Blog

When you hear the term gunsmithing your first thought may be the repairing of old guns. There is so much more to the career and art of Gunsmithing and the uniqueness of what it is. We will help you unpack the careers, training and specifics you need to know.

Training in Gunsmith

What skills will you learn and classes you will participate in? Students will take courses that include technical knowledge and skills to make, repair, maintain, and modify firearms according to blueprints or customer specifications using specialized hand tools and machines. The variety of firearms studied help provide a wide range of skills. You will learn not only the machine’s needed to create and modify firearms but also how to create the details of carving and putting the final touches and finishes on a firearm.

Along with the hands-on skills, you will take a variety of business courses, writing, finance and even public speaking. These courses will help you become proficient beyond the building and maintaining of a firearm and aid you in the business side of your career.

Careers in Gunsmithing

The firearms industry is worth approximately $28 billion dollars. Consumers spent over $20 million on firearms and gunsmithing services in 2022 alone. With your Gunsmith Technology degree from there are lots of possibilities of careers to pursue. Some of the careers could include working for gun shops, sporting goods stores, gun manufacturers, or police departments.

Along with the careers above a number of the Gunsmith Technology graduates have started their own businesses. With the hands-on training as well as the courses in business, the degree gives you a head start in what you will need to know to succeed.

State of the art Facilities

The Gunsmith Technology Lab at Iowa Valley Grinnell was renovated and expanded in 2021. The expansion allows students more room to work on their projects as well as more machines available for students use. The renovation also included a polishing room, a secure vault to protect student projects and for safety, and a secure entrance for those having repairs made on their firearms. This is another great benefit of the program. Students work on repairs for outside customers for experience.

Iowa Valley Grinnell offers the ONLY Gunsmith Technology program in Iowa and one of just a few in the Midwest and even the United States. Through the two-year Associate in Applied Science Degree (AAS) program degree you will receiving the hands-on training you need to succeed in the Gunsmithing degree.

The AAS you can earn at Iowa Valley Grinnell is also easily transferable if you want to continue your education to earn a 4-year degree at a university.

Gunsmith Technology is an increasingly growing industry, and this unique program is offered right in Grinnell and even better this is a Last-Dollar Scholarship program which means you could earn your degree tuition free. Stop in to see the facilities and find out more about the Iowa Valley Grinnell Gunsmith Technology program today!