Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats TOP GUN SMITHS IN US

My father always said that building a good gun was easy. It's not what you do that counts. It's what you don't do wrong that makes the difference.

I am not much for fancy wood and such. What I want is precision and accuracy, for that I go to Greg Tannel at
GRE-TAN rifles.

Blaine - be careful. Doing your own work ain't necessarily cheaper; it is an addiction like many other aspects of our sport. Build a good shooting rifle and then you need to do another to see if you were just lucky the first time. Then another. I was led by the hand through a project and now am learning bits and pieces as I go and have a real itch to build another rifle. Thoughts of my own lathe have run through my head, too. Good work on the '06 and good luck. Ward

Ward,

It will be cheaper than Echols or Miller or Jarrett............

However, it has more to do with lack of waiting times and the satisifaction one gets from doing it yourself................

Will go with Kute on Jerry Fisher, who has recently made me a Krag, and with 458 on Monte Mandarino. Add Mark Silver. The latter two have done complex restoration work for me on a Wundhammer Krag and Holland & Holland Krag respectively and I own a wonderful Mandarino flintlock in early PA style. Fisher is really the dean of American stockmakers and does superb metalwork. Mandarino and Silver were both trained by John Bivens on muzzle loaders twenty odd years ago. They can make anything but Monte has become a kind of gun trader in classic between the World Wars custom rifles and does much less work these days. Mark specializes in Holland & Holland and Oberndorf Mauser replicas of superlative quality: far better than the originals. Monte says Jerry is the best stockmaker in the world and Jerry says Monte is the best overall craftsman alive. The Fisher Krag is an extraordinary rifle and when I learn how to use a digital camera I will post pictures of it. Mandarino made a wonderful French 17th C FL rifle for Bob Lee that has been exhibited in museums, took him years, learned how to do all the gold inlay, etc. Says he will never tackle a similar project. I have to say that I am not terribly impressed with smiths like Miller, Simillion and Echols who make the same thing over and over again, admittedly until they get it to a quality level that is beyond perfection. Today's classic custom American bolt action hunting rifle has gotten a little boring, the smiths tend to copy each others refinements until the rifles are as alike as peas in a pod. I would like to see much more work on single shots and lever actions, for instance. A Savage 99 makes a great platform for a custom rifle. But the demand is not there, the customers have swallowed the gunwriter guff that only magnum bolt guns are worth customization. OK, the rant is over for now !!!!!!

Should add that it is intrinsically hard to make a really graceful bolt action, you have that clunky asymmetrical bolt sticking out the side. That is why the Germans and Austrians tried to streamline the things with the butterknife handle. All they succeeded in doing was making rapid operation difficult - and quite impossible with the Mannlicher Schoenauer ... the fullstock carbine nontheless remains, of course, the exemplar of a good looking bolt gun.

The "best" gunsmiths do not have to be famous in my mind. They just have to have a goal to create the best product they can for your money. I also think that to qualify as a gunmaker they should have to be able to do it all and most don't. Some of those on DPhillips lists are primarily stockmakers like Gary Goudy, but he is about as good as they come. If you have ever had the opportunity to see any of Jim Dubell's work I am sure he would find his way on your list. He lives in Colville WA and operates the Delta Gun shop, formerly of Delta AK. He is an incredible machinist and a very accomplished stockmaker. He also bought Cliff LaBounty's reboring business so he is up to his elbows and other parts in that work.

Define cheaper. Cause I think you're on to something here.

Chuck

I'm deeply flattered (and humbled) that my name would even be mentioned in such a gathering as those. I must admit that I could never build a custom rifle such as some of the top riflemakers build simply because I don't have the 'eye' for lines found in the top rifles seen today.

I try to pay close attention to details and in the past year have had a chip to get under a flute on a reamer (TWICE!) and score a chamber. Had to eat two barrels plus the labor and shipping to have the rifles shipped back to me. I've now started doing chamber casts on every chamber job to prevent such things going out of the shop. This 'education' cost me about $1,000 and I don't even have a 'diploma' to hang on the wall.

I am friends with Melvin Forbes and greatly admire his talents. I've met Mark Penrod (he probably doesn't remember me but it was at a Super Shoot) and he is a master in metal work.

There are countless artisans across the country who will never be known outside a small circle of friends. I've seen some of their work that was breathtaking. One who is almost never heard of these days is Ken Lundquist of Atlanta. He built a takedown rifle that was on the cover of 'Rifle' magazine many years ago that was a work of art. I doubt I'll ever be in the class of those guys but I do appreciate your kind words.

My favorites are the ones that don't have their phone disconnected, that answer e-mails in less then a year, and don't move or take on other jobs while they still have your gun and money.

Steelhead,

I agree--those traits rank high very high on my list. They are also part of what is driving me to do it myself.

I would have to respectfully add the name of H.L. "Pete" Grisel, a craftsman in both metal and wood, to the list. I am fortunate enough to own a full race custom 270 on a pre 64 Model 70 action that he crafted and it is a work of art.

Jim

The quickest way to a long list of the best is the directory of the American Custom Gunmakers Guild (www.acgg.org). The ACGG doesn't include all of the best, but nearly all of its members are among the best.

I know and admire a lot of the best, and I've known and been had by some of the worst � two groups both of which I see represented among the names posted above in this thread. I hesitate to start trying to list those whom I've found to be the best (too many names on a long list), and I'm not going to name anyone whom I've found to be a crook or con artist.

Just one note of caution from one often scalded � don't repeat my mistake of equating artistic ability with character or honesty.

One of the best engravers whom I ever knew, for example, took some big money to engrave a shotgun for a Chicago mobster. Local rumors aren't clear whether he sold the shotgun but agree that he didn't deliver what he took the guy's money for. The guy sent two goons with ball-peen hammers out to do a serious and thorough job on the engraver's legs, and he wore plaster casts for a long time.

One of the ablest stockers, who did several jobs for me and was often featured in Rifle, ripped me off for some very, very expensive custom hardware � and I later found that he'd done the same, on an even larger scale, to clients who went to him specifically on my recommendation. I still have rifles that he built for me, and every rifle loony at our Campfire would drool at the sight and feel of them. He is one of the best � and one of the worst.

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Ken,

Your whole post is downright scary. Sadly, I've long since learned from personal experience that there are are many untrustworthy and unethical people in the gun business. The hardest to understand are those who squander a reputation that has taken years to build.

Paul

Jim Borden is my goto smith. I dont even consider looking...i just call Jim.

Does anyone know how to contact Darwin Hensley? He is no longer listed on the ACGG site. I have a "work of art" created by Mr. Hensley and would like to contact him about it.

Richard

David Christman in Louisana is hard to beat and could be considered one of the better stockmakers. A real gentleman and is accessable. Butch

Lots of names of good smiths on this thread too...

Dwight Scott- Barrel fitting, metal work.
Tom Meridith-Stock fitting, finishing.
dave

A great 'smith is one who listens to what you want and either will do it or will turn the job down . He delivers when promised .

I got a great one . He would kill me if I posted his name on here . Some of his benchrest rifles have won their part of the show at the national , but I'm apt to find him fixing a 40 dollar 22 for a local next time I walk in his shop !