[xtrymefire]

I am a young teenager who really wants to become a gunsmith. I am wanting to restore/rebuild an old single shot shotgun for small game hunting and to say" hey look what I did!!" Any advise would be appreciated. I am willing to do re-bluing, stock re-finishing, replacing some parts. If i get good enough i might even rebuild some and sell them. I have done some slight work on guns and feel very comfortable doing the restoration/gunsmithing work.

Thanks,
LH

[demonsees80]

I'm redoing a single shot too. Post some picks of what you're doing and read some old threads. There's great advice on this forum and very smart, friendly ppl with it.

[30-30remchester]

I have been collecting and shooting antique guns for nearly 50 years, so I do have some experence. I regularlly restore antique guns. First of all welcome to the gun world. EVERYONE has different opinions. Im my eyes and that of countless collectors I associate with, there is a vast difference between restoring and refinishing a gun. Restoreing a firearm is making an unuseable firearm into a useable firearm with minamul alteration to the fit or finish of the gun. When us collectors restore a firearm we replace missing parts with original period parts. Refinishing a firearm involves removing all bluing and stock finish and replacing it with new finishs. I would never consider purchasing a refinished gun. But again everyone has an opinion and have different tastes and desires. Lastly you need to look into the legal aspects of buying and selling guns.

[xtrymefire]

I do not have any pics as for i am still looking for single shot 20 gauge that needs some TLC

[hiwall]

An inexpensive gun like you describe would be a perfect one to start with. If/when you get one post a picture and ask our opinion on what/how to do with it. You will get many different opinions on what to do. And like demonsees80 said "read some old threads" from this forum, that will give you some ideas.

[axxe55]

Originally Posted by xtrymefire

I am a young teenager who really wants to become a gunsmith. I am wanting to restore/rebuild an old single shot shotgun for small game hunting and to say" hey look what I did!!" Any advise would be appreciated. I am willing to do re-bluing, stock re-finishing, replacing some parts. If i get good enough i might even rebuild some and sell them. I have done some slight work on guns and feel very comfortable doing the restoration/gunsmithing work.

Thanks,
LH

welcome to the wonderful world of firearms. nothing wrong with wanting to be a gunsmith and as young teenager you have lots of options available to you. there is going into the military and getting assigned and learning it. when you graduate high school, there are some very good trade schools to study at. even when you get older, you might try and see if there are any decent gunsmiths in your area that would mentor you in learning gunsmithing.

now moving along to wanting to redo a shotgun. you do realize that with your young age, you will have to have one of your parents buy it for you? just want to get that out of the way. go to the pawn shops and gun stores and start looking for one. tell them what you are looking for and even if they don't have one now, they might get one in later. if there are any gun shows coming up, go looking there also. sometimes these can be good places to find a decent deal on a gun. also look for guns that work fine, but need refinishing and not a lot of mechanicl repairs.

next on the list, as you are young and state the desire to learn about guns, now is the time to learn. start buying books and learning how different types operate and function. learn how they are built and how they are assembled. check out MidwayUSA, they have many, many books on different types of firearms. Jerry Kuhnhausen has a lot of really good books on different types of firearms. start buy these books and read and learn them. also while in high school get into a trdes class and learn the basics of metalwork like welding, cutting and operating drillpresses, and other metalworking tools. this will help you out a lot in working on firearms. learn woodworking and how to work with wood, like stripping, staining and repairing it. this too would be a big help.

many of us here have had desires to be gunsmiths. not everyone can be. it takes a lot of dedication and commitment on your part to become one. now i am not trying to discourage you or dampen your dreams of becoming a gunsmith, just telling you the realities. it's a hard job, that takes years to master, and more than likely you will barely survive on the money you make. most of the ones i know have full time jobs and do it at night and the weekends, just so they can pay the bills. this is just the realities of economics. even if you can't or don't want to be a gunsmith as a living, doesn't mean you shouldn't learn as much as you can about guns and how they work. i myself do a lot of my own gun work and refinishing. well i do wish you good luck in whatever you decide to do and welcome to the wonderful world of guns. it is a very enjoyable hobby, even if you don't decide to do it fo a living.