Want to be a gunsmith?

I did the ICS crse for gunsmithing but like most people have said its only good for theory not practical training. I am now working on older guns for friends in order to get the practical experience.
 
hardek said:
How do u all feel about correspondence gunsmithing courses?
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They charge a lot of money for what you get. I was fortunate enough to pick up the whole package at an auction for $20. The course material is good reference for some of the older guns, but I am sure glad I didn't pay full price for it. Check ebay and other sources. I am sure there are lots of people who have taken the course and would be happy to sell off the materials.

I for one have to +100 on Gunnar's advice to specialize. I see a gunsmith as a "master" when it comes to gun repairs, replacement part manufacturing, stock bedding, rebarrelling, sleeving and the mile long list that goes with it. I personally reserve that title for the old time smith who has been there and done that a millon times. There is much more opportunity in getting really good at fixing/customizing a certain type or range of types of firearms. Just don't pick a niche market that is going to be gone next year!!! Eventually you will have the opportunity to work outside your chosen area and this is what will eventually make you confident enough to call yourself a smith. If you try to do it all at once you will probably get discouraged without the right mentorship.
 
Gun Smith apprentice

My wife just finished going to university for 4 years and now she says its my turn to take a course. I would love to get into gunsmithing. I just need some education from a good gunsmith. I live near Ottawa . So, if anybody is looking for someone to pass on their knowledge too, I am very interested. I hope I am not too old at 42 to learn something new.
So contact me if anyone is interested.
thanks
T. Crawford
 
The only school is in maniwaki a couple hours north of ottawa.

I just got home from the course, i move there for a year from bc. It was alot of fun
 
It was a little bit of everything and we build a bolt action rifle as a year long project. It leaves alot to be desired but it was well worth the pricw which was about 3000 for the year including everything you need for the rifle and your tuition etc.

Overall for the price and if you just want to know how to run lathes and milling machines and get the basics down it gives a great base to learn on. Also it really gives you a boost of confidence when you have a huge shop with all the tools and supplies you would want. That way if you can dream it you can build it.

I gave my rifle to my father as a thank you for all he has taught me. I also rebuilt a matchlock musket and fix a few antique pistols that I bought whilst I was in quebec.

The course has a long way to go before it is great but since fritz matti left it has gone way down hill. I will write a little more detailed explanation and course walkthrough in a separate thread when I get some time.

Cheers, McLean
 
Hey everyone! Great posts! Budding gunsmith here! Haha. I think I'm on the right path, I've taken the pcdi online course and I found it to be mediocre at best, it consists of poor photos that seem as if the were photocopied out of a book from the 70's and the info is very vague and constantly just tells you to take the work to a gunsmith! Seriously? I thought that's why I was taking the course? Anyways, I passed the course casually in about a month with 100% scores on every exam. Disappointed and -$850.00 I had to find better education but this was going to be tricky, as I am handicapped and cannot manage going to a school every day. Lucky for me I found agi (american gunsmithing institute) they are a indexed DVD course! They are a little pricey but its like being hands on! Especially if you have some of the guns to tinker with as you go. Also you have the option to tale their full certification courses or just buy individual lessons! So that being said I have built a nice little shop and outfitted it with pretty much all of the tools I will need to do the work I am interested in doing, all for relatively cheap considering. About $3000.00 that should allow me to do almost anything but run a lathe or mill! (probably stuff a guy with no balance shouldn't be doing anyways) haha. At this point in not really doing work for the public yet as I consider myself to still be in training, however I'm not opposed to the idea because the work I am doing is quality work if I do say so myself! I'm almost having more fun learning and disassembling re assembling them than I am shooting them! As mentioned in above posts the gratification you get from understanding and making firearms function better even without buying all fancy new parts and giving it back to someone and watching their response is the best feeling! Just making your own firearms all Purdy is great too! Anyways feel free to checkout some of the work I've done so far, and check out the shop if you like! Is love to hear some of your stories see some of your work maybye do some projects in the future and that kind of stuff! Just search "the firearms doctor" on Facebook! cheers everybody! BJ (the firearms doctor)
 
M14Doctor said:
I gave up my 40.00 plus an hour future (80,000.00 to 120,000.00 a year) as a long shoreman here in B.C. , to open up shop as a specialized riflesmith/stock maker ;) 70% of my knowledge gleaned from an ederly ex usmc armourer/friend in south dakota, usa. The rest over the past 5 years dealing with chinese rifles here in canada.

as Gunnar says, specialize, specialize, specialize. This will be your bread and butter work and what your reputation will be based on ;) Give me a couple years and I will be looking at taking on an apprentice in the b.c. interior. If my sons show no interest in taking over the business one day..... I'll go outside the family to grow the business.

I love what i do, and leaving long shoring for what i love to do was not a hard decision to make. I got tired of sitting in my machine watching raw logs go by the boat load to china and elsewhere.... it was a moral decision LOL. I also have the benefit of a wife who works in health care and loves that i love what i do hehehehe.
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Hey there I'm a gunsmith in training down in osoyoos bc! Where abouts are you located?
 
Was at Murray Charlltons shop on Monday and he is so busy that he is closing for an extra day so he can keep ahead of all the work he has. And the other Good Gunsmith here in Victoria BC area John Pullen is only open Fri Sat and Sun so he can work on smithing the rest of the time and both seem to be very successful and busy. So you do not have to do much of a job market survey to see thier is a market for this skill as long as you are good at it
 
There is a lack of proper gunsmiths in Nova Scotia. Not sure what the reason for that is. I think there is a need for more good gunsmiths in Nova Scotia, but my suspicion is that there are not enough good customers for them. I heard of a gunsmith out in Cole Harbor who got out of the business. Customers leaving guns with him for agreed upon work and vamoosing was common allegedly.
 
Hello, new guy here. I'm interested in gunsmithing as a new job to supliment a very low disability pension. I have'nt read all 22 pages of this thread (some posts may be out dated) but my main question is about correspondence coarses.

Is a certificate from an online school regognized as a valid credential or as toilet paper?

I have worked on my own guns for many years, I have tools and equipment, and I just love bringing an old shooter back to life. Starting a gunshop will require permits, insurance and undoutedly a lot of red tape. I can't see the point in all that unless I have some credentials first.
 
Thank you for that, have been rather torn about it for a while. Does anyone on here know anything about the gunsmithing program through the ICS Canada? Any recommendations?
 
I just sent for info on ics. I've been looking at AGI in the USA. looks good ...maybe, the only course in Canada that i have here about is in Quebec and in french. Not so good for me.
 
fat tony said:
There is a lack of proper gunsmiths in Nova Scotia. Not sure what the reason for that is. I think there is a need for more good gunsmiths in Nova Scotia, but my suspicion is that there are not enough good customers for them. I heard of a gunsmith out in Cole Harbor who got out of the business. Customers leaving guns with him for agreed upon work and vamoosing was common allegedly.
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this is a universal problem throughout eastern canada (espec. ontario and qc): cfo regulations and socio-economic standing of peoples do not allow for good gunsmiths to prosper and gain much experience, also most trained gunsmiths there do not have the resources to start their own shops and as a result must work for salaries well below their experience levels for retail stores that choose to offer gunsmithing services
one gunsmith i knew in quebec, with +40years of experience, was hardly making 35k/yr
 
still waiting for that course resume,,lol

we sure had fun up their. it would be great to start a school or programme in ottawa. probleme is ,, is their a need for it?
 
Hi all, I'm new here, I wanted to pursue a career as a gunsmith. Can anyone show me how and is there anyone looking for an apprentice in the GTA area?
 
so after slogging through this entire thread i think we can divide the people who are reading it and who are interesting in it into two different groups.
1) the fella that wants to become a full time gunsmith.
2) the gun enthusiast who wants to be able to work on their own guns at home.

now i fall into the 2nd group.
i would dearly love to get some training in gunsmiths so i can work more on my guns at home.
other then the take apart and clean and trouble shoot the odd problem im lost when it comes to working on my own guns.
so here i am sitting in my den staring at my computer screen wishing for someone to point the way that i should go so i can work on my guns more efficiently and hopefully not wreck them!

so i think this is what im going to do.
i think im going to do one of the online courses.
i was going to do the ICS distance course but after comparing it to the PCDI course i think im going to save myself the $300+ and do the PCDI.
now im going into this knowing that this course is going to be a 'lowest common denominator' type of course.
im just looking to get my feet wet.
i understand that the 'diploma' they mail me at the end of the course will be just as useful as the paper i keep in the bathroom but what im looking to get out of it is a bit more knowledge then what i have currently, which is what ive fumbled around and learned on my own with my own guns.

then, after that is done step 2 will be to look at the AGI courses.
step 3 will be to teach myself to weld.
step 4 the big machines (lathe and such)

now i dont expect to get all the way to step 4.
im kinda hoping that once i get to step 3 ill be able to do 90% of what i need to do so that my guns are top shelf and the envy of my friends and co workers.

i understand that doing all this on my own is gonna suck.
but unfortunately being 40 years old and working full time and the option of giving all that up and going to some school in Quebec or the US is just not a reality just so that i can be better at my hobby (guns).

now learning under a gunsmith, that would be the best thing to do, again unfortunately that does not put food in my kids bellies and does not pay for the roof over our heads, much less keep me buying the toys i like and the ammo to chuck downrange. plus the fact that i dont think there is a gunsmith within 1400km of where i live.

so unless im really of the mark here i think the plan i have laid out is my only option.... unless someone can point out some fault in my logic?
and i know what some of you are thinking.... teach yourself to weld!?!?!?!
sadly enough my father has been after me for 30 years to learn to weld and i have been putting it off, he has given me a welder for Christmas one year and it sits in my shop, he even gave me a mig welder another Christmas and in the shop it sits right beside the other one. ive even gone so far as to have 220 plumbed into my shop knowing that some day ill have to learn to do it since i already have 2 welders! my father assures me that it is fun and rewarding and easy to pick up.
he went and picked up a couple book and some scrap metal and taught himself to weld years ago, i guess its possible.

at any rate, i shall enroll in the online course and i will update here in a couple months as to how my progress is going.
 
To be a gunsmith in Ontario what licenses are required, do you need to provide proof of training to the cfo like a certificate from an online course or other ?
 
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