Gunsmiths

Yes. A gunsmith holds a Type 1 Federal Firearms License.

A person who makes and repairs guns

The rifle barrel was bored out, and a long wooden rod with a steel tooth was inserted into the barrel. This rod had a spiral cut in the outside, that when drawn back and forth, caused the rod to twist. The steel tooth was on a small hinge, and was raised by slipping bits of paper under it to cause it to cut into the steel of the barrel- and each groove required hundreds of passes in and out of the barrel. This was slow and labor intensive- which is why rifles were more scarce than shotguns, and very expensive.

As many as they need to.

Certainly Doug Turnbull Restorations, Inc will but make sure it's worth the cost.

Restoring "antiques" can often decrease their value to much less then the cost of doing so, it's all about original condition.

"Becoming a gunsmith varies from state to state on their lisecnsing requirements. From My research on ""become a gunsmith"" and ""shooters forum"" I have found that courses are required and is usually 2 years and anywhere between $2000-$10000 for classes alone, not including tools. This appears to be a long practice with an internship as a journeyman."

Technically, no you do not have to have a degree, but having a degree from a gunsmith school will allow you to correctly attribute yourself as a "certified" gunsmith, which may help your business grow faster.

If the right equipment is in his shop, yes.

Gunsmiths depend on UPS to deliver them parts and supplies they need to do the work.

Gunsmiths depend on a steady supply of customers who not only need work done on their guns but ALSO have the ability to pay the bill when the repair is finished, and not leave the gun at the shop for a year saying "sorry I can't afford to pay the repair bill just yet, but I'll take care of it next paycheck I promise."

Forge, hammers,chisels, anvil, hammer, draw files, draw plane, hand plane, hand files

Wood, iron, coal, brass

The rifle.

Actually, quite a bit. A good gunsmith is usually a skilled machinist, who will use a lot of math.

they made guns

It was a corporate decision to reorganize the gunsmith department, from having gunsmiths in all 119 stores to 17 regional services centers. What is the reasoning behind this decision? As with all corporations it's the bottom line, now that Gander Mtn is privately owned, cuts were made. Why did the gunsmith department seem to fail? Several reasons are the blame. Young kids fresh out of Gunsmith School, or ill trained, were put into an environment they were unaccustomed to, no business background, dealing with people, and inexperience takes years of experience to be able to diagnose gun malfunctions, and operate in a profitable way.

Gander Mtn lost some very good gunsmiths, and to be honest probably got rid of some that did not measure up. Gander Mtn did not support the gunsmith department with any advertising dollars, people would not even know they had gunsmiths unless they came to the store.

Usually, yes. Some may offer it for free as a service to their customers, though.

Well, first, let's define terms. The term ex-felon is almost always used incorrectly. If someone is a felon, the only way to be an ex-felon is to have the charges completely reversed and removed from the record because it is later determined that the person did not commit the crime. Having the record expunged does not make a person an ex-felon, nor does being released from prison, nor does having rights restored...the person is still a felon.

Second, if the person is a felon, he or she cannot legally possess or control firearms, unless their firearms rights have been restored, therefore, it would not be legal for that person to work on firearms.

No

no

casual clothes are fine, safety gear included (gloves, safety glasses, etc.) and no loose clothing.

While researching the history of American gun culture, I spent quite a bit of time looking for evidence of gunsmiths -- both those who made guns, and those who repaired them. What was quite intriguing to me was how often gunsmithing was a craft that passed down from father to son.

I suppose that this should not have been a surprise. Until the federal government consciously transformed gun making from a craft to an industrial enterprise, starting in the 1790s, gunsmithing would have been like any other occupation of the time: your shop was in your home, or perhaps immediately adjacent to it. It would only be natural that your children would be pressed into service, learn the skills, and take over the family business when the father died, or became too old to perform the most physically demanding aspects, such as forging barrels.

Some families in the gun business stayed in it for generations. Richard Waters emigrated to Massachusetts from England about 1632. A descendant in 1878 observed that Waters "was by profession a gun manufacturer; married the daughter of a gun maker, and it is a noteworthy fact that the business of gun making has been hereditary in some branch of the Waters families almost continuously since."

Eltweed Pomeroy set up gunsmithing at Dorchester in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. The colonial government granted him 1000 acres on the Connecticut River, on the condition that he carry on the business of gun making there. Seven generations of his family continued in that line of work until 1849.

Perhaps the best known of these families are the Henrys of Pennsylvania. An invoice shows that on January 26, 1765, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania gunsmith John Henry bought hundreds of gun parts: "93 Hamers... 77 Cocks... 81 Cock Pins... 90 Bridles... 79 Tumblers... 2 Groce Gun Bolts... 258 Fuzee Main Springs... 281 Hamer Springs... 263 Cocks... 278 Cock Pins... 305 Bridles... 271 Tumblers... 225 Forg'd Britches..." John Henry was making gunlocks, and complete guns-and not on a small scale. This was his primary occupation throughout the 1770s, with receipts for rifles made and money owed for a variety of repair services.

William Henry I, John Henry's brother, was also making guns before the Revolution in Lancaster. In 1766, he paid William Bradford for advertising, apparently for the gun business.5 During the Revolution, William Henry of Nazareth had a number of contracts to produce rifles for the Pennsylvania government6 (along with other military goods), as well a providing gun repair services to the state.7 Henry's contracts with the state and federal government continued after the Revolution.

William Henry I's descendants were making guns for at least five generations, ending with Granville Henry in the 1890s. We are fortunate that unlike many of the other early gunmaking families, for the Henrys, we have a surprisingly complete sets of documents. William Henry I's son, William Henry II, moved gun making operations to Nazareth around 1778, gradually expanding into a modern factory after 1792. The volume of surviving documents provides extensive evidence of the scale of the Henry family gun making business, and the business sophistication of its proprietors.

Throughout much of the period 1808 to 1825, J. Joseph Henry II (grandson of William Henry I) operated the Nazareth gun factory, while his brother William Henry III operated the Philadelphia based sales and parts procurement office. J. Joseph, the elder brother, appears to have received top billing; an undated business card lists his name, "Manufactures Rifles, Fowling pieces, Barels, Gun locks &c. of every description. No. 290 North third Street Philadelphia."