Gun cleaning as business

[Beiruty]

After the "cleaning" thread where the OP asked for help to clean his guns, I would like to ask is such "dedicated" business viable?
Do you think if the price of the services is reasonable and competitive you would send your guns for cleaning? Assume the turnaround time to complete a batch of submitted guns is 24 -48hrs. Local drop/pick up is accepted and/or offered.

[Broncrider]

To be legal and keep someone else's firearm overnight you have to have a FFL. so now look at it and see if you think the hassles are worth it.

[nuparadigm]

There's probably not too many people who would trust their baby(ies) to a stranger.

[karder]

I tend to think that most gun folks actually enjoy cleaning their guns. The process of handling and breaking down the guns after shooting is part of the fun in an odd way. Personally, I think that for it to be viable, it would have to be supported by some level of gunsmith or customizing work. Don't take my opinion too seriously though, I thought texting was a ridiculous concept when I first heard of that. If you think you have some customers, go for it.

[Excaliber]

What might have some viability is offering while u wait cleaning at a range facility for those who wouldn't mind shopping while waiting for the gun to be cleaned. I think they'd be missing an opportunity to maintain familiarity with their guns, but it would beat not cleaning them for months on end.

An upgraded version of this would be offering ultrasonic cleaning that gets all the gunk out of all the nooks and crannies, but, once again, I think it would only be viable at a business that operates an on site range.

[AEA]

To be legal and keep someone else's firearm overnight you have to have a FFL. so now look at it and see if you think the hassles are worth it.

Totally wrong!

[srothstein]

Almost any business that has reasonable prices and good service is a viable business. It is all a question of marketing and management skills.

For me, I could definitely see dropping a gun off for cleaning and picking it up the next day. I would want a much more thorough job done than I normally do though, and at the previously mentioned reasonable price.

But, having seen how long it takes to get a gun cleaned while you wait at GT's during their Glock days, I would strongly recommend doing this type of business instead. On Glock days, GT usually has a vibrating booth set up for gun cleaning and it can be an hour wait to get the gun in the cleaner. They do it for free, so there would be some drop off in customers, but it tells me there is certainly a market for this type of thing.

I wonder how much a range/gun shop would charge you for rent to do this. It would affect how much you could charge for the cleaning. I would think $20 would be the maximum price I could see paying for a single pistol to be cleaned, if that helps with your price estimates.

As for the theory that people enjoy cleaning guns, there are definitely some who do. To me, it is like motorcycles. Some people enjoy working on the bike as much as riding it, but others are more than willing to pay for any service it needs.

[Salty1]

If I was going to consider this I would think about a system that could also be mobile. It is possible that some of the ranges that rent guns would see a value in a service that could come to them and clean all of their rentals. Other than that you would want an affiliation with a range. The time it would take to drop off and pick up a gun would take too much time when the person could clean their guns in much less time. With that said I believe there are people who may bring their guns in on a yearly basis if they shoot a lot for a very thorough ultrasonic cleaning. I looked into one of these systems and figured that my cost would be in the neighborhood of $1500 for everything needed that would be of a suitable quality, that equated to lot of cleaning to break even and start turning a profit.

[rm9792]

To be legal and keep someone else's firearm overnight you have to have a FFL. so now look at it and see if you think the hassles are worth it.

Totally wrong!

Since you will be charging a fee the ATF might consider you a "gunsmith" and I think you would need an FFL to keep it.

[Beiruty]

If I was going to consider this I would think about a system that could also be mobile. It is possible that some of the ranges that rent guns would see a value in a service that could come to them and clean all of their rentals. Other than that you would want an affiliation with a range. The time it would take to drop off and pick up a gun would take too much time when the person could clean their guns in much less time. With that said I believe there are people who may bring their guns in on a yearly basis if they shoot a lot for a very thorough ultrasonic cleaning. I looked into one of these systems and figured that my cost would be in the neighborhood of $1500 for everything needed that would be of a suitable quality, that equated to lot of cleaning to break even and start turning a profit.

I like the mobile idea! My technician drive to the owner park, the mobile truck/workshop and clean the guns in the owner's drive way.

[Beiruty]

Almost any business that has reasonable prices and good service is a viable business. It is all a question of marketing and management skills.

For me, I could definitely see dropping a gun off for cleaning and picking it up the next day. I would want a much more thorough job done than I normally do though, and at the previously mentioned reasonable price.

But, having seen how long it takes to get a gun cleaned while you wait at GT's during their Glock days, I would strongly recommend doing this type of business instead. On Glock days, GT usually has a vibrating booth set up for gun cleaning and it can be an hour wait to get the gun in the cleaner. They do it for free, so there would be some drop off in customers, but it tells me there is certainly a market for this type of thing.

I wonder how much a range/gun shop would charge you for rent to do this. It would affect how much you could charge for the cleaning. I would think $20 would be the maximum price I could see paying for a single pistol to be cleaned, if that helps with your price estimates.

As for the theory that people enjoy cleaning guns, there are definitely some who do. To me, it is like motorcycles. Some people enjoy working on the bike as much as riding it, but others are more than willing to pay for any service it needs.

$20 is reasonable for hand guns, of course with multiple handguns, owner is entitled for a discount.

One question about those ultra sonic cleaners, What is the effect on wood finish, plastic/polymer, and metallic coating of firearms?

[rm9792]

I have one and their have been no bad effects on wood or plastic. It is an exceptional cleaner and gets every nook and cranny clean. Some guns look a little weird after its done since all the oil and surface stains are gone. I have forgotten them before and the cleaner has run for hours with no ill effect on the parts.

[Broncrider]

To be legal and keep someone else's firearm overnight you have to have a FFL. so now look at it and see if you think the hassles are worth it.

Totally wrong!

Since you will be charging a fee the ATF might consider you a "gunsmith" and I think you would need an FFL to keep it.

The rules of the ATF are if you are taking possession of a firearm and the owner is leaving the premises then you have to have a license, just as a gunsmith does.

[RECIT]

To be legal and keep someone else's firearm overnight you have to have a FFL. so now look at it and see if you think the hassles are worth it.

Totally wrong!

One should elaborate on their assumption of "totally wrong"

[AEA]

I can drop my gun off to my friend (if I had one), your Brother or whoever (as long as they are legally eligible to have a gun). If they clean it for me, then more the better. If they keep it for a year or overnight, no problem and no transfer required.