I was born in Norfolk VA and lived there 57 years. I graduated from VA Tech in 1973 with a BS in biology. I played VHSL sports in high school and NCAA sports in college. After graduation I finally found full time employment in April 1974 in the City Real Estate Assessor's office. I spent my entire professional career, 32 years, in the office. I was appointed to the chief position, City Assessor, in 1989 and held that position for 17 years until my retirement in 2006. In 2008 my wife of 43 years- Margo, and I moved to Giles County Virginia where we currently reside. We have a daughter and son, both of whom are married, and 8 grandchildren.
I joined up with one of the North South Skirmish Association (N-SSA) teams in 1975 and competed in the N-SSA for about 35 years. I had the good fortune of shooting on several national championship teams during that time. It was the N-SSA competition that got me started building guns. A good friend and I were having to rework the internal parts on our reproduction locks at least twice a year. We noted that the guys shooting original guns never had to do lock work. So, we decided to buy original locks and build rifles around them. When I had finished my rifle the chair of the N-SSA small arms committee expressed interest in buying it from me. I told him I had no interest in selling the gun and gave him what I thought was an outrageous price and he said that if I decided to let it go to tell him! Because I enjoyed doing the rifle build I purchased parts and started another one. Before I had finished it someone had said they wanted to buy it when I was done. As a result I estimate that I built around 30 copies of civil war rifles for shooting competition. Around 2008 I bought a flint long rifle kit and built it. While that rifle will never see the light of day, the ability to utilize a degree of artistic license in building a gun really appealed to me, especially since the civil war rifles had to be exact reproductions of the original guns.. So, I thought I would do another. When I had completed the second kit I took it to a show in Harrisonburg VA. I walked into the showroom and almost immediately someone asked me if it was for sale and they bought it! I guess that pretty well sums up how I got to where I am today.
Who have you learned the most from?
Living in Norfolk I had the good fortune of being about 45 minutes away from Colonial Williamsburg. Almost once a week I would drive there and go to the gun shop and aggravate the guys in there. At the time Richard Frazier, Clay Smith and Richard "Sully"Sullivan were the journeyman smiths and George Suiter was the shop master. All four men were of great help and encouragement to me. Even now I maintain regular contact with George Suiter and have annual contact with Clay and Sully. At George's insistence I started taking classes at the NMLRA gunsmithing school at Western Kentucky University. I have had the distinct pleasure and privilege of working under masters like Jack Brooks, Art DeCamp, Jim Kibler, Mark Silver and my good friend George Suiter.. I have also had the good fortune of getting to know Jim Chambers, Mark Thomas and many other people who are at the top of the long rifle art. Lastly, I had the distinct pleasure of being able to spend extended time with my dear old friend Bob Harn. I was able to work in Bob's shop while my wife Margo and I vacated the winter climate of the Virginia mountains for Florida. I have been very fortunate to receive instruction and critique from folks I consider the best at what they do.
What is it about building rifles vs. fowlers or muskets that intrigues you?
As I alluded earlier, the art of long rifle building is much different than reproducing an 1861 Springfield rifle, 1855 Harpers Ferry or any other civil war shoulder arm. All I did was make an exact duplicate of the original military weapon. The artistic skills needed to complete a longrifle and the ability to apply some degree of personal interpretation far exceeds and is considerably more rewarding than making an exact copy of a military gun that is no different than any other weapon of its kind. While I greatly enjoy building and decorating long rifles I would say that there really is not any part of the build that is easier from me than others, they're all difficult! I do, however, enjoy the finishing work of carving and engraving, but it takes a long time to get there.
Because I am a native Virginian, I gravitate primarily to the work of early Virginia gunsmiths. While I appreciate the arms from throughout the long rifle era, I prefer the early work, say from 1760-1790. The graceful lines of an early Virginia or Lancaster County gun with their clean, crisp lines I find very appealing.
If I were to advise an aspiring gunmaker I would say to find someone who has original guns. The ability to handle originals provides a tremendous amount of "tactile memory" that will prove invaluable in moving forward in the art. The study of originals will help to add that third dimension that is often needed when studying flat photos in a book.
What is your most frequently used reference book/resource?
Spending time looking at and studying those "flat" photos in books like Shumway's Rifles of Colonial America Volumes 1 and 2 and Kindig's Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in Its Golden Age is of great benefit. Also, don't be afraid to take classes. Learning from those who have mastered the skills of barrel inletting, stock shaping, furniture inletting, making patch boxes and furniture, carving, engraving and any other associated skills will prove much more beneficial than the school of "hard knocks".
