From Classroom to Workbench: Real-World Gunsmith Training
This month, I want to talk about MGS and their Advanced Gunsmithing II program. When I first heard about MGS, I was a little skeptical. How can gunsmithing be taught online? How can students really get the training they need to start a successful career in the firearm industry without being in a physical gun shop? I spent years in my father’s gunsmith shop learning the trade. Countless hours spent sanding stocks, disassembling firearms, cleaning, and finally reassembling guns that my father would complete. I went on many trips to return customers’ firearms after we had restored them. There is a language gun people speak, and that was something I learned as well. So, how can all that be taught online? MGS has figured it out, and they do it right.
The program is broken down into seventeen modules. Each module is laser-focused on teaching you the skills you will need to be successful. Many of these courses develop the skills that are used with popular firearms that you will encounter in the real gunsmithing world.
Units One & Two
Unit one kicks off learning about some of the most popular handguns you will work on. Guns like Smith & Wesson Revolvers and the infamous Colt 1911. MGS also sprinkles in vital information on gun safety and gun laws that you need to know. You learn the basics of stock finishing and refinishing. MGS also gives you instructions on setting up your workshop, where to buy your supplies from, and how to do some of your own bookkeeping. They provide a guide on how to turn your skills into a professional business. They also keep the gun knowledge flowing by introducing you to some of Ruger’s more popular handguns.
Units Three & Four
In these units, you will further develop your woodworking skills. You will be installing recoil pads, sling swivels, and getting an introduction to checkering. Just like unit two, MGS continues to introduce you to more popular firearms that you will see in the real world. Practical business information is also shared. Topics include how to buy and sell firearms, gun laws, and how to keep federal firearms records. At the end of Unit four you will get your first project – Stock refinishing.
Units Five & Six
These two units start teaching you the tools that you will be using. From hand tools to large machinery, you will learn the actual tools of the trade. These sections will develop and fine tune your skills. Some of these tools can open your offerings as a gunsmith. Two projects will be assigned during these units. Precision filing and silver soldering. Both projects are very important; you will find yourself doing this kind of work often in real life business applications.
Units Seven & Eight
Metal work begins here; you will learn about welding, polishing, and bluing, and the tools needed to complete the work. In these units, there are other topics like cleaning, optics, and introduction to handloading. More gun knowledge is shared as well. MGS has picked some of the most common firearms in the market today.
Units Nine, Ten, & Eleven
In these units, you dive in deeper on how to restore antique firearms. You will learn how to fine-tune your polishing and prep for bluing firearms. You will also learn about other finishes and plating options. You will end up learning how to customize, sporterize, and accessorize your customers’ firearms. You will also learn how to make your own tools. Your fourth project is exactly that. Making a custom hand tool to work on a firearm. Other projects include stone polishing and bluing preparation.
Unit Twelve
This unit stands by itself. Here, you will figure out if you want to make Gunsmithing a full-time business or not. Business courses are provided. You will also learn how to calculate headspacing and looking at shotgun chambers. A micromeasurement project is required after this unit.
Unit Thirteen and Fourteen
All about barrels. Shotgun, rifle, and Pistol barrels. Installing chokes in shotgun barrels is a good business to be in. Learning how to replace a rifle barrel and understanding headspace is something you will encounter all the time in your business.
Unit Fifteen, Sixteen & Seventeen
Here you learn the “Tricks of the Trade.” You can find a lot of those tricks from the books “Gunsmith Kinks” from Brownell’s. MGS gives you volumes 1-2. I use these books all the time. Also, in the last three units, you learn about guns, guns, guns.
Your final build project is what awaits you now. Getting your choice to build your own firearm at the end of this course could not be more fitting. You have four firearms to pick from. An Alpha Foxtrot 1911, Traditions muzzleloader, Rogue Ops AR15, or a Rost Martin Striker-Fired Pistol.
After you complete your program, you will receive your gunsmith tool kit. This kit includes tools, reference material, power tools, and much more. I have been writing blogs for MGS for more than a couple of years now and have found their program to be top-notch. I have even encouraged my son to enroll, and he is well on his way to learning the trade.
Semper Fi!
Written by: David Johnson, Leatherneck Gunsmithing
