I've been a gunsmith for 23 years and currently have 7 gunsmiths that I employee. When I'm looking for another smith, I want someone with natural mechanical aptitude, who is a shooter, a machinist, and then a possible trade school graduate. Half the guys I employee have never been to formal school and I have trained them on the job. Sometimes training them in house is preferred because they don't have a certificate and think they know everything. Half of being a good mechanical gunsmith is being able to mentally picture how a gun functions and what each part is doing during it's cycle. When it comes to custom work (stocks,barrels,checkering, etc) it is about picturing the finished product and building it in your head before you ever touch a single part.
I will have to say that I do like those corner/garage gunsmiths, as they create quite a bit of business for us.....LOL In all seriousness, research every gunsmith you trust to do your work. I have seen 100's of incidents over the years that were unrepairable because of a self proclaimed gunsmith. Remember, you get what you pay for....Cheap labor=cheap craftsmanship.
Jon
Last edited by jwrdn; 08/03/14.
