GUNSMITH
Career Outlook
Your New Career
You’ll learn about cleaning, repairing, and customizing guns and rifles. When you graduate, you'll have the skills to do the job right.
- Earn your Career Diploma at home in as little as five months by studying just an hour a day for your new career.
- Enter the growing firearms industry by working for a manufacturer, dealer, or opening your own business and being your own boss.
- Make great money in a career you’ll love!
Your New Gunsmithing Skills
You'll learn every important part of being a Gunsmith:
- Firearms assembly and disassembly
- Customizing gun stocks
- Basic metalwork and machine tool operation
- Metal finishing
- Basic ballistics
- History of rifles and handguns
- How to break into the industry
- And much more!
Program Overview
Learn how to become a Gunsmith - at home, at your own pace with the Continuing Education Center.
There are certain skills you need to begin a career as a Gunsmith. The Continuing Education Center's
Gunsmith Program helps you learn them quickly and conveniently.
You’ll get hands-on training in:
- How to accurize, repair, and customize
- How to fit and finish stocks and mount telescopic sights
- How to restore antique firearms
- How to design and install metallic rifle sights
- How to custom load ammunition
And you’ll learn it all at home — no classroom needed!
Start a challenging, moneymaking career in a growing field.
Why complete a Gunsmith training program?
As an experienced Gunsmith, you can:
- Work for a gun shop accurizing, installing, and making simple adjustments.
- Start your own business repairing and customizing firearms.
- Custom-make ammunition or restore valuable antique firearms.
Hunters, sportsmen, collectors, and firearms enthusiasts around the nation all need the services of experienced Gunsmiths to repair and customize their favorite firearms. Millions of dollars a year are spent on guns in the U.S. alone—that means there’s a big demand for skilled professionals to keep the weapons working well!
Contact the Continuing Education Center Today.
Find out more about complete Gunsmith training that includes:
- All the books, lessons, and supplements you need
- Industry charts and guides
- Complete instruction for getting your Federal Firearms License
- Access to student services by website, phone, and mail
Get more information today and in as little as five months from enrollment, you can be a professional Gunsmith!
Program Outline
Instruction Sets
Your program consists of six Instruction Sets written to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you'll use in your new career.
Here's how it works
Your first Instruction Set will be sent immediately after your enrollment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have training materials to work with.
You will need access to a Microsoft® Windows®-based computer (running Windows Vista or later) and the Internet in order to complete your program with the Continuing Education Center.
Here is an overview of what you'll learn and the order in which you'll receive your lessons.
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Instruction Set 1
Learning Strategies
The advantages of learning at home; types of study materials; types of examinations; accessing and using the features of our website; determining what kind of learner you are; establishing a study schedule; using study tips; preparing for and taking examinations.
Getting Started in the Firearms Industry
The firearms trade and its functions; definition of a Gunsmith; career opportunities; government licensing safety; personal safety; liability insurance; gunsmithing tools and their uses; basic firearm disassembly/assembly procedures.
Instruction Set 2
Identifying and Evaluating Firearms
Procedures for identifying firearms; identifying caliber; determining if a firearm is safe to shoot; use of the Internet to identify firearms.
Gun Stocks
Gun stock function and design; identifying materials used in making gun stocks; procedures for inletting and finishing gun stocks; Urethanes and Polyurethanes as stock finishes; stock duplicators; repairing stocks.
Customizing Gun Stocks
Glass bedding; checkering; stippling; carving a gun stock; installing recoil pads and buttplates.
Practical Exercise
Supplements:
Cartridge Wall Chart
Using a Micrometer
Applying for Your Federal Firearms License
Firearms Glossary
Modern Gun Values
Instruction Set 3
Rifles
A brief history of rifle development; design and function of various rifle types; repair and modification of various rifle types; re-barrel safety; headspacing; go gages and no-go gages.
Modern Sporting Rifles
The military and civilian roles of the modern sporting rifle; care, cleaning, and maintenance; disassembly and assembly; troubleshooting.
Gunsights
Design, function, and installation of metallic rifle sights, handgun sights, shotgun beads, and optical sights; laser bore sighting; sighting rifles and pistols; altering bolts for scope mounting; installing new safeties; mounting scopes.
Practical Exercise
Supplements:
Customizing Rifles
Firearms Record Book
Gunsmith’s Tool and Supply Catalog
Instruction Set 4
Shotguns
A brief history and development of shotguns; choke installation and modification; rib installation and repair.
Muzzleloaders
History of muzzleloaders; loading and firing procedures; equipment and accessories; troubleshooting and repair; custom-building kits and accessories.
Practical Exercise
Supplements:
Customizing Shotguns
Gun Parts Catalog
Instruction Set 5
Handguns
A brief history of handguns; identifying handguns; revolvers; single shot/specialty pistols.
Ammunition, Reloading, and Basic Ballistics
Basic ballistics; reloading tools and their uses; reloading procedures; bullet casting procedures.
Practical Exercise
Supplements:
Customizing Handguns
Firearms Assembly: The NRA Guide to Pistols and Revolvers
Firearms Assembly: The NRA Guide to Rifles and Shotguns
Parts, Services, and Suppliers’ Listing
Reloading Manual
Smith & Wesson® Wall Chart
Instruction Set 6
Basic Metalwork and Machine Tool Operation
Basic metallurgy; overview of the welding process; soldering; brazing, heat treatment techniques.
Metal Finishing
Various types of metal finishes; metal preparation; instructions for metal finishing; touch-up blueing; electric counter mounted buffers; modern gun coating spray application finishes.
Starting Your Own Business
Establishing a retail gun business; sales and services; types of ownership; licensing requirements; seasonal issues; Internet auction sales sites.
Supplement:
Drill and Tap Wall Chart
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Online Library and Librarian
Students in the Continuing Education Center have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and to assist students in research activities during their studies with the Continuing Education Center.
We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.
Smith & Wesson is a trademark registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.