doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Golden Age?

No argument from me. The top craftsmen of today are producing firearms that are almost unequaled in the past. Still, there is something about the old timers, a patina of history, that cannot be recreated.

Jerry Liles

Now I understand what you meant Michael.
And believe me, you are more of a participant than, by far, than most!
As I've often said, when I want to do something new, I always look to the past. You have brought more of the best of the past into this century than all be a very few. You are the flag bearer for another renaissance! We are going to see a new batch of custom '03 Springfields showing up any day now.

And thanks Joel, that book has been more than a wonder to me...

The only issue I would take with what has been said, is that the men in the past had virtually no tools other than a lathe, basic hand tools and the tools they made. The modern gunmaker has many more modern tools to avoid the laborious hand labor that was so time consuming in the past[e.g. CNC Machines etc]. There is still plenty of hand labor in fine gunmaking but not nearly as much as in the past.As a result I find what they did, with what they had, amazing given the results. Just my opinion Jerry

Much of "no machinery" is a myth. While they didn't have CNC they did have stock pantographs, mills, etc. As I've mentioned before I have examined Pope's machines which were antiquated as compared to G&H's machine which I also got to see. My favorite was Pope's arrangement for cutting gain twist which essentially was controlled by cord wrapped around a cone.

No gunsmithing schools before WWII.

The biggest advantage we have is the ability to study earlier work.

The guns and gunsmiths today are amazing but there is nothing like the patina and legend of days gone by...even though it might tinged with myth and a dose of bs.

True, but there was the apprentice system. My favorite retired gunsmith was an apprentice for a great metalsmith with whom I had a gun store in the early 60s.

A lot of the CNC work I currently see done has to do with scope bases which, it seems to me, were not that much of a consideration 70-80 years ago. Don't get me wrong, watching this forum for almost 2 years now has grown an appreciation in me for these classic guns. But it seems most of the work was in the stocking, metal work took a back seat to woodwork because there was little reason to get involved in it. Lyman sights screwed on or were dovetailed in, scope mounts were screwed on. These days guys get much more involved with how scopes mount, how sling swivels mount, rear sights, integral ribs, etc, Not saying it was never done in the older days, just wasn't as prominent as it is now. Am I wrong?

I agree. This and the ease with which we can study the work of the past... and the present as well. The ease of sharing ideas with contemporary craftsmen is also significant. We also have superior tools now, but this does not make the work better, only more affordable.

I do think the art of the engraver has reached heights never before seen.

Glenn