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My passion with guns came from my father. My father was a gunsmith and had his own shop in Montana for several years before selling out. He then did it part-time and when I was in my teens I took every opportunity to help out. I then attended Trinidad State Junior College and became very interested in custom stock work. After graduation I went to Kalispel, Montana to apprentice under three custom rifle makers; Jerry Fisher, Don Klein, D’Arcy Echols. Also in the shop were two engravers; Dan Goodwin and Steve Huff. This apprenticeship lasted 11 months and gave great insight to some of the top craftsman. I was very fortunate to have had this opportunity to study under these men and for them to share their knowledge. Less than a year later, I relocated to Enid, Oklahoma to work out of Champlin Firearms shop. I did the custom stock work on the Champlin Rifle and did other odd jobs as well. It was in Enid that I met Jack Rowe. Jack is from England and was trained in the gun trade from a young man. Jack moved to the U.S. in the 80’s and was fortunate enough to work in the same shop with him for several years. It was through his influence that I became more interested in shotguns. I spent many hours with him going over the finer points of the working, styling and handling of these guns. |
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In 1991 I looked into expanding my business. In discussions with Mike Murphy of in Augusta, Kansas a decision was made to move to and open up my shop. I have been specializing in fitted shotgun stocks. This covers everything from, new stocks built to customers dimensions (these are arrived from building a pattern stock) to bending, refinishing and new pads. If you are interested in a custom fitted shotgun, from altering an existiong gun or a brand new custom stock, I have the knowledge and expertise to handle all the details. Starting with the fitting or building a pattern stock to the help in choosing a checkering pattern through to the finished job. You will spend time in the shop working with your mount and grip configuration and then to the sporting course to shoot targets to ensure the fit. I began competing in sporting clays in 1992, and have been in Master class for several years. Between work and a family shooting is limited now, but still have made several state teams, and zone team. I am also a state delegate in the NSCA for Kansas. |
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