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How To Become A Gunsmith – Know Your Options

Posted on July 27, 2010
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That’s the question I hear quite a bit. And it’s not only the young people who are asking me that. I’ve had people who have just retired want to go into gunsmithing but were not sure on how to go about it. I’ve also had men and women ask this same question. Recently there appears to be an increase in the number of people who want to become a gunsmith. I’m not sure why this is, but the inquiries keep growing month by month. So I’ll try and help you understand what it takes to become a gunsmith.

There are several ways one may become a Gunsmith. First off, you’re going to need a clean record. You may be performing duties that require a license from the U.S. Government (such as a FFL license) and they do not just give these out without running a background check.

You have several choices when deciding to become a Gunsmith. The first one is to find an already established gunsmith and convince him or her to take you under their wing as an apprentice. An apprenticeship could last many years, but at least you’d have steady work while you were taught.

I’ve known several people who took this approach and were more than happy to continue working for the people who trained them. Some of these people ended up taking over the shops of their mentors.

Another way is to attend a community college that offers a Gunsmith course. There are about a half dozen or so that are well known. Some of these are Murray State College in Oklahoma, Trinidad College in Colorado, Montgomery Community College in North Carolina and Lassen Community College in California. There are others, but in my opinion, these are the best known Community colleges offering gunsmith courses.

Another way is to take an online course. I don’t really prefer this route for many people simply because of the wide variations in guns and the methods and techniques to fix them. It’s hard to cover everything you’ll need to know in an online or at-home course. I’ve heard about some who went through these courses, opened a shop and immediately ran into trouble when they came upon a job that they did not know how to fix. Unless you’re well versed in machining and mechanical systems, I’d probably pass this type of training up.

Finally there are private schools that will teach you how to become a gunsmith. Probably the most well known and respected of any school is the Colorado School of Trades. This school has a wonderful course that will teach you all aspects of gunsmithing including machining and metal work. If you’re serious about becoming a gunsmith, this is the course I’d take if I were you.