Apprenticeship

uban77 · Sep 20, 2011

I am looking for a gunsmith to be a Apprentice for. Portland area. If you need help. And you willing to teach. I want to learn.

AMProducts · Sep 21, 2011

What I might suggest is find your local community college and see if they have a machine shop program. The field of gunsmithing is much greater than just machine work, but if you have a solid basis in tool and die making, many of the tasks given to today's gunsmiths will seem pretty damn simple by comparison. That's how I started, oddly, I ended up making ammunition instead of doing GS work. But things have come full circle, and now I design firearms as a regular part of our business.
I did spend a few years at my home shop (I have a mill, lathe and surface grinder) souping up my personal gun collection.

Now is a good time to start, take the machine shop classes... look on craigslist and buy some machines if you have a place to do it. Before you actually go into business for yourself you will need to get a type 07 FFL.

uban77 · Sep 22, 2011

Thank you. I have had machinst schooling. I am looking for experience in a real gunsmithing shop.

AMProducts · Sep 22, 2011

If you have a background in machining, you might mention that when you go to look for a position as an apprentice. It will help a lot.

Rascals · Sep 22, 2011

I have 22 years as a machinist and cant seam to find someone who is hiring at all. I dont want to work for min wage but I'm use to making the most advanced weapons in the world and would like to apply my love of both and make a living but its really hard to find a place. So you might want to find out and just go door to door. I have but you might find another door. Good luck.

RVTECH · Sep 22, 2011

I have been 'dabbling' with guns all my life but recently I have begun to get more serious. I have a background in welding and metal fab, as well as what I would consider outstanding mechanical inclination - I basically build and repair just about whatever I need and I bought my first lathe a few years ago - a 1929 South Bend 9 X 48 which I had to completely tear down, clean and reassemble as well as hand make a few parts for. Fortunately I have several machinist friends who got me well on my way and I do quite a bit with it. Recently I have been doing a little gun work for friends and acquaintances such as cleanings, making a few obsolete parts nothing serious but I too would like to figure out a way to really gain some skills. I buy up any junk or broken guns I can find and put them back into working order if I can. Basically just a hobby for now unless I can figure out a way to 'advance' it into something else.

Straight Shooter · Sep 27, 2011

07 is a manufacturing license. Manufacturing is subject to a 10 percent gross sales excise tax. General gunsmith only needs an 01 FFL and no extra taxes.

AMProducts · Oct 1, 2011

Straight Shooter said:
07 is a manufacturing license. Manufacturing is subject to a 10 percent gross sales excise tax. General gunsmith only needs an 01 FFL and no extra taxes.

ATF has been getting hyper-anal about this lately, and they have all sorts of metrics for deciding what is, and what isn't "manufacturing" with the way things are these days, even if all you do is pin the upper and lower receivers together on an AR-15, that's considered "manufacturing" by ATF, and requires both the type 07, and the excise.

Straight Shooter · Oct 1, 2011

The way my ATF agent explained it to me is you can do about anything (short of NFA mods) to someone elses guns but if the gunsmith buys it and modifies it in any way for resale it is manufacturing. This includes parts for guns or making parts for guns. Need not be a receiver. Gunsmith buys a wood stock and fits a recoil pad and puts it up for sale constitutes manufacturing and the IRS gets 10% of the gross sale. Person buys crappy guns and paints the sites with bright paint and resells, it is manufacturing. Sell it for $400 and you pay $40 in tax. I wouldn't fool with any kind of manufacturing. I have seen gunsmiths just get a manufacturing license so they can build a few rifles for resale. Guess what. The FFL is granted based on being a legit business meaning you are suppossed to make money manufacturing. If you don't pay any excise tax for a couple years they will not renew. Same for FFL 01. You show a profit gunsmithing or sales after 3 years or your next renewal can get denied. It doesn't need be much but the intent is to make money. Not just grow your own collection.