Hello forum,
I have been posting here for a little while and it seems to me that there is still a market for a competent gunsmith, just not where I live.
I am in California and have been around for 30+ years.
There is just nobody coming in for gunsmithing jobs anymore and if it isn't something that can be fixed in 5 minutes for 5 dollars, people around here don't want to go through with it.
I am tired of people and tired of crowds and just plain tired in general.
Is there anywhere out here in the West like in Arizona or Wyoming or anywheres out here where:
- It has a temperate climate as in NOT freezing for too long out of the year.
- There is a definite need for a gunsmith and more importantly a well stocked gun shop.
I carry over 18,000 different items.
I am quite possibly in the TOP 10 STOCKED STORES in the Nation.
Does anyone out there have a home for me?

Let me tell you that El Paso, TX is in definate need of a competent gunsmith and even more so of a quality, well stocked, fair priced gun store. There are only 2 gunshops in town an both have very little to offer. Both usually carry only 150 firearms total and that is on a good day. Both also charge OVER MSRP (I am not exagerating) and get away with it because there is no competition. There are several active gun clubs and ranges in the area with the Ft Bliss being the largest and handles every discipline you can imagine. We have a very large and very active shooting community who takes their money out of town to purchase their firearms and other shooting necesseties. I will admit that both stores have a crew of 4 or so employees each that are very knowledgable and ready to help. They just charge so much that a lot of people take their business to San Antonio, Las Cruces, Alamogordo, or Albequerque. A lot go the mail order option to save money. That is what I usually do or wait until I go back to Idaho or Utah on leave and stock up then. There are a couple elderly gunsmiths in town but their quality is lacking. I woulnt trust either shop or gunsmith to handle any task harder than drilling and tapping for a scope. I find it ironic that a town like El Paso with a population well over 500,000 has fewer gun stores and a fraction the guns on shelves than the little town of Burley, Idaho where I grew up. (maybe 30,000 people total if you include all the surrounding communities) This place could really use you.

Shopcartracing

Houston Texas is the place to be, I'll bet a dollar to a donut it has the most shooters and hunters in the country. Also has some damn fine people, I lived there for 13 yrs. Lots of country to hunt in Texas, and houston has some fine gun ranges.

I'd say you could find a home in Texas, most likely Houston

Come on to anywhere in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area. We need real gunsmiths...not parts replacers. If you are good you can stay covered up...hell...even if you are bad you will still stay busy!
Oh...we could even use a gunsmith that would get the work out in the gun owners lifetime.

Although Texas sounds like it is in need of a good gun shop, I am thinking more pine trees than desert.
I guess I am not really so concerned about weather insomuch as I am worried about the size of the population.
It was mentioned the El Paso has 500,000 people in it.
I am thinking more hills and 50,000 people.
There has to be someplace like that.

Try the northwest florida area. Not much in the way of hills, but there are loads of pines, beautiful beaches, and home of one of the worlds largest air force bases. Not much in the way of gunsmiths around here. Local government and Eglin have worked together and plan for a Ben Avery type facility in north okaloosa county. Plenty of land in the north but a bit steep the closer you get to the ocean. John Ricks used to cool his heels in the local waters......

ShopCart,



Raleigh, NC City of 300k, in county of 650K, in a metro area of 1.2 million, and not one gunsmith in that area.



Best gunshop in area The Gunroom (now called Mace Sports) is 40 miles from Raleigh, no gunsmith on premises, a 10k sq ft showroom. The second best Colonial Gunshop, just closed it's doors last September. The last owner turned the 3 mill a year business into a 500k a year business and went broke. Colonial was 30 miles from Raleigh, and had a 2k sq ft showroom.



The owner of Shoot and Stuff, in Raleigh, was the only gunsmith in town and he got divorced and moved to Atlanta. He had a 1k sq ft showroom



That leaves four basic gunshops:



Hills - no gunsmith and charges full retail on everthing, and I hear the shop is for sale. Has about 3k worth of showroom space but does not use it all.

Davie's - mainly a pistol shop, and no gunsmith. Small 1k sq ft showroom

Gunworks - no gunsmith and mainly used collector items, about 2k in showroom

SSI - has a fine gunsmith, if you own a 1911, very small showroom.



Other than Walmart and Dick's that your total competition



Raleigh is one of the fastest growing cities in the Nation. Wake county is the fastest growing county in the state. The Raleigh-Durham area is always in the top 10 best places to live in America.



Want a smaller town, Wake Forest, NC town of 15,000 growing fast, 20 miles North of Raleigh, no gunshop or gunsmith, hell no one even has a FFL in this town. Other than Raleigh to it's south, next closest town of any size is Henderson, NC 32 miles to the north, population about 50K and one gunshop, Gupton's, a good shop with no smith. East of Wake Forest by another 20 miles is Louisburg town of about 20K, no gun shop or smith, and to it's west by 20 miles is Durham town of 140K with no gunshop or smith (Buyers went to Colonial or Gunroom).



Talk about a wide open market, this is it.



Lotsa pine trees, and 7" of snow per year average.



Try it you'll like it.



Bob

Man, it sounds like you have a heck of a store, just where in California are you located??

I live in the central valley in California and am not aware of any such store around here.

I know you might want to leave California, who the hell doesn't, but the central part of CA is ripe for a good gunsmith and a gunstore.

My local gunstore where I bought most of my stuff was robbed and the place set on fire, I fear he is out of business. There are few competent gunsmiths to be found around here. We had a VERY good gunsmith locally but he up and moved just like you want to.

There is a steady market in this area for a gunsmith rebuilding rifles, doing bedding jobs, triger jobs, etc. etc.

R F

ShopCartRacing,

If your looking for pine trees many of the areas outside of Houston are nice areas and more pine trees than stars in the sky. The texas hill country outside of San Antonio is very nice also. Do a search for Kerrville Texas and see what ya get.

SCR- Come on to Tennessee. There are lots of hunters and shooters, plenty of hunting land private and public, and generally a gun friendly populace and legislature. We need a good shop/gunsmith(beyond scope mounting and recoil pad fitting) in the mid TN area. Land is cheap by CA and most other standards and no state income tax here yet. Plateau Hunter

I'd like to leave too!
If you're willing to change local look at Tehachapi.
It's pretty nice and if folks knew you were there you'd be busy.
I'm outside of Bakerfield and from what I know there aren't any reputable 'smiths here. I've heard of one guy who did an outstanding blueing job for one guy and screwed up his friends repair job. I'm still looking. It seems the politics have got the shop owners and gunsmiths afraid to advertise.
Where are you at?

Try the western slope of Colorado. Grand Junction, pop 50,000, is the biggest city. Biggest competition is Sportsmans Whse. Maybe even Rifle. Very appropriate name. 1 hr east of Junction.

Wichita, Kansas. Big Time!!!!

Hey BigNate, I grew up in Tehachapi. My dad still lives there & I shoot & the private range S. of town when I go visit. Cyberspace, it's a small world.

Shopcart, I'm not sure where you are at but my gunsmith is in San Diego area & is very busy. Most of the good shops in Orange county are closed & there isn't a decent gunsmith in the entire county. Calif. has become so politically correct, shooters/hunters are getting to be a rare breed. I wish I could move, but I need a population base for my profession. You need to be in a hunting/shooting state.

Hmm, interesting..

If you want good folks, pine trees, and loads of shooters, the choice is simple. Centerville, Texas.. half way between dallas and Houston. It's country, honest, and quiet... AND Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio are with 180 miles... a sunday drive

If you Really want hill country, try san marcos.... it's about 1/2 the way from austin and SA...

and HEAVEN has a code name... that's Wimberley Texas

And, if you want semi dessert, cowby town, that's full of hunters during deer and turkey season, Bandera Texas can NOT be beat.... Arky Blues, Anyone?

jeffe

Unfortunately, I think if you live in an area with 50,000 people, you will starve for work unless you are going to be semi-retired, get some warranty repair center status or have a national reputation for building custom guns. Out of 50,000 people, how many are going to need gun repairs and be willing to pay high enough fees to pay for your time, the lease or rent, utilities. My brother is a gunsmith, and he talks all the time about how people try to do something themselves, screw it all up, and then bitch about how much he has to charge to fix things. It may take him 20 minutes and a $2.00 part, but he has to charge $25.00 or more to make it worth his while and to help pay the rent because he may only get two customers that day and he may have two custom rifles he needs to work on that will pay him $1000 for a week's worth of work. Again, sounds good until you pay rent, payments on equipment you borrowed to buy, etc.

Shadow, its odd you should mention Davi's guns. I've been here in Holly springs visiting family for a couple months and I go to Davi's to shoot on the indoor range. They are in the process of building a new and larger store, which they sorely need, but I don't believe the expansion plans include a gunsmith. They seem to have a hard enough time just getting and retaining store help.

Uncle,

Small world. Surprised you are using Davi's coming all the way from Holly Springs. There is an indoor range in Garner, @ Personal Defense & Handgun Safety Center on Tryon Rd 919-779-6880. Its about 15 miles closer to you. Also the Wake County Public Range is in the Holly Springs Area. I've never been there, but I understand the facilities are quite nice.

Bob

Why not consider the Pacific Northwest? We have a few good gunsmiths in the state of Washington and the good ones are all busy. Look at the section of I-5 north of Vancouver up to Olympia and you've got some fairly rural countryside that's outside the metro areas but still accessible. North of Everett to the border with Canada includes a lot of nice country and then there's the west side of Puget Sound that's just a ferry boat ride away from Seattle but still fairly rural. We lie like hell about how much it rains to keep people out. That tactic hasn't worked too well since the population is growing. Still a damn nice place to live if you're outside Seattle. Ed

My daughter works at Davi's, so thats why I go there. As far as the public Wake County range goes, well, I'm from NYS so the concept of a public range never even occured to me! If theres ANY public ranges in NYS, I'm not aware of them. Mostly I've just been shooting in the backyard while here. Going home to the Adirondacks this weekend.

I guess I didn't know how good I had it. Within 15 miles of my house (central MN), there are two very competent smiths and one so-so smith.

Ryan