Online Gunsmith School

[cooltouch]

Cooltouch, they do have a complete course they call the Enhanced Master Gunsmith Course and it cost around $17k last time i looked into it.

Yow! No wonder I was having trouble finding any mention of it on their website. I reckon they want to have that hook good and set before they disclose the price. Geez, not too long ago, $17k would have bought a decent college education (I finished my BA and got my MA in the 90s in California, $1k per semester at CSUF).

Well, at least they offer it in modules for folks like me who can't afford it and aren't willing to take on that amount of debt. So I can cherry-pick the modules I want or need.

 

[RetArmySgt]

Yow! No wonder I was having trouble finding any mention of it on their website. I reckon they want to have that hook good and set before they disclose the price. Geez, not too long ago, $17k would have bought a decent college education (I finished my BA and got my MA in the 90s in California, $1k per semester at CSUF).

Well, at least they offer it in modules for folks like me who can't afford it and aren't willing to take on that amount of debt. So I can cherry-pick the modules I want or need.

If you take that complete course it includes tools as well, including a lathe and drill press.

 

[beaner]

If you take that complete course it includes tools as well, including a lathe and drill press.

Ahh, then 17K sounds a little bit more reasonable.

 

[cooltouch]

Yes it does. And if you already own a lathe and a mill, like I do, then I'm thinking there should be a substantial discount.

When I finally had the money to buy a couple of machines, I couldn't find any good used ones within my budget. So I bought the best Chinese made mill and lathe I could find (is that an oxymoron? I.e., "best" Chinese mill or lathe?). Bought the lathe from Harbor Freight for a good price (it was on sale) and the mill from Wholesale Tool. I ended up paying about $2500 for both machines (2003 dollars), which as far as machines go, is pretty cheap. Still, since I own the pair, I'd expect to see a discount in the courses prices somewhere in the range of what I paid for mine -- unless the school is supplying machine tools nicer than my own.
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[V-Tach]

There is a need for good gunsmiths. Around these parts in South Texas, they are a rare breed. The only good one I know is in Fredericksburg and is a full time machinest who will do custom work for us on the side.....

It does suck though when you tell someone it will cost more than the gun is worth to fix it sometimes.....

 

[cooltouch]

I requested some literature from AGI the other day, and it arrived today. Finally I have some pricing information. Well, the $17k is too high, but AGI's tuition is still pricey. Much pricier than any of its competitors. It's basic Pro course is about $5k and its granddaddy everything you could possibly ever want to know, toss-in-the-kitchen-sink, ultra number one master's course is $11k. And no mention of machine tools being included at that price. They do offer payment plans, but the monthly note is several hundred dollars. Oh well, as much as I'd like to take the AGI courses, they've priced themselves out of the market for me.

One good thing about their program, though, is that they offer most of their instruction in modules, so you can buy a module as you can afford it. And since they have so many modules, there's lots of stuff you can pick and choose from. And I'm thinking that, over time, one can wind up with the knowledge one needs most.