Pennsylvania Gunsmith School Student offering FREE work (Pittsburgh)

[Goya]

Hello all,

I'm new to the state and to this forum as well. I have come from the firearm oppressed neighbor of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, in order to attend the Pennsylvania Gunsmith School.

As I am about 8 hours from home, I am unable to look to friends and family for weapons on which to work to build my experience.
We have a very strict requirement at PGS to blue 12 firearms in the first semester in order to familiarize ourselves with the process. I have purchased a rifle which I intend on using for my first bluing project. While I would love to buy 12 firearms and bring them back to their former glory (or better,) I am simply not able to afford it.

Down to brass tacks. I need guns to work on, and hopefully some of you have guns that you want worked on for free. In the coming 3.5 months, I will be doing only bluing. After that I will need firearms which require some form of repair.

If you have any work for me, or just want to say hi, please feel free to give me a shout to get to know me!

Matt

[IIIIIREPOIIIII]

[mrat]

Hi, Matt
Welcome to the forum and to PA. If we lived closer, I'd have a few guns you would be welcome to work on. Good luck with your schooling and hope you have a successful career. Hope to hear from you again. Show us some nice pictures in the gunsmithing section.

[Candyman87]

Once you've had some blueing experience, I'd be interested in seeing the quality of your early work.

I'm on the other side of the state, otherwise I'd consider offering up something.

[scruff]

Hi Matt,

I'd be happy to help you out. I've got a Savage 29B pump-action .22LR that could use some work. It's a beater that I bought cheap at a gun show. It looks like crap - the bluing is gone, it's got some rust and dings, and someone drilled and tapped some holes in the side of the receiver, but it's accurate as anything and fun to shoot. Assuming you do a good job on that one, I've also got an old Marlin Glenfield Model 25 that could use some love. Shoot me a PM with your contact info.

[Emptymag]

^^^ Ha! I thought about my savage too, but I like it just the way it is.

I had looked into having my lever gun "sprayed" a while back, but don't have any money to spare. Considering this offer though.

[scruff]

^^^ Ha! I thought about my savage too, but I like it just the way it is.

I had looked into having my lever gun "sprayed" a while back, but don't have any money to spare. Considering this offer though.

Yeah, with my Savage, he'll be putting lipstick on a pig, but what the hell.

[Emptymag]

Goya, what can you tell us about the school? Is it a brick and mortar school, or an "online" type of course?
I thought I heard someone mention a gunsmithing school in Pittsburgh before, but that was years ago. Somewhere over on Ohio River Blvd maybe?

[Goya]

t's a B&M on Ohio River Blvd in Avalon. It was opened up after WWII as a way of teaching the trade to GIs who had come back from the war and were interested in gunsmithing.
Today, it's a rather lowkey operation, and advertisment is minimal if any due to the long waiting list. Only about 30 students are enrolled at any given time, and I was on the waiting list for about 24 months before I was enrolled.
The instructors are experienced gunsmiths who attended the school and went on to work in the field before returning to the program to teach.
All in all it is a great program which encompasses the trade extremely well; I am very glad to be getting started.

Goya, what can you tell us about the school? Is it a brick and mortar school, or an "online" type of course?
I thought I heard someone mention a gunsmithing school in Pittsburgh before, but that was years ago. Somewhere over on Ohio River Blvd maybe?

[Emptymag]

Cool. I guess I remembered it correctly then.

Still thinking about the lever gun. It would be cool to see it restored though. Hmmmm...



I also have another beater 30-30 (scratches in metal and stock) that I had toyed with the idea of refinishing with Cerakote in all "flat" black, brown, or green to make a sort of SHTF gun. Maybe add a red dot or better iron sights. If something like that works into your project list, let me know.