Gunsmithing, licensed, and doing it the right way.

[Snattlerake]

I watched this feller on how to rebarrell a Mauser to 308. It really gets into the weeds using feeler gauges and math.

 

[cdschoonie]

As a person with experience let me say.
1. Pick a specialty!
2. Don't try to fix anything and everything. Been there done that. 20 years.
A specialty is where its at and it's not ARs.
I'll tell you of a success story.
My roommate in gunsmith school (Trinidad) and I opened Gun shops at the same time in the '80s.
Me in Tulsa and Him in Kansas.
Both doing general repair. Pretty soon Scott figured out he couldn't make any money except the few weeks of pheasant season when he was covered up.
Me, I was covered up all the time, but it was old guys with junky old guns and you couldn't charge a decent rate to repair them.
I struggled on with what started as a joy and after many years became a job I hated.

I kind of wished I had followed my friend Scott's footsteps and what he did.
When Trulock Tru-Chokes came out he started advertising in the Shotgun news, Gunlist, and the American rifleman and setting up at the Shot show.
Pretty soon people all over the country were sending him barrels to be done.
It grew and grew. Before you knew it he had people working for him and had to expand.
He then invested in machinery to make his own choketubes and parts.
He's got a big company now.
Maybe you have heard of it?
Carlson's Choke Tubes of Atwood Kansas.

Specialize Specialize Specialize!
Even if you just want to do it as a hobby.
Pick something, Be the best at it. Charge a fair price. And you won't lose the joy!

Me? I found things I enjoy doing more than gunsmithing and had a great life too.

I like it! I have 2 passions (that is to say these are things I’d love to understand how to do), Precision barrels (not necessarily for distance or for accuracies, but both), and trigger mechanisms.

 

[cdschoonie]

You may consider making knives. I have seen some crap called primitive that looks like an ape made it and folks buy them. Wont be near the start up costs and you can probably make coin quicker and then as your ability grows you can pick up some specialized gun smithing as has been said above. Totally agree on find something and specialize and be the best at it.

Pounding that much metal is out, I have crackly shoulders.