Trade Schools
Gunsmiths have existed for centuries.
This is a career that requires precision to detail, knowledge of things like woodworking, metalwork, and blueprint reading skills.
Math is essential.
The well-trained gunsmith can earn a good living, it only takes learning and practice.
Let’s take time to explore what it takes to be a gunsmith and determine if this is the career path you want to take.
Earn your accredited, affordable Gunsmith career diploma online with Penn Foster in as little as 3 months!
Steps Needed to Become a Gunsmith
1. Complete a Gunsmith Course
The first thing you need to do is take and complete a gunsmith course.
These courses can be taken in person or online.
Look for one that will include all the basics, such as assembling/disassembling a firearm, machine tool operation, blueprint reading, gun safety, troubleshooting, repair tool usage, and woodworking.
Once approved by the National Rifle Association will be especially good to consider.
2. Consider an Apprenticeship
Working under an experienced gunsmith will go further than all the education you can receive from books.
This will give you the chance to work with your hands, learn all the tricks of the trade, and gain confidence, as well as connections.
3. Apply for a License
You must be 21 in order to become a licensed gunsmith.
You must also get a license from the ATF (Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives).
This procedure includes a complete background check, extensive history, fingerprinting, and testing of knowledge.
It will also include an in-person interview.
This license does not permit you to carry.
4. Attend an In-Person Interview
The in-person interview will consist of questions about your answers to the initial application and other questions to help determine if you are a fit candidate to be allowed to buy and sell firearms.
5. Consider Joining a Professional Organization
A professional organization can help you with getting support, finding clients, keeping abreast of current developments in the industry, and more.
6. Continuing education
The firearms industry is constantly changing, and in order to be successful, you will need to keep up with these changes.
Take classes when possible and make sure to keep your license renewed as required.
Licensing Requirements to Become a Gunsmith
You will need to be licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
This will require you to be at least 21, fill out a multi-page application, get fingerprinted, and be subjected to a thorough background check.
You will also need to undergo an in-person interview.
Some cities or states may have additional requirements.
Make sure you check the area where you plan to do business.
You will also need to acquire a business license if you plan on working on your own.
Online Programs for Gunsmithing
Penn Foster
The Penn Foster course on gunsmithing is designed to be completed at your own pace.
Most students complete the entire program in three to six months.
This course consists of six courses, 19 exams, over 50 videos, and reading materials.
It will earn you 38.4 continuing education units if you so desire.
The entire cost of the course is $939.
A sampling of the subjects you will cover in this course includes firearm care and cleaning, safe handling of firearms, identifying firearms, classifying firearms, performing a chamber cast, slugging a bore, performing safety checks, how to glass bed a gun stock, identify different types of parts and how to install them, troubleshooting, the history and development of rifles, and basic repair of shotgun ribs.
In addition, you will cover classifying handguns, identifying handgun firing systems, bullet casting procedures, recognizing metalworking tools, building your own glass bead blasting cabinet, and building your own belt sander.
You will also learn to recognize metal finishes and more.
American Gunsmithing Institute
This is one of the most extensive online courses, and it is nationally recognized as among the best.
The American Gunsmithing Institute offers four levels of gunsmithing courses.
The course offerings are Professional Gunsmithing Level 1 and Professional Gunsmithing Level 2.
Professional Gunsmithing Master Level and Professional Gunsmithing Advanced Master.
Each level includes the material from the level before it as well as additional material.
Professional Gunsmithing Level 1 is 175 hours and costs $5997. Professional Gunsmithing Level 2 is 255 hours long and costs $*497.
The Professional Gunsmithing Master Level course costs $11,997 and lasts for 363 hours.
The 574 hours of the Professional Gunsmithing Advanced Master course cost $14,997.
All four classes cover Handgun Design Function and Repair, Shotgun Design Function and Repair, Rimfire Design Function and Repair, and Rifle Design Function and Repair.
You will also learn the most common basic repairs so you can start right away, the History of the Smith & Wesson, Buying and Collecting Used Guns Without Getting Burned, Professional Gun Cleaning Secrets, Super Tuning the Factory Rifle, Relining and Restoring .22 Barrels, FFL Starter Kit, Stock Refinishing, and Glass Bedding.
In addition, all students receive a Drill and Tap Chart and a digital Firearms Schematics Reference Guide of over 2000 pages.
MGS Trade School
MGS Trade School offers three different Gunsmith Courses.
They build upon the one before, allowing you to take the level of advancement you would like.
Basic Gun Repair costs $1759, Advanced Gunsmithing costs $2192, and Advanced Gunsmithing II costs $4794.
The second and third options are approved by the VA.
Basic Gun Repair consists of nine units and includes four hands-on projects.
The Advanced I course has 17 units and seven hands-on projects.
The highest course also includes a building project!
The subjects covered offer you a thorough journey through gunsmithing.
You will cover such topics as choosing tools, identifying the basic components of a gunship, identifying guns, gun safety, troubleshooting, assembling and disassembling over thirty types of firearms, learning bluing, learning jewelrying, and learning checkering.
Stratford Career Institute
The course at Stratford costs $749 and can either be paid in one payment, or you can set up a payment plan that works with your budget.
The course is designed to be completed on your schedule, and most students complete it within six months.
The subjects you will cover in this course include not only gunsmithing techniques but also information on starting and running your own gunsmith business.
The topics covered are:
- Self-Defense Firearms
- Why Custom Gunsmithing?
- Workspace, Tools, and Machinery
- Simple Gunsmithing Projects
- Service Pistols: Glocks, SIG, S&W M&P
- Gunsmithing the S&W Revolver
- Setting Up and Using the Ransom Rest
- Bedding
- Building the H-S Precision Rifle
- Scope Mounting
- Rifle Cleaning
- Finishes
- Pistols & Revolvers
- Specialty Tools for Pistolsmithing
- Workspace Design and Organization
- Drilling, Cutting, and Removing Metal
- How Pistols and Revolvers Work and How To Troubleshoot Them
- Gun Cleaning
- Advanced Tools
- Post-Repair Testing
- Welding and Joining Metal
- Refinishing
- Malfunctions
- Magazines: Choosing, Maintaining, and Customizing
- Sights and Sighting Technology
- Grips and Grip Customization
- Timing and Tuning
- Basic Pistolsmithing Projects
- Gunsmithing Mistakes and Solutions
- Rifles
- Introduction and Requirements for Rifle Gunsmithing
- Tools
- Trigger Work
- Scope Mounting
- Barrels: Cleaning, Selection, and Installation
- Cleaning the Action
- Cryo and Fire-Lapping
- Stocks
- Wood Repair and Refinishing
- Metal Finishing
- Accuracy Testing
- Recoil Reduction
- Glass Bedding
- Installing Slings, Rails, and Suppressors
- Building a Scout Rifle
- Gunsmithing tips to improve your hunting and long-range rifles
- Gunsmithing the Lever-Action Rifle
And topics regarding the business of gunsmithing, from setting up the business to taxes and customer service.
How Much Money Can You Make as a Gunsmith?
The median salary of beginning gunsmiths throughout the entire country in 2021 was $41,044 a year.
The salary you can expect to make will be determined by where in the country you live, how much experience you have, and whether you work for yourself or someone else.
The highest-paid gunsmiths in the country make upwards of $150,000 a year.
U.S. Average Salary: $57290
Salary Information by State
| State | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 910 | $51,970 | $24.98 | $60,420 | $37,780 |
| Arizona | 490 | $53,750 | $25.84 | $67,700 | $36,610 |
| Arkansas | 430 | $45,140 | $21.70 | $67,210 | $35,280 |
| California | 540 | $59,120 | $28.42 | $77,330 | $41,960 |
| Connecticut | 40 | $58,050 | $27.91 | $76,340 | $43,370 |
| Florida | 620 | $49,250 | $23.68 | $58,880 | $37,030 |
| Georgia | 200 | $51,430 | $24.72 | $58,360 | $45,120 |
| Illinois | 330 | $54,220 | $26.07 | $67,330 | $37,590 |
| Indiana | 3,560 | $71,700 | $34.47 | $86,340 | $49,180 |
| Iowa | 380 | $62,520 | $30.06 | $74,250 | $41,510 |
| Kansas | 110 | $58,680 | $28.21 | $65,890 | $54,290 |
| Kentucky | 690 | $53,810 | $25.87 | $69,390 | $38,170 |
| Louisiana | 150 | $57,470 | $27.63 | $67,540 | $40,710 |
| Massachusetts | 140 | $52,810 | $25.39 | $74,230 | $41,850 |
| Michigan | 860 | $46,390 | $22.30 | $58,060 | $36,250 |
| Minnesota | 240 | $60,900 | $29.28 | $76,590 | $43,170 |
| Mississippi | 130 | $42,510 | $20.44 | $55,120 | $31,160 |
| Missouri | 260 | $54,970 | $26.43 | $65,240 | $47,280 |
| Nebraska | 80 | $48,570 | $23.35 | $67,610 | $38,480 |
| Nevada | 80 | $58,590 | $28.17 | $85,260 | $40,610 |
| New Hampshire | 50 | $51,970 | $24.99 | $73,040 | $42,390 |
| New Jersey | 50 | $63,880 | $30.71 | $76,840 | $48,570 |
| New Mexico | 50 | $47,250 | $22.71 | $55,260 | $37,870 |
| New York | 750 | $64,850 | $31.18 | $79,090 | $45,370 |
| North Carolina | 230 | $44,610 | $21.45 | $53,930 | $35,710 |
| Ohio | 2,240 | $53,730 | $25.83 | $65,070 | $41,920 |
| Oklahoma | 120 | $46,750 | $22.47 | $58,960 | $36,410 |
| Oregon | 280 | $62,240 | $29.92 | $78,440 | $44,350 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,240 | $57,560 | $27.67 | $66,960 | $43,640 |
| Rhode Island | 110 | $44,080 | $21.19 | $48,280 | $31,290 |
| South Carolina | 290 | $45,160 | $21.71 | $68,710 | $35,070 |
| Tennessee | 1,190 | $54,140 | $26.03 | $73,100 | $38,380 |
| Texas | 560 | $48,540 | $23.34 | $69,950 | $37,440 |
| Utah | 520 | $64,800 | $31.16 | $76,290 | $46,560 |
| Virginia | 100 | $51,020 | $24.53 | $72,230 | $38,160 |
| Washington | 300 | $62,510 | $30.05 | $89,380 | $42,420 |
| West Virginia | 140 | $48,950 | $23.53 | $57,550 | $38,590 |
| Wisconsin | 590 | $50,960 | $24.50 | $69,630 | $36,310 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
