It All Started Back About...

I have been in the gunsmithing and gunmaking trade for the better part of the last 41 years. I had the extreme good fortune of working with many excellent gunsmiths during my earlier years, including my father, at the original Delta Gun Shop in Delta Junction Alaska. Dad ran the shop part-time while working full-time as an Alaska State Trooper. When I was 11 years old, my first experience in gun repair was with my soon-to-be first handgun. The project was a High Standard HD Military that was dropped off at the shop in a cigar box. I had an exploded view of the parts, so I knew I would have my “new gun” out in the woods on rabbit safari in short order. This was not to be the case. The diagram indicated part names, so I was able to figure what each might do or be associated with, but it gave no assembly diagram or instruction.  It took almost two months of head scratchin’ and trial and error to get that thing back into shooting condition. It required a lot of reverse engineering to figure out the systems of that pistol and how they had to interact with one another. That same process is still what I use most in the shop. In designing new parts and assemblies, or putting together safe and functional firearms, I am constantly required to plan ahead and attempt to work through any interference or function problems before I actually see them.

The Arizona Years

After high school I was able to move to Arizona and work with John Mahan, a retired Air Force pistolsmith and record-holder with a 1911. His shop was The Shooters Haven in Phoenix, and while working there I was also able to apprentice with Jim Carter, a retired Army riflesmith and Olympic gunsmith. This group, including Bob Clark, and Glen Pearce, worked at a couple other Phoenix area shops when The Shooters Haven closed. We all worked at Gunsport Centers and then Waidmanns Guns International. The latter was located in North Phoenix and was, for awhile, the American importer of Mauser, Heym, Krico, Hammerli, and Schmidt Bender scopes. In the photo, left to right: John Mahan, myself, Bob Clark, Glen Pearce, and Jim Carter.

The Washington Move

After leaving the desert southwest my family and I landed in eastern Washington State, where the Delta Gun Shop has been located since 1983. For a few years I was partnered with David Christman, and during this time we both applied to and were accepted into the American Custom Gunmakers Guild. These were the years that saw the greatest advancement in my abilities as a custom gumaker. The Guild members were, and continue to be, a great source of information as well as inspiration. David has since moved back home to Louisiana, where he still builds custom rifles. Dave and I teamed up with Diane Scalese, an accomplished engraver, on the 2007 Guild Project – A Pair of Sevens.

 

 

In 2005 we added barrel reboring and custom barrelmaking at the Delta Gun Shop. We purchased the equipment and tooling from Cliff at Labounty Precision Reboring of Maple Falls Washington. It is a big advantage having the barrel I need, when I need it and knowing it is a target-quality product. This new division, Clearwater Reboring, has been busy since we moved the equipment in, and performs reboring for many custom gunmakers and gun-houses, including some of the double-rifle builders and revolver smiths. Allen Baker is the technician in charge of the rebore shop. He is a meticulous craftsman, a shooter, and is very knowledgeable in computer, electronics, ballistics, design work, and CNC programming. Most of the modifications and innovations in the barrelmaking department were developed by him. These have included changes to the machines and tooling to insure longer service life, better finish, repeatable results, and the highest quality end-product.