Armorer vs weapons mechanic

The differences between armorers and weapons mechanics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a weapons mechanic has an average salary of $57,259, which is higher than the $44,217 average annual salary of an armorer.

The top three skills for an armorer include DOD, combat and physical security. The most important skills for a weapons mechanic are hand tools, fuel systems, and landing gear.

Armorer vs weapons mechanic overview

	Armorer	Weapons Mechanic
Yearly salary	$44,217	$57,259
Hourly rate	$21.26	$27.53
Growth rate	5%	6%
Number of jobs	192	33,710
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Armorer vs weapons mechanic salary

Armorers and weapons mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Armorer	Weapons Mechanic
Average salary	$44,217	$57,259
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $79,000	Between $40,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between armorer and weapons mechanic education

There are a few differences between an armorer and a weapons mechanic in terms of educational background:

	Armorer	Weapons Mechanic
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	New York University

Armorer vs weapons mechanic demographics

Here are the differences between armorers' and weapons mechanics' demographics:

	Armorer	Weapons Mechanic
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5%	Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 3.2% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 3.2% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between armorer and weapons mechanic duties and responsibilities

Armorer example responsibilities.

Conduct ammunition inventory and lead maintenance team during quarterly magazine sprinkler inspections and certifications.
Experience includes servicing many ATMs such as: Wincor, Hyosung, Diebold, NCR, and Tranax.
Refinish wooden stocks for rifles and shotguns by hand sanding and rubbing with special finishing oil and quick-drying lacquer.
Restore antique guns, convert old rifles to up to date firearms, adapt factory make rifles to the customer specifications.
Repair and maintenance of M2.
Fast and efficient exchange of cash to/from ATM's.

Weapons mechanic example responsibilities.

Load and unload non-nuclear munitions, explosives, and ammunition on aircraft.
Apply technical knowledge of airframe systems in determining equipment malfunctions and apply required expertise in restoring equipment condition to operating status.
Repair microprocessor base electronic systems.

Armorer vs weapons mechanic skills

Common armorer skills

DOD, 21%
Combat, 18%
Physical Security, 17%
Safety Issues, 7%
Weapons Maintenance, 6%
Ammunition, 6%

Common weapons mechanic skills

Hand Tools, 31%
Fuel Systems, 15%
Landing Gear, 12%
Test Equipment, 10%
Aircraft Maintenance, 6%
Functional Checks, 6%

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Armorer vs Weapons Mechanic

Updated January 8, 2025

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