Needing advice from a gunsmith

[James K]

I am an only child, but based on some folks I have known if a brother cut up their gun, there would be no need for him to wait around for airborne dust to do him harm!

Aside from that, I wonder about motivation. Were you mad at your brother, or were you influenced by some of the vicious anti-gun propaganda that has been going around lately?

Jim

 

[Roby]

Just mad at him...lol

Some one told me that there might be hazardous material in the zinc alloy or chrome plating,

 

[Hunter Customs]

There's been a lot of very good advice offered, business courses, welding and machinist training should all be on the list of things to do before going into business, I speak from experience as I've been there done that.

Here's some other advice that I'll add to the list.
If you are going to be a one man operation do not plan on getting rich from gunsmithing, plan on working long hours, if you want 40 hours a week of bench time plan on another 40 hours a week of shop time taking care of customer concerns both face to face and on the phone, ordering parts, doing all the necessary paper work including keeping up your books.

I enjoyed my gunsmithing/pistolsmithing career, it's rewarding in many ways, however there was many a night that I worked till midnight trying to get caught up with my backlog of work, I finally had to just quit accepting work, then I retired.

Good luck and I wish you the best in your endeavors.

 

[4V50 Gary]

When grinding, wear a dusk mask. You want to keep airborne metal particles out of your lungs. A classmate of mine knew a great knifesmith whose lungs are so filled with metal that he has trouble breathing (and hence moving).

 

[Big Shrek]

Even better, join the Army or Navy...
their machinist programs are quite good, and by the end of your 1st tour,
you'll know whether or not you'll want to play with metal the rest of your life.

Now, if you are over 5'10, DO NOT join the Navy, it will be painful at best...
everything on ships are made for 5'10 or smaller...

Army, 44E Machinist.
You get to do everything from making metal parts with files to CNC machines...
oddly enough, this is exactly what you need to be proficient in for Gunsmithing.
If you enjoy it, reclassify to 45B after your first tour and you get the gunsmithing training,
plus you get to be in the Armoury...
if you work in the Armoury, basically you are Sgt. Bilko...
just keep the place clean and look busy when Superiors check it,
and you pretty much get to do -CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--ever you want

 

[4V50 Gary]

The AMU sent some sergeants to the gunsmithing schools to recruit from and they got my classmate who went in as a machinst/welder. Unlike the USMC, the Army doesn't have a MOS for gunsmith and the AMU wanted trained gunsmiths.

OP is better off taking machine shop and welding at a JC and then some NRA summer gunsmithing classes if he wants a shot at the AMU. From there he could write his own ticket. My classmate plans to.