Gun smith course?

opeldave

Hi Im wondering if such a thing exists in Ireland?
id love to work in a Gunshop(or Fishing shop)
& does anyone here take apprentices or is it a closed shop unless they know you from your family shopping with them for 20years?

PS Id be willing to travel anywhere in Ireland for the right job/course although im living in Meath at the moment
thanks

dave

meathstevie

Hello Dave, the only course I know of in Europe is a fulltime one in L'Athenee Royal Liege in Belgium. It's a fulltime day course in a conventional technical school setting and lasts 4+ years and is given in the French language. The upside is they learn you everything there is to know about the trade. You'll literaly be able to make a shotgun or a rifle from a chunk of wood and a quantity of steel at the end of your time.

I've searched myself blue on the web to find something in the UK or Ireland but I've only drawn blanks. You could of course contact the department of education and find out if anywhere has gunsmithing on the curriculum. There would be no harm in enquiring with a few firearms dealers either I suppose.

opeldave

meathstevie wrote: »

Hello Dave, the only course I know of in Europe is a fulltime one in L'Athenee Royal Liege in Belgium. It's a fulltime day course in a conventional technical school setting and lasts 4+ years and is given in the French language. The upside is they learn you everything there is to know about the trade. You'll literaly be able to make a shotgun or a rifle from a chunk of wood and a quantity of steel at the end of your time.

I've searched myself blue on the web to find something in the UK or Ireland but I've only drawn blanks. You could of course contact the department of education and find out if anywhere has gunsmithing on the curriculum. There would be no harm in enquiring with a few firearms dealers either I suppose.

Thanks Steve I Really appreciate the help Im working in the motor-trade atm & dying to get out of it.If I was a single man Id be on the plane to Belgium but id never convince herself..Ill try contacting some dealers etc too.

bullets

Hi Dave,

If your interested in gaining the knowledge of gunsmithing
Penn and Foster do a gunsmithing course, Its over
1000 USD to do though :eek:

http://www.pennfoster.edu/gunsmith/

I dont know if they let Europeans sign up for it but my girlfriend
has done another course (non gun related) and they sent her out
all the material for it as well as tools and gifts etc
and she did her tests online just fine.

Better still they offer a choice between printed course material
and online access to the likes of .pdf files which would be handy.

Its an American company but they should sent you the written material
to Ireland and you could complete the theory tests.
Wont be able to get the Federal Licence I presume and they would not be
sending you gun parts I am guessing they may send you the odd tools etc.

~B

opeldave

Cool I emailed them to see whats up!
thanks bullets but id rather do a hands on course/work in ireland.:D

meathstevie

Hello Bullets, is that the one where they teach you about basic repairs, modifications, scopemounting mounting,maintenance,... ? I came accross something similar while rooting around on the web and if it's that one it seems a decent enough place to get started.. .

bullets

Yep I got info from them before with the full course details.
But I deleted the email the sent me ages ago.
It starts off slow but it gets pretty detailed.

For me I would like to learn the theory even if I never put it into practice
but not at the cost of over 1000USD.

It would be cool if you could practice the practical element on a load of old
guns that you would see in some dealers that are more of less scrap.
Have recently seen a gunroom where there were loads of rusty old ancient
things that look as though they would never be fired again.

~B

foxhunter

Afaik Dave some of the big manufacturers do courses on service and smithing.
Ive heard of one lad down this way that has done one with Krieghoff but dont take this info as gospel:)

opeldave

foxhunter wrote: »

Afaik Dave some of the big manufacturers do courses on service and smithing.
Ive heard of one lad down this way that has done one with Krieghoff but dont take this info as gospel:)

Thanks foxhunter I only wish we had more native manufacturers its a pity.:(

Also Edited my first post to say Id be willing to travel for the right job/course
anywhere in ireland anyway!

jimbo 22

If your interested in Manufacturing and not repair there are loads of courses.

Dcu, Cit to name but a few do courses in manufacturing

Id say thats what you wanna learn and do

They will teach you the basis of how things are made - Eg Forming tools for bending sheet metal, drawing .

All well and good and very interesting if you ve like myself got an inquisitive mind with regard how things are made.

Downside being manufacturing has become almost extinct, Hight Tech Manufacturing - Like manufacturing a rifle for example in Ireland would be obseen with the cost of Irish wages etc- its a pity but thats life

So alternative is to emigrate if thats what you really want to do.

Oh and any manufacturing jobs require 3 / 5 years experience minium. A degree in Manufacturing is 4 years and you need to be **** hot at maths to get through it.

Regards

Jimbo 22

meathstevie

Hard to believe that Dublin at one stage was riddled with elite gunsmiths and manufacturers ...And lads, I hardly dare to say so as this is wide open to misinterpretation so please don't look for any political connection as there is none intended : they went down with the british empire