I want to get into guns and become a gun expert.
What should I start with? How do I get into gun communities? Tips? Advice? I have nearly zero experience with guns except for using an AR-15 on a shooting range and a 22. Rifle to hunt prairie dogs. I live in Montana fyi.
Pic related is a gun I would like one day. FALs are so badass.
Those examples I gave were only happened once or twice for both each
Define gun expert, what do you think that means?
Someone who is knowledgeable in firearms. Maybe expert isn't the word I should use. I want to learn a lot about firearms.
>What should I start with?
This book. It covers the history of fireams from the invention of gunpowder to the early 20th century. It's out of print so you can read it free online. It covers all aspects of gunmaking, gun powder chemistry & history, history of cartridges, ballistics, hunting, you name it.
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3156857W/The_gun_and_its_development
When you're done with that, go read The Machine Gun by Chinn. Those were published by the department of the Navy, they are freely available online too.
Watch videos. YT channels like Forgotten Weapons and C&RSenal have detailed videos taking guns apart, explaining how they work, and giving some brief historical information about them.
>Forgotten Weapons
As much as Ian's squeaky voice annoys me, I actually have learned a lot about the individual parts inside a gun and how they work from watching his videos, and he typically doesn't waste too much of the video with youtuber hype bullshit, they're usually fairly to the point
Buy a Ruger 10/22 and a Glock 19 and call it a day
How's he going to keep up with the cool kids on social media with just those?
gun expert?
watch random videos on youtube about guns lulz.
Also what do you mean by gun expert? Because it could either mean someone who shoots well or an engineer
Real talk, Online gun communities are shit. Get in with a local gun match. Be it CBA, 22 matches, 3 Gun, LRPR, USPCA. Something. If you are in Montana you should have all three around you easy. Find a niche you like and learn more about it. If you like the FAL learn more about it through media and actual literature. Also if you really want a FAL, word on the street is DSA is going out of business so if you get one dont expect a long term customer service base.
What kind of gun expert? Are you willing to get a formal education in the subject and relevant subjects? Autodidacts are a thing but the self-taught way is objectively less efficient for most people.
What kind of expert? You want to know the history of each gun, you should probably start with armorer's museums and maybe even school. You want to know the ins and outs of how a gun functions, you should probably hit up a gunsmithing school. You want to be the best shooter, better get fricking rich cause ammo is expensive and the only way you become the best is by practicing a whole fricking lot.
Is gunsmithing school worth it? Would that open career doors? Or job opportunities. I'm not particularly looking to become a gunsmith, just someone who knows how to use and perform basic maintenance. But being a gunsmith would be kind of cool, but heard it isn't a viable career path in life.
>Is gunsmithing school worth it?
It depends on what you mean, there's really two kinds of "gunsmiths" out there.
The first are real gunsmiths who actually make things from scratch. I don't know of any schools in the US which teach this though there are some in Europe, or you would learn by getting an entry-level position at one of the big old-school makers that still does things by hand. The problem with this career is that it is honestly difficult, you are basically learning to be a machinist and at artist at the same time. At the same time there are relatively few places who might hire you because very few companies do real-deal gunsmithing these days. That is a luxury market and not a very consistent source of employment.
The second category is most "gunsmiths". There isn't much of a point to a gunsmithing school here, because what you are learning isn't complicated enough to require it. This is stuff like mounting scopes, replacing broken parts, cleaning the rust out of Bubba's rifle because they left it out in the rain, doing fitting recoil pads, fixing cracked stocks, etc. That kind of job doesn't pay very well and often has a lot of legal bullshit that goes along with it. It's absolutely worth learning those skills if you're interested in firearms but that's the kind of thing you can learn doing hobby projects and watching videos.
Real gunsmiths are really machinists. Become machinist and nothing to do with guns is exotic because they're so simple.
Pretty much, really the only unrelated skills would be the woodworking techniques for making/repairing stocks. Otherwise it's standard metalworking methods and the use of standard metalworking tools. Perhaps some of the skills like silver soldering, brazing, fitting using dye, filework, are a bit uncommon these days but I'd argue any machinist worthy of the title ought to be familiar with those processes.
Watch Tales of the Gun
SONORAN
DESERT
INSTITUTE
Play video games and watch guntoobers like demolition ranch. Most importantly, never ever ever actually own and especially never shoot any actual guns. Do these things and you will become an expert on firearms.
Watch Hickock45 and Paul Harrell
Well, if you like FALs, start there. Find out how the gun works, find different iterations of the rifle, learn about what inspired it/what it inspired. Do this for other guns you find interesting. If you end up getting one, take it apart and figure out what each part does. Over time you'll get better.
>I want to get into guns
/k/, arfcom, youtube. Best channels are SmallArmsSolutions, TFB TV, James Reeves, Hoplopfheil, Paul Harrel, BrassFacts, sootch00, and Thunder Ranch.
>gun expert
You could get a gunsmithing degree from a college or online school. You could also become a gunsmith's apprentice. If you want to learn how guns work easily, then youtube, books, and a free video game called "World of Guns: Gun Disassembly" are good starts. You could also learn about reloading ammunition.
>How do I get into gun communities?
Since you live in Montana, you don't have to worry about red flag laws or people fricking you over *as much*. Go to your local range and ask questions and approach people when you think it's appropriate.
>Tips? Advice?
My advice is to get a handgun first then a rifle. If you want to go cheap with either, then you can get police trade-in Glocks and AR15s for cheap OR you can get Palmetto State Armory AR15s and PSA Daggers which are their Glock clones. I recommend AR15s and Glocks because they are the absolute easiest and cheapest guns to learn about and customize. Check /arg/ and /hg/ on /k/ to learn what you can and ask questions. Always ask questions to improve your education about firearms.
>Pic related is a gun I would like one day
I've heard Imbels are equal to FNs. If you want new, then DSA Fals may be your ticket. At this moment, you should buy a steel FAL magazine off of gunbroker because even those are drying up if you are super set on buying an FAL.
>Last but not least
Check your state and federal laws regarding definitions, prohibitions, and carrying.
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/mt-gun-laws/
https://www.handgunlaw.us/states/montana.pdf
https://www.atf.gov/firearms