Thanks Tom, for the kind words! I am mainly a lurker here but will take this opportunity to introduce my ?gunwriter? bonifieds. It has only been a part-time vocation for me with my mainstay of custom gunmaking. My byline is Steven Dodd Hughes, but most call me Steve.
My first magazine article was published in Muzzle Blasts in 1986 along with my first cover photo of a flintlock fowler I built. Since that time SDH articles about, and photographs of custom guns and gunmaking have appeared in many American firearms periodicals, and several abroad. Did many stories for GUNS and American Rifleman in the late 1980?s early 90?s along with features and the Custom Corner column in Rifle Magazine at that time.
Have been a staff writer for Shooting Sportsman Magazine penning the Fine Gunmaking column since 1993. In the past few years my cover photography appeared in the (now defunct) Accurate Rifle Magazine along with feature articles. Have scores of magazine articles and a couple of dozen book and magazine cover photos. (You will see my photo credits in TT?s fine Modern Custom Guns.) The latest cover photo was Sports Afield June/July 2006 along with a couple of features. Will start a column on custom hunting rifles for SA shortly.
My first book, Fine Gunmaking: Double Shotguns was published by Krause Publications in 1998. The second book, Custom Rifles in Black & White was self- published in 1999. Am currently working on another book titled of Double Guns and Gunsmithing scheduled for publication in 2007.
In June 2002, at Senator Max Baucus? request, I testified before the Senate Finance Committee in Washington, D.C. on a proposed excise tax exemption (now law) for custom gunmakers.
My custom guns have been shown at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Houston Museum of Fine Art. I normally display at one commercial show (ACGG) per year. I have been a member of the American Custom Gunmakers Guild for 20 years, edited its magazine Gunmaker for two years and have served two terms on its Board of Directors.
I dropped out of High School at age sixteen.
I think Ken was editor at Rifle when I made my first submissions. Worked with JB when he edited Game Country (anyone remember that great magazine?) and have worked in association with Tom Turpin for a couple of decades.
BTW, if you get the chance read JB?s, Montana Time, my favorite of his books. It?s about fly fishing, and I don?t even fish.
Got to get back to the sidelock shotgun I?m checkering.
Best to all, Steve