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A 'gunsmith' is a person who designs, builds, repairs or modifies firearms to blueprint and customer specifications, using hand tools and machine tools such as grinders and lathes.

Contents

Responsibilities

Specializations

Responsibilities

Gunsmiths have many responsibilities:

★ Fit action and barrel into stock and align parts.

★ Install parts, such as metallic or optical sights.

★ Immerse metal parts in a bluing salt bath to impart a blue color to the metal, as well as protect the metal from corrosion.

★ Fire firearms with proof loads to determine strength characteristics, correct alignment, and assembly of pieces.

★ Fabricate wooden stocks for guns according to customer specifications.

★ Refinish wooden stocks

Specializations

While some gunsmiths are general practitioners in this trade, the more important specializations are:
'Custom Builder/Designer' - Builds guns to customer's specification, from raw materials and shelf parts. Called upon by professional target-shooters to create highly accurate custom rifles. Likely the most highly skilled of gunsmiths, as they are required not only to have proficiency in the other areas of gunsmithing, but must also be well educated in machining, in order to manufacture the individual components and springs before assembly takes place.
'Refinisher' - Applies various chemical and heat-treatment processes to the metal parts of guns to develop nice colored surfaces: browning, bluing, Parkerization, and others. Finishes are also important from a practical standpoint as they harden the metal against uncontrolled rust and corrosion.
'Stockmaker' - Carves gun stocks from wood. Fits stocks to the metal parts of the gun (receiver and barrel), as well as to customer's body. Sanding, staining, oiling, and lacquering may be used to finish the wood surface.
'Checkerer' - Uses checkering tools to create an ornate pattern of small raised diamonds in the wood surfaces which are to be gripped. This specialization is frequently combined with that of the Stockmaker.
'Gun Engraver' - Uses hand-gravers or die-sinker's chisels to cut designs or pictures into the metal surfaces of the gun, usually limited to the receiver. Other metals (especially gold and silver) may be inlaid and engraved to further the design. Designs usually consist of elaborate scroll-work based upon Acanthus leaves or vines, or may be of purely abstract spirals. The pictures are usually of game animals or birds, and hunting dogs.
'Pistolsmith' - Specializes in work on semi-automatic pistols and revolvers. Pistolsmiths usually are proficient in a range of skills such as woodworking, checkering, machining, metal finishing and metalworking and must have an excellent understanding of the mechanical characteristics and function of the guns they work on. Often a pistolsmith is called on for extensive customization of a handgun and a good pistolsmith can turn a poorly constructed firearm into one that looks and handles much better.