gunsmithing

dolecs · 01-31-2008, 02:11 PM

Looking to get into gunsmithing, Is the American gunsmithing institute worth it and how much does the whole course cost?? any help/advice would be appreciated!

thanks

sbowers5 · 01-31-2008, 06:46 PM

Dolecs, one of the best things you can do is find a gunsmith close to where you live and ask if you can work with him for free and let him train you in your spare time, there is nothing like hands on learning, then he gets free labor and you get an education in gunsmithing, but be warned it is not easy and it takes time to learn, and it is sometimes labor intensive, good luck in your new trade.
steve

dolecs · 01-31-2008, 06:56 PM

i like the idea, the guy who does all of my gunsmithing is 1 1/2 hour away which is unfortunate, ill have to look locally for a good gunsmith

sbowers5 · 01-31-2008, 07:00 PM

Thats what i had to do and it has worked out well for me and I took the gunsmitning course also, and i think it is worth the money, but you still have to have the hands on experience.
steve

nathangdad · 01-31-2008, 07:21 PM

Please also check out Trinidad Jr. College in Trinidad, Colorado as it offers a high quality two year gunsmithing course leading to an accredited associate's degree that can open employment to groups such as large police departments. This might be a viable alternative for you.

dolecs · 01-31-2008, 08:21 PM

i wish i would of been interested in this before i went to college, i am a toyota technician now so goin away to school is pretty much out of the picture now

is there good money in gunsmithing?

sbowers5 · 01-31-2008, 08:28 PM

You can get the same education at Murry state colledege in tishamingo Ok with the same placement, and at the colorado school of trades and at yapavi in arizona, all of the good gunsmith schools offer the same type of master gunsmith or associates degree programs, but they require that you attend at their campus and not all can do that, so thats why I recomended he go to work for a local gunsmith, and take the correspondence course.
steve

dolecs · 01-31-2008, 08:34 PM

i think workin for a local gunsmith is my only option

PistolCity · 01-31-2008, 10:15 PM

Im in the same boat, cant seem to find a gunsmith though to even attempt to learn under. I found one in the yellow pages but unable to contact him yet. I did finish a study at home corse, but it was all book work only took a few months and left alot to be desired. Granted it was a cheapy only costed about 700 bucks. I have a nice Career Diploma on my wall and gain some basic knowledge and have alot of resources, but no hands on. Well except a few small things Ive done just to see if I could. Basicaly just refinishing a few guns. And when I can find a schematic I'll tear a gun further apart then once before. The only thing I still dont touch is the trigger. I also looked into the AGI course its pretty expensive I think the Master Gunsmith Course is between 4 and 8,000. You do get alot of tools, I beleive a small table top lathe is included. I still want to do that course especially after buying their armours course dvd on the Mossberg 500. You could tell it was taken off a old VHS style camera and converted to DVD, but the guy in the video a Robert Dunlap made alot of sense of the gun. And now if I buy a used 500 that wont operate correctly or tear up my 20ga Im not afraid to fix that gun. Or even tear it about for poo and giggles. But again Im also looking for a gunsmith to gain that hands on knowledge. Im not for sure what state your from but the NMLA located in Friendship IN also offers gunsmithing course's. These course are general aimed at BP firearms, but also include stock work and engraving.

J.

Im in the same boat, cant seem to find a gunsmith though to even attempt to learn under. I found one in the yellow pages but unable to contact him yet. I did finish a study at home corse, but it was all book work only took a few months and left alot to be desired. Granted it was a cheapy only costed about 700 bucks. I have a nice Career Diploma on my wall and gain some basic knowledge and have alot of resources, but no hands on. Well except a few small things Ive done just to see if I could. Basicaly just refinishing a few guns. And when I can find a schematic I'll tear a gun further apart then once before. The only thing I still dont touch is the trigger. I also looked into the AGI course its pretty expensive I think the Master Gunsmith Course is between 4 and 8,000. You do get alot of tools, I beleive a small table top lathe is included. I still want to do that course especially after buying their armours course dvd on the Mossberg 500. You could tell it was taken off a old VHS style camera and converted to DVD, but the guy in the video a Robert Dunlap made alot of sense of the gun. And now if I buy a used 500 that wont operate correctly or tear up my 20ga Im not afraid to fix that gun. Or even tear it about for poo and giggles. But again Im also looking for a gunsmith to gain that hands on knowledge. Im not for sure what state your from but the NMLA located in Friendship IN also offers gunsmithing course's. These course are general aimed at BP firearms, but also include stock work and engraving.

J.

Im in the same boat, cant seem to find a gunsmith though to even attempt to learn under. I found one in the yellow pages but unable to contact him yet. I did finish a study at home corse, but it was all book work only took a few months and left alot to be desired. Granted it was a cheapy only costed about 700 bucks. I have a nice Career Diploma on my wall and gain some basic knowledge and have alot of resources, but no hands on. Well except a few small things Ive done just to see if I could. Basicaly just refinishing a few guns. And when I can find a schematic I'll tear a gun further apart then once before. The only thing I still dont touch is the trigger. I also looked into the AGI course its pretty expensive I think the Master Gunsmith Course is between 4 and 8,000. You do get alot of tools, I beleive a small table top lathe is included. I still want to do that course especially after buying their armours course dvd on the Mossberg 500. You could tell it was taken off a old VHS style camera and converted to DVD, but the guy in the video a Robert Dunlap made alot of sense of the gun. And now if I buy a used 500 that wont operate correctly or tear up my 20ga Im not afraid to fix that gun. Or even tear it about for poo and giggles. But again Im also looking for a gunsmith to gain that hands on knowledge. Im not for sure what state your from but the NMLA located in Friendship IN also offers gunsmithing course's. These course are general aimed at BP firearms, but also include stock work and engraving.

J.

GlockMeister · 01-31-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dolecs

Looking to get into gunsmithing, Is the American gunsmithing institute worth it and how much does the whole course cost?? any help/advice would be appreciated!

thanks

It's one of the better home schooling out there I believe. You get a DVD course and if you need to remind yourself you can refer back to them.

The gun shop I go to, the brother of the owner of that shop, went through that course. I am also interested, well was at the time, reality hit, but I'd asked him what he thought of it.

His reply was, no home course could ever compare to attending a school and taking a course that way, hands on training from a master gunsmith. But when you can't take off and do that for what 2 yrs or so, it's the next best thing.

So if you can't afford to go to a school, then what other choice do you have? Especially if you have a mortgage,job, family etc.etc.etc.

G-Meister

dolecs · 01-31-2008, 11:16 PM

well i am in western ny south of buffalo, so if ya know of any gunsmiths in that area let me know!! lol. from the sounds of it i wont be able to afford that course for a while so im gonna have to start with books and videos and see where that takes me.

kygunsmith · 02-25-2008, 09:41 PM

Good luck , fellows. I've been 'smithin' since the 60's and liscenced since the 70's. I worked with a local smith for years and recommend this route, if practical. But, I must say, " You're not settin' your sights very high!" Most career pro gunsmiths just make a living, working long hours, fortunately at something they love. Unlike accounting, or business, it is not as easy to put aside when home, as we love guns! Overtime spent on a fine J Purdy shotgun isn't bad!

Mooseman684 · 02-25-2008, 09:51 PM

Same here, I apprenticed under a Master GunSmith for 10 years before he Retired and I bought him out of just about everything he had...tools, parts, supplies and Books...cases of Books, breakdown diagrams to history of guns...
He Became my Best friend for years ...We never got rich, but we loved just handling, fixing, or cleaning anything we could get our hands on...long hours into the night.
I miss him.
Rich

Drygulch · 03-13-2008, 09:41 PM

I thought you and Mooseman were Smiths. Good ones are hard to find, and most are overworked. I just aquired a 22 r/f single shot Maynard 1882. The tip of the extracter (.035") is broken off and you guessed it, no parts anywhere! Any ideas on how to buid up this small piece? The Stevens extracters dont't even come close to this design.

Rod

lefty o · 03-14-2008, 12:55 AM

you dont want to build up the piece, you need to make it from scratch.

Mooseman684 · 03-14-2008, 01:01 AM

Drygulch...Can you post some clear Close up photos of what you need, laying next to a ruler ????
Rich

Drygulch · 03-15-2008, 03:38 PM

Thanks 684, I took the extracter to my local Smith, he will build it up and I will file it to fit in the breech. If this doesn,t work out, will send you the picks or maybe the barrel (since it is a tip-off) if you request. Lefty could be right about not building it up, will see if it holds.
Rod 366 Gunfighters DaNang

Drygulch · 03-22-2008, 08:01 PM

Hi Lefty,
My Smith did buid it up with a nickel rod but missed the height by about .060" Will try again free. I have a reason not to send him the barrel for a (fit), this will take some time.
Rod

lefty o · 03-22-2008, 08:18 PM

thats good. if it lasts, great, if not time to make one up. great thing about a 22, it doesnt need a very strong extractor.

TRUE GRIT · 03-30-2008, 10:55 PM

If you had a likeminded friend or two to split the cost of the AGI course it might not be such a bad deal. You could think of it as a gunsmithing club and probally learn a lot working on each others projects together.

01-31-2008, 02:11 PM	#1
dolecs Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 27	gunsmithing Looking to get into gunsmithing, Is the American gunsmithing institute worth it and how much does the whole course cost?? any help/advice would be appreciated! thanks

01-31-2008, 06:46 PM	#2
sbowers5 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: sawyer, ok Posts: 537	Dolecs, one of the best things you can do is find a gunsmith close to where you live and ask if you can work with him for free and let him train you in your spare time, there is nothing like hands on learning, then he gets free labor and you get an education in gunsmithing, but be warned it is not easy and it takes time to learn, and it is sometimes labor intensive, good luck in your new trade. steve __________________ For those who never fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.

01-31-2008, 07:00 PM	#4
sbowers5 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: sawyer, ok Posts: 537	Thats what i had to do and it has worked out well for me and I took the gunsmitning course also, and i think it is worth the money, but you still have to have the hands on experience. steve __________________ For those who never fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.

01-31-2008, 07:21 PM	#5
nathangdad Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 2,438	Trinidad Junior College Please also check out Trinidad Jr. College in Trinidad, Colorado as it offers a high quality two year gunsmithing course leading to an accredited associate's degree that can open employment to groups such as large police departments. This might be a viable alternative for you.

01-31-2008, 08:21 PM	#6
dolecs Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 27	i wish i would of been interested in this before i went to college, i am a toyota technician now so goin away to school is pretty much out of the picture now is there good money in gunsmithing? Last edited by dolecs; 01-31-2008 at 08:22 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

01-31-2008, 06:56 PM	#3
dolecs Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 27	i like the idea, the guy who does all of my gunsmithing is 1 1/2 hour away which is unfortunate, ill have to look locally for a good gunsmith

01-31-2008, 08:28 PM	#7
sbowers5 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: sawyer, ok Posts: 537	You can get the same education at Murry state colledege in tishamingo Ok with the same placement, and at the colorado school of trades and at yapavi in arizona, all of the good gunsmith schools offer the same type of master gunsmith or associates degree programs, but they require that you attend at their campus and not all can do that, so thats why I recomended he go to work for a local gunsmith, and take the correspondence course. steve __________________ For those who never fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.

01-31-2008, 08:34 PM	#8
dolecs Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 27	i think workin for a local gunsmith is my only option

01-31-2008, 10:15 PM	#9
PistolCity Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 170	Im in the same boat, cant seem to find a gunsmith though to even attempt to learn under. I found one in the yellow pages but unable to contact him yet. I did finish a study at home corse, but it was all book work only took a few months and left alot to be desired. Granted it was a cheapy only costed about 700 bucks. I have a nice Career Diploma on my wall and gain some basic knowledge and have alot of resources, but no hands on. Well except a few small things Ive done just to see if I could. Basicaly just refinishing a few guns. And when I can find a schematic I'll tear a gun further apart then once before. The only thing I still dont touch is the trigger. I also looked into the AGI course its pretty expensive I think the Master Gunsmith Course is between 4 and 8,000. You do get alot of tools, I beleive a small table top lathe is included. I still want to do that course especially after buying their armours course dvd on the Mossberg 500. You could tell it was taken off a old VHS style camera and converted to DVD, but the guy in the video a Robert Dunlap made alot of sense of the gun. And now if I buy a used 500 that wont operate correctly or tear up my 20ga Im not afraid to fix that gun. Or even tear it about for poo and giggles. But again Im also looking for a gunsmith to gain that hands on knowledge. Im not for sure what state your from but the NMLA located in Friendship IN also offers gunsmithing course's. These course are general aimed at BP firearms, but also include stock work and engraving. J. Im in the same boat, cant seem to find a gunsmith though to even attempt to learn under. I found one in the yellow pages but unable to contact him yet. I did finish a study at home corse, but it was all book work only took a few months and left alot to be desired. Granted it was a cheapy only costed about 700 bucks. I have a nice Career Diploma on my wall and gain some basic knowledge and have alot of resources, but no hands on. Well except a few small things Ive done just to see if I could. Basicaly just refinishing a few guns. And when I can find a schematic I'll tear a gun further apart then once before. The only thing I still dont touch is the trigger. I also looked into the AGI course its pretty expensive I think the Master Gunsmith Course is between 4 and 8,000. You do get alot of tools, I beleive a small table top lathe is included. I still want to do that course especially after buying their armours course dvd on the Mossberg 500. You could tell it was taken off a old VHS style camera and converted to DVD, but the guy in the video a Robert Dunlap made alot of sense of the gun. And now if I buy a used 500 that wont operate correctly or tear up my 20ga Im not afraid to fix that gun. Or even tear it about for poo and giggles. But again Im also looking for a gunsmith to gain that hands on knowledge. Im not for sure what state your from but the NMLA located in Friendship IN also offers gunsmithing course's. These course are general aimed at BP firearms, but also include stock work and engraving. J. Im in the same boat, cant seem to find a gunsmith though to even attempt to learn under. I found one in the yellow pages but unable to contact him yet. I did finish a study at home corse, but it was all book work only took a few months and left alot to be desired. Granted it was a cheapy only costed about 700 bucks. I have a nice Career Diploma on my wall and gain some basic knowledge and have alot of resources, but no hands on. Well except a few small things Ive done just to see if I could. Basicaly just refinishing a few guns. And when I can find a schematic I'll tear a gun further apart then once before. The only thing I still dont touch is the trigger. I also looked into the AGI course its pretty expensive I think the Master Gunsmith Course is between 4 and 8,000. You do get alot of tools, I beleive a small table top lathe is included. I still want to do that course especially after buying their armours course dvd on the Mossberg 500. You could tell it was taken off a old VHS style camera and converted to DVD, but the guy in the video a Robert Dunlap made alot of sense of the gun. And now if I buy a used 500 that wont operate correctly or tear up my 20ga Im not afraid to fix that gun. Or even tear it about for poo and giggles. But again Im also looking for a gunsmith to gain that hands on knowledge. Im not for sure what state your from but the NMLA located in Friendship IN also offers gunsmithing course's. These course are general aimed at BP firearms, but also include stock work and engraving. J. __________________ "You know its a hard hit when you see dirt fly off the back of the t.v.." - Reggie White Last edited by PistolCity; 01-31-2008 at 10:21 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

01-31-2008, 11:16 PM	#11
dolecs Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 27	well i am in western ny south of buffalo, so if ya know of any gunsmiths in that area let me know!! lol. from the sounds of it i wont be able to afford that course for a while so im gonna have to start with books and videos and see where that takes me.

02-25-2008, 09:41 PM	#12
kygunsmith Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Kentucky Posts: 144	Good luck , fellows. I've been 'smithin' since the 60's and liscenced since the 70's. I worked with a local smith for years and recommend this route, if practical. But, I must say, " You're not settin' your sights very high!" Most career pro gunsmiths just make a living, working long hours, fortunately at something they love. Unlike accounting, or business, it is not as easy to put aside when home, as we love guns! Overtime spent on a fine J Purdy shotgun isn't bad!

02-25-2008, 09:51 PM	#13
Mooseman684 Super Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Alaska Wilderness Posts: 9,638 Images: 2	Same here, I apprenticed under a Master GunSmith for 10 years before he Retired and I bought him out of just about everything he had...tools, parts, supplies and Books...cases of Books, breakdown diagrams to history of guns... He Became my Best friend for years ...We never got rich, but we loved just handling, fixing, or cleaning anything we could get our hands on...long hours into the night. I miss him. Rich __________________ You know you might be facing your doom,when all you get is a click when you're expecting a BOOM!

03-13-2008, 09:41 PM	#14
Drygulch Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 61	I thought you and Mooseman were Smiths. Good ones are hard to find, and most are overworked. I just aquired a 22 r/f single shot Maynard 1882. The tip of the extracter (.035") is broken off and you guessed it, no parts anywhere! Any ideas on how to buid up this small piece? The Stevens extracters dont't even come close to this design. Rod

03-14-2008, 12:55 AM	#15
lefty o Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: mn Posts: 4,785	you dont want to build up the piece, you need to make it from scratch.

03-14-2008, 01:01 AM	#16
Mooseman684 Super Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Alaska Wilderness Posts: 9,638 Images: 2	Drygulch...Can you post some clear Close up photos of what you need, laying next to a ruler ???? Rich __________________ You know you might be facing your doom,when all you get is a click when you're expecting a BOOM!

03-15-2008, 03:38 PM	#17
Drygulch Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 61	Thanks 684, I took the extracter to my local Smith, he will build it up and I will file it to fit in the breech. If this doesn,t work out, will send you the picks or maybe the barrel (since it is a tip-off) if you request. Lefty could be right about not building it up, will see if it holds. Rod 366 Gunfighters DaNang

03-22-2008, 08:01 PM	#18
Drygulch Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 61	Hi Lefty, My Smith did buid it up with a nickel rod but missed the height by about .060" Will try again free. I have a reason not to send him the barrel for a (fit), this will take some time. Rod

03-22-2008, 08:18 PM	#19
lefty o Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: mn Posts: 4,785	thats good. if it lasts, great, if not time to make one up. great thing about a 22, it doesnt need a very strong extractor.

03-30-2008, 10:55 PM	#20
TRUE GRIT Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 167	If you had a likeminded friend or two to split the cost of the AGI course it might not be such a bad deal. You could think of it as a gunsmithing club and probally learn a lot working on each others projects together.