Help Wanted Ad: Gunsmith

[Pete44ru]

I thought this interesting, found on GBO:

After making a number of inquiries there seems to be no gunsmith in Juneau, AK. One left town and others have retired. I do not know about the business of gunsmithing and therefore cannot estimate whether the community can support a gunsmith. Juneau is the state capital. It has about 30,000 people, and a dozen or more surrounding communities may have a total of 2,000 people. Juneau cannot be reached by road. There is a Home Depot, a Walmart, a Fred Meyer store, a Costco, and many smaller retail stores. Walmart and Fred Meyer carry handguns, rifles and shotguns, and ammo. There is one independent gun store.

There is an active trapshooting club which has about 200 members, similarly sized archery and gun clubs of various descriptions, a recently constructed indoor firearms and archery range (state-owned at a cost of $2 million), and a city-owned outdoor rifle and pistol range. The largest hunting and fishing club has about 1,000 members. There are shooting competitions throughout the year.

Alaska has been largely insulated from the current recession. The largest private employer in Juneau is a large silver, zinc, and other minerals mine. A gold mine is under construction and is scheduled to open this year to employ 200. State, federal and city government are very large employers. Specific data are available on the Internet of course.

Juneau is in a temperate rain forest. Periods of rain follow periods of snow throughout most winters. Juneau is far from the wettest place in the US but dust and hot weather are not common.

Alaska may be the most gun-friendly state. Most of Alaska is federally owned but still open to the public for hunting and fishing.

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[Gun Smith]

My personal opinion would be that there would not be enough business to keep a gunsmith busy. Just the cost of equipment and overhead alone makes it an iffy deal.
Possibily a retired 'smith could set up there if he had his paid for equipment, but I doubt anyone would do that. Not near enough population.
The internet sales, Gunbroker, Auction Arms, etc. have taken the profit out of gun sales by gunshops and that is a tough business today, unless you have a speciality that can draw from all over. Ask our resident gunsmiths here.

[Buck Elliott]

My little town has a 'permanent' population of less than 10,000 souls, and provides enough gun work to keep at least 8 full-time 'smiths pretty busy -- year-round. we also have at least 10 gunshops within city limits

[J Miller]

My little town has a 'permanent' population of less than 10,000 souls, and provides enough gun work to keep at least 8 full-time 'smiths pretty busy -- year-round. we also have at least 10 gunshops within city limits

Wow! 10 gunshops in the city limits???? Now I know why I want to move that direction.

Joe

[Hobie]

My little town has a 'permanent' population of less than 10,000 souls, and provides enough gun work to keep at least 8 full-time 'smiths pretty busy -- year-round. we also have at least 10 gunshops within city limits

Wow! 10 gunshops in the city limits???? Now I know why I want to move that direction.

Joe

I would a sworn there were three on one side of the street over a two block distance. That doesn't count the manufacturer!

Joe, you would LOVE Cody.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

For what it's worth I recently read an article in the gun industry magazine that the NSSF sends to it's members. According the NSSF there are only about 2000 full time gunsmiths in the USA. They attribute the low number to several factors. The two that I remember most are the Clinton era FFL restrictions drove many out of the business and the other factor, given the relatively low prices of guns, like TV's many folks just buy another TV rather than send them to a TV repairman.

[KirkD]

Up here in Canada where I live, I know of two gunsmiths within 60 miles. Both of them are so busy that the wait time is on the order of several months to get a job done. I drop by and visit the close one. He's got so many guns racked up on the walls and floor waiting for work that a fellow can hardly wade through them all. I was at the other fellow's shop once and it was the same. Both of them are old (one's about 65 and the other is in his 70's). By gum, we need a new crop of gunsmiths here!

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Up here in Canada where I live, I know of two gunsmiths within 60 miles. Both of them are so busy that the wait time is on the order of several months to get a job done. I drop by and visit the close one. He's got so many guns racked up on the walls and floor waiting for work that a fellow can hardly wade through them all. I was at the other fellow's shop once and it was the same. Both of them are old (one's about 65 and the other is in his 70's). By gum, we need a new crop of gunsmiths here!

That was sorta the gist of that article. The 2000 or so full time gunsmiths are all about as busy as they want to be. I'm telling folks 6 month now, but part of that is my down times. In the last 5 years we have had two major Hurricanes here and I had knee and shoulder surgery to boot.

[Andrew]

If I ever win the lottery, which will be pretty tough considering I don't play, I would love to build a big machine shop and build custom stuff like guns and car parts and what-not. I love tinkering with stuff; fixing old stuff and making new stuff from scratch.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

If I ever win the lottery, which will be pretty tough considering I don't play, I would love to build a big machine shop and build custom stuff like guns and car parts and what-not. I love tinkering with stuff; fixing old stuff and making new stuff from scratch.

Hi Andrew,
My love of tinkering is what got me doing this. It's mostly a labor of love. Unfortunately the fastest way to make a million dollars working on guns is to start out with about 3 million. When you get down to 1 million quite while you still can.

[the telegraphist]

The one or two really good gunsmiths in my area also have so much work on you have to wait months to get a job done. One of them now has his son fully qualified working with him, so that branch will be going onwards. In Australia these days the government supports all kinds of apprentice occupations, fitters and turners, electricians etc, but no recognised courses or support for those who wish to take-up a gunsmithing career. Perhaps just another nail in the coffin for the gun owning and shooting public. Apprentice gunsmith not a politically correct occupation any longer.

[Alphawolf45]

This post caused me to spend a couple days researching Juneau Alaska...Hey looks like a place I would really like to live...Except looking at the real estate prices..Even a little single and two bedroom homes on tiny city lot is for sale at $300,000.00.........I like it that the ocean is on one side and lot of wilderness is on the other..Hunting and fishing galore. But couldnt afford anything half as nice as I have here in rural arkansas...Sounds funny to say that I am spoiled living here in Arkansas...

[jdad]

We used to have several excellent, old school, gunsmiths in Portland/Salem area. Now we have machinists that think they are gunsmiths. One of these 'smiths actually charges $90 to d&t the extra hole in the top tang, for mounting a tang sight.

If I can't do it I ship it up to John Taylor, in WA. $80 to swap out a barrel, headspace it, make/replace a hammer return spring, make 2 new screws, and return shipping.

[JB]

We used to have several excellent, old school, gunsmiths in Portland/Salem area. Now we have machinists that think they are gunsmiths.
and return shipping.

I know a number of folks in my area that work on guns, but basic gun repair is a long ways from being what I'd consider a gunsmith. I agree having a drill press and a lathe do not a gunsmith make.