Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Miner.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always had a knack for fixing things. Shortwave radios in junior high school, motorcycles in high school and computers for my first career, then became a Missionary Pilot for my second career. Worked on airplanes too – I have an FAA Airframe and Powerplant ticket. But my Gunsmith story started when my 84-year-old father mentioned he could not pull back or his pistol I looked it over and unlocked it for him. I offered to buy it from him and he agreed. I was now a gun owner! I felt I needed training, so I asked an instructor friend of mine from church to have a training session. Before the training day, I took the gun apart, cleaned and oiled it and polished the ramps and other things that my logical mind thought needed doing.
During the training, she told me that my weapon has a bad history of jamming. I said “Not this one. I fixed it.” Her response was “What are you, a Gunsmith?” AND THAT is when the light turned on for me. I finished my training without the gun having a single jam. I finished my licensing with the same gun and because of my scores was labeled an “overachiever” by my classmates. But I was happy. So in 2013, I researched how to become a fully licensed and certificated Gunsmith and set about attaining that. I went through the long process and the ATF issued my license in 2013 and I am now open for business 60 hours per week helping people.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been smooth? Well, I think yes, mostly. When you start a business (and the ATF makes it very clear that you are a for-profit business and not a hobby) there is always a ramp-up time. You can guess at the beginning about needing certain things to run your business But mostly, as you go about your day to day work you discover that you need this tool or that book to continue and you just have to stop work on that project until you get it shipped in. Beginning any startup company you need capital funds to get started and a buffer to be able to buy those tools. And yes, that can be stressful. Keeping good Accounting books is essential and at the end of the first (and second and third) year, you find you did NOT make a profit, that is kind of expected. But the important thing for me was seeing the yearly numbers get better and better until I finally started bringing in more that I spent. Not by much, but I was happy. Doing what you like to do each day – isn’t that what it is all about? I think so.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Precision Gunsmiths – what should we know?
Precision Gunsmiths has a couple of mottos. The first one is “If I can’t fix it, it is free.” The second one is “Making gun ownership easy.” I do FFL transfers for people and at their convenience. I purposely am open late til 8 pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays to help. I will open early and will stay late for folks if I know they are coming. We have a very relaxed approach to the gun transfer process because many first-time owners are nervous about all the paperwork. While I do a lot of FFL transfers, that is a small part of my business. I do a cleaning on your gun called DCOR – disassemble, clean, oil, reassemble – and when I am done it will work just as it should or I have discovered why not, identified the parts needed to fix it and communicated with you about those issues. As a full gunsmith, I can legally do some of the manufacturing things to your gun, like “blueing” the metal. I take your grandfathers old rifle and clean it up and refinish the wood and the metal and make it look good. The greatest moments in my work are when the customer comes to get his gun and he or she picks it up and phrases escape outloud like “Oh Wow!” And “That trigger pull is even smoother that my other gun!” And “That is just beautiful!” I take my time, and I care about your gun. I pay attention to details, and you will be happy.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Honesty. When I first started, I got quite a few comments from customers such as, “I have finally found an honest gunsmith!” Many customers came to me have felt that in the past they had been ripped off by a previous gunsmith. It is important that I listen carefully to you. After all, you know your gun better than anyone. We will discuss your issues and set a plan. I set my own rates, do not charge by the hour and carefully explain everything. I have a worksheet for each gun, write down what I do and why and that paper goes home with the gun, so you can see what happened while it was here. And, I reserve the right to refuse to do work that I feel is not right or that I might not be able to accomplish.
Pricing:
- FFL transfers are $25, with a $5 discount for TX LTC/CHL holders.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.precisiongunsmiths.com
- Phone: 713-392-9481
- Email: larry@precisiongunsmiths.com
Image Credit:
Robert Miner
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