Tom Turpin - Modern Custom Guns: Walnut, Steel, and Uncommon Artistry

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To Pauline Turpin, my greatest critic, my biggest fan, and my loving wife.

A lot has transpired since I sent the manuscript for Modern Custom Guns in to Krause Publications, in 1996. It doesnt seem possible, but that was 17 years ago. Neither the techniques of crafting fine custom guns nor the tools required to do so have changed appreciably during that time, if any. Oh, I suppose that computer-controlled equipment is in a bit more widespread use now than it was in 1996, but I doubt the impact on the custom trade has been all that great. Almost all the artisans I know still do it the old-fashioned way.

The noteworthy change that has taken place in the trade has been the disappearance of old familiar faces and the introduction of new ones. Comparing this new 2nd Edition to the original, these changes will be immediately obvious. In a few cases, the missing artisans have passed on to their rewards. Mostly though, they have simply retired and are enjoying their twilight years. In other cases, they have taken up other professions to earn a better living. Fortunately, new guys come along and take up where the old veterans have left off.

In many cases, the new guys (and a number of older ones, for that matter), often hold down a full-time job to put beans on the table and work their gunmaking as a secondary avocation. Frequently, after a few years as a part-time maker, they will transition into a full-time gunmaking status. Probably equally often, they maintain gunmaking as a part-time function, until they retire from their primary profession.

Whether they be a part-time or full-time gun maker has little or nothing to do with the talent and determination of the artisan; such choices are most often, anyway, a purely economic decision. They feel that they can earn a more comfortable living and better provide for their families, by applying their talents to another more stable and better paying professional field. That is difficult logic to argue with.

The fact is that gunmaking is a labor of love, any way you look at it. Whether it is a secondary source of income or ones only provider of a living, you have to love it to pursue it for any length of time. I dont know of a single maker who depends upon their income from gunmaking to survive, who couldnt earn substantially more in another field.

It also seems to be true that it is becoming more and more difficult to attract younger guys and gals into custom gunmaking on a full-time basis. Again, this is primarily an economic decision. The younger set, in addition to earning a living, is generally raising a family. That adds to the necessity for a well-paying and steady job. Gunmaking can be, and usually is, a feast or famine proposition; there is either more work than one can possibly complete in a reasonable time, or not nearly enough to sustain the effort.

To add emphasis to this apparent fact, the American Custom Gunmakers Guild (ACGG) hired a consultant awhile back, to help figure out how to improve that organization and its operation. One of the first items of data produced was that the average age of the professional member of the ACGG was at or near retirement age and social security eligibility. I dont recall what the actual age was, but it was in the sixties. That is hardly refreshing news for the longevity of the ACGG, though it should not come as a shock to those who attend the annual Guild exhibition. A good set of eyes toward the exhibitors would lead anyone to the same conclusion. The term spring chicken does not come to mind.

Friend Sid Johnson checking out his Al Lind-made custom rifle, before heading out on a Coues deer hunt, in Sonora, Mexico.

Photo courtesy Gary Bolster

Gary Goudy has been making stocks for a very long time. It is safe to say he knows how to make one. This rifle is chambered for the .17 Remington cartridge and features a lovely English walnut stock and Garys almost signature checkering pattern, a fleur de lis pattern with ribbons.

Photo courtesy Gary Bolster

Gary Goudy stocked this rifle with its medium-heavy bore strictly for open sights. Chambered for the .358 Norma Magnum, it will take care of North Americas largest game animals with ease.

Even so, there are some very talented younger individuals who are plying the gunmaking trade. A few of them are so talented that some of the old-timers who have built their reputations on a lifetime of turning out fantastic work had better watch their backsides. Gunmaking seems to be a trade wherein there is no status quo. The maker is either moving forward, or, if not, and whether realized or not, is moving backward. There is no standing still.

In this 2nd Edition, I have tried to bring the reader up to date within the craft. I have tried to feature the best and the brightest. If, by chance, one of your favorites is not featured, there can be a number of reasons for that omission. First is that perhaps Ive not heard of them before and am therefore not familiar with their work. Another is that they may not want to be featured in this book. Another, and probably the most common reason, is that they do not have any quality photos of their work, are poor photographers themselves, and are unwilling to spend a few bucks to have some professional photos done. Either that, or they are in such a hurry to get the firearm shipped to its new owner (and get paid), that they wont take the time to have photos done.

Four of the authors custom Model 70s. Top to bottom, a .270 Win, a .375 H&H, a .338 Win. Mag., and a .458 Lott.

Photo courtesy Gary Bolster

The late gun maker Maurice Ottmar had a favorite saying. It was, Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun. A hunter armed with the Gary Goudy-stocked rifle below would not need to worry about being accused of hunting with an ugly gun. This one is magnificent.