learning about firearms, gunsmithing.

[Mr. Friendly]

learning the basic of cleaning, tweaking a firearm.

going thru the Canadian Firearms newsletter, there's one sale ad that advertises an online/home schooling 'gunsmithing' course. my friend in Florida scoffed when he reviewed that saying those were things he already knew. I on the other hand do not know them. I'm taking my PAL tomorrow and the RPAL will follow very soon after...but that still leaves me wondering about learning how to work with a firearm properly and safely, aside from the shooting/transporting/storage aspects I'm learning about in the manuals.

now, for $750, it may be a joke...but I'd like to get those of you who know what's good and what's not to weigh in on this and give some advise as what I can or should do, to learn, once my license has been approved and I can purchase my first firearm.

this is the course:
http://www.pcdi.ca/courses/2V/

if you click on Course Outline in the upper left, you'll get a more focused view of what the 19 lessons cover.

PS - I think the label for this course is probably very misleading, as it doesn't teach you to be a gunsmith, so please don't take offense. I don't expect it to teach me how to do what you experienced folks know how to do!

 

[troutfly]

I took the ICS course in the 80's, was interesting and got to write the tuition off on my taxes.
Now, I would just buy a couple of books on firearms repair and maint such as
Roy Dunlap's books, Gun Owners Book of Care, Repair and Improvement, and/or Gunsmithing. I have both plus a copy of Brownells catalogue. Besides every tool you could need to work on your own guns, they have a great selection of books including several which are gun specific manuals and the Gunsmith Kinks series.
Important thing to remember is, don't get in over your head, use the books as a guide till you feel comfortable tearing down your gun.
Get a set of Brownells Magna Tip screwdrivers, some punches (brass and nylon), Brass/Nylon hammer, a bench vise with padded jaws, GOOD cleaning rods etc.
Get the books first and read them. That and ask questions, preferably someone you know/trust for guidance. I do most of my own work now, way too much fun and I know my firearms every quirk.

 

[RT]

Ive done the PCDI course, it cost me alot less than $750. Its mostly therory related material, trouble shooting problems on common/popular firearms ect. Its all good stuff, the books are good reference material, and they do send you basic gunsmithing tools as well ( punches, screwdrivers ).

For just learning how the actions on different firearms work its very good, it certainly wont make you a smithy but.... you also gotta start somewhere.

Contact them and tell them your interested then every couple months you will get a "special offer" from them in the mail and eventually you should be able to get it for about $450 or so.

 

[jethunter]

I have done the PCDI course. If you are on your own (no tutor) and want to start at a very basic level, it is the course for you.

 

[Rembo]

take a basic machining course at your local college...this should be the first step to anyone wanting to be a hobby gunsmith...regardless of where you want to be you WILL be a hobby gunsmith at some point.....then get yourself a lathe large enough to fit a barrel thru the spindle and commence to having fun....and get used to saying NO..or you'll never have time to work on your own stuff....

 

[redneck4life]

I finished the ICS course two years ago and it helped me out when I first got into firearms, I learned alot got some really good tools to help me get started. It is a tax write off, but there was no hands on work in the course, all it is book work, you still have a lot of learning when you are done. Good luck and have fun.

 

[the wrench]

Mr. friendly, sounds like you are just starting out, so the best thing you can do is go to buy a few books on gun care, etc. It is far too early for you to be concerned about gunsmithing. Check out brownell's or even Amazon, or a local gun store.get the books pertaining to your situation and the guns you own.This is far cheaper than the course you mentioned and you can get all the info you can possibly want.

 

[darxtar]

Another way too, if you happen to be an unscrupulous SOB with the morals of an alleycat, such as myself, torrents and/or the USENET, abound with everything from AGI videos to complete gunsmith courses to tactical training videos and everything in between.

 

[sunray]

The problem with any on-line or correspondence course is that you need the firearm used in each lesson. If the lesson is about doing a trigger job on a Smith revolver and you don't have one, you've wasted your money. Few, if any, people will lend you a firearm to learn on.
Like the wrench says, read every book you can get your hands on before you spend any money on smithing lessons. Your local public library is a good place to start. Most smithies spend more time reading than doing anything else. Books are expensive though. So start in the library.
Get a copy of Hatcher's Notebook too. There's lots of general firearm info in it. About $30. Your local gun shop or Amazon.

 

[vega]

I read a book once, and the guy said you'll not know much about guns till you've lost ten thousand dollars buying and selling, messing up a lot and ruining a few in the process.

I think that is pretty much true. Think of the guys you know who are really good with cars. They probably started in high school, and tore down lots of engines and stuff before they figured out the basics.

Another old boy I knew who was real old Harley man, told me years ago if I wanted to know bikes, the first thing I needed to do was to get an old Briggs and Straton engine, put it on the work bench and look at it for a week, then take it apart and reassemble it until I could do it in my sleep.

So--- Time, experience, lots of mistakes, read your a-- off, take one firearm type at a time, lose a lot of money. If after several years of that you still wanna be a gunsmith, Colorado School of Trades or the like.

I'd rather see you spend the money you would waste on a correspondence course buying beater guns, figuring them out, make them good again.

Luck to ya.