M14 Forum

stainless1911

How does one become a gunsmith?

Ive been on disability for years, not very booksmart, my health isnt good enough for general labor, but I can work with my hands, and I like guns.

Seems to me, that becoming a gunsmith might be the way to go for me, but Im not sure how to get there from here.

Part of the problem, is that I want to stay close to my daughter, she's 9, and her mom already lives 1,000 miles away. She lives with grandma, so I cant move out of state for school.

Any suggestions?

M1A ricochet

Im not aware of all the facts, but it seems to me that this is a skilled trade. And with any skilled trade, you would need to be an apprentice first for several years.

Just my .02 though.

The Cat

I'm interested in the answer to this too.

Palladin

Do they still have mail order gunsmith classes?

I found these guys a'la google but couldn't vouch for them...

http://www.americangunsmith.com/

Since Midway U.S.A. is big into gunsmithing maybe they have a recommendation on their site? I know they have a video library you can check.

goretro77

Apprenticeship. Mechanical aptitude.

stainless1911

I have the aptitude, and can understand the apprenticeship thing. Gunsmithing isnt something you just walk into.

Gus Fisher

MSgt Mike Gingher, USMCR (retired and lately deceased) and I have talked a lot about this over the years. Since he was and I still am an avid Black Powder and Living History nut, he always said he was NOT a gunsmith, but rather a National Match Military Rifle Armorer. Mike went through the old Machinist's Apprenticeship program and worked at G.E. as a Tool and Die Grinder for about 10 years when he came on active duty for our one year, On the Job Training Program - which is an Apprenticeship Program to learn to work on all the NM, Sniper, MEUSOC and other weapons the MOS 2112 Armorers build and repair. That's how I met Mike and that began our life long friendship as my very best friend.

A TRUE Master Gunsmith is one who can make every last part of a gun and that goes all the way back to 15th century Europe. In the 18th century in this country, Gunsmith Apprentices were normally apprenticed for 5-7 years starting at the time they were about 14 -16, At the end of their Apprenticeship, it was expected the Master give them a new suit of clothes and allowed them to keep the special tools they had made as an Apprentice and often some other tools they would need as a Journeyman. Some times they were to be given a small amount of money as well. This was all set down in a formal contract at the very beginning when the boy was first apprenticed. There are some cases of Masters advertising for runaway apprentices and even a few cases of the Apprentice suing a Master because the Master did not comply with the contract. Most of the time, though, it went pretty well for both.

When the young lad started out, he did the "grunt work" in the shop. He cleaned the forge and prepared it under the Master's supervison. He turned the huge wheel that ran the lathe and often pumped the bellows of the forge and swept up the shop and all manner of things like that. He was expected to watch closely and learn, though of course he would ask questions. Then he was taught to properly disassemble firearms and CLEAN them and in that way learned disassembly and assembly and how every part was supposed to operate. He mixed the chemicals for metal and stock finish and was taught how to make heated hide glue and use it. He was taught to properly cure, cut and work wood. Then he spent time on the forge. Then he was taught how to file and work metal and do heat treating. Then he was taught how to FILE both metal and wood. Then he was taugt how to make a lock and barrel. Then he was taught how to inlet the parts into a proper rifle/gun and finally how to do carving. Usually, he made his own gun in the last couple of years of his apprenticeship. He did the very best work he could do as that work would be judged for whether he was competant to become a journeyman and possibly later as a Journeyman, he would show that gun to another master to demonstrate his skills.

When the young man became a Journeyman, he could either work for wages for his Master or go to work in the shop of another Master while he worked and saved his money to one day buy his own shop, forge and all necessary tools and thus, become a Master, himself. Some Journeymen never became Masters and worked for other people all their lives.

MOST gunsmiths earned their "bread and butter" money by doing blacksmithing and other custom or "bespoke worke" as it was known then. Cleaning and repair of both civilian and sometimes Colony or later, State owned Militia weapons, was also a mainstay of their normal living. Contrary to the belief of some, VERY few Master Gunsmiths made all their money by custom making fireasrms. ALSO, even though almost every gunsmith learned how to make a barrel and lock during his apprenticeship - most locks in this country before the American Revolution were imported from Europe as were many if not most barrels. It was only during the time of the American Revolution that large numbers of barrels and especially locks were begun to be made in this country, though there was some barrel makers here before that.

I knew a very small amount of this growing up as a lad and am still learning some things about the 18th century gunsmiths. I studied what I could find on learning gunsmithing in the 60's as a lad. I DREAMED of going to the Gunsmithing School at the Colorado School of Trades or at Trinidad (also in Colorado). Well, with a brother ahead of me and a sister one year behind me, we did not have the money for me to do that. (I FINALLY realized a lifelong dream to go to the Colorado School of Trades a couple years ago, but this time as an Instructor for working on AR 15's. They have asked me to come and teach on the M14 and M1 and hopefully once my eye surgery results are better, I can do that.) However, the Viet Nam war was going on when I was a 17 year old High School Senior in 1971.

I certainly had the grades to go to college as I was National Honor Society, but I did not know what I wanted to study. I could not see spending money on what I didn't know and did not want to further burden my parents helping us to go to college. Both my Grandfathers served in WWI and my Dad served at the very end of WWII when he turned 18. Also, since I was a student of History and Government even then, I figured that it was my time to serve. I was waiting in the Guidance Counselor's office to talk to him in the early spring of 1971, trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I looked at various college and trade school pamphlets and wasn't excited about any of them. Then I looked with interest at the Armed Forces literature. I saw the Marine Corps pamphlet and picked it up. Sure, the dress blue uniform was appealing, but the challenge was even more appealing. As I read through it, I thought "If I have to go to war, then I want to go with the best." When I found out that the Marine Corps HAD an apprenticeship program to learn gunsmithing, that did it. It was not guaranteed, but I was told if I worked hard enough I could get into it. That did it, I joined the Marine Delayed Entry program some time later and went to Boot Camp 7 days after my 18th birthday after I graduated and in the following fall.

OK, I'm sorry to have strayed from the subject, but even the part about the 18th century apprenticeships STILL holds a great deal of value today in many ways that most folks may not understand. I guess I should transfer this post to my section and continue it there. A really good answer takes some time to write and read.

stainless1911

I dont think it was that far off topic, I really enjoyed reading it.

Gus Fisher

Thank you. I already added some to it and posted it in my section. I will type at least one more post on it tonight.

stainless1911

Whats your section?

sixplus1

Want to have some gunsmithing fun? log on to youtube.com and search on "gunsmithing"

Here: http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...=0&oq=gunsmith

Gus Fisher

Scroll down to the Gun Professionals section and you will see my section there.

You can also use this link to go directly to the thread:

How does one become a gunsmith?

lefty o

one can apprentice, or one can attend one of the half dozen or so of very goodgunsmithing schools. one doesnt need to be a rocket scientist, but able to do some simple math, and have mechanical aptitude. brownells lists some of the better schools.

Sustinemus

I suppose being a machinist first is a good step toward becoming a gunsmith. Right?

Gus Fisher

It is great if you come from a machinist background, but I didn't. Of course I had to work harder than some to catch up on that.

If you can really handle a hand file on metal, then you can become a good gunsmith.