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Posted: 9/13/2013 10:51:40 PM EDT
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First off, there is no way I could move my family and I out to Colorado for the schools out there. Too old...too far in the career...to many kids to support.
Are there any distance learning gunsmithing programs that are worth it? More than gunsmithing, I'm guess I'm more interested in picking up the skills to do maintenance on the popular EBR and semi-auto pistols out there as opposed to rebluing a hunting rifle. What would you call it, being an armorer or something like a Special Forces small arms specialist (yes, I know I'll never attain those guys skill level)? Anyhow, any thought by professionals who know would be appreciated. |
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There are other gunsmithing schools around the country, albeit scarce.
Montgomery CC in Troy, NC has evening and weekend courses. Also, the NRA summer program is a good way to spend a week or two on vacation. Four schools participate in that program; Montgomery CC, Trinidad SJC, Murray State in Oklahoma, and Lassen CC in California. http://www.nragunsmithing.com/ I see a new school has been added. |
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The way to learn what you want to learn is to get a lot of hands-on time taking apart and putting back together and studying firearms. Over and over.
Reading is good, too - but the "distance learning" materials out there are absolutely no good without you having tons of hands-on practice, and the information they contain is mostly available for free elsewhere on the internet. |
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The mail order and internet schools are best at taking your money, not teaching you good skills.
There is the American Gunsmithing Institute who offer complete courses (EXPENSIVE) or they sell videos on individual guns that can show you the basics. An armorer is not a gunsmith, he's a person that keeps firearms operating by cleaning, adjusting, and installing simpler parts. For anything else, the gun goes to a real gunsmith, usually at the factory. For this level, you can pick up some good information by buying the AGI videos on the guns you're interested in, and by buying the very excellent Jerry Kuhnhausen Shop Manuals on guns you want to learn. The Kuhnhausen Shop Manuals were written as training aids for gunsmith students and show full gunsmithing on a specific type of gun in deep detail, and shows everything as the factory does it. You won't find any "get it to work, somehow" gun butcher techniques you see in the old gunsmithing books. Today, customers are unwilling to accept the old techniques that altered guns from factory standard and will sue if you do it. AGI sells armorers videos, and they sell more extensive actual gunsmithing videos. Cost is still rather high, but you can buy only those videos on guns you want to look at, and only as you need them. Note that Dunlap IS a Master gunsmith, but he still tends to show some techniques that very well may not be acceptable to todays customers. http://www.americangunsmith.com/ The Kuhnhausen books are the very best ever done, and since Kuhnhausen was training gunsmiths for the factories he was careful to teach factory methods. A customer sending a gun in to a factory expects to get his gun back in full factory spec. If it isn't shown in a Kuhnhausen manual, it isn't acceptable to the factory, and likely not acceptable to a customer who knows what's what. While the Kuhnhausen manuals are full gunsmithing manuals, they show 100% disassembly and reassembly in detail, and show how to do normal parts installation similar to what an armorer would do. However, some parts fitting is beyond what an armorer would be allowed to tackle. Again, armorers do ONLY very simple repairs by installing what new parts are simple to install, cleaning, and inspecting guns for defects or wear. Anything beyond that goes to a real gunsmith. The Kuhnhausen manuals are limited to older types of guns since these were done some years ago, and won't cover things like the latest S&W revolvers with MIM parts and locks. However, they are the best gunsmithing books ever done. Even the manuals covering guns like the M1 and M14 rifles are 100% NEW information. There's none of the usual reprints of old Army Field manuals. You do need to really STUDY these manuals because Kuhnhausen wrote these as AIDS for new gunsmiths, and you have to sort of read between the lines. He doesn't slap you in the face with information, he assumed you could read closely enough to see data that's there but not printed in huge letters with arrows pointing to it.. You can buy the manuals from Brownell's, Midway, and direct from the publisher, VSP Publishers. http://www.brownells.com/search/index.htm?k=shop+manuals&ksubmit=y Last, most of the gun makers who make military and police guns offer armorers courses that usually take no more than two days at most. However, you pretty much have to be working for a police department in order to get into a class, they won't accept most gunsmiths or "civilians" who aren't employed by a department. The NRA offers short, usually weekend gunsmithing specialty courses on various subjects. These are usually aimed at working gunsmiths to teach higher level skills, so usually you have to already be a trained technician because most of these are not for beginners. Finally a few gunsmithing companies offer short courses on specific guns. Much depends on your skill level to qualify. One who offers 1911 courses is Cylinder & Slide Shop in Nebraska. |
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Besides the 'smithing courses, check into welding and machine shop courses offered by junior colleges and tech schools. While AR's and newer firearms designs require little or no fitting of parts, older firearms designs may not be as friendly. I'm not well versed on 1911's, but my guess is they require
If you're learning for self improvement, it's not as critical, but if you're looking for employment, you might want to keep a log or take pictures of work in progress of firearms you have worked on. |
| Though I agree with dfaris on some things stated, I can tell you that more of the distance learning degrees are being accepted. I work 25 yrs in the racecar industry (Indycar, F1, MotoGP, IMSA, NASCAR) and worked on my own guns off hour. For the last 8 years I have been a full time, employed gunsmith. I make enough to "feed a family of 4" plus some. I have worked at one of the largest indoor ranges in the country. I was the go to gunsmith throughout the Seattle-Tacoma area for 3 years before moving to northern Va. I have 5 patents pending on parts that came out of need by customers. I am one of a few "cilvilian" armorers certified with HK on ALL systems (yes, even the MP7) I help teach armorers courses when we host them. I agree that the training that you get at a 2yr college is great if you have the $40K to spend (school, books, food, gas, housing, ins., etc..) I can tell you that you will spend more than you make just getting tools and machines. I have over $40K invested in my tools, machines and shop. If I could spend more, I would, just to have the ways and means to do more jobs. BTW, I have a "certificate" from Penn-Foster in gunsmithing. Did it help me to learn machining and other techinical stuff--No, I was a master machinist/fabricator in racing (which I had to learn from watching/trial and error) If this is truely what you want to do, then go for it, but remember one thing, you have to work HARD, bill your customers reasonably, never under quote time (if the job takes you 3hrs, but you quoted 2, you lose) Find what you are great at and become the best you can at it. Set yourself as the go to guy. Do not get cocky,greedy, or snobby. Remember that the customer is your paycheck. If you have no customers, you have no paycheck. |
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