Solid education is critical in any field, gunsmithing included.

by Kathy Manney

To become knowledgeable in choosing a trade school means finding out beforehand if the school is going to provide their students the education and experience to actually practice the trade that they are considering. To do this requires perspective students to look beyond the nicely illustrated school brochure. Dave, a graduate of the Colorado School of Trades is a case in point.

While serving in the Navy, Dave enrolled in a correspondence gunsmithing course. A focused and knowledgeable young man, Dave sailed through the long-distance learning course, receiving high marks throughout. Upon completion, he was awarded a certificate to hang on the wall. That is about all Dave feels he accomplished for his efforts; a worthless, decorative certificate. Dave is married and father of two. He and his family live in the mid-west where seasonal outdoor hunting is popular. Wanting to start his own business, Dave began to consider the feasibility of operating a gunsmithing business in their rural town.

To earn the background required to be considered a professional gunsmith Dave needed more than a passable correspondence schooled gunsmith course. Dave knew he would have to return to school, a real hands-on gunsmithing school that offered in-depth lab work, not a less intense long-distance school as he had chosen before.

There are fewer than ten in-residence gunsmithing schools in the United States and after much consideration Dave chose…

Read more in our August 2015 issue.

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