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I think of an armorer as being a mechanic. He can diagnose a problem and replace parts as necessary. If he tells you something can't be fixed, what he's saying is that it will take more than a replacement part to get it running again.
I consider a gunsmith to be more of a craftsman. Not only can he handle armorer tasks, he can also fabricate a replacement part if necessary, or perhaps even an entire gun if he wished to. He can examine a design and conceive of and implement ways to improve or specialize/customize the original product. He may tell you a gun can't be fixed, but in all likelihood when he tells you that, what he's really telling you is that you can't afford to have it fixed.
The military uses the term armorer to encompass a wide variety of tasks and skill levels. A military armorer can range from a guy who does nothing more than cleans guns and keep track of the weapons inventory to someone who can practically build a gun from scratch if properly motivated.
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