KareImp

I would kind of like to hear from others to let me know if what I have in mind is a realistic expectation to pursue.

Living in the wonderful North country, there are a few months each year when I can either nap on the couch and sit in front of the tube, or find an 'indoor' activity to fill the days, and evenings.

I am considering doing some 'light' gunsmithing work, not as a business, just for myself. Here are some of my thoughts at this time.

Over the next year - education time - read and gather information, networking, and build references, aquire some tools that I would anticipate needing.

Next Winter, aquire a 'donor' rifle to basically bring back into glory with my own hands. I'm not interested in the more complicated gunsmithing procedures beyond knowing what has to be done - if those complicated activities are needed, I would work with a pro.

Things that I have in mind I would like to learn, do myself. Stock fitting, stock checkering, stock finishing. Glass bedding action. As far as working with the metal, maybe barrel fitting - at least being able to take a barrel off, and install another barrel properly. Fitting recoil pads, maybe, and I say maybe, some light metal scrolling work, or inlays.

My expectations are this will cost more dollars than it would generate, excepting for the best possible outcome being that something I created would be 'priceless' as maybe a family treasure. So I'm not expecting it to support itself financially, I expect this to be a cash 'outlay' event. Just probably not as much as going to the bar every night like some people do as a 'hobby'.

Has anyone else ever done something like this? Can you help me even with knowing what the questions are? What reference materials should I acquire? Would an active Gunsmith be interested in a kind of apprenticeship? What are sources of donor guns? Most retail outlets probably do not want a gun in the condition I am searching for. Oh, and let me add the ultimate challenge - I'm a lefty, and very interesting in building something that is not commonly available to me as a left handed shooter.

I'm thinking bolt action, left handed, wouldn't matter to me if the barrel is shot out as I wouldn't mind taking something like a 30.06 shot out and changing out to a 338.06, 35 Whelen, 35 Whelen AI. As a lefty there are not a lot of .25 caliber offerrings, so a 250-3000 AI, 257 Roberts, 257 Ackley are all 'nice' thoughts in my mind for a left handed bolt.

I do reload. I enjoy shooting more-so than hunting, not to say I don't enjoy hunting, it's just that I really do not do that much of it. That being said I usually participate in 2 deer seasons per yer, one Whitetail and another either Whitetail or Muley. To be honest, more extensive hunts are probably just a good daydream for me, unless my brother or nephews push for something like that, I probably will never see an elk, Moose, Caribou, Sheep hunt.

Probably the #1 skill I would like to be successful in accomplishing, maybe even over time and several attempts become very skilled at, would be everything surrounding putting a good piece of wood on the gun. Nice quartersawn stock to start with, nice hand rubbed finnish, nice fitting, nice checkering, nice recoil pad mounting, nice bedding to the action etc. That at this time is probably the biggest target to be really good at.

Any Suggestions?

ray1301

Have you looked at the AGI website -

http://www.americangunsmith.com/

mike bell

Well I know of a few people that wasted their money on the home school courses. Its up to you though.

I always wanted my own gun shop since I was a kid looking at the guns in the local shop where I grew up. So the first thing I did out of high school was go to college. But theres a twist to my college days. I went to get a degree in gunsmithing at Trinidad State in Colorado. I graduated after two years with an actaul Associate Of Applied Science Degree in Gunsmithing, then I stayed for their Third Year Advanced Program. I wish I was older when I took the courses because I didnt take it as serious as I wish I did now. (11 years later)

I have not really searched for on line information about gunsmithing but there are a ton of books out there. The best place in the world for anything gunsmithing is Brownells! Bar none! Then get a Gun Parts Corp. catolog, they have hundereds of exploded views of guns.

Stock making was the easyest and my most favorite subject. Ed Shulin was the instructor and one of the best stockmakers Ive ever seen. He also ran a stockmaking business on the side sell custom grade semi-inlets and blanks. I also took some of the NRA Summer Gunsmithing short courses. I would diffenitly look into these courses after you get a basic uderstanding of how guns work. Two of the courses I took were the Engraving and Advanced Engraving with John Barraclough from Gardena, CA. Each summer course was two weeks and well worth the money. Alot of people take them as vacations each year, something to think about and look at.

The company I work for since I got out of school is Maryland Gun Works. We dont offer gunsmithing services to the public anymore. I moved over to the sister company MGW. I now make gunsmithing tools and gun parts for other companies. We also make custom car parts also. mgwltd.com

I do gun work on the side, but nothing major. I usally send a gun off if I need a new rifle barrel or something big. But everything else I can get from Brownells

If you need any help let me know and I'll see if I can help ya out.

mossy33oak

mike, I am NOT trying to sound smart I am simply asking a question. I do not want to seem like I am insulting you or questioning your ability. But you mean you have taken those courses and work in this field and you send your own guns out for rebarreling?? I am confused.

mike bell

My job is no longer being a gunsmith thats why I send it out. I still do some on the side, but for rebarreling a rifle, I send it out to the barrel maker and they fit it to my actions.I have rebarreled several rifles myself but now,its easier for me tofarm it out then to do it myself. I dont have a lathe and mill at my houseor the reamers for barreling. I can do it if I really wanted to, but just easy for somebody else that does it everyday to do the hard work. Anybody can take a barrel off and thread on a prefitted barrel.But what if the threads are not right? How you gonna headspace the chamber if you dont have the reamers?What if the action aint square? Ever mess with an old Enfield 303 british? To me it aint worth the trouble of saving a few pennies. Thenew stock I put on it was more then what I wanted to do after it was done. New stock & new barrel= new gun for my now ex-brother in law. I can do just about everything "IF"I had the equipent to do it on. I just dont have it anymore. I do it as a hobby now.My job description now is a CNC machinst makinggunsmithing tools and gun sights for other companies now. It pays better then gunsmithing. If you see Trijicon, Heinie, Wilson, C-More, Warren, Colt, Ameriglo. They aremy paychecks.[8D] Friday we got a contract for 50,000 Glock sights.

I have severl gunsmithing "unfinished" projects and this reminds me, I need to get working on a project I started years ago. Im building a rifle for my dad. A Win. Mod. 70 with a Shilen Match grade.308 barrel (that I threaded and chambered).All I need to do is finish inletting the Birdseye Maple stock and get it sanded down and finished.

Roskoe

Although I'm sure there are a few successful gunsmiths out there who started out as you are proposing to do - for every one that "got there", there arehundreds who didn't. There is a lot to know about this stuff.. .

I live fairly close toTrinidad, Colorado and personally know at least 20 people who graduated from the gunsmith school there. None of them could make a living at gunsmithing. And what you are planning to do, without formal instruction or apprenticeship, is probably going toproduce what is often known as a"gun show special". The amount of education and equipment aquisition necessary to competently do what you are describing is a major investment - both time and money. Either do it right or find another hobby to pass away the long winter.

mike bell

John did you go to Tdad? Where you working?

Charley

I guess you could say I'm a hobby gunsmith. I don't think there is any one place or refernce to find information. Knowledge is where you find it. Several books cover home gunsmithing, just start reading and looking. Lots of booksellers inline, enter gunsmithing in the search engine for the dealers. Order catalogs from Brownell's, Midway USA, and Numrich Arms. American Gunsmith has some decent information in it as well, and subscriptions are not too expensive.

For the guns them selves. depending on how gunfriendly it is where you live, check gunshows, pawnshops, friends, relatives, etc. Many places have beater guns lying around, and are often willing to sell them for a small amount, or even give them away.

Buy some of the more common milsurps, such as the 98 Mausers that are currently being imported. For less than $100, you can find out about barrel cutting and crowning, trigger work, bedding, drilling and tapping, and lots of other stuff. Practice metal working skills. Don't want to dril and tap a receiver? Get a piece of thick walled pipe or tubing. Practice on that, after all, many rifle receivers are basicly thickwalled tubing.
Order a semi inletted stock for the rifle. Practice inletting and bedding.
By the time you have used up the $100 rifle, you will at least be familiar with many of the operations required for basic gunwork. You are not going to be building custom rifles with that level of knowledge, but you will have basic concepts.
As you learn more, take on more ambitious projects. Find a Savage rifle, and rebarrel it. Not difficult, well within the basic confones of home gunwork. Then try rebarreling a Mauser. Continue to work and learn.

Do know your limits, though. Mistakes can be deadly with firearms.

KareImp

Mike Bell, and others, thank you for the responses. I was hoping to benefit from the wisdom of those that have gone before.

I am probably inclined to read books more than sign up for a course. That is part of what I am going to do over the next year. I've attended plenty of classes to know I can learn by reading, paying tuition is not a requirement. I have several book stores in town, Barnes and Noble, Media Play, etc.

When the instructor themselves is the value, then tuition is required. I'm a CPA, so I've spent my fair share of time in a book...

I'm familiar with the NRA 2 week quick courses, and they come to the same town my brother lives in, so that was a consideration, now even more with your suggestion.

Mike, it seems like your on the same wavelength as what my thoughts are. If I could ask you a question. Let's say my GOAL is to become very good at something, with no desire to learn everything. Do you feel just focusing on Stock making would be a broad enough endeavor to really work on becoming skilled?

Like you have described, I anticipate I am going to send the gun out for the 'big' things. Should I drop the thought of installing barrels, and just focus on the Stock making skills? There seems like so much can be done with Stocks, and if you are truely good at it, and enjoy it - maybe I should spend all my time there? It sounds like that is one of the things you enjoyed most?

By the way, I already have the woodworking hobby. So I've already got all the furniture making tools and a shop. Planer, Jointer, Router Table, Table Saw, Cutoff saw, drill press etc. What I am kind of thinking about doing is obtaining the tools to do some checkering, and practice on scrap wood. After I see some results, then I could put the tools to a gun stock.

Part of the reason this is a year off thought is I am building new kitchen drawers and cabinet doors this year. 18 Drawers and 47 doors done, 25 doors to go.... It was kind of a big project to take on, but the wife is really excited about the kitchen now.

Thank you everyone for your input. I'd value anything else you could share.

Edit in - Familiar with Brownells already. After I thought about things for a while I realized I already have a Remington 788 left hand gun that could really use a nice stock - so I already have the first donor. If I started with an action, or barreled action instead of a repair I kind of had Savage in mind. I have a Savage with a Bishop barrel already, I really like that gun.

mike bell

I think your asking if stockmaking is worth focusing on? If thats what your asking I would say yes if you are already anexperienced wood worker. I played around making wood crafts before going to gun school, which is why I think I liked that part the best. It would also be best to have a general understanding of gunsmithing. Everything is related somewhere along the process. If a gun is breaking or cracking stocks, theres a problem that needs to beaddressed before restocking.You have to know why it broke to make sure it is not repeted again. Idont think you need to become a metal expert butbasic bench metal is a must. Knowing how to sharpen and maintain cutting tools such as your gouges and scrapers will be needed in Stockmaking.

Seriously think about those two week short courses. The do offer stockmaking at most schools.

Do you turkey hunt? Making turkey calls is a little cheaper then working on guns? Just an idea....

Oh yea, Wood is cheaper then metal when you mess up also.