31/01/2025
Something for the weekend?
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free” are the words inscribed on the plinth of the Statue of Liberty written by Emma Lazarus
In my case as a gunsmith, my ethos should be “Give me your broken, your cracked, your ugly, yearning to be made whole or better than before!”
This applies to so many of the jobs I am asked to undertake, from a split Beretta stock with the other side completely broken off, to a wonderful Beretta SO3 EELL which while a stunning gun, was made with that horrible, square ended semi-pistol grip (the finish and colour wasn’t too good either and the internals and engraving had seen better days) which is neither “fish nor fowl”, not quite a graceful Prince of Wales and yet not a useful pistol grip.
The “after” pictures of the 686 stock are self- explanatory; the side has been re-fitted and the split dealt with, with local chequering as required and local re-finishing, the repair completely invisible.
The SO3 was considerably more work, with the pistol grip re-shaped to a proper Prince of Wales, custom chequering with a re-run of the forend chequering, re-finishing and enhancing the colour and grain then servicing the action, brushing the action to the original “pewter” finish, lubricating and re-assembly as well as honing the bores has all contributed to what is now a stunning gun earning a worthy place in the owner’s collection.
The breadth of work I am asked to undertake as a finisher (“the huddled masses”) is what keeps me going, from stocks to barrels to actions, from Baikal’s to the best Italian and English guns (I have recently been asked to work on a pair of o/u Boss and a Piotti) gets me up in the morning and certainly contributed to my recovery from last years ill health. I just love the challenge, so if you feel like challenging me, you know where to find me.