We just finished the Fourth Annual Brownells Gunsmith Career Fair this past weekend and I think it went very well. I certainly had a great time, and the evaluation cards we got back gave us high marks for relevant and insightful information and great networking opportunities. There were approximately 45 jobs being offered, many of which were filled at this Career Fair with many more companies still going through resumes, and several jobs not filled. We had some very interesting employers this time. The FBI has positions open in Quantico, Virginia, working for the FBI, STI is looking for people, Iowa's own Les Baer needs folks, and Bill Laughridge of Cylinder and Slide needs gunsmiths, too. One of the fascinating ones was ISS Props, a Hollywood prop company, needing gunsmiths. In addition, a wide collection of others companies wanted gunsmiths or gun knowledgeable people, too. Lots of opportunities out there, which is great!

There were some industry icons present giving suggestions on how to get into gunsmithing, how to be successful in gunsmithing and actually reviewing work. Chuck Grace, Vice President of the Custom Gunmakers Guild was the keynote speaker and was available to all gunsmiths there for some pointers on improving their work. World famous Ron Power, a founding member of the American Pistols Guild has been supporting this event for four years and did a fantastic job informing all of us on the ins and outs of Ruger Pistols and 10-22. We learned things you won’t find in the gunsmithing books or schools. He really passed on some of his tricks of the trade and we will all benefit from them. Alex Hamilton, a world-class custom pistolsmith, past president and recording secretary of the American Pistolsmiths Guild lent his expertise to all present. Many walked away with a better understanding of how to improve their craft of gunsmithing after visiting with these experts. Jerry Fisher, dean of the modern stock makers and truly a world-class maker and a member of the Custom Gunmakers Guild was again present to review the work of the students and give them invaluable suggestions you can only gain from years of experience. Jerry was most gracious with his time and suggestions, and I had students tell me that they were delighted to have the opportunity to visit with him about their work.

ATF gave seminars on what manufacturing was all about and when something is manufactured and when something is not. Then BATF covered what is taxable and what is not taxable and how to go through this process. It was very informative and gave us some clarity. There seems to always be some confusion on when a procedure is considered manufacturing and when it is not and ATF has been gracious enough to be present at the last two Career Fairs to help attendees understand what the law states. Many of us were frustrated with how the ATF is interpreting manufacturing, but our speakers were very clear and very helpful, so we all benefited from the practical application of these regulations ATF gave us.

I think all attendees were pleased with the opportunities for employment, for finding qualified candidates for the qualified jobs and for the education provided. I would really like to encourage all you to attend the 2011 Brownells Gunsmithing Career Fair if you are looking for employees or people to help in your shop. The quality of the students coming out continues to impress me – in fact, I am delighted and amazed with the work that they are doing. You will find a talented and diverse group of people to interview.

The overarching theme which was emphasized this year was to focus in your areas of strength. We all have these areas of strength, and the variety of presenters and industry icons present allowed the people attending to explore how each has been successful in their own right in a different field of expertise or strength. Throughout the weekend, we really couldn’t express enough how important networking with people is and the need to keep in mind those folks you meet and the skills they have because once you get into your shop, you never know who you might need to call on when working on a project.

The NRA Gunsmithing short course department was present and they had an impressive list of classes over the summer at Lassen Community College, Montgomery Community College, Murray State College, and Trinidad State Junior College. Hopefully we will be adding Piedmont State and one other. If you are looking to improve your skills, learn a couple tricks of the trade or be exposed to a different procedure, I would suggest you check out the NRA Summer Gunsmithing Course network of classes in your area. These provide exceptional value, experience and network opportunities. Go to http://www.nragunsmithing.com for a complete listing of schedules and courses being taught at the different schools.

On the home front, Brownells has retooled and launched POLICESTORE.com the website for our new and recently expanded Law Enforcement division. This site is live right now and if you are signed up on the Brownells.com site, your sign-on name and password will work for the new site. We hope you check out this site. It carries a full line of duty gear for the individual officer (dodge handcuffs, belts, holsters, knives, lights, etc….) as well as all of the armorers gear, tools and parts Brownells is famous for carrying. We also welcome Law Enforcement purchasing officers for a federal agency working on an agency contract or anyone who has law enforcement as their main line of responsibility – this site is the place you want to go.

Brownells has just started our Brownells Training Group headed by Wes Doss. He has been an Arizona Police Officer and trainer for the last 15 years. His credentials are unquestionable and his training methods have assisted thousands. Wes is absolutely committed to the training of officers, assisting of officers in their line of work and any aspect in helping the department get a return on their training budgets. If you or your department is in need of any training this year, check out what Brownells Training Group has to offer you at POLICESTORE.com. You could be training in the world-class firearms center Brownells has built.

An interesting question continues to come up. Many customers would like to purchase reloading equipment from Brownells. It’s worth repeating that Sinclair International is owned by Brownells and you can expect the same large selection of products, service and technical assistance you expect from Brownells over at Sinclair. So if you are in the business of reloading for yourself or your customers, check out Sinclairintl.com which will take you over to Sinclair’s website. They – and we – are glad to help you in every way possible.

 

I was out of 5 screw cylinder stops and none were available, so I ordered a couple of MIM stops from Brownells, along with some Loctite #638.
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