Thinking About Becoming A Gunsmith

One real gunsmith in Ottawa- Jason Spencer, a true professional but will not tolerate fools. We used to have a great one in Hull (Luc Dufresne) but I believe the gun registry drove him out of business but I may be wrong. However I really miss Luc since he sold me my FNs!
Dave
 
i'll chime in again , only because I can speak to your original comment about working on the M1A /M14 family.
what is your experience? who has mentored or apprenticed you?
how many rifles have you built from the ground up? what "brands" ? just Chinese rinko plinkos? you are learning from youtube?? like funker tactical vids and tony ben shows? (no offense to them meant)
what tools and specific M14 gauges to you possess or have the drawings for to have made?

I've been building, diagnosing, repairing, customizing, living , breathing, eating and sh*tting the platform for nearly 10 years ( a hobby before that) , throw a box full of cream f the crop high end M14 parts on a table, I'll build you the best damn M14/M1A those parts could provide.... and hand make the custom composite stock to go on it...... but at the end of the day...... my piers still wouldn't sit by and let me call myself a "gunsmith" .
I wish you good luck ;)
get past the CFO and municipal licencing , then the insurance...... then see how much loot you have left over for inventory and tools. it can be very gratifying, but then again, it can tear your fricken soul out too LOL
 
350 Mag said:
I would wonder how much $$$$$ it would cost to get properly set up....? Building? Tools? Metal lathes $$$
That kind of input cost might take 10 years or more to pay off?
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There seems to be a perception that you have to start out with all manner of specialized equipment and be instantly able to do any and all repairs. It would make more sense to me to start small with some basic equipment plus a metal lathe and a good drill press. It would make sense to me to start with basic repairs and gradually increase your skills and abilities. Start working as a gunsmith as a hobby / part time job while you work at a paying job to support yourself. Also I think that many tools and jigs can be made by the aspiring smith and thus require at outlay of time rather than money

cheers mooncoon
 
I can totally see where these guys are coming from, when I was younger I wanted to be a computer technician because I liked working on pcs and as a kid gaming ect.

So I did and it took me atleast 6 years before I started to make a decent amount of money, now 10 years later(in the same company) im making decent income but, half the time I don't even feel like using a pc at home now lol so sick of looking at them usually.

If I had just taken the time I spent in college and getting certified and took up machining or something else heck even power engineer. I would have made alot more money especially early on, and probably would have enjoyed pcs more on personal time, also being a machinist would have been useful with my other hobbies like hotroding cars,atvs & engine repair and modification and obviously gun work also.

I think most of us have thought about stuff like being a gunsmith I know I have, but then I looked into it and the money is crap. Id rather have lots of money and toys then slave over other people's guns for minimum wage, also it would likely ruin my passion for working with my own rifles, sorta like becoming a computer technician did to my passion for gaming and overclocking I still mess around with my own stuff but it feels more like a chore now.

I've heard similar stories from friends who became mechanics, because they liked working on cars when we were in high-school shop class lol.

My2 cents
Len
 
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