Montgomery Community College

It has been a full 25 years now since I first walked into Montgomery Community College’s Gunsmithing classrooms as a student, determined to make a career out of a love of firearms. By the end of that first day, I was fully convinced that I’d found "my people." I received some valuable training during my time at MCC and went on to work in the gunsmithing trade for a number of years under the tutelage of some very well-known gunsmiths. About a decade ago, I returned to my Alma mater to accept a teaching position.

After the retirement of Wayne Bernauer, who spent 30 years teaching at Montgomery, I took over as the Program Director for the Gunsmithing curriculum. For the benefit of those not familiar with this school, or its Gunsmithing program, I’d like to provide a brief description of what this school has to offer. Situated in the rolling landscape of rural North Carolina, Montgomery Community College’s Gunsmithing program is a two-year associate degree program that has been in existence since 1978.

It occupies over 10,000 square feet of space dedicated solely to the education of gunsmiths. The facilities include classrooms complete with ample work and bench space, vises, and tool boxes; two full machine shops fully stocked with lathes, milling machines, surface grinders, CNC equipment, and other tooling associated with the gunsmithing trade; metal finishing labs with capabilities to apply traditional caustic bluing, Parkerizing, Cerakote-type painted finishes, and even case color hardening.

The school also boasts on-site range facilities for test-firing or training. MCC’s arms room contains over 300 firearms that are used as teaching aids. These range from flintlock muzzleloaders to recently released modern handguns. The MCC Gunsmithing program is an overview of the Gunsmithing trade. While many skills and specialties fall under the heading of Gunsmithing, Montgomery’s program offers instruction on a wide variety of them. Students spend a substantial amount of time learning machining.

In fact, the first semester consists entirely of machining classes. From there, students move into general repair classes and precision rifle barreling. During the summer term of the first year, students work on synthetic rifle stocks and semi-inlet wood ones. Precision rifle bedding is taught during this term. During the first term of second year classes, students take a handgun repair class as well as an advanced long-gun repair class. In all repair classes, design and function theory is heavily em-

phasized. Firearms are discussed as systems, so that lessons learned on a particular type of system can be readily applied to other similar firearms. Metal Finishing and custom handguns are the topics of the spring term of second year. Here students learn to properly polish metal and refinish firearms with a variety of finishes common to the industry. A substantial portion of the custom handgun class is devoted to the building of a custom 1911 pistol from a build kit.

During the final term of classes, students take a class devoted to modern sporting firearms. AR platform rifles, AK variants, Ruger 10/22s, and FAL variants are examples of projects tackled by students during this popular course. Throughout the program, results-based gunsmithing is an instructional goal. In other words, rather than simply doing something because it has been done that way in the past, projects should be tested to measure the real world improvements.

As with any higher education, Gunsmithing training represents a considerable investment for a student. Tuition for the two-year program will total around $12,000 for North Carolina residents and roughly twice that for out of state residents. The required tools and materials for the program (which includes much of the tooling that a working gunsmith would need) as well as several project firearms, is currently around $10,000.

Graduates choose to enter the firearms industry in a variety of ways after completion of training at Montgomery. Many seek to start small businesses of their own. Some will go on to work for small gunsmithing shops or retail locations. Others will fill a variety of roles at larger companies within the firearms industry ranging from warranty repair centers, sales, to instructing armorer’s courses. A few choose to work within the law enforcement or military com-

munity. These opportunities vary from things like armorer positions on military posts to working with the FBI’s prestigious Hostage Rescue Team. Not all learning occurs in a classroom. MCC students have opportunities to attend school trips to SHOT Show, factory tours of Ruger and FN, trips to historical colonial gunsmithing shops, and various shooting activities. These activities are benefits of the industry affiliations that the school enjoys.

Relationships with companies like Brownells, Midway USA, Benelli, and many others are critical to positive student outcomes. Gunsmithing students at Montgomery Community College come from all walks of life. While some students are traditional college-age people, many others are former military or are transitioning from other careers. The ages of students range from 18 to 80. What is consistent is a love of firearms and an interest in turning this into a viable career path.

Current student, Pat Weaver, noted that, "In my perspective, the striking advantage of the MCC program is the ready access to the dedicated staff of professional gunsmiths, all having unique backgrounds and specialties in the various facets of the trade." Regardless of the end goal for students interested in Gunsmithing, from hobbyists to those interested in pursuing a serious long-term career, Montgomery Community College offers opportunities for education.

The short-term NRA programs provide short, focused courses on specialty areas within Gunsmithing, while the two-year degree program provides a more comprehensive bigpicture view of the trade. AG American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.