Providing good service for small, common repair jobs can help build your gunsmith business.

by RK Campbell

Not long ago, a group of friends, fellow gunsmiths, and I discussed the most common repair jobs we received and some of the little tasks that routinely supplied bread and butter for our families. The consensus was one of the most common repair jobs were some type of repair work for .22 rifles. Many of the jobs were straight forward while others require more effort. Despite any differences in specific requests, we all agreed on the reasons for the frequency of this particular repair job.

There are literally millions of .22 rifles. Many are not well made of good material. Most were designed to be sold as cheaply as possible. In numerous instances, the owner will insist on a repair job worth at least as much as the rifle because he is attached to the rifle, especially if there’s a sentimental attachment if the rifle was a gift received long ago with many memories of good small game hunting. Some gunsmiths might be impoverished without the .22 rifle to keep them busy.

When addressing the .22 rifles, I combine my own experience with the shooter’s complaints.

Read more in the June 2016 issue.

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