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Old May 31, 2012, 09:30 AM   #5
Slopemeno
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Join Date: January 19, 2007
Posts: 2,663
We called that scale "the gunsmith's knife"- perfect for opening packages from Brownells.

Buy some Starret 1/16" punches...you'll break them. Learn to cut them back so you don't have to keep buying them. Get a sharp scribe. Make a recoil pad screwdriver.

Buy good quality safety gear. Don't scrimp in eye protection, or dust masks. Gunsmithing is hard on your body when you're doing it 8+ hours a day. Focus on a comfortable bench that's bolted to the wall and doesn't move. Ergonomics of your work area will buy you extra time at the bench which turns into productivity. As you age, you'll want better lighting. Trust me.

Buy books when you can find them. Dunlap. JB Woods. Powells Books and Amazon are a great resource. I used to check out a local used book store and found lots of the NRA exploded view books for cheap.

We called it "DCI" or disassemble, clean and inspect. It's also a great opportunity to sell work- "Hey, that recoil pad is crumbling. Want me to replace it with a Decellerator?" Back in the late 80' we charged $35.00 for a DCI and you can crank out a lot of them in an 8 hour day.

You'll probably find yourself gravitating toward some sort of specialty. Roll with it, but keep your eyes open- markets change. It's a business and you have to be adaptable.

I would have focused more on the customer service angle. I don't smith anymore, but I do customer service every single day now.

No, your questions are the same I had.
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