Okay, admit it. When you think about a home based business, gunsmithing is probably not in your top 5 ideas. Heck, it probably isn’t in your top 20, if it makes your list at all! You probably don’t lose any sleep at all wondering how to become a gunsmith. But the fact is, many of the nation’s top gunsmiths work from home. They’ve either converted their Garage to a gunsmith shop or have added a small shop on their property.
Becoming a gunsmith is one of those careers that sound cool at first, but ends up being a labor of love. To many, it’s a romantic notion and a cool “Guy Thing” to be a gunsmith. The reality is that there is a lot of learning needed before someone will trust you to repair or modify their guns!
If you’re dead set on starting a gunsmith business from your home, here are a few things you’ll need to consider.
Obviously number one is location. If you are surrounded by nosy neighbors or if you live across the street from a school, the chances of you opening a successful gunsmith shop has just dropped like a rock! On the other hand, if you live in a rural area or in a neighborhood where the lots are larger and you’re in a conservative neighborhood, chances are much better for you.
You’ll also have to deal with the issue of security. You can’t just throw your tools and your customers guns into a closet! You’ll need to think about state of the art security as well as safes to protect your tools and your customers guns while they are on your property.
You’ll also need to take into account the cost of actually starting up. A good general gunsmith will need a lathe, drill press, mill, grinders and other machines. You may find out rather quickly that your Garage or storage building won’t hold all of these machines. This is why it’s important to thoroughly research the career of becoming a gunsmith!
