Gunsmithing for fun and profit: these services will fine-tune your bottom line

Shooting Industry, Dec, 1998 by Roy Huntington

The gunsmithing business can make your store a customer magnet - if you have the right combination of mechanical know-how, market savvy and "can-do" attitude.

"In this business, if you sit on your butt, all you're going to get is a sore butt," says Frank Brownell, of Brownells Inc., an outfit that knows a thing or two about the gunsmithing business.

To succeed in what can be a very competitive end of the firearm business, a gun shop owner or gunsmith must take the time to develop a well-rounded knowledge of suppliers, equipment, accessories, parts and most importantly, their customer.

A survey of dealers who have gunsmiths on-site yielded some interesting results. When asked,"What percentage of your total business comes from gunsmithing," answers ranged from 5 percent (mostly installing sling swivels and mounting scopes) to larger shops with well over 50 percent of their gross coming from the gunsmith's bench.

Many dealers, especially those in the heavy hunting areas of the Midwest, South and Northeast, could only guess at the percentage gunsmithing brought into their stores. One owner admitted he felt his gunsmith service didn't pay for itself with smith-work, but the convenience of an on-site service kept customers happy and accounted for more accessory sales and installation charges.

Trends

Today's aggressive retail market has kept dealer profit margins at minimum levels, forcing many dealers to close down their gunsmithing operations. This often causes a rebound affect in their community. As gunsmiths disappear, customers are forced to look elsewhere to get the work done. Generally, the dealer who decides to keep his gunsmith is crushed with work. Think hard before you shut down your operation.

Much of today's gunsmith work could be classified as gun "mechanic" work. The installation of accessories, scopes, drop-in barrels and stocks, trigger groups and basic repair work to 1911s, revolvers and grandpa's old .22 are often the bread and butter of a local gunsmithing operation. High-end custom work and the corresponding skill necessary to do it isn't always needed at a local gun shop.

"I've often hired local students from the metal and wood shop at the high school to work in the shop," said Ed Waverly of Waverly's Guns, a full service store in the Midwest. "Much of the work in the store is simple, like sling swivels, scope mounting and other basically 'dropin' kinds of chores which can be handled by these kids. I've got a senior gunsmith who handles the complicated stuff and doesn't mind working with the young people. It gives a start to a youngster interested in guns and gunsmithing and helps out at the shop to boot."

Waverly said it also brings in other youngsters who are interested in learning more about shooting.

"When they see someone from their school working here they want to know more about it," he said. "I like the idea that it gets more young people involved in the sport."

The same kind of gunsmithing that is done by relatively unskilled hands at Waverly's can be done in your own store. A look through the catalogs put out by Brownells, Forster Products, Lyman, Millett, B-square and even The Gun Parts Co. can give you literally thousands of ideas to offer to your customers. Many of your customers can handle the installation chores themselves, but a surprising number have trouble even exchanging a set of grips, so make it known you can deliver the service.

"One of the best ideas I've ever had was installing a large 'Complete Gunsmithing Service' sign out front," said Waverly. "I couldn't tell you the number of times it's brought customers into the front door. More often than not in today's market, most retail gun stores do not offer gunsmithing services so if you do, it's important to let it be known."

Waverly said an interesting aside is the amount of small machine shop-type business he gets because of the sign.

"People sometimes come in asking if my gunsmith can make paris or handle repairs on anything from home appliances to custom hot rods," he said. "I guess once the word gets out you've got a good man with a lathe and milling machine people want to take advantage of that resource." Waverly's sign achieves the gun dealer's number one goal - it brings new customers into his shop.

Custom Gunsmiths

Just because you don't have a dedicated gunsmith on-site doesn't mean you can't offer some of the services. Geoff Steer of Wilson Combat, the world-renowned custom shop, offers these ideas.

"A dealer can use a custom shop, like Wilson's, as a full-service sub-contractor for their customers," said Steer. Without having to actually support a shop in-house, a savvy dealer can use a custom shop as a profit center without even getting their hands dirty!"

If a customer comes into your shop wanting 1911 work, for example, a dealer can give Wilson's a call to discuss the options available to their customer. Many custom shops offer dealer discounts and are more than willing to help a local dealer assist their customer with decisions concerning custom work.