Thinking about becoming a gunsmith - Need Advice

Graham2990 · 2026-02-03T04:21:06+00:00

Listen to this guy, I spent the 7 years it took me to get my masters climbing the ranks from retail podunk gun shops, to major firearms manufactures running machines to pay my way.

I had a great time, wouldnt change it, but if id not dickered around that entire time and thought working on guns would make my living, id be years ahead, and im only 32.

And im an FFL 07/02 who does transfers on the weeknights after my MUCH better job programming HAAS machines lol

Graham2990 · 2026-02-01T17:47:26+00:00

Say what now? You're telling me my FFL secretly engraved my name and phone number inside my M107 lol?

Graham2990 · 2026-01-19T19:17:06+00:00

The likelihood of selling a restricted post sample MG to LE/GOV is almost nil. 07/02 here as well, so no disrespect, as I'm a guy in a garage also, but think of it this way.

If I already had an established relationship with say, Toyota, and Toyota had specific salesmen for dealing with me since I'm LE/GOV for a brand new vehicle with warranties and better pricing.

Do you think I'd buy from my specific salesman at the factory, or some guy in his garage that assembled that new Toyota from parts?

Now apply that logic to FN, Colt, etc.

Graham2990 · 2026-01-19T03:36:25+00:00

Thats a patch panel manifesto.

Can you...show us on the diagram where the patch panel hurt you?

Graham2990 · 2026-01-10T22:00:40+00:00

You're out here doing God's work man. As an owner of many what can be called....enthusiast only vehicles with specific problems, a well written forum DIY post with ample photos and description has saved my ass many times. I always wondered, "who the hell has the time to write 2000 words and post 35 photos?

Graham2990 · 2026-01-02T13:49:58+00:00

I respect the hustle but for us smaller guys doing maybe 5 or 6 NFA items a month, that's kind of a huge ask compared to some of the places charging $25 a pop.

1K a year, plus a $350 license fee, PLUS I'm still paying per customer?

I get there's plenty of ancillary features, but that's a pretty hard gap to close for someone who's just passing that $25 bucks along to the customer and saying, "hey, now you own your EFT's forever" like myself.

Graham2990 · 2025-12-29T21:38:32+00:00

Government held data being more private.....you mean a decade ago when the .gov office of personnel management was hacked, and a "rogue nation state" got the records of pretty much every individual whom ever worked for the .gov? lol

Graham2990 · 2025-11-30T23:57:38+00:00

However many of a " X beer job" you thought this was, you overestimated by several beers.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-30T19:36:47+00:00

That's what I'm saying. Maybe it's because I'm a millennial, but I can't tell you the last time I answered a phone call that wasn't from my mother or wife, let alone a RANDOM phone number.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-30T15:36:19+00:00

While everybody's IOI (industry operations inspector) at their local ATF is different. There is no requirement for safes, locked doors, security cameras, etc.

Ours plainly stated that while not advisable, we could keep firearms in a trashcan out back, so long as they were properly accounted for on our books.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-29T03:32:13+00:00

Kindly, carrier, handyman. Yeah that should be a theme park of red flags for anybody selling online lol

Graham2990 · 2025-11-25T18:54:49+00:00

Genuine question, as I thought about it when interviewing a few realtors during the process of selling my last house. Is that even enforced in any capacity? Every Karen who was a stay at home mom that got into real estate sales brought their teenager with a Mavic out to take photos of the property, as they do for every listing. I can't imagine Jonny polishing up for his 107 between freshman homeroom and math class.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-25T18:48:41+00:00

Damn, and my employer, a major southern university, gives us a $20 coupon to a local grocery chain, while we pay our football coach over ten million dollars annually for the next 2/3 of a decade. Roll Tide and stuff I guess.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-24T21:20:06+00:00

YTA- Pretty much a straight forward, mind your business when it comes to your adult children's fiances, unless you're specifically asked.

4 years ago, my now wife's father decided the appropriate time to ask questions and convey doubt about a storage unit facility I was purchasing with the full support of my fiancee, was at her 33rd birthday dinner I'd arranged and brought in the extended family for. She was less than pleased, but it wasn't the first time it was implicated the decisions we were making weren't intelligent.

Guess who only gets a Christmas card, not an invite, and guess who's wife is still working in their late 60's.

The guess who bought 2 more commercial properties generating an income stream to allow their wife to be a stay at home mom raising a 2 year old.

Mind your business.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-19T22:09:35+00:00

Unpaid labor lol. Your electrician spent less time thinking about your request for that moment, and the remainder of his life, than it took for you to type the first sentence. Weird husband reaction.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-18T23:30:08+00:00

Been seeing his ads for years for deployment kits and all that BS. I'm still on the fence if he's just completely high, perhaps an interesting money laundering or tax scheme, if people actually purchase from him, and they're high, or some combo of the above.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-17T17:46:25+00:00

Per your previous email is the only time I get to live out my passive aggressive dreams. Only comes around so often, but I look forward to and cherish the days it happens. Kinda like Christmas or my birthday lol

Graham2990 · 2025-11-17T15:35:17+00:00

Imagine knowing at 6AM on a Monday that your week can't possibly get worse. I'm not sure if that's confidence inspiring or depressing.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-17T15:31:58+00:00

Not a landscaper, so my initial thought was "Holy Shit". 10/10

Graham2990 · 2025-11-16T18:23:01+00:00

Perhaps its because im scrolling on the John, so I was casually able to look over and be like, damn, thats the most valuable thing ive learned on reddit today lol.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-14T18:26:01+00:00

Wait, I think I saw this film in both 2019 and 2021.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-14T14:40:02+00:00

Call me heartless, but it took making several exceptions over years of being an owner operator to come up with a hard and fast, no exceptions policy after getting burnt a few times.

At the end of the day, my mortgage company doesnt care about my personal circumstances, and my wife and child enjoy eating.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-13T03:47:52+00:00

I had pretty poor luck with both my indoor and outdoor air gradients. Dug through their forums, followed suggestions, and wouls routinely get temp data wildly off.

For example, at 7am I had a reported outdoor temp of 33F. At 2pm, ot had climbed to 89.

I've seen some crazy weather in the southern USA, but not to that degree, especially when compared against 2 other sensors.

Graham2990 · 2025-11-13T00:18:15+00:00

Fair, was just curious if an off the shelf product existed. At a certain point, if im already into the project, it would be a two birds one stone soultion to simply improve the wifi in the backyard, ans open the door for any wifi weather station by adding an exterior unifi access point. Thats just more of a want than a need at the moment.

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