Film Career · Props / Special Effects
Armorer
Props / Special Effects · IATSE Local 44 (property craft, LA) / Local 52 (NY)
- Union
- IATSE Local 44
- Day rate
- ~$500–$1,500/day
- Experience
- 3–7 yrs
What does an Armorer do?
The armorer manages every weapon on a production, from rubber background pieces to firing blanks. They hold the licenses, run safety briefings, hand weapons to actors only when cameras are about to roll, and lock everything down between setups. On any set with a gun in frame, the armorer has the authority to stop work.
What does an Armorer make?
- Day rate about $500-$1,500 (scale to experienced), or $3,000-$7,500 a week, roughly $70K-$180K a year.
- Weapons volume, blank-fire liability, and budget tier drive it; post-Rust scrutiny has firmed up rates for qualified armorers.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
On the job
- Source, transport, and secure every weapon under the required licenses and permits
- Brief cast and crew before any weapon works, and control the weapon from hand to hand
- Inspect and load blanks personally, confirming the state of every firearm before a take
- Maintain the weapons log and lock everything in a safe between setups and overnight
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You know firearms cold: safe handling, loading blanks, and the licensing and paperwork
- You can run a weapons safety briefing and inspect every firearm before a take
Soft skills
- You are meticulous and comfortable being the person who says stop
- You stay calm handling weapons around a crowd
Career progression
Most armorers come up through the prop department or through professional firearms work such as military, law enforcement, or competitive shooting instruction. The progression runs from assistant prop or weapons wrangler to assistant armorer to key armorer, with licensing requirements growing at each step.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Production Assistant· entry
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Armoreryou are here· licensed specialist
~$70K–$180K/yr
How do you become an Armorer?
A personal federal firearms license usually is not required — lawful possession runs through a rental house's license and paperwork, and the operative credential is the state permit (in California, the Entertainment Firearms Permit plus a safety course). Work under an established armorer as an assistant on any production that carries weapons; prop houses that rent weapons are a hiring pipeline, and a documented safety record is the entire resume.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 44 (property craft, LA) / Local 52 (NY) contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.