gunsmith jobs

[koginam]

More job openings for gunsmiths from Gander Mountain http://thegunsmiths.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=59&sid=a579947fc8a75ddbd1698431629829f4
These are good entry jobs for recent graduates of the gunsmith schools, Pay and benefits plus the chance to learn retail from the inside. 

[The Gamemaster]

The last person that I knew that went to the Pennsylvania School of Gunsmithing - paid $28,000 + room and board to go to school there.

Even if they paid $16 an hour to start, it would take 20 years - just to make a decent living and make back what he or she spent to go to school.

I went to school to be a machinist for 1 year, not counting 4 semesters of machine shop technology in high school and I could make $20 - $25 an hour if I was willing to move to a different area.

I have $3600.00 + normal expenses - gas, water, electric, telephone, tv cable, rent, sewage, renters insurance, car insurance, gasoline, oil, normal wear and tear on my vehicle.  Food, clothing and shelter.

So there is no parity between becoming a gunsmith and becoming a machinist.

[koginam]

I have always made a fair living as a gunsmith, I sent my kids to collage without loans, I own my home and since retirement I have traveled for 10 months out of the year, I wish I could have got my start with a company that had benefits and paid a fair wage when my kids were small.  It has been a very enjoyable trade to me and I know several other smiths that have done pretty well for themselves. Their are some that didn't make it and I would say it was because they didn't run their shops as a business.  This is a very good opportunity for someone starting out to learn how to run a retail business, and build up a name for themselves..

[Phoneman]

The amount of pay one receives for doing a job is no comparison for the amount of satisfaction one gets from doing a job. If I didn't like my line of work then I would go find another job. Gander Mountain would be a good place to start since they have the tools one would need already. As it is Gunsmithing is a hobby of mine and If I need a particular tool I have to buy it. Most of the time I break even when I have to buy extra tools. But by the time I get close to retirement from my real job I should have most of the tools I need to make decent money on the side.

[GRIMJIM]

The amount of pay one receives for doing a job is no comparison for the amount of satisfaction one gets from doing a job. If I didn't like my line of work then I would go find another job.

That is all you can say right there. Someone once said "Do something you love and you never go to work a day in your life" or something like that. I was just checking out this thread, I'm a carpenter by trade and work in the trade show industry, kind of a glorified cabinetmaker. I make a pretty good living but I once told a production manager that 99% of why I do this is to stand back and see what I made out of a pile of wood. There are actually days where I can't wait to get to work because I'm working on something really interesting or challenging. I know so many guys that go to a job every day that they hate and could never see me doing that no matter what the money was.

[Meatball]

I'd have to agree with GRIMJIM and Phoneman.

The amount of pay one receives for doing a job is no comparison for the amount of satisfaction one gets from doing a job. If I didn't like my line of work then I would go find another job.

That is all you can say right there. I'm a firefighter in a small city in south western NY. We are the second lowest paid dept. in NY. Why do I do it? Because I love it. Everyone of the guys here are the same way. Like GRIMJIM I too have days when I can't wait to go to work (the wife hates it but that's another story). Before I started this as a career I worked in a factory on 3rd shift. The money was great and I didn't mind working graveyard but it wasn't for me. Yeah it was a hell of a pay cut but I'm happy. To me enjoying what you are doing and being happy beats making a ton of money.