertising would take a fair amount of start up capital with a volatile ROI.

Most of the average smith shops are a subset of services at a local gun store, range, outdoor shop. The standalone smiths that make anything that I would consider a survivable wage, are well known, and whizz bang wonders at their craft. People you can google and hear great things about.

IMHO many of these high end smiths have a significant portion of their income coming from competition guns and custom work. This is an artistic science that is not easily taught in courses. An armorers course will cover disassembly/reassembly and trouble shooting. This is a good start, but would not make one into a LAV, Teddy Jacobsen, Bill Wilson, or Ed Brown.

[WildBill]

I would caution that the successful business models often start from a current competency. So...deciding the to open a business of gunsmithing as a career should happen only after one becomes a reputable gun smith.

To have the proper tools, shop, and advertising would take a fair amount of start up capital with a volatile ROI.

Most of the average smith shops are a subset of services at a local gun store, range, outdoor shop. The standalone smiths that make anything that I would consider a survivable wage, are well known, and whizz bang wonders at their craft. People you can google and hear great things about.

IMHO many of these high end smiths have a significant portion of their income coming from competition guns and custom work. This is an artistic science that is not easily taught in courses. An armorers course will cover disassembly/reassembly and trouble shooting. This is a good start, but would not make one into a LAV, Teddy Jacobsen, Bill Wilson, or Ed Brown.

This Many top gunsmiths are, or have been competitive shooters.

[Thomas]

Machinist experience helps too (my knowledge is 20+ years old now, so I'm not sure that counts any more).

I would still say that counts. Lathes, drill presses, etc - it's all the same. The only thing new is adding computers. In my machine shop class a few years ago, we were watching instructional videos from at least the 80s.

I'm sure you're right. I just don't have mill experience, just lathe and welding. I've always wanted to take a refresher and get some CNC experience, but I can't find anything in Austin. Houston is pretty rich in night classes for machinists, but not much demand for machinists in Austin.

This place has CNCs and I'm sure they would love to teach you how to use them:

http://atxhackerspace.org/wiki/Welcome_ ... space_Wiki

(FYI: the term "hacking" has nothing to do with malicious computer stuff)