Gunsmithing equals money: offering this service to your customers means a lucrative revenue stream

Shooting Industry, June, 1997 by Cal Stewart

Arnold Capone of King's Gun Works in Glendale, Calif., is a retailer who began as a gunsmith, "The retail store kind of grew up around the gunsmithing operation," reports the 70-plus-year-old Capone. "We're still known mostly for our gunsmithing services, and I draw customers from as distant as Santa Barbara, about 100 miles away."

Capone says gunsmithing brings people into his store, at which point he can sell them other needed products. "They also come back because we're nice people," he adds. "We have two other gunsmiths here besides myself and my son, Bill."

Being a factory warranty service location helps Lone Star Guns in Plano, Texas, build business. "Many people come to the store for warranty service, then become regular customers," said Tom Neubrand. "The owner, Frank Smith, does most of the gunsmithing, and we have 2,500 names in our data base right now. We also sell parts to other gunsmiths, and that helps the bottom line."

Ken Peek, of Gun City USA in Nashville, Tenn., says that gunsmithing services, like mounting scopes and boresighting, can generate extra money from customers, even if they buy the firearm from a discounter.

"I believe a retailer needs other profit centers like a repair facility or gun range to be successful today," said Peek. "We have one gunsmith on staff now, but have had up to four, since we're a repair facility for Remington, Marlin, Winchester and Ruger. It's tough to find them - but worth the effort, since gunsmithing helps make us successful."

Poway Gun Works near San Diego, Calif., is well known for its gunsmithing operation. It all started with Bill Simpson and Ray Peet who carried their Navy friendship and shooting association into a gun-smithing business that's now 20 years old.

"Bill and I were competitive shooters in the Navy and knocked around together for years before we retired in the '70s," notes a slim, fit Ray Peet. "When you're shooting on the Navy teams, you get to know a lot about the workings of firearms, so it was a natural evolution for us."

Before retiring as master chief, Simpson was a shooter, coach and captain on the Navy Shooting Team. He won many state championships with his accurized .45 Colt M1A1 and M1 Garand, and contested in All-Navy and interservice championship matches. Along the way, he earned the designation of Double Distinguished Master with the rifle and pistol, which is the top ranking in the NRA.

"When I retired, I opened a pool supply business and, after Ray finished his seven months of long-gun instruction at Colorado School of Trades, we set up a gunsmithing business in my garage," said the white-haired Simpson. "We later devoted about 200 square feet of my pool supply store to the retail area of our 700-square-foot gunsmithing business."

During the five years they shared that location, the duo and another top Navy shooter, Ken Johnson, built match rifles for civilian and Navy shooters, and provided other services.

"As our business grew, we moved to an 1,800-square-foot store," adds Peet. "We outgrew that space and, after spending about $20,000 for security systems, moved to our larger - and last! - quarters, 3,000 square feet, of which about 1,000 is retail."

Licensing and permits are hassles for a retail store that contemplates adding gunsmithing, at least in California.

"We're licensed to death!" snorts Ray Peet. "We've got a city and county license for smokeless powder, a license to sell concealed-carry firearms, California business license, resale permit and our Federal Firearms License. We're regulated because we do welding on the premises, and for toxic waste from cleaning solvents. We don't do hot-blueing on the premises, or we'd need another permit!" Now the store does lots of custom work for law enforcement in San Diego County. "If you can get a contract with a law enforcement agency to do all of their repair work, that's a plus," says Simpson.

Today, Simpson concentrates on handgun repairs, Peet does long guns and employee Jack Lyons specializes in accurizing .45s. "The average price for a rework is about $1,175, and $800 of that is parts," said Lyons, another Navy "retread" who shoots weekly at the police range. "It might be done cheaper, but quality counts around here."

Indeed, it counts enough that customers don't mind waiting for months to get a reblued or reworked firearm returned.

"My son-in-law, Kevin Rohr, does blueing a couple of times per week," explains Simpson. "But he's got a full-time job and can't spend as much time here as we'd like."

Neither does Dan Salazar, another part-time employee.

"Our problem is finding people we can afford," explains Simpson. "A blueing job might cost $150, but there's a lot of work required before it goes into the tank. There's not enough money in the job to pay someone $10 an hour. That's why finding someone who's retired or who likes guns as a hobby is essential."

Peet describes the gunsmithing aspect of their operation as the "meat and potatoes - only historically there's been a lot more potatoes than meat!" he says. "In fact, had we both not been receiving retirement pay from the Navy, our wives would've had us out of here years ago."