BECOMING A GUNSMITH
How I Became a Gunsmith
Gunsmithing Historical Overview
WHO IS A GUNSMITH?
A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms.
DWIGHT ANGEL & BECOMING A GUNSMITH
Dwight Angel was a state employee who wanted to start a business that he could develope and perhaps later become his full time work. He had talked to oters and their advise was to start a business doing something you like. Since a child when hunting with his father and when he grew up his work in corrections and law enforceent his exposure to firearms made him think perhaps a gunsmith would be the job for him.
l started learning to become a Gunsmith in 1984, when I created Antique Arms & Accessories in Tampa, Florida. In 1984, there was not very much support for people who wanted to become a Gunsmith.
With his completion of the American Gunsmithing Institute, Practical Gunsmith Certification he also served as a Contract Author/Writer in reviewing the Gunsmithing Career Education Program for Penn Foster. Penn Foster is a private online education provider based in theUnited States, offering high school, career training, and college-level programs.
Starting in 1984 and continuing today, Dwight has developed his knowledge, skills and abilities to the point he now operates various businesses;
www.angelsarmoryforge.com, www.auctiongunsales.com, www.floridagunparts and www.usweaponsauction. Dwight is now a Gunsmith and Federal Firearms Manufacturer.
HISTORICALLY SPREAKING
Historically speaking, during the period from the 1940’s to 1980’s most people began Gunsmiths from self study obtaining what books they could find or practical work training in the military. Some who were very lucky, were able to have a local gunsmith mentor them.
The ideal of a person learning gunsmithhing alone on his own, was not a path most people selected. During the time he started learning his trade, a person had great difficulty in finding gunsmithing books, manuals and tools to guide him in his gunsmithing development.
During this period of time here was no internet, no gunsmithing schools on line and few gunsmithing supply sources other than Brownells and Gun Parts (known as Numrich Arms). Numrich Arms produced a book that one could order gun parts and the book also a schematic of most guns in modern production, as well as some older guns that were no longer in production.
Hindrances for self taught gunsmiths in the 1980’s involved various factors. Often times could not afford to buy specialized tools from suppliers like Brownells due to the tool cost and the fact most gunsmith students were working another job full time to provide for their family expenses. As a student gunsmith there was normally no money coming in except perhaps from family and friends trying to help.
Usually a student would only have the option of buying gun parts from Numrich Arms, which often times were expensive. The world wide web was introduced in 1989, but resources, computers and equipment did not start becoming wide spread until around 1990’s.
BECOMING A GUNSMITH BY SELF STUDY
Becoming a Gunsmith in1984 required a lot of self study, reading what few manuals and book that were available. In order to become a good Gunsmith, a person needed to acquire a combination of mechanical skills and a good general knowledge of firearms, all of which could take years to acquire.
Attending a school for training was generally not an option for most students who had to work full time for their families income. It was not until the 1990’s, Dwight became a American Gunsmithing Institute Certified Practical Gunsmith by attending an online course.
GUNSMITHING SCHOOLS
During the 1980’s, there was only a couple of actual Gunsmithing Schools in America and few could quit their regular jobs to attend such schools. One of the most famous perhaps was Colorado School of Trades. Find them today at; https://schooloftrades.edu/. On their website they say, “Colorado School of Trades has developed a unique hands-on system utilizing project oriented and customer provided training that has been honed for the past 75 years. The school prides itself on a personal approach that allows students to acquire job skills that will prepare them to enter the work-force as an entry level Gunsmith and begin a lifelong career in the field”.
Total cost to attend Colorado School of Trades today is approximately $32,150. Tuition cost for our program is $27,000. There are additional costs including approximately $5,000 of tools and materials necessary to complete the program, including all aspects of the bolt action project rifle, as well as a $150 supplemental accident insurance policy. The gunsmith course at Colorado School of Trades typically takes 14 months to complete.
HANDS ON EXPERIENCE
When Dwight began to study gunsmithing, the process for becoming a Gunsmith may have been less formalized than it is now, but hands on experience and mentor ship was crucial for success in the field. Few beginning student gunsmiths had a mentor to assist them in their development.
Dwight lived in Tampa, Florida in the 1980’s and there was an abundance of gun and pawn shops in Tampa in those day. He would travel to these shops on his days off, since being a state employee meant he was normally had days off during the week. Dwight would search the used gun section in pawn shops looking for guns that needed stock refinishing or repairs. If the price was low enough, he would buy these guns and repair or restore them. He became very proficient in repairing, refinishing and restoring gun stocks.
FINDING GUN PARTS
After a year of so, he learned about David Granger, who was a veteran older Gunsmith who had a large work shop beside this house. David sold gun parts, but his business was only locally known and he did not advertise.
During Dwight’s first visit he took a Smith & Wesson 22 Caliber Short Lady Smith that he was working on for a family friend. Upon his arrival he went up to the door and knocked and heard a voice tell him to come in. When he opened the door haw saw guns literal in piles all over the floor. He did not see a path to enter without stepping on guns. Mr. Granger said just walk over them, it want hurt them. So he walked over guns and handed the Ladysmith to Mr. Granger who said, “That is a hell of of a gun to use to start learning gunsmith. That’s was of the hardest guns one could find to learn on”. The Ladysmith was a small gun with small internal parts. There were two springs in the ejector rod that went inside one another. These were the parts Dwight needed to repair the gun. Mr. Granger was probably the only place he could get the parts without ordering from a catalog.
According to Florida records; “D. H. Granger Gun Parts, Inc. filed as a Domestic for Profit Corporation in the State of Florida and is no longer active. This corporate entity was filed approximately forty-two years ago on Monday, February 27, 1984 as recorded in documents filed with Florida Department of State”.
Many times older Gunsmiths would provide some help for student gunsmiths in how to repair a particular gun the student might be having trouble repairing.
ORDERING GUN PARTS VIA MAIL IN ORDERS
A student Gunsmith might have to order a part from a catalog. This was often avoided since one could order and wait for weeks for the part to arrive. When the Gunsmith need two parts to repair a gun, the suppler might have one part and be out of stock on the other part. There was no other way to see if parts were available when ordering because there was no internet to check stock.
Even today, some Gunsmith’s are only accepting mail in orders. Bob's Gun Shop has been serving Norfolk and the Southeastern Virginia Area since 1945. This is the situation encountered with Bob's Gun Shop, Inc - Po Box 200, Royal, Arkansas 71968.
The message on Bob’s website, “This is Bob. I have been doing this almost all of my life, so I know gun parts. I grew up in this business at my dads gun shop at an early age. My wife and I do this together now and take pride in filling orders correctly and helping you ! My wife and I run this business with integrity and honesty. We try to get you your parts to you as soon as possible and want blessed, happy customers. If you have a problem, we correct it quickly and treat customers as we would want to be treated. We work Monday thru Friday. We appreciate you, and your business. Since 1955 and we are still treating every order like it is our only one Your Friends Bob and Lisa”. If you are interested in Bobs Gun Parts see, “https://gun-parts.com/bob.”
Another place a beginning Gunsmith could find parts was Numerich Gun Parts. https://www.gunpartscorp.com/. The website says, “What started in 1950 as Numrich Arms, a small gun shop in Winchester County, NY, is now America's leading supplier of gun parts and accessories. Founded by businessman George Numrich, we further his vision by constantly growing our product inventory and streamlining our online ordering process”.
BECOMING A GUNSMITH IN THE 1600'S
In history we find Eltweed Pomeroy set up gunsmithing at Dorchester in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. The colonial government granted him 1000 acres on the Connecticut River, on the condition that he carry on the business of gun making there. Seven generations of his family continued in that line of work until 1849.
GUNSMITHS IN THE COLONIAL PERIOD
Gunsmiths in the early American colonial period usually were immigrants from England, Germany and Netherlands (Dutch). They were actually blacksmiths who worked with metal to fashion things that colonists required, from nails to horseshoes to kettles to the famous Kentucky Flintlock Long Rifle. They also made knives for the kitchen, protection or hunting and swords. Essentially, gunsmiths were specialized blacksmiths and they did not just repair firearms but forged barrels and parts and made them. These became the first firearm manufacturers in North America – Canada and the United States.
BECOMING A GUNSMITH IN THE 1700'S
In 1776 General George Washington ordered the establishment of the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. Initially a storage facility, the Armory had begun to manufacture muskets and eventually other guns by the 1790s. Soon the federal and some state governments began to hire small gun-making establishments to produce gun parts and guns based on those produced in the U.S. armories. Henry Deringer began producing flintlock rifles for the U.S. government in 1810 and Eliphalet Remington in 1816.
Once all parts of a gun were produced within a single establishment, the Springfield Armory and a small number of gun making outfits developed internal subdivisions and specialization in the manufacture of each part of the gun. For example, at the Armory, subdivision of labor increased rapidly; there were 36 occupational specialties in 1815, 86 by 1820, and 100 by 1825.
From 1850, metalworking industries, particularly those in the Connecticut Valley, concentrated on technical improvements in manufacturing. With some initial assistance from Eli Whitney, Samuel Colt developed molds for forging the metal pieces comprising the revolver; hence, allowing for mass production of firearms.
As the 19th century came to an end, a small number of companies that had long relied on wholesalers or manufacturers’ agents to sell their products began to build their own marketing organizations. In the late 1890s firearm manufacturers, such as Winchester, Colt, and Remington, began to set up their own regional sales offices to contact wholesalers and retailers, to improve delivery scheduling, and to advertise aggressively.
Specialization in small towns was not practical; to earn a living, you needed to be willing to do whatever work was currently in demand, and so blacksmiths often worked as gunsmiths, as needed. A stolen gun that shows up in Massachusetts court records shows the continuity of gunsmithing in the Nash family. Timothy’s son Daniel Nash is listed as a blacksmith, but appears in the records in 1699, when the authorities found a stolen gun in Daniel’s shop, apparently brought to him for repair.
An invoice dated January 26, 1765, indicates that the Lancaster, Pennsylvania gunsmith John Henry bought hundreds of gun parts: “93 Hammers. 77 Cocks... 81 Cock Pins... 90 Bridles... 79 Tumblers... 2 Gross Gun Bolts... 258 Fuze Main Springs... 281 Hammer Springs... 263 Cocks... 278 Cock Pins... 305 Bridles... 271 Tumblers... 225 Forg'd Britches...” John Henry was making gunlocks, and complete guns—and not on a small scale. This was his primary occupation throughout the 1770s, with receipts for rifles made and money owed for a variety of repair services.
Being a gunsmith in colonial America required several specialized skills in working with metal and wood. Apprenticeships for learning the trade could take up to seven years. Colonial gunsmiths mainly repaired guns, axes, and other metal tools because most firearms were imported from England because they were cheaper. In England, gunsmiths specialized in making one or two parts such as the barrel (the long tube through which the bullet passes), stock (the wooden part of the gun that serves as the grip and holds the firing mechanisms), or firelock (the firing mechanism). This kept production high and costs low and also marked the infancy stage of what came to be known as the assembly line system of production. In colonial America and England, most of the guns in existence were flintlocks. A flintlock was a piece of flint set in a moveable cock. When the trigger was pulled, the cock fell causing the flint to strike a piece of steel, creating sparks. The sparks would come in contact with the gunpowder which would ignite the main charge in the barrel. Guns were more important in colonial America than they are today in America. Colonists needed guns to hunt for their food, and if necessary, protect themselves from Native Americans (in frontier lands).
Seventy-five years ago, gunsmiths primarily relied on basic hand tools and rudimentary machinery. The lack of specialized machinery like milling machines and precision equipment meant that much of the work required meticulous manual effort. Tools such as files, hammers, and basic lathes were staples in a gunsmith’s workshop. This changed over time with the advent of smaller machines that were rigid enough to handle the work load and affordable enough to the small shop to purchase. Single point tools like a shaper gave way to horizontal and vertical mills, large belt driven lathes phased out as smaller electric motor driven lathes became available.
BECOMING A GUNSMITH IN THE 1800'S
During the 1800’s, there would not be any licensing: there would instead be training, learning from another gunsmith, working in a gunsmith's shop...just like people learned blacksmithing, or dressmaking, or any of a number of other trades. Then it was a matter of capitalization: the money to buy tools, equipment, stock in trade, and pay the rent. But what was learned depends upon when, in the Wild West. 6
During the era of westward expansion and Wild West, gunsmiths thrived. Pioneers relied upon gunsmiths to supply weapons, ammunition, and repairs of their guns. The demand for gunsmiths surged during the American Civil War.
BECOMING A GUNSMITH IN THE 1800'S
The 19th c. was, of course, the era of industrialization, and that affected the making of guns just like it affected the making of other items, like door locks and shoes. There were also innovations in the design. Generally speaking, before 1860 a gunsmith could be a manufacturer of guns. Muzzle-loading guns were reasonably simple, so he would very likely buy completed locks, buy gun barrel blanks that he would ream to finish and rifle ( if he was making rifles) buy, make or cast the furniture ( buttplates, ramrod thimbles, etc) carve and inlet a stock to hold them all, and then carve, engrave, and finish it.
GUNSMITHING TRADITIONS
The gunsmith is an icon of American tradition as well as a foundation of the American history of firearms. Many know about the great gunsmith of all time, among many professionals around the world: John Moses Browning. He is most famous and remembered because he invented more firearms and their actions than any other gunsmith in world history.
GUNSMITHING A FAMILY AFFAIR
If one studies the history of gunsmiths in the United States and elsewhere, one quickly notices that gunsmithing was a family affair, sons often following their father's footsteps; especially when after 1790, gunsmithing moved from becoming a craft to an industrial enterprise.
GUNSMITHS & THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Gunsmithing transitioned from a craft to an industrial enterprise in the late 18th century with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, which introduced machinery and mass production techniques to firearms manufacturing. This change allowed for greater efficiency and consistency in the production of firearms.
AMERICA'S FIRST ARMORY
In 1776 General George Washington ordered the establishment of the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. Initially a storage facility, the Armory had begun to manufacture muskets and eventually other guns by the 1790s. Soon the federal and some state governments began to hire small gun-making establishments to produce gun parts and guns based on those produced in the U.S. armories. Henry Deringer began producing flintlock rifles for the U.S. government in 1810 and Eliphalet Remington in 1816.
Once all parts of a gun were produced within a single establishment, the Springfield Armory and a small number of gun making outfits developed internal subdivisions and specialization in the manufacture of each part of the gun. For example, at the Armory, subdivision of labor increased rapidly; there were 36 occupational specialties in 1815, 86 by 1820, and 100 by 1825.
From 1850, metalworking industries, particularly those in the Connecticut Valley, concentrated on technical improvements in manufacturing. With some initial assistance from Eli Whitney, Samuel Colt developed molds for forging the metal pieces comprising the revolver; hence, allowing for mass production of firearms.
As the 19th century came to an end, a small number of companies that had long relied on wholesalers or manufacturers’ agents to sell their products began to build their own marketing organizations. In the late 1890s firearm manufacturers, such as Winchester, Colt, and Remington, began to set up their own regional sales offices to contact wholesalers and retailers, to improve delivery scheduling, and to advertise aggressively.
REFERENCE CREDITS;
HSP Henry Papers, 1:7, 2:18, 20, 21, 29.
http://www.claytoncramer.com/popular/GunmakingAFamilyAffair.html. Deyrup, Arms Makers of the Connecticut Valley, 33; “Colonel Seth Pomeroy,” The American Review 7[May, 1848]:461; M.L. Brown, Firearms in Colonial America (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1980), 149-150.
Historical Society of Pennsylvania Henry Papers, 2:9, at Historical Society of Pennsylvania (hereinafter HSP Henry Papers).
https://mrnussbaum.com/storage/uploads/activities/13tradesint/gunsmith.ht
https://huntsvilleguns.com/crafting-firearms-gunsmithing-yesterday-and-today/
https://railscales.us/blog/history-of-gunsmiths
http://oldglorygunsmith.blogspot.com/2015/04/brief-history-of-american-gunsmith.html.
https://guidesloc.gov/american-firearms/general