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Posted: 3/25/2010 9:07:23 AM EDT
| I work for a Houston, TX based gun shop and I am intresed in getting a gunsmithing certificate. The problem is I have a 5 yr old in school and new house and I love my job so moving anywhere is out of picture. I just wanted to know my options. I have look around online for a while now and have seen alot of online courses. I am currently looking at the AGI course. I understand that I will not get the full traing as in working with machines and other hands on training, but I want to get the highest quality of training available to me in my position. Any one know of a good place locally or a good online class that will get me my certification and that will actually be credible. I have alot of experience with firearms and can do most of the things that I would need to for our cutomers but I just want to be certified for business reasons. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks |
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The truth is the only "Certification" or diploma that has any real value is one from a top school like Colorado Schools of Trades, or Trinidad State Junior College. The top schools have an industry wide reputation for turning out professional gunsmiths.
The mail and internet places are seen as being worthless as an indication of actual skills. EVERYONE "passes" the mail and internet courses. People fail at the top schools, so a diploma from them actually means something. It means qualified instructors have trained you, seen the quality of your work, and are satisfied that you're fit. If all you want is something to hang on the wall a certification from a mail order or internet school will do as well as one you just print yourself. If you're intending to use it as part of a resume to get a job, the mail and internet certifications will get pitched in the trash. There are a number of ways to become a real gunsmith, among them being self-taught, using a mail order course, working as an apprentice, or attending a good school. The only one that's sure and certain is to attend a school. Many people will recommend taking a local community school machine shop course to teach you how to use a lathe and milling machine. These help, but this will not qualify you to be a gunsmith. Most (but not all) good gunsmiths are good machinists. Most good machinists are NOT good gunsmiths and many are absolutely terrible at it. Being a good gunsmith is an entire package, and these days the best way to learn it is in a real school. By no means does this mean one of the mail schools would be a waste of time and money. If you have the talent and skills you can become a good gunsmith this way. But be aware that the certification will be worthless when it comes time to find a job. In fact, you don't need any diploma or certification of any kind be be a gunsmith, but you do if you intend to get a job. Look at it this way, if you were running a car repair shop and you had two applicants for a job, which one would you hire: the man who has a certification from some mail order or internet course or the man who has a certification from a well known automotive training school that turns out top quality mechanics? Want to open your own business? All you need to hang on the wall is a Federal Firearms License, and that only because the law demands you have one. |
| Ya this is the conclusion I came to but the only thing is that I am not able to go to the good schools. I just need a certification and some more knowledge so that I can start installing rails, sights, scopes and repairing minor issues for customers at my job. I just am having a hard time spending 5000-6000 for a AGI gunsmithing course. I think I am going to take the Law Enforcement Armorers Course that AGI offers and Look for a knowledgable online/mail order school to get the gunsmithing certificate. I know all most all of the stuff that is in the courses that I have been checking out, I just dont have that certification to show the customers.....I really wish there was a gunsmithing school in Texas.... |
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Quoted:
Ya this is the conclusion I came to but the only thing is that I am not able to go to the good schools. I just need a certification and some more knowledge so that I can start installing rails, sights, scopes and repairing minor issues for customers at my job. I just am having a hard time spending 5000-6000 for a AGI gunsmithing course. I think I am going to take the Law Enforcement Armorers Course that AGI offers and Look for a knowledgable online/mail order school to get the gunsmithing certificate. I know all most all of the stuff that is in the courses that I have been checking out, I just dont have that certification to show the customers.....I really wish there was a gunsmithing school in Texas.... They want certification for these? 
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Depending on what guns you want to work on here's some options.
1. Many manufactures offer armorers courses for doing minor repairs and parts replacement on guns. Glock, S&W, and Remington among others offer courses on the standard Police models. These are usually one or two day courses and they offer them all over the country from time to time. 2. The NRA offers short gunsmithing courses covering specific subjects. Again, these are usually short courses. Cylinder & Slide Shop offer short gunsmithing classes, but you have to go there. 3. Buy the Jerry Kuhnhausen shop manuals for the guns you intend to work on. These were written as training aids for new gunsmiths and cover each gun in great depth. These are not the usual reprints of GI manuals, or the basic "how to disassemble". These are true gunsmiths manuals that show the FACTORY method of repairing and trouble shooting a gun. http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=0/k=shop+manual/t=P/ksubmit=y/Products/All/search=shop_manual There are also the shop manual videos which might help. Brownell's sell the AGI series in individual courses so you can pick only the ones you want: http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=0/k=agi/t=P/ksubmit=y/Products/All/search=agi The also offer several types of books on firearms disassembly for individual models: I suggest looking through the Brownell's catalog to see these since there are a number of them. The usual "Gun Digest" disassembly books are not really what a pro needs since they don't show any of the "watch outs" to not damage something. |
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Quoted:
.....I really wish there was a gunsmithing school in Texas....
Ditto!!!! It would be fantastic if one of the community colleges/tradeschools in the Houston/Pasadena area had a Gunsmithing class. Its like they teach everything but gunsmith. there is one in Oklahoma well within reach of Sherman(65 miles) or Dallas(125 miles) (probably to far for a daily commute)... Murray State College.... |
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The AGI videos are very very basic stuff. If don't know how to disassemble and reassemble a 1911, the video will help, but that's about it. I've been apprenticing with a custom rifle gunsmith for two years now. He's self-taught on just about everything, but learned 1911s in the Army pistol team post Vietnam. It helps a lot to have machining know-how and have a real knack for mechanical operations and spatial concepts. I worked for 6 years building motorcycles before I started 'smithing professionally. I learned welding and machine work there, and it's been very helpful in the gunsmithing business. I was never afraid to take anything apart. I started doing it as a kid, taking toys apart and trying to make them "better." I got really comfortable with all kinds of guns when I worked for a year at a gun range as a weapons technician. I literally fired tens of thousands of rounds from an M2, M240, M249, and several different full auto ARs. That's how I met my boss. The M249 had a out of battery detonation that destroyed the bolt. Unable to disassemble by hand. Took the M249 next door and we fooled with it for awhile until we got it apart. Lots of cordless drilling and rubber mallets. The next day he asked me to work for him, because he saw the ability in me. One of the first things I did after he hired me was build a 1911 from the ground up. I used Essex oversized frame and slide and a Kart barrel. I did all the fitting by hand with some nice files I bought. Took me awhile, because I did it in my time off, but the pistol will now shoot 1" groups will WWB all day long at 25 yards. And it's reliable. I believe that the important abilities to have to be a gunsmith are: 1. extensive gun knowledge - Not just what model is which, but how to take it apart, what parts fit where, etc 2. ability to visualize how the gun works - without it, it's hard to fix functioning problems, among others 3. patience 4. a desire to fix things 5. significant mechanical ability 6. machining know how - not necessarily the lathe, but using a milling machine is very important 7. patience 8. desire to do things the right way, not the easy way - shortcut will only piss off the customer and cost you money 9. strong creative mind, and artistic ability - gunsmithing is an art 10. knowing when you're over your head and need help, whether help is from a more knowledgeable gunsmith, Kuhnhausen's books, or a gunsmithing video. |
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