Trade Schools
Can you name a career that has withstood centuries and isn’t going to go away anytime soon?
What if this career is also part skill and part art?
If you said Gunsmithing, you would be correct.
Since the invention of guns, the people who know how to fix, design, build, and now evaluate old guns are in high demand.
This is a trade that can be profitable and allows you to use your engineering skills as well as fulfill any artistic tendencies that you have.
Let’s explore where you can learn this trade.
Earn your accredited, affordable Gunsmith career diploma online with Penn Foster in as little as 3 months!
Best Online Gunsmithing Programs
1. Sonoran Desert Institute
This is one of the foremost gunsmith schools in the country.
It is the one often preferred by military members and current active personnel.
In fact, active military members get a discounted tuition of $110 off per credit.
There are three levels of instruction students can choose from.
All the levels include topics such as AR-10, AR-15, Modern rifles, Pistol Caliber Carbine, Advanced Ballistics, Custom Kydex, Woodworking, Shooting Sports Management, and more.
All levels include hands-on components to help hone your skills and make the instruction clearer.
At the Associate’s level, you are looking at a two-year course that covers 60 credits.
The cost of this program is $21,000.
The Gunsmithing Certificate is 32 credits and takes from 8–12 months to complete.
The cost of this level is $11,520.
The Handgun Specialist course costs $7280 and takes 20-30 weeks to complete the 16 credits.
The total cost breaks down to $360 per credit hour for regular students and $250 per credit hour for active military members.
For an additional $1200, students can get an extensive kit that contains all the required tools, handguns, and materials necessary for completion and beginning a business.
2. American Gunsmithing Institute
This school offers four levels of instruction, each including the bare basics and then more topics discussed as you choose to level up.
The main topics include firearm design, function, repair, and customization.
All levels are self-paced, and you can complete Level one, which is 175 hours long, in as little as 90 days.
Level 2 is 255 hours long.
The Master Level is 363 hours, and the Advanced Master is over 574 hours.
All levels include the history of Smith & Wesson, and they all come with a digital 2000+ page reference of firearm schematics.
They also include a one-year Silver membership to the Gunsmithing Club of America.
Levels 2 through 4 include a hands-on voucher for a one-week instruction in person with an AGI instructor, a machine shop course, pro metal finishing, and building a custom rifle.
Levels 3 and 4 include customization courses, an advanced welding course, and instruction for marketing your own business.
With Level 4, you receive all instruction as well as access to all 68 titles of Armorer’s courses and four advanced classes.
3. MGS Trade School
The open enrollment at this school makes it easy to start classes at a time that is convenient for you.
The chance to go at your own pace is also advantageous.
On average, students finish in about a year.
There are three levels of instruction to choose from.
Basic Gunsmithing is 65 lessons and includes seven hands-on projects.
This level costs $1759.
Advanced Gunsmithing costs $2192 and also includes 65 lessons and seven hands-on projects.
The classes and projects are more difficult.
The top level of instruction costs $4794.
This includes more advanced lessons, and students get the opportunity to construct a firearm before completing the program.
All levels of instruction come with options to pay tuition every month.
4. Stratford Career Institute
Stratford Career Institute has many areas of instruction and a long history of educating individuals to prepare them for strong futures.
Their Gunsmithing course costs $749 and can be paid all at once or on a payment plan of $20 down and $40.50 for 18 months.
Instruction covers all aspects of design, assembly, and customization of self-defense firearms, pistols, revolvers, and rifles.
There are also lessons on evaluating the safety of old guns, assessing the value of antique firearms, and instruction on all necessary tools and machinery, as well as how to use each.
The course completes with the legal aspects of firearm work and how to start your own business.
5. Penn Foster Career School
Penn Foster’s Gunsmithing program features not only reading materials, but also includes fifty video lessons.
This combination helps ensure students with different learning styles can benefit.
The course is self-paced, and most students complete it in 3–6 months.
This does not mean you can’t take longer if you need to.
The school recognizes that students learn at different paces.
Upon the successful completion of 16 classes and 19 exams, students earn a certificate.
The entire cost is $939.
Some of the major subjects covered are stock finishing and engraving, how to disassemble and assemble a firearm, metal finishing, how to build your own belt sander, and a multitude of other classes.
Students will learn all the skills necessary to run their own Gunsmithing business and service handguns and rifles.
They will also be completely proficient in ballistics.
6. Colorado School of Trade
The Colorado School of Trade offers a four-part program that results in an Associate’s degree.
The entire course is designed to be completed in fourteen months.
The tuition is $32,150.
There are opportunities for financial aid to help with the cost, and the school is willing to work with individuals on an as-needed basis to help make the program affordable.
Starting with the Basic class, you will learn the basic machine shop information regarding the tools and equipment necessary.
You will complete a restoration during this class.
You will also learn how to troubleshoot, diagnose, and repair both antique and modern firearms.
This is a skill that will be used very often when you are running your own business, especially if it includes buying and selling used firearms.
Next, students take a Machine Shop class where they learn the design and function of various components of a firearm.
There is also instruction on sights, stocktaking, painting, and triggers.
Finally, a history of the use of firearms is covered.
The Advanced Stockmaking Design and Function class will expand on previous lessons as well as cover Ballistics and the business end of gunsmithing.
While many of the classes may be familiar, they are at a deeper level and will further enhance your skills.
The final class is Design and Function and will take the knowledge learned in the previous three courses and combine them into a flowing picture that allows students to succeed in completing an entire functioning firearm.
What Courses Do Online Gunsmithing Courses Offer?
Online courses in Gunsmithing strive to make the student’s education a strong one and often include classes that you may have to take as “add-ons” in an in-person program.
The best programs include history, proper safety protocol, metal and woodworking, ballistics, and more.
They also include identifying and evaluating various handguns.
Very often, a course will also include the history of Smith & Wesson.
Others will also include how to evaluate the value of various antique handguns.
This helps those who may also want to work in antiques.
The best courses include:
- Firearm design
- Function of firearms
- Repair of firearms
- Gun safety
- Ballistics
- Stock refinishing
- Identifying firearms
- Performing safety checks
- History of firearms
- Shotguns and handguns
- Metalwork and when it is needed
- Metalworking tools and machines, and how to use them
- Firearm laws
- Scope mounting
- Welding
- Engraving
- Identifying and using tools
- Evaluating the worth of firearms
- Performing stipling
- Troubleshooting
- Establishing a business
These are the mere basics necessary for a well-designed Gunsmithing course.
In some of the schools listed, there are even more advanced subjects.
The best thing you can do is determine in advance just how deeply you want to pursue the subject and then look for a course that will give you that knowledge.
While most include instruction on handguns and rifles, others focus on one kind or the other.
There are even a couple of schools that instruct on repairing military-style weapons.
Again, know what you are looking for in advance, and that will help you decide.
Can You Earn a Certificate in Gunsmithing Totally Online?
It is possible to earn a certificate, and even an associate’s degree, in gunsmithing entirely online.
The thing with this is you will want to choose a program that offers you hands-on lessons in the form of kits and other components.
As an alternative, you can seek out someone who already has this knowledge and work as an apprentice, or at least have them mentor you.
Gunsmithing is like surgery.
You can technically read and learn what you need to do, but actually doing the job requires practice.
A few online classes also offer students a chance to gain hands-on skills with either the availability of kits or a special in-person session with an instructor.
It is a good idea to pursue any of these chances if they arise, as your knowledge will have a greater chance of embedding itself into your being.
How Long Does an Online Gunsmithing Course Take?
The average online gunsmithing class takes approximately 16 to 18 months to complete.
This can vary, as many programs are designed as self-paced courses.
This means some students may complete the class quickly, while others may need additional time to absorb all the information presented.
The time needed will also vary depending on whether you are looking to earn a simple certificate or get an Associate’s degree.
What Does an Online Gunsmithing Course Cost?
The cost of an online gunsmithing course varies, depending on the intensity of the program, the history of the school, and much more.
On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $800 to over $20,000.
Some of the better-established schools charge more, but their programs are very detailed.
Very often, veterans and active military members can get discounts on these courses.
Even if the website of the school you are interested in does not state this, it never hurts to ask about any available discounts.
Many programs also offer payment plans, and some are approved for military financial aid programs.
Final Thoughts
Gunsmithing is a career that has shown itself to be long-lasting.
It will also be around as long as man and firearms exist.
This is a career that the rare individual who possesses both technical and artistic skills will excel at.
It also helps if that individual can do the work required to keep a business afloat.
Some of the skills necessary for success can’t be taught.
These include such things as diligence, having an eye for detail, patience, and persistence.
Working on firearms is a job that you can’t be slack with.
Other skills, such as math, woodworking and metal working, mathematics, and understanding how firearms work, and why they may not be working, can be obtained by taking a gunsmithing course online.
These courses vary in intensity and cost, but all can lead you to a new, fulfilling career as a gunsmith over time.
Many can be taken while still taking care of your current duties to your job and family.
