Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Gunsmithing ** how did you learn your trade ***

I'm a self tought reloader and love hunting (specially sheep)...

I'm getting very interested in learning barrel work, chambering, action work, etc for bolt actions. I have no experiencie in machine work, although I�m an engineer and have vague notions.At school i did one class of cnc programming (like 10yrs ago), of course I dont remember anything.

I've bought some dvds, books and stuff...but I dont want to jump in before getting proper training.Its a big investment in lathes, mills, etc

I just want to learn to build my own custom bolt action hunting rifles...

how many of you guys are self tought?? can you relate your experience?

Any gunsmithing schools in texas? I work full time so I basically only have weekends.or maybe take a week or so off.

any thoughts?

I understand im looking at 10,000 dlls to get a lathe mill and tools?

Welcome to the Fire.

I'm a bit like you. I do it as a hobby and not a trade. I took just enough classes from a gunsmith school to learn about building rifles and I like doing that. I spent less than a grand for my old lathe that I bought though. You don't need a huge lathe. My lathe is belt driven. I prefer that over gear driven. Some folks prefer gear driven. I suppose it just depends on what you are used to using.

I think that even if you just go buy videos and books, you should get some personal instruction in machining at the very least. If you can't get into a gunsmithing school proper, at least try to get some machining classes from a local trades school. If you can find an old gunsmith, hobbyist or otherwise, somewhere that is willing to teach you, all the better.

Good luck.

Check with your local school district for night school classes. Some offer them intro level classes.

Check out NRA Summer Gunsmithing School classes, closest location to you would be Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, Colorado. Classes last one week and are taught by recognized authorities in the gunsmithing business. I believe there is a class that teaches specifically the knowledge and skills you are looking to learn.

Two years at Trinidad. Unless you are remarkably skilled in machine operation and wood working without training I would think you are facing an uphill battle of great magnitude. If you are a journeyman machinist or tool maker it might be a reasonable transition,but to learn everything from scratch is,to me, a daunting task. Just my personal views after diddling with it for over 60 years. It is my understanding that Trinidad has at present a 2 year waiting list and are considering actually giving a pre-admittance skill test.

+1 for the NRA summer classes at Trinidad. Yes, it is a daunting task to learn everything from scratch, but if you take a basic barreling class and show up with an action and a barrel blank, you will go home with a barreled action. I went through the 2 year program at Trinidad and even in that amount of time you just scatch the surface of what you need to know as a gunsmith.

I am a graduate of the gunsmithing program at TSJC, I secured a job with Browning Arms Company upon graduation. I was a machinist before enrolling, the training I received at TSJC stood me in good stead as I embarked on my gunsmithing career with BACO. I believe that pre-admission screening would be an excellent idea as we had some individuals that were clearly unqualified and had no place there during my time at TSJC. Barreling an action in a week for a novice with no machine tool operation experience is quite a challenge, but it is doable with expert instruction and guidance. You will learn a lot, yet there will be lots to learn before you can consider yourself an expert.

wow I see your point, I of course do not pretend to become a gunsmith let alone an expert. its a trade that takes years to master and which I admire alot.

Looks like there are very few "hobby" gunsmiths doing rebarreling work? its seems training and equiptment are a big wall to climb for the average "gun nut".

Im trying to understand how difficult is it to learn to work on a rem700 do rebarrel work. my stock work would consist on glass bedding actions and any other work would be outsourced...

I get the point formal training is a must and its not a week training, there is a lot think about.... I just had a custom made rem700 done... now it looks cheap!!!!!!!!!

Actually if you are in Texas the closest NRA program could be Murray State college in Tishomingo Oklahoma. They do offer Basic Lathe, Basic and advanced Mill and Re-barreling classes. Each class is a week long. A week of basic lathe and a week of re-barreling should get your feet pretty wet. The barreling curriculum there prefers (but is not limited to) the model 700. The basic lathe class will have you building the tools needed to do barrel work. Good luck...
http://www.nragunsmithing.com/Default.html

I read the internet, books, talked to gunsmiths, called Brownell's gunsmiths, etc.

Mike Bryant on yahoo gunsmith list in 2000 - 2002 was very helpful.

I bought a lot of broken beater guns at pawn shops and gun shows. I fixed them and sold them on consignment at DJ's in Bother [a premium gun store with high ethics and fancy guns that was gracious to sell my beaters for 10% of very little].

I am on my 4th lathe in 10 years and 1st wife in 35 years.
The two are related.
Gunsmithing lathes take up so much space and money, it could affect your marriage.

Don't even think about bluing tanks in your basement, if you are married.

I've got a second garage - detached non the less, that I will put power into this year, and next year I'm thinking a lathe...

Crazy goals!!!

I would buy a lathes and the tooling and start making chips. You will start by making stuff to .025" then eventually you will be down to .0005". Then practice repeating that. If 700's are your quarry, they are pretty simple and there are lot of books and videos on them.

Don't skimp on measuring equipment, cutting tools, or lights.

I went to that "other" Colorado school - Colorado School of Trades. It's a solid program but, in talking to other folks and reading through things, the curriculum and faculty at Trinidad is probably of higher quality. It's a longer program at Trinidad, although I think part of that is due to the fact that it is a public JC, while CST is a private trade school.

been reading this for a couple of days now and got thinking (i know bad idea but anyhow) went to mountgomery tech college in the 80's and am actually still learning this craft. one can go weeks at a time and not turn on the lathe or mill . Alot of gun work has changed since the days of having to make your own parts or modifying a 45 auto to the degree one can find in a good shop today for much less than it would cost to alter one . the same goes for many rifles onthe market today. I find myself more and more becoming a parts changer or having to ship a firearm back to the mfr.cause they will not sell to a gunsmith with his own shop. only to mfr's waranty shops or factory repair,lawyers you know, Ifind more and more of my time beeing used for basic cleaning jobs and that's ok it keeps the doors open. If you are planning on going into this busness full time be prepared to go back to school at a regular ineveral,every year the new modles come out and the changes can be astounding, by the time you can get tooled up to keep up with them they chang again. if you are just trying to make a few custom rifles for youeself,consider finding a good custome riflemaker and giving himyour busness he need the work and you will be money ahead. thank you wyatt harper beaverdamn gun repair

OP-you might want to take a look at something like this. Others might offer it as well. Good luck.

Gunsmithing opportunity