- The Delta Gun Shop began in 1967, in Delta Junction, Alaska, where my father, Dick Dubell, worked in the shop part-time while working as an Alaska State Trooper full-time. The shop has gone through a lot of changes over the years, including moving to Washington State after my family spent several years in Arizona.
While in Arizona, I had the good fortune to apprentice with John Mahan at his store, The Shooter's Haven in Phoenix. John is a retired Air Force pistol shooter and gunsmith. He specialized in target 45 autos and PPC revolver conversions. I was also able to learn under John's riflesmith, Jim Carter, who retired from the Army after building their high-power competition rifles, shooting on the team out of Fort Benning, and traveling with the Olympic shooting team as gunsmith. Both were excellent teachers and would not allow poor workmanship out the door. If it wasn't done right - it wasn't done.
When the Delta Gun Shop moved to Washington I met David Christman and we soon became partners in gunmaking. Dave was a great influence and this is when I began to concentrate my efforts towards custom gunmaking. Dave and I applied to, and were accepted into, the American Custom Gunmakers Guild. This was a tough process but it has improved my abilities and helped my business.
Dave has since moved back home to Delhi, Louisiana, but we still work together on various jobs and he is the stockmaker for the 2007 ACGG Project 'A Pair of Sevens'. My father still works in the shop, mostly trying to keep my paperwork straight, and a local shotgunsmith, Kenny Ramble, keeps all the trap and skeet shooters up and running.
In 2005 we added a new service at the Delta Gun Shop. We purchased the equipment from LaBounty Precision Reboring and now have the in-house capability to rebore rifle barrels, pistol barrels and double rifles. This is an exiting new business venture for us and we will bring our years of experience, knowledge and attention to detail to this division of the D.G.S. - CLEARWATER REBORING
I enjoy custom gunmaking all the way from initial research and customer interviews through to the hunt with the finished firearm. If I can help you with a firearm project, please contact me any time. My main goal is a satisfied customer and I won't let it out of the shop until it is done right.
