Colorado School Of Trades- Review

[gunsmithgirl]

I received a PM from a member asking me to post a review of CST.So here goes....
I attended in 01/02.In all I believe the most valuable experience in school was just hands on experience and learning to do things.If there was a gunsmithing shop you could apprentice at, you could learn the same things, a lot cheaper.As far as the home study courses most are pretty much a joke and will not teach you what you need to know.nothing can replace hands on experience.You will not come out of school a master gunsmith.There is no replacement for years of experience, even after school I worked in a shop for experience for a few years before I have now made the move to open my own 'smithing shop.
Going into CST I had machining experience and the same experience as anyone who has been raised around guns and had to make repairs at some time or the other.I feel the "basics" section was a waste of time,machining and welding will teach the very basic skills to someone who has never ran a lathe or mill.You would in my opinion need further training in a community college tool and die school before I set out to do much lathe/mill work.The same goes for welding.D & F (design & function) is the section of schooling where you repair customer guns.I feel this is the most valuable part of the schooling.
If anyone else has attended CST please share your experience and opions for other members who are interested.

 

[redneckrepairs]

Tho i have not taken the courses offered at TSJC smithing , for almost 30 years we have been on the hand down list of places for students to hunt. I have sent many guns over the years to trinidad for "student projects " ( read cheap to free gunsmithing on my part ) and have never had a bad experience . Oh and colorado has a police academy there too , and i will say that police cadets should not engage the " gunnys " in pop bottle rocket fights between dorms ... You as a cadet are destined to loose dramaticly , and no no one may ask me how i know ( i am almost shure the statute of limitations ran out , but why take chances for any of us ) .

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

I'm at the end of the stocks section at CST and came in with no machining experience so I found the machine shop section to be very valuable. I agree with you about the basics section, a complete waste of time. The only thing I got out of it was how to drill and tap on a dirll press, and how to properly use a hand file. I have been doing pretty well in the stocks section but I am looking forward to the D&F section. I have previously worked in a couple of gun shops so I have counter experience but not repair/machining experience. Overall I would say I am about 85% satisfied with the school. I agree that the tuition is on the expensive side. Back home I looked into apprenticing under another gunsmith but they were all looking for someone with prior gunsmithing experience so that's where the school wins out. The nice thing about the whole program structure is that everything is laid out for you, even the tool selection. I had no idea what tools a gunsmith used before attending CST.

 

[simmonsguns]

The best thing i came away with from CST was good friends. you can't learn everything you need to in 14 months but you get out what you put in.
Find a good place to work and learn as much as you can while you can.

 

[Uenoparker]

Thanks gunsmithgirl and everyone else who's responded. I've been very curious to learn more about this school.

 

[jpcampbell]

As a member of a group of Professional gunsmiths working with the U.S. department of labor to form a gunsmith Apprenticeship Program to work in all 50 states. I will agree that the apprenticeship is one of the most valuable ways of learning the trade, but as long as their is a shortage of apprenticeship positions their is a definite need for the gunsmith schools to teach basic skills and hands on training. (I wish they would offer more training on business education as I see so many good smiths go out of business because of poor business management.)
We are working with the states to provide incentives for gunsmiths to hire apprentices in the way of tax breaks and partial wage reimbursements etc... and with community collage associations to offer reduced tuition and classes designed for the program.
We have had some preliminary talks with several of the schools to make sure their programs will fit in with the apprenticeship program.
We are also talking to a very distinguished group of Industry and educational groups head up by Pete Brownell who are working along the same lines.
You can get more information at www.thegunsmiths.com or http://thegunsmiths.com/phpBB2/
If you are a gunsmith and might be interested in sponsoring an apprentice or someone interested in the apprenticeship program you can contact us from their.