Guest Guest_z1r_* Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 What's Floresville like? I saw a machine shop & house for sale there. Fritz, we could be neighbors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoedoh Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 M, Looks like its down 181 from San Antonio. The San Antonio area is taking off from what I've been told. We just opened a host store there and its doing well. A friend of mine lives in SA and loves it. I believe there are lots of good jobs and schools there too. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 I haven't been around there for over 20 years, so I imagine it has changed a bit. Was cowboy country, dry, and hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fritz Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Floresville is just up the road from me, about 70 miles. I have to go through there on the way to San Antonio. It's not a bad town, we got our start in the Brangus cattle business with stock from Clayton Williams' herd on the San Antonio River there. The river winds its way down through my town of Goliad. It still had a small town atmosphere about 10 years ago, probably still does. It is just far enough away from San Antonio to escape the urban sprawl. But that is probably changing. I just noticed today, in a Texas Outdoors Journal magazine, that they have a dealer in an ATV I may be interested in. Like Tony said, it's cattle country, along with peanuts. The last time I was there they had peanut wagons all over the place. They are not far from Poteet, the strawberry capital. It's sandy soil. Don't know about the machine shop business thereabouts, it's a little far from the oil patch. But there is always something for a machine shop to do. Looking forward to meeting you if you come down to Floresville. fritz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Just a bit of advice. A friend owned and operated a machine shop specializing in rebuilding automotive heads. He did a little gunsmithing, mostly in pursuit of his hobby and favors for friends usually free or dirt cheap. I mentioned in a recent post having a receiver magna-fluxed, he did it for me. He got a surprise visit and a stern warning from ATF, for gunsmithing without a license. He suspected a competitor turned him in. ATF was real clever, arriving right at opening time and catching him with a couple of drill & tap jobs he had over night. Poor guy later got his brains scrambled in a motorcycle accident and the business folded when his wife tried to run it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Thanks all. If I do get down that way I will look you up Fritz. Maybe a cold one at the golf course would be in order. I'll pass on the Schnapps, I have bad memories of it from when I was young and stupid. AZR, The whole reason I am looking at the machine shop is that it would make a perfect Gunsmithing shop. Where ever I move to I will be getting an FFL just so I can work on other people's guns. It is not worth the trouble here in CA so I only work on my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 You might ought to holler at me. I'm west of Temple and Ft. Hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest_z1r_* Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Sorry Tony, didn't mean to leave you out. When I'm down that way next I'll be sure to look you up. By the way, I'm finally getting around to having a stock cut from your blank. Should be sending one off in the next month or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fritz Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 Floresville should be a good place to set up a gunsmith shop. A lot of hunters would come through there on the way to the brush country. You know what they say about real estate and location. The price of a shop there would definitely be less than one in San Antonio, and that's the reason at least one car dealer is selling a lot of vehicles to San Antonio--drive a little, save a lot. fritz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 AZR, The whole reason I am looking at the machine shop is that it would make a perfect Gunsmithing shop. Where ever I move to I will be getting an FFL just so I can work on other people's guns. It is not worth the trouble here in CA so I only work on my own. That's good news!! You could probably generate enough business off of this group to pay a few bills. I certainly hope it doesn't have the same effect selling guns had on me. I almost entirely lost my interest in guns, they became merchandise, a thorn in my partner's side and a pain in the rear. In the mid-70's I talked with an old gunsmith that trained with and worked for PO Ackley. After Ackley's business became very successfull, he would show up for work everyday in overalls and spend all day in his office. He lost his enthusiasm, the experments and projects stopped as he was to busy managing a lucerative business. During that same era I read something in Ackley's magazine column, I believe in Guns'n'Ammo on the 30/30 improved. I took a Glenfield 30A to Timney gunsmithing. Mr Timney said something like "ohh you read Parker's article haa" He told me all Ackley had to do was make a small mention of something and jobs and correspondence would pour in from all over the country. I wish you good luck and I'll keep my fingers crossed hoping you keep your enthusiasm and gunsmithing doesn't become just a job. Best advice I can give somebody going into business. Look for investors not a partner. A business partner may want a new car, you a new lathe and there isn't enough for either. You might become a workaholic and your partner an alcoholic. Partnerships suck bigtime, rarely do they work. The biggest thorn to starting a business is health insurance, make sure you can cover that base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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