Why ‘Real-World’ Practice is Essential for Gunsmithing

Starting a hobby like gunsmithing will allow you to blend an interest in firearms with a love of working with wood and metal. There are many different aspects to choose from, including repairing guns, creating custom firearms or custom parts, and adding decorative patterns through engraving. While a lot of skill, practice, and time goes into honing these skills, if you want to turn this hobby into a successful business, there is one aspect that may be overlooked but shouldn’t be.  

Having real-world practice while training as a gunsmith is one of the most important things you can do to refine your skills and expand your knowledge. Throughout this article, we will dive deep into the many advantages of real-world practice and why you should start planning practice rounds and excursions immediately.  

Training Courses 

When training to become a gunsmith, you will need the minimum of a high school diploma or GED, and most people will then complete a tailored training course. These courses can be completed through a local gunsmithing school, a trade school like MGS Trade School, or a local education institute. Through these courses, you will learn the primary skills and information needed to become a successful gunsmith.  

An apprenticeship is another way to gain practical experience, earn a certification, and expand your mechanical skills. This real-world practice should be split between hands-on experience, where you can develop excellent attention to detail, and classroom training, where skills like math can be taught. This route is an alternative way to train as a gunsmith, but finding an apprenticeship program may be tricky. Local gunsmiths may have some opportunities, but the Association of Gunsmiths and Related Trades has several available apprenticeships over the year.  

Join a Professional Organization 

Once you have the necessary basic skills, which you will learn through any course provided or an apprenticeship, the next step should be joining a professional organization, where practice can make perfect. Once you have a gun license, joining a professional organization may help you network with like-minded people and gain interpersonal skills, which could give you future employment.  

Being around people who have the same interests as you and have a greater level of knowledge about firearms and gunsmithing gives you an excellent opportunity to receive a lot of invaluable information straight from life experience. You will be able to apply this experience and practice to your own craft, which will elevate your work.  

Also, you will gain some real-life practice that will increase your industry knowledge, making you more experienced and a better gunsmith overall. 

Handling a Firearm 

To learn hands-on knowledge for gunsmithing, the best way to do that is to handle a firearm. If you are passionate about weapons, then this is an excellent way to learn the technical skills that you will need to build and craft your own firearms. Going to a firing range and shooting and practicing with a gun will teach you the problem-solving skills that you will need to repair any firearms that you have built and used or customers’ guns that they have given you to fix.  

When handling firearms at the shooting range, to gain the most amount of knowledge, it would be best practice to change the type of gun that you use regularly. Doing this will increase your understanding of the mechanisms and the little kinks that every firearm has. Overall, this will make you a better gunsmith as you will have hands-on practice.  

Going on a Hunt 

Along with getting hands-on experience in a shooting range with different firearms, if you get an opportunity to be a part of a hunt, then take it. You cannot get more real-life practice than using your firearms in the environment in which they were made for. You can determine if the gun is fit for purpose and if it needs accessories to enhance its capabilities. All these environments will make you more comfortable with firearms, and from that, you can increase your familiarity with their mechanics. And of course, you will also have a lot of fun while doing that too! 

Becoming a gunsmith will be one of the most rewarding things that you can do in your life. Not only will you receive personal satisfaction in creating something from your own hands, but you will also develop a range of skills and become a part of a team that helps each other and shares real-life knowledge. To start your journey to becoming an excellent gunsmith, MGS Trade School can help you gain the knowledge and practice you need.  

Written by: Ryan Clancy, Engineering HQ