Why earn a firearms repair diploma?
The shooting sports are just as popular now as when our forefathers drafted the 2nd amendment to the Constitution - the one giving us the right to bear arms. Target shooters, hunters, and gun collectors all have need of trained firearms repair professionals in order to keep their weapons in good shape and to individualize them to suit their needs.
Career possibilities
You could work on your own repairing guns or restoring antique weapons. You could also buy, recondition, and resell guns (with a Federal Firearms License, or FFL). You could work for a gun shop repairing guns that customers bring in, or you could accurize (bettering the accuracy) weapons for a firing range or shooting club. You could even work as a gunsmith for a police department or for the military or a government agency such as the FBI or DEA.
Occupational outlook
Demand for gunsmiths varies by area, with demand being lower in locales such as Washington, DC where residents are forbidden from owning any type of handgun and long guns (rifles and shotguns) are strictly regulated. In a state such as Pennsylvania, however, where 60% of the adult population have hunting licenses, gunsmiths are in high demand.
Salary information
PayScale, the online salary calculator (www.payscale.com), reports a median annual salary for entry-level gunsmiths of $30,000. Skilled, experienced gunsmiths, however, can earn upwards of $60,000 a year.
Coursework requirements
- Basic gunsmithing
- Stock fitting and finishing
- Heat treatment, spring making, and metallurgy
- Weapons accurizing
- Gun repair and custom work
- Restoring antique firearms
- Rifle sights and sighting
- Ammunition loading and reloading
- Gunsmithing business practices
Skills you will learn
As you study for your firearms repair diploma you will learn the names and operations of all of the parts of different types of firearms - pistols, rifles, and shotguns. You will learn repair techniques including hacksawing, gauging, and filing as well as soldering, welding, and brazing. You will learn finishing techniques including polishing and bluing. You will learn stock bedding, also stock design and custom fitting to the individual shooter. You will learn all about sights (telescopic and fixed) and sight mounting. You will also learn about ammunition - ballistics and reloading methods. You will learn, in short, all of the ways to restore, repair, and customize firearms.
