Gunsmithing

[LumberZach]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anyone knew about any gun smith training in the area. I have found a few courses but not sure what to think. Do you guys have any experience with any of these courses. I am 19 years old and I want to look into careers with different guns.

Thanks for any help,
LumberZach

[futbol79]

I think Red Wing has a Gunsmithing school.

[JJ]

There are only eight schools in the nation. Pine Tech happens to be one.

If you want some info PM me.

[TCFurDad]

Not to derail the thread, but on a similar note - any good recommendations for gunsmithing DVD training materials would be great for those of us who are hobbyists with full-time school and/or jobs that prevent us from attending traditional trainings ie: gunsmithing schools would be fantastic.

[solidgun]

Not to derail the thread, but on a similar note - any good recommendations for gunsmithing DVD training materials would be great for those of us who are hobbyists with full-time school and/or jobs that prevent us from attending traditional trainings ie: gunsmithing schools would be fantastic.

Those DVDs may be useful for assembly/disassembly of specific firearms, but when you take courses, you get other details that is not covered on those old video files. Obviously as you mention, your schedule really dictates what is available. For Sig Firearms, they have their own DVDs, for all else, only ones I see widely available are AGI videos.

I wish Pine Tech was closer. I could definitely add to what I know by taking some of their classes.

[JJ]

I am Pine Tech Alum. I responded via PM, but figured I would post this out front as well.

If you really want to pursue a career in the field, you should really take a look at all the major schools, as each one has it's own focus.

Pine Tech is highly machining based. It is probably the best course for students that want to go into the firearms industry. It is theory intensive, but you actually learn very little about repair. You learn to dis-assemble and reassemble a lot of guns. You don't really learn to fit parts, or make parts as needed. Also, I graduated in 2007 and felt the curriculum was very much outdated, with a lot of focus on Mauser type rifles, and Colt revolvers. Both of which are not the most common systems any more. Overall if you want to go into the industry, the machining offering in pairing with the gunsmithing courses are a great option.

Other schools such as Trinidad, and Colorado School of trades are much better in the repair aspect of guns. Colorado is the best for stock making/repair. Trinidad is the best for building benchrest type rifles as one of the instructors is an all world benchrest shooter.

I don't remember the name of the school down in Oklahoma offhand, but they do a lot to get students certified as armorers for different manufacturers. (Murray State)

Also check out Pennsylvania Gunsmith School.

http://www.nragunsmithing.com/

Another thing to consider is the job market available to you post Grad. You will make a ton more money as a machinist than a 'smith working for someone else. Most jobs as a 'smith start at $15-18/hr. And openings are few and far between. You can get an idea on current industry openings at http://gunsmiths.com/jobboard.php