Achieving a Dream - Best Gunsmith school to go to in the Western States

Buster Curtis said:
Cody,

My wife and I were in a similar situation so I'd like to suggest the route I took. While the road to a gunsmithing career is not a short one, the road to basic civilian firearms instruction (especially for LEOs and former Marines) is. While pursuing gunsmithing myself, in order to provide income along the way I, got certified as am NRA rifle and pistol instructor. They provide you access to advertise your classes in their training directory on their website and if you can find an inexpensive classroom to rent at or near a local range you can easily make 500 to 800 or more per class. Not to mention often times teaching these classes leads to requests for private instruction. Additionally Glock and S&W offer fairly short Armorers courses to LEOs which certify you to kick off your smithing career as an armorer, and provide warranty work for Glocks and S&Ws. You'll need to get an FFL 01 or 07, which you'd need as a gunsmith anyway, so you might as well knock it out now and have the added benefit of processing transfers for extra cash. Between teaching NRA classes, fixing/upgrading Glocks, and processing FFL transfers, I've been able to bring in significant extra cash on a highly flexible schedule. I don't know if these options are a fit for your personal situation, but it's something to consider that may help you along the way. Good luck brother!
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I am certified through the NRA as a handgun and rifle instructor, and I am also the Taser (Axon) instructor and firearms instructor my my county, and will soon be going to a glock armorers class for my county. Thanks for the suggestions on a way to make some extra cash!!
 
ntsqd said:
It's been said, but I'd like to reinforce the business aspects of running a shop. It is far more complicated than it appears to be looking in from the outside. Look for a business mentoring group in your current area and where you plan to settle once you're both done with school. The advice of successful people who've BT,DT in business can't always be bought, but can be huge to your success!

If you can, start taking community college classes now. Business classes, machinist classes, Welding classes - GTAW in particular, CAD/CAM classes, Engineering Materials class, they'll all help. Even classes that are interesting, but don't necessarily directly fit into your direction will be helpful. One of the classes that helped me a lot was an Intro to Art class. My degree is Engineering. That Art class got me to see beyond the orthogonal and showed me alternate ways to make and think about how to make things. Another such class was a "Survey of Marketing" (Intro to) class. Knowing how things are marketed has made me more rounded in my career.
Oh, and look into "Returning Student" programs and college study skills classes. Both can/will help immensely.
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VERY solid advice - I was going to chime in with a post just like this, but you beat me to the punch. Since our friend has some time before his wife's training is complete, why not use that time to grease the wheels for an easier ride through the process when your turn rolls around ? Best wishes to Cody !!!
 
Cody. Thank you for your service in LE. In this day and age it is a rough place to be and is a thankless job. yet I thank you. The wife and you have a great goal for the future of not only yourselves but you kids as well. As a side note there is a young gentleman who has a YouTube channel called Dmaxryno and his message is if you want anything in life one has to WORK FOR IT. Now if I am not mistaken the gentleman on this forum known as Fiftydriver got his start as a custom builder was through actual videos on gunsmithing, lathe work, milling etc.. Aps rifles is his website. I believe there is a bio on how he got started on his web site. Maybe Fiftydriver can respond as well even though he is quite busy. Good luck to the future.
 
Another mention for Yavapai College's Gunsmithing Program in Prescott, AZ. Gunsite Academy is local and you would be midway between Flagstaff and Phoenix (7,000' vs. 1100' elev.). The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office in Prescott also has a Reserve Deputy program that would allow you to keep your hand in the profession, if that is something that interested you. Other agencies to consider for that reason are Chino Valley PD, Prescott PD, and Prescott Valley PD. As an aside, I'm approaching my 32nd year in LE and, while I certainly can't say I loved every minute of it, I appreciate that I've had a front row seat to the greatest show on earth. Good luck in the future to you and your wife .
 
AZCazador said:
Another mention for Yavapai College's Gunsmithing Program in Prescott, AZ. Gunsite Academy is local and you would be midway between Flagstaff and Phoenix (7,000' vs. 1100' elev.). The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office in Prescott also has a Reserve Deputy program that would allow you to keep your hand in the profession, if that is something that interested you. Other agencies to consider for that reason are Chino Valley PD, Prescott PD, and Prescott Valley PD. As an aside, I'm approaching my 32nd year in LE and, while I certainly can't say I loved every minute of it, I appreciate that I've had a front row seat to the greatest show on earth. Good luck in the future to you and your wife .
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Ues, I do plan on staying in LE, for at least 20 years. I will check that out, thank you sir
 
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