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There are many people in the Gun Show has the Nazi's Flag as their table cloths, and the swastika clearly show at the front and his table is full of Nazi German's stuff such as Helmet,uniform, guns and bayonet that may have blood on it. Is he promoting hated ? Do you want to go to him and tell him to his face that you are an a....hole ? I just don't understand.
Panic , Points,45ACPKING and H Wally : Thank you for your suggestions, I will concentrate more on the mechanical skill first like you guys suggested, also I will gather as much information (youtube,internet) regarding what Panic said, learn it bit by bit, never give up , just practice and practice again, just be positive , who knows, may be someday, someone will take me as his student.
Have a wonderful day
 
I took the same type of course about 25 yrs. ago. At that time was looking at opening a gun shop in our area. The courses are good for all the general knowledge and theory but as I found and your finding you need the hands on, tough to get. The shop idea never worked out, cost of setting up a building and insurance was insane. What I did was buy beater firearms and rebuild them. Once I finished them and shot them to be sure my work was done right I sold them. Still do it, nice to have something to do in the winter and make a few extra bucks on the farm.
 
roleicax said:
CanAM - Thanks for your idea, however I thought UK is very strict on guns and they don't like guns, I just guess.
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UK gun laws are very messed up, much worse than ours, and they also have some of the best gunmakers in the world. I don't know what the requirements are for being considered as an apprentice, but if you could get one of them to take you on that would be an excellent way to go.

There are several good books on gunsmithing out there, some of them are dated, but the material is still valuable. And as others have mentioned a good machinist course, and some woodworking skills wouldn't hurt either.
 
grumpyold said:
I took the same type of course about 25 yrs. ago. At that time was looking at opening a gun shop in our area. The courses are good for all the general knowledge and theory but as I found and your finding you need the hands on, tough to get. The shop idea never worked out, cost of setting up a building and insurance was insane. What I did was buy beater firearms and rebuild them. Once I finished them and shot them to be sure my work was done right I sold them. Still do it, nice to have something to do in the winter and make a few extra bucks on the farm.
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Yes, I understand that , the cost is prohibitive and the liability insurance is crazy too ! I will try to buy some old beat up guns to practice as you suggested. However I bought a handgun barrel from someone and find out the first thread has dents on it, so I asked for refund ,but that guy being very smart saying that I was accused of tempering of stuff and scam for money(that's another story) and he saw this thread, saying I am a wanna be gunsmith and tinker the stuff want refund and give me bad feedback, I received the goods and find out the damage right the way, sent pics right way, how do I have time to tinker ? I was a trained watchmaker apprentice, I have good eyes, and always look at things in details. He said he never drop it, I believed him actually however he may drop it accidentally without knowing it, or when he bought the barrel , it comes like that. Anyway, he make his decision based on false information and assumption, it is really too bad. He just assumed whenever a guy want to learn gunsmithing , it is automatically he will do such a thing to scam people money.
grumyold, for all those years, have you came across people like that ? how do you deal with it ? would you like to share?
Thanks and have a good day.
 
9.3mauser said:
UK gun laws are very messed up, much worse than ours, and they also have some of the best gunmakers in the world. I don't know what the requirements are for being considered as an apprentice, but if you could get one of them to take you on that would be an excellent way to go.

There are several good books on gunsmithing out there, some of them are dated, but the material is still valuable. And as others have mentioned a good machinist course, and some woodworking skills wouldn't hurt either.
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Hi 9.3 Mauser, thanks for your information. However going to Britain is out of my ability. Yes, I am gathering some gunsmithing books to learn as much as possible, even sometimes I don't understand what they are saying but I guess when you accumulate enough knowledge , it will become clear sooner or later. good day to you.
 
First off who did you buy the barrel from, private or dealer? When I buy parts I buy from dealers, and only buy from private sellers if I can inspect the parts before hand. If a rebuild requires a barrel always try for new. As to the threads on the barrel you acquired if the dents are minor some careful work with a file should solve the problem. I've received brand new barrels, which have some sort of protection covering the threads, not want to start. A little gentle work solves the problem. Fitting parts is going to become a regular part of working on firearms.
 
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Before you can be a good gunsmith you need to be a good machinist. You need to know how to work metal both with machines and hand tools to a fine degree. That barrel with the dented thread should not be seen as a bad purchase. Instead you should be seeing it as a way to learn to fix a dented thread. It's not something magical to do. In fact it's darn basic for anyone with some metal working skills and can be done in any number of ways.

To learn to be a metal worker you either need to take courses or you need to buy the tools and machines and teach yourself. And that means having a shop to set all the stuff up. And that takes space and money. You posted that you can't afford a course at BCIT. Perhaps take the evening courses either at BCIT or through some sort of continuing education program offered in the evenings at local high schools and the like.

And don't forget about wood working and plastics technology. A lot of your gunsmithing jobs will require modifications or repairs to wood and plastic stocks. So you need to have the tools and skills for that as well.

Be it metal, wood or plastics you don't need to be a gunsmith to learn each of these. However you DO need those skills and tools to be a gunsmith. So you need to start with those three and work up from there. Guns are simply special cases of metal and wood. There's little to nothing that is gun specific to working with them. Oh sure, there's gun related knowledge about picking certain things that is gun specific. But to work on the guns "only" needs good general knowledge and skill of metal and wood techniques. And you don't need to go to a gunsmithing school for those.
 
roleicax said:
There are many people in the Gun Show has the Nazi's Flag as their table cloths, and the swastika clearly show at the front and his table is full of Nazi German's stuff such as Helmet,uniform, guns and bayonet that may have blood on it. Is he promoting hated ? Do you want to go to him and tell him to his face that you are an a....hole ? I just don't understand.
Panic , Points,45ACPKING and H Wally : Thank you for your suggestions, I will concentrate more on the mechanical skill first like you guys suggested, also I will gather as much information (youtube,internet) regarding what Panic said, learn it bit by bit, never give up , just practice and practice again, just be positive , who knows, may be someday, someone will take me as his student.
Have a wonderful day
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Just for the record here, I wasn't supporting the opinion. Just trying to lend another opinion.

As for Smith work, I wanted to get into it too, but it seems to be a very hard nut to crack. My plan is to learn machining then hopefully get into gunsmith work.
 
Oh and a question for grumpyold....

Do you need insurance to do what you do? Or some sort of Smith license? Or business license?

Or is the idea that you are buying the guns, fixing them for yourself, then "decision you no longer want them" and selling them?

Do you gave any concerns about it coming back on you? I know this isn't the states so people aren't nearly as sue happy, but does it concern you?

As for setting up shop, do you need insurance to get your firearms business license, or is there some other requirement? How much coverage do you need?
 
krprice84 said:
Oh and a question for grumpyold....

Do you need insurance to do what you do? Or some sort of Smith license? Or business license?

Or is the idea that you are buying the guns, fixing them for yourself, then "decision you no longer want them" and selling them?

Do you gave any concerns about it coming back on you? I know this isn't the states so people aren't nearly as sue happy, but does it concern you?

As for setting up shop, do you need insurance to get your firearms business license, or is there some other requirement? How much coverage do you need?
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Need insurance, business licence? No, not running a firearms business. We do have a business licence for another side line set up on the farm.Have a certificate from the course I took, for what that's worth.
Buy, rebuild, sell considered privately owned firearms.
As to coming back on me, no concerns at all. Every firearm is checked and double checked. Shoot every one to be sure they function properly. Some I've keep and others have hung around for awhile and been used.
As to setting up a shop, really depends on how you plan to set up. Would suggest you search government web site, been a long time since we looked into it. Can tell you this for sure, if your plans are to set up a store front, hang onto your wallet. Even setting up home based is not going to be cheap, if neighbours even let you do it. Would definitely be considered a discretionary licence. Apply and register with FED,lease on building, local business licence, insurance, security/surveillance system, bar all windows and doors, secure storage, inspections, all the assorted stationary and forms, and on and on and on.
To BCRIDER's points having the equipment and tools is a big plus. Depending on the work you want to do you can get machine shops to do some, but your profits going to go in their pocket. Mechanical ability, skills and tools are your biggest asset.
 
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If you're going to work on the actions of any guns and sell that service you WILL want insurance. An example to show why;

Years ago a guy that was into ultralight flying decided to end it all. He took off climbed to some altitude over the field and pushed into a dive. Left a note and everthing. But he wasn't worth a whole lot and his widow decided that she wanted more. She sued the field operator, the maker of the plane and the maker of the engine in the plane. The note made such suits frivolous and I understand that she got little or nothing. But each one of those outfits charged in the suit had to pay for a lawyer to defend them.

Now consider what would happen if someone had a rifle worked on by a smith and then that rifle was responsible for a hunting accident. And if the fellow holding the rifle wanted to deflect the blame then who would be the perfect target for a law suit? And if the trigger was "improved" in some way then what if the judge found that in some way the smith was contributory to the accident as a result?

Sorry but I value my house and other toys far too much. At some point when I've got time I've considered doing a few side jobs. But I quickly came to realize that I'm going to stick to wood working or parts that are not directly involved with the action and the actual firing of the gun. It's too deep a black hole to risk otherwise. At least not without insurance. And the sort of insurance you would require as a gunsmith does not come cheap. So it's either no gunsmithing at all or dive in full speed ahead so you can do enough work and make enough money to pay the insurance and make a living.
 
BCRider - thank you so much for your valuable inputs. I did tried to find some night courses from the local high school but no luck, but I will keep trying. Yes, many people said it is better to become a machinist first, when you have the basic knowledge, it will be more easier to do the gunsmithing work. Regarding wood work and plastic work, I never thought about that but totally agree with you. I think I can find a woodworkng workshop easily however regarding plastic , would you elaborate more on that ? when can I get knowledge about that? good day. Regarding tools, I am planning to buy some specific gunsmith tools from brownells, don't have the too much money to spend now. If later on if I can afford, a 3 in 1 mini milling lathe is on my list, what do you think?
 
BCRider said:
If you're going to work on the actions of any guns and sell that service you WILL want insurance. An example to show why;

Years ago a guy that was into ultralight flying decided to end it all. He took off climbed to some altitude over the field and pushed into a dive. Left a note and everthing. But he wasn't worth a whole lot and his widow decided that she wanted more. She sued the field operator, the maker of the plane and the maker of the engine in the plane. The note made such suits frivolous and I understand that she got little or nothing. But each one of those outfits charged in the suit had to pay for a lawyer to defend them.

Now consider what would happen if someone had a rifle worked on by a smith and then that rifle was responsible for a hunting accident. And if the fellow holding the rifle wanted to deflect the blame then who would be the perfect target for a law suit? And if the trigger was "improved" in some way then what if the judge found that in some way the smith was contributory to the accident as a result?

Sorry but I value my house and other toys far too much. At some point when I've got time I've considered doing a few side jobs. But I quickly came to realize that I'm going to stick to wood working or parts that are not directly involved with the action and the actual firing of the gun. It's too deep a black hole to risk otherwise. At least not without insurance. And the sort of insurance you would require as a gunsmith does not come cheap. So it's either no gunsmithing at all or dive in full speed ahead so you can do enough work and make enough money to pay the insurance and make a living.
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Totally disagree. Under your line of thinking if you do something as simple as change a 16#action spring to a18# spring and sold the gun a week later and there was an accident with the pistol a week later your responsible, give me a break.
Under your line of thinking selling a used car as is, where is and a tie rod falls out on the road your responsible? BUYER BEWARE!
If you do sloppy work don't bother starting.
In my a case I'm not selling a service I'm selling privately owned firearms.
Everyone has the right to have a used item, car, truck, house, firearm, inspected by a third body if they wish.
 
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Magellann said:
You could also consider joining the military and becoming a weapons tech, Ive known a couple fellas that went that route in the past.
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Joining the CF to be a gun plumber is a worthy career, however you won’t be touching a C7 the day after you apply.

Not sure about Reg Force, but in the Reserve world, it will take about 8 months to process you from being a prospect to an applicant to actual enrollment. Assuming that you fill out your application completely, you don’t have any crim, you’ve lived continuously in Canada for the last five years, and you give complete references that aren’t your friends or family, otherwise, every little hiccup will delay your application. BMQ and BMQ land will run at least 8 months or so back to back (weekend course).

Once you’re done your BMQ, you’ll have to take EME common for a number of weeks, then you take your first trades course which is another 2 or 3 months full-time.

You’ll be fixing lanterns and kitchens for the first two, maybe three years as a Weapons Tech before you see a C7, but once you're fully trained, you get to play with a lot of cool stuff.
 
Grumpyold, I wrote that with the idea that I would be doing it regularly and with offering my services as an actual gunsmith. And that's a heap different from me selling a gun that I might have worked on for myself and then decided to sell it.

It's the same difference between me offering my services as a car mechanic and selling a car which I'd worked on for myself then decided to sell it. Night and day both in the real and legal world.

Either way any of us that sells anything CAN be sued at any time if the item is part of some subsequent accident and modifications can be shown to be present. Being a less frequent seller minimizes that sort of risk but it does not eliminate it.

Hell, anyone at any time can pick our names out of a phone listing and sue us for anything at all be it real or imagined. Such a suit won't go anywhere but it still takes us paying lawyer to ensure it's nipped in the bud.
 
You’ll be fixing lanterns and kitchens for the first two, maybe three years as a Weapons Tech before you see a C7, but once you're fully trained, you get to play with a lot of cool stuff.[/QUOTE]

YES!!! The above is very true. I joined the army in 68. You need a LOT of patience to do anything in the forces.
Let's see. Basic training, 6 months general duties waiting for my course slot. 3 months on course (it was great but very basic), then on to a base work shop.
Now I thought. I get to work on guns. Nope. Repair shovels, stoves, lanterns, field kitchen utensils, random bits of militaria that no other trade does, etc, etc, etc. Then after about a year, you get to actually start to work on guns. Now, that being said, I did clean a lot of guns in the varsol tanks. Stripped thousands of FNs, (and 303s) cleaned them and put them back into storage after a dip in oil.
So after about 2 years from the beginning of basic, you start to actually fix guns. All of the preamble was actually good as you did learn a lot of skills that you originally didn't think fit into your trade but came into the making of a good armourer.
Next thing is, where do you get posted and what will you work on next. If you get posted to an armour corps, you will work on tanks and rarely touch a rifle.
All in all, the CF route is a gamble.that I won at but many don't.
 
In BC , contact the BC CFO , they will send you a comprehensive package on what you need to know as far as getting licenced ect. VERY imformative.
You need zero qualifications to apply for a firearms business licence with gunsmithing attached. And I don't know about the folks above but you DO require a firearms business licence if you plan to buy, fix, accessorize and sell firearms unless you are doing it as a hobby and are not making a profit/income from such endeavors.
 
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