Who has ever actually worked in the firearms industry?

[Trey Veston]

On a Marlin rifle forum, there is a member that was actually working for Marlin when Remington bought them out and "re-structured" . His first-hand account of exactly how Marlin rifles were ruined was fascinating.

When I was going through my divorce in 2012, I quit my high paying job in the insurance industry and was hired as a temp worker for Ruger in Prescott, AZ. I worked for about three months as a CNC Operator cranking out various parts for the SR series, and even some P-series slides. It was really an interesting and revealing look at how guns are made.

Anybody here ever worked in the firearms manufacturing industry?

 

[theotherwaldo]

Not directly.
I got to work on the Perry class frigates weapons and sensor systems, including:

Sensors:
AN/SPS-49 air-search radar
AN/SPS-55 surface-search radar
CAS and STIR fire-control radar
AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite
AN/SQS-56 (and later) sonar systems

Armament:
1 × OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun
2 × Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes
1 × Vulcan Phalanx CIWS
4 × .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns.
1 × Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Standard anti-ship/air missiles (40 round magazine) - removed from all ships in 2004.
SH-2 Seasprite ASW helicopter.

and other systems as they developed.

Lots of fun!

 

[Jammersix]

So that's one no...

There's gray areas. I've built a 1911, but never been paid for gunsmithing work.

 

[Demi-human]

There's gray areas. I've built a 1911, but never been paid for gunsmithing work.

It's not grey.
You either make guns for a living or you don't.
Not hard to figure out...

 

[Jammersix]

I would have said Brownell's, Colt, Marvell, Wilson, Kimber or Rogers are all in the firearm manufacturing business.

 

[Hartkopf]

No I refuse to work in an industry that kills people!!!

But I very well might supply gun manufacturers with specialized, custom equipment.

I’ve also spent a short time running a cnc mill making medical implants.( EDIT: crap I just realized this industry kills the hell out of people at a much higher rate than the firearms industry!!!!). Parts are parts and almost all gun parts are nothing special or overly complicated.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Parts are parts and almost all gun parts are nothing special or overly complicated.

Definitely.
I've helped to design and build components that are still in space or were part of the systems involved in putting them in space.
I've also helped to design satellite dishes and the production equipment for producing them.
Ditto tennis racket stringing machines, tennis ball serving machines and ground mounts for old Sherman turrets that had been converted to muzzle-loading and remote control.
I've done structural steel for a nuclear power plant and for using sawmill waste as a power source.
I've even drawn up plans for old slave quarters that had been converted into garages and boat houses.
Only the specs change

 

[OldManInNH]

Fifty years ago I worked for Winchester in New Haven in the Research and Development Center as a research associate. Then they moved the lab to East Alton and didn't take any of us with them. Then a short stretch at Lyman as manager of their lab. At Winchester I worked on and fired everything from .22rf to 105mm howitzers and mostly black powder at Lyman. It was quite a shock moving from one of the most advanced labs in the country to the lab at Lyman. Wasn't really involved in production at either place other than we did a lot of testing for them at Winchester

 

[HB]

Worked in wholesale distribution as a sales rep. There are much more profitable and stable ways to keep the lights on.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I have not, but my father retired from the Remington Arms ammunition plant in Lonoke Arkansas.
He worked there when DuPont sold out to Clayton, Dubilier and Rice. His role really didn't change.

 

[Bogart999]

I worked for Thompson Center before the Smith and Wesson bought them, for 5 years machining lots of Encore receivers and other parts.

 

[jmorris]

Just enough.

 

[earlthegoat2]

The local firearms manufacturer around here is Daniel Defense. Just a 25 min drive. I wouldn’t work there unless I had few other choices considering the cyclical layoffs they seem to have.

I have worked in firearms sales two different times. Once at a pawn in MI and once at an independent hunting, fishing, archery, store in KY. Fun jobs for battling my way through underemployment and the recession but real money and careers had to occur.

 

[Trey Veston]

Seekins is our local manufacturer. I applied there when I moved up here from Arizona. Ended up working for an ammo manufacturer, PNW Ammunition, as a quality control inspector. Ammo company is now gone. I worked for them for about 6 months, then got a job offer from my current employer, which has nothing to do with guns or ammo. Been there for 6 years as of a couple of days ago.

PNW had some great folks working for them, but they somehow managed to lose money and go out of business during the Great Ammo Shortage. I still have a couple of their hats.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

Some of the specialty products from the first petroleum refinery I worked at were used for explosives binders, among other things. I worked a number of jobs with nitration grade toluene cargoes while working my way through school as an independent 3rd party custody transfer inpector of (primarily marine) petroleum cargo.

But never directly in the firearms industry. I worked at a liquor store at a younger age as far as an industry where hobbyists range from the dilettante to Olypic class consumers. The ones waiting in the parking lot for legal opening time of 10 AM were what I saw as die-hards.

 

[HB]

But never directly in the firearms industry. I worked at a liquor store at a younger age as far as an industry where hobbyists range from the dilettante to Olypic class consumers. The ones waiting in the parking lot for legal opening time of 10 AM were what I saw as die-hards.

Reminds me of when I worked in a gas station that sold guns, beer, and chicken. I sold them together but unsure what order they were used.

 

[bassjam]

I don't, but I had a buddy who worked at a large engineering company that specialized in metallurgy and tooling. One of the projects he worked on involved a part in the FNS series of guns, of which he had some design input of that part.

 

[Bush Pilot]

I work for the firearms industry. If you saw how much money I spend on guns and related stuff you'd agree.

 

[.308 Norma]

I work for the firearms industry. If you saw how much money I spend on guns and related stuff you'd agree.

 

[P5 Guy]

I have an old friend that works as a mechanic at FN in Colombia SC.

 

[herrwalther]

Will have my gunsmithing license by August of this year. So, soon I will be working in the industry.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Will have my gunsmithing license by August of this year. So, soon I will be working in the industry.

An FFL is all I would need besides a local business license. Are there actual gunsmithing specific licenses out there?

 

[DazedandConfuzed]

I work for a small custom rifle builder...if that counts.

 

[tark]

I worked for Les Baer for 21 years, from 1992 to 2013. Retirement present at left. Made it to seven Shot Shows. Got to meet every person of note in the Firearms world.

Best job I ever had. Now I do volunteer work for the Rock Island Arsenal Museum..... where I get to drool on the 1225 guns on display at inventory time.....which is quarterly.....Army regulations.

I love Army regulations......

 

[SSN Vet]

I guess it would depend on how you define "firearms industry"

I work for a manufacturer of industrial and military packaging and we support several firearm manufactures.... Sig, Kahr, Windham, HK, etc...

(We tried to get in on the Sig M17 packaging, but the price is totally in the toilet and we would lose our a$$es.)