One of my mates boys would like to learn Gunsmithing.
The chance of finding any sort of course over here is about the same as me becoming the next Pope.
He can already run a lathe and mill. Also basic metal work. He's in his 20s.
If anyone knows of any instruction by mail or online, I'd much appreciate you letting me know the details.
He really loves Guns and Shooting, so I told him to just move to America, Dad wasn't too impressed.
Shame, he'd make someone a great apprentice.

I'm guessing that he'd find a lot more opportunity to practice over here rather than there. many guys learn by the practicing and asking questions of the more experienced, the guys that have the machine skills that is. there are a couple of schools over here, he could come go to school then move back home, but like I said I'd bet the US custom/semi-custom market is second to none.

apprenticeships seem more difficult to find but definitely a good way to go. he could start at the gunsmithing school and make sure and attend the big shows where there are custom builders that have enough work to have employees (i.e. Doug Turnbull) and try and get a job with one of them.

what about the whole gun region of Italy/Spain, geographically its closer to you, I wonder what it would take to get an apprenticeship with them.

Red

quote:

he'd make someone a great apprentice

No one's making firearms in the U.K. anymore...

Why can't he apprentice at one of those little English Makers..??

Pack him up and bite the bullet.....send him to Trinidad Colorado

Good gunsmith school there. He qwill also have the opportunity to see some of the finest gun art in the world right here in the USA.....much of it posts right here on AR

The Trinidad school however will teach the basics that can take so long to learn on ones own...

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
Pack him up and bite the bullet.....send him to Trinidad Colorado

Good gunsmith school there. He qwill also have the opportunity to see some of the finest gun art in the world right here in the USA.....much of it posts right here on AR

The Trinidad school however will teach the basics that can take so long to learn on ones own...

I agree. I would go so far as to conatct the NRA and see if any scholarship assistance is available. If for no other reason, they may want to poke a finger in the eye of English gun law supporters.

Excellent advice and fast too ... Thanks Guys

In our "post 9-11" world, it seems I heard that the gunsmithing schools were tougher for foreign students to get into now.

You should check that out with the school to confirm though.

+1 for Trinidad

Do a google search. Here is a correspondence course that offers degree's.

http://www.degrees.com/c/trades-and-careers/l/correspon...gunsmithing-program/

Thanks again, that's great stuff to get him on the right road.

I would send him to Ferlach Austria. The shool is free provided he can pay the room and board.

He will learn German while he is there and it will give him unsurpassed gunmaking knowledge. Most of the gunsmithing schools in America are not, they are just Armory schools.

http://www.htl-ferlach.at/ is the link. I suggest you call and talk to the senior guy. He speaks english. The school is tought in German but you are given all the help in English until you get the language down. Even if you don't have it down they will still help you in English.

The president/dean guy told me that he had a 70+ year old Canadian that went not speaking any German at all.

There is a community college in Susanville, CA that teaches gunsmithing. I had some work done on my smokepoles there. Very good quality. I think the name of the place is Lassen County Community College. Susanville is a small town on the mountains. Reno is about an hour to the South, down US 395.

The 3 of us in our shop all went to Susanville. A great start. I had 2 Japanese national students in my class, so the school is open to people from all over the world.

I was going to suggest Ferlach also. It is a lot closer to home and honestly, they teach things that they do not teach at Trinidad. I hav met a few folks who went there and they are taught to build a set of barrels for a double gun from pieces, just to name one task. I do think that Trinidad is a great school and turns out great gunsmiths but if I had the chance I would go take Ferlach over Trinidad in a heartbeat. And the free part is a big deal considering the yearly cost of Trinidad.

Do him a favor...send him to Electricians trade school...or perhaps Plumbing

Becoming an electrician is a brilliant idea. From there he can get his A&P ticket, and eventually find his way into working on big passenger jets or ocean-going vessels, et cetera. I have a friend who is an electrician. He's been fully-credentialed for over ten years-- maybe even fifteen. Makes a very good living working at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. As long as we use electricity, electricians will always have jobs in some capacity.

He might also want to look into HVAC. This is a burgeoning field. Nobody wants to sweat like a pig anymore. It takes a license to work with freon. If he has one, he's a valuable asset to anyone who needs a guy like that. It is not a simple thing. Systems in cars use two or three pounds of freon. Systems in big grocery warehouses might use several tonnes of ammonia. There are at least five or six types of freon for use in different applications. He will have to know all about that and how to work on the various systems. The more he knows, the more valuable he is. I assume he's young, like 18 or so? Wow! What I would give to be that young again. He has the whole world in his hands. I hope he chooses wisely. Being a gunsmith is a noble profession and one asking a great deal of those who pursue that occupation. But consider, you put in a great deal of time and effort to learn, then you put in a great deal of time and effort to actually pursue the craft, and you end up gettin' stiffed on the job. People don't pay, they call and harrass you about when it's going to be done, et cetera. Why bother? Get an HVAC education and rule the air-conditioned world...

quote:

Originally posted by Duane Wiebe:
Do him a favor...send him to Electricians trade school...or perhaps Plumbing

As an electrician, all I can say is with this economy we're starving too. Just maybe the smith are starving more.
-Don

My mate was SO knocked out that GENUINE American shooters and gun experts care about him.
I can't tell you all how much that is apreacated.

The good advice given has really set the gears turning.

Even if he never actually works as a Smith he'll get some training and help the sport over here survive another generation.

Specialist-

We have a pretty good one here at our community college in Prescott, Arizona. They closed for a short while but I understand they are up and running again. Good staff, and some of the products I've seen coming out of the shop are first rate. Had some work done there which was very well done.

RG

In my opinion there is no substitute for a hands on education. You asked about online or correspondence courses, you may want to check out AGI's website.

http://www.americangunsmith.com/

Mr. Specialist:

Another option worth consideration are the summer courses taught at Trinidad. The courses are generally two weeks long, and focus on specific areas such as stock making, double guns, single shot rifles, and a couple more general courses. For the most part these courses are taught by working gunsmiths, often Guild members, brought in by the school.

It might be a chance for the young man to get his feet wet without the complete commitment of moving to the States (or where ever) and attending a school full time. It would also give him an opportunity to talk to folks making a living as gunsmiths, a perspective that would be valuable to anyone considering such a career.

Best regards,

Glenn Fewless

Ferlach Austria is definitely the best way to go. My son goes there and I am paying for his room and board. The school is free but it costs to live if you aren't Austrian.

They teach you to build a gun with a hammer and a file. Actually, you make your hammer first.

D99, the 70 year old guy was a Murkan from Flawda, and he stayed an extra year to learn to make 3 barreled sets.

They have 2 courses, one for gunsmithing (actually it's called rifle making) and the other is called "weapons Engineering", both respected the world over.

Besides, the the slovenian border is 15 minutes away, and the italian border a half hour.

Murkan Mike

The advice to persue HVAC or electrician as a career is right-on the money. It is hard enough to make a living as a gunsmith in America where firearms are, for now, common and many. I began gunsmithing over 10 years ago with 30 years background in mechanics, fabrication, and machining experience. I tried the AGI armorers tapes for a few of my personal guns and was impressed with Bob Dunlap's teaching style. I then took their big course as well as many of the specialty tapes. While the tapes worked for me, they may not work for everybody. Try one and see if the format is right for you.