Questions as an amateur smith with ideas for gunwork
I recently got into firearms in February with my first gun being an AR15, and my pistol being a P211 GTO obtained in May. I initially got into guns cause I fell in love with disassembling and studying them, and now cleaning them is an additional interest I’ve added to the list of things I enjoy. I’ve done a lotta work on both guns, namely installations and modifications to make stuff like a 22LR conversion kit FRT-able and tuning 1911-style pistols due to the similarity to my GTO. I feel I’ve made a lot of improvements from the successes and failures I’ve encountered as someone simply learning from YouTube and books.
Recently I was able to diagnose a light primer strike issue with my GTO that even Sig was unable to identify. Then using the knowledge I gained from essentially being forced to intimately understand how the internal parts functioned, I attempted to do light polishing and trigger work on a Ruger SR1911 with it being a success. 4.5lbs to 3lbs trigger weight reduction and smoother slide action with no trigger creep. The GTO went from 3.6-3.9lbs from factory to 2.5lbs with more ideas swirling inside my mind every time I think about it.
And of course, my rifle has been hit with rotary tools, files, drills, all in the journey to translate a functioning 5.56 FRT to perform just as well with the 22LR conversion bolt to open up more usage scenarios for the rifle, like in pistol caliber only ranges. And there’s a gaping cut in the lower for the fitting of an ambi bolt catch designed to be used in Sig’s rifle.
With the backstory laid out, what’s a good way for me to dive into the world of doing custom gun work and cleaning? I initially wanted to just do mobile guncleaning since it was a simple business idea, I loved doing it, and it was a very scarce listing in the areas I lived in. That dream was kinda cut short by someone telling me I had to be an FFL in order to do something like that, and even if I wanted to just be a mobile cleaning service, I still needed to register an FFL under a static address. The apartments I live in currently don’t approve of anyone running a business out of their home, I’m assuming in reference to ones that would involve customer traffic. But I met a gunsmith recently that said, with the disclaimer that they were not a lawyer, if I was going to their house or using a location like a gun store to clean their gun without them leaving it overnight, it would technically be okay as a non-FFL since I’m not manufacturing anything and reselling it? I don’t know the specifics of the law and wording of it, but he seemed to suggest that I can take it apart and clean it, reassemble it and return it, and get paid without having to be an FFL. I’m not really interested in the money, but I don’t wanna be fully booked as a charity guncleaning service either, so my goal isn’t to try to protect trade secrets as most others have tried scolding me for being lax about.
My questions would be:
* is there any way I can do this without an FFL?
* if it’s required to be an FFL, does the guest room of the apartment work as a workroom, if I use it to hold all my gunsmithing tools and stuff?
* does having someone do a bill of sale of $0 or a low amount for the duration that I’m holding the firearm to clean it get around the possession perspective? Like I gift to you, you clean, then gift back.
* if I can do no-FFL guncleaning or whatnot, what’s the extent of my services without getting in trouble? Does installing a scope for someone count as “manufacturing”? I believe the gunsmith explained it to me, but my memory is poor
I know not to take everything as truth, as it’s probably best to check with a lawyer or some sort that’s experienced with licensing and stuff. But I do wanna hear suggestions and maybe find someone who has had experience with similar aspirations that I have.