View Full Version : online gunsmith school thoughts
i have been thinking about doing an online gunsmith school and was wondering if anybody has done this or knows someone that has ? i already work on my own guns and restore older ones but im thinking with a sheepskin (no matter how lame ) , that i might be able to fix up old wall hangers ,basic maintenance on modern firearms and offer a cleaning service.
so back to the original question any word on the online gunsmith schools ?
thanks
id go the the school of trades or the nra school but
1 i dont have that kind of money
2 i dont have that kind of time
3 im not moving for school
dwalker460
10-03-2012, 12:49
Not sure about an online course, gunsmithing is very hand-on sort of thing. I guess it would depend on what sort of smithing you were thinking of doing.
I believe there are some good gunsmithing school here in Colorado, might check those out.
you can do all of the things you want without ever going to gunsmithing school. just take some armorers courses as time permits.
BPTactical
10-03-2012, 14:32
Alex,
Don't waste your time or money on "correspondence" type courses. I have sampled a couple and as a matter of fact I have the curriculums from 4 of them I have grabbed at gunshows.
Most are what would be classified at "hobbyist" level. They will teach basics such as cleaning, scope mounting and such but lack real depth.
3 of the curriculums I have are almost word for word dissertations on Roy Dunlaps book: "Gunsmithing".
The book is 40.00, most of the courses are in the 4-500.00 dollar ranges.
The one that is somewhat useful is the AGI dvd course but to get it from AGI you are looking at $3k.
Your a smart man Al(odd but that's ok[Beer]).
You are fully capable of teaching yourself, get Dunlaps book and get familiar with some of the various areas of the craft.
Then as a new project comes along find every bit of reference material on that item and dig in.
so without a certificate i can work on others firearms or do i need an ffl and if i do need an ffl would a cheap online class help ?
BPTactical
10-03-2012, 17:52
Per BATF Regs: "if one is engaged in the repair, modification and customization of firearms FOR PROFIT and or as a business a FFL is required".
I am working from memory so the wording may not be exact but the gist is if you are making money from it, you had best have your FFL.
No "Certificate" or diploma is required to 'Smith.
Its not what you hang on the wall, its what comes from your hands that counts.
Per BATF Regs: "if one is engaged in the repair, modification and customization of firearms FOR PROFIT and or as a business a FFL is required".
I am working from memory so the wording may not be exact but the gist is if you are making money from it, you had best have your FFL.
No "Certificate" or diploma is required to 'Smith.
Its not what you hang on the wall, its what comes from your hands that counts.
So true!
I knew a smith out in NY that was a master. The guy could take the crappiest Siameese Mauser and turn it into a work of art.No schooling,no ffl just hands on experience and would work on your stuff just for the sake of getting out of the house and enjoying your company.
Then there are the guys at the local shop there that had every known certificate,but screwed up evry barrel they ever worked on..
just for the record id only be replacing parts , cleaning and restoring old stuff . i could not agree more that its the quality of craftsmanship that counts not the crap hanging on the wall .
thanks again for the info
I would love to get in some of those courses just to familiarize myself with the innards of many firearms.I have a good knowledge from tinkering with my millitary collection and it would be nice to be able to take apart some of the older civillan weapons without having springs and bins go boing..
You can try out one or two of the NRA classes at the college here over the summer.
You can try out one or two of the NRA classes at the college here over the summer.
wish i could but wife , kids and job say otherwise
BPTactical
10-08-2012, 08:13
Like I said Al, pick up a copy of Dunlaps "Gunsmithing". You will have the foundation of the majority of mail order courses.
I'm in a similar spot. Would love some gunsmithing education, but nothing really firs my schedule. School of trades is expensive. But the bad part is no night school or part time. I figure I'd read a few books. My suggestion is get a C&R for thirty some bucks. Then you can get all kinds of cheap crappy guns, and Brownells will give you dealer pricing. With all the info on the ultraweb, and books 20 grand for a year of school seems a little silly. And I don't really care about stock making. Much like regular college they require learning things you may not care to learn. Sweeney has a couple good books too.
FireMoth
10-09-2012, 17:07
Information's relevance is dependent on your ability to execute the base skills and refine the techniques and processes described.
To whit, Bert (as example) has a good background in machining and tool use, and good general gun smithing knowledge that he might like to build on. With established skills, information online, in videos, and books will expand his knowledge base and add proficiency. This is how gunsmiths add knowledge of new guns, and new techniques to what we already know.
A person totally new to the skill sets, or worse, ignorant enough to believe they are not, can do more damage by trying to learn without direct instruction and supervision. If you get the basics wrong, it only gets worse from there.
Easy way to think about it is this: If you are a virgin, watching porn isn't going to help you much on your first time, or even your second, and can make things sloppy, dangerous, and confusing.
But once you are riding high in the saddle for a while, a little smut can inspire some great ideas ;)
BPTactical
10-09-2012, 17:33
"Easy way to think about it is this: If you are a virgin, watching porn isn't going to help you much on your first time, or even your second, and can make things sloppy, dangerous, and confusing.
But once you are riding high in the saddle for a while, a little smut can inspire some great ideas"
[ROFL2][ROFL1][ROFL3][LOL]
Epic Rob[Beer]
Easy way to think about it is this: If you are a virgin, watching porn isn't going to help you much on your first time, or even your second, and can make things sloppy, dangerous, and confusing.
But once you are riding high in the saddle for a while, a little smut can inspire some great ideas ;)
MILLIONS of young men would disagree.[ROFL3]
A person totally new to the skill sets, or worse, ignorant enough to believe they are not, can do more damage by trying to learn without direct instruction and supervision. If you get the basics wrong, it only gets worse from there.
^ Best way to put it.
If you are a virgin, watching porn isn't going to help you much on your first time, or even your second, and can make things sloppy, dangerous, and confusing.
But once you are riding high in the saddle for a while, a little smut can inspire some great ideas ;)
^ Great sig line. [Beer]
The NRA courses held at the Trinidad campus are a week long in the summer. They cost about $325 for the course depending on which one. You can get scolarship stuff while there also. They have every kind of course during the summer that you could think of too.
agentutah
11-23-2012, 23:42
Best gunsmith in Colorado??
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