Advice for the amateur gunsmith

If you are a new or aspiring amateur gunsmith, here are a few pieces of advice:

1. Ask questions. There are a lot of people in the world with a lot of knowledge.  If you are talking to a gunsmith, ask them about what they are working on, or some advice on a project you are considering.  Likewise, other professions and trades, such as machinists, have a wealth of information that directly relates to gunsmithing.
2. Take your time and don’t cut corners.  If you research a process and you find that the person telling you to do it a certain way, tells you to do it that way, its time to listen.  Cutting corners leads to substandard results and poor looking work.  Don’t settle for ok, or good enough, do the best work you can.
3. Examine professional work every chance you get. Every time you step foot into a gun store, hit the range or attend a trade show, examine every piece of professional work that you can.  This will provide a benchmark for what your work should look like.
4. Be safe. If you aren’t sure, ask or check with a professional. There are some inherent safety factors that need to be addressed when working with firearms.  If you aren’t sure if something you are doing is 100% safe, you need to stop and have someone who knows what they are doing check your work.  This is critical, a hobby that gets you or someone else hurt, isn’t much fun.