Who would you nominate as greatest gunsmith?

[338 Mollett]

I would have to rate the folks at Holland and Holland up there ! I think as important as craftsmanship is passing on the teaching in which someone was kind enough to share with them.Combine the two and you have a rare gunsmith indeed!

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

H.M. Pope and John Buhmiller have to rank in the top five of all time.
I visited Buhmiller at his shop about forty years ago. In the mid-thirties he built a Bullpup and shot at Camp Perry. He did well enough that the Competition Committee met after the match and outlawed them. He made his own barrels as well. Not many gunsmiths built every type of rifle, and competed at a high level with them. He designed a 458 caliber cartridge using NORMA cylindrical Magnum brass, that Jack Lott based the 458 Lott on several years later. He also designed a 458 caliber rifle using the 416 Rigby case and hunted Elephants and Cape Buffalo successfully with them. IIRC, he also built the prototype, on a Remington M30 that Weatherby copied for the 460 in the late fifties.

Can anyone match his accomplishments and exploits?

 

[JRS]

For world renowned gunsmiths, Ferlach's Master Gunsmiths in Austria would be at the top of the list.

 

[jdh47]

J.D. Mock's gunsmith Col. Billy Stevens having actually won the Super Shoot twice doing his own smithing would place him pretty high on any list of gunsmiths that do competition work in that venue.

There are many different rifle builders that do and have done wonderful work in building custom firearms of all kinds. The ACGC is full of really great craftsmen.

Others excel at building across the course and Palma disciplines. I would be hard pressed to say who would be best at any discipline as there are many fine talented craftsmen both here and across the pond.

Thank goodness we don't all compete for the same craftsman.

Joe

 

[SDWhirlwind]

Hi, folks. Been reading here for over a week. Don't post a lot because in most posts, there's nothing I know enough about to add to the knowledge. But I decided to register anyway. Easy as pie. Can't post if not a member so my reason for registration; I once spent a week or so at the home and shop of a man I consider to be one of the greatest gunsmiths. Met him through a mutual friend. Didn't see any metal-smithing but watched him do some checkering and finishing on a rifle he was building for some fortunate individual. I tell you it was quite an experience watching a master at work. To a country boy, simply amazing! At that time he was out around Rapid City, S.D. and his name is Pete Grizzle (spelling unsure). When I left to come home he was in the process of moving to Bend, Oregon. I realize there are people who can do some unbelievable things in this life, and I consider myself fortunate to have met one of them. I often wonder about him. Our mutual friend has since passed on and like me, Pete was not the youngest in the crowd. Anybody know?. This was back in 2001 I think. Thanks for letting me post my memory.

Don Allen and Pete Grisel. Started and created quite the setup. Only talked with Don once I think but visited with Pete several times. Bought some things from them and the coolest rifle I ever owned was built by Pete. A Sako L579 single shot action and 22/250 chambering. Along with the 'purdiest' stock I ever had. Pete checkered the butt end with no butt plate. Absolutely a super checkering job throughout. Sadly I sold it after a short time as I was switching jobs, moved and bought an 80 acre parcel of land for the wife to have her 'dream' horse setup. So gun was gone and 3.5yrs later so was wife and that many yrs of sweat and hrs building 800' of steel corral, a barn and about a mile of new fencing. Miss everything but the female part of the equation. Thought someone told me several yrs back that Pete had passed also? Got out of the gun business for a while during the horse ordeal and lost touch with Pete so never knew where he ended up? They sure had a nice shop etc back then, at least this country hick thought so.

 

[ebb]

I have had Col. Billy build 3 rifles and they all shoot great. And He is a great person to deal with and there are no surprises when the bill comes. However I think that Sealey Masker may have been the best, though his wait times are long these days. Ive shoot a friends rifles that were built by Greg Tannel and they were first rate.

 

[jamesdmock]

I have had Col. Billy build 3 rifles and they all shoot great. And He is a great person to deal with and there are no surprises when the bill comes. However I think that Sealey Masker may have been the best, though his wait times are long these days. Ive shoot a friends rifles that were built by Greg Tannel and they were first rate.

Am I reading this right in that you are saying that Seely Masker's wait is long???? It is my understanding that Seely passed away many years ago.

 

[Liven The Dream]

This is a fine list Gun Smiths .
Add Doan Trevor for Stock work.
Al Valley is a Master of Stocks.
Kevan Hoffhath Yellow Jacket Riffles LLC.
I do have a well known one but as stated
More work than He can handle.
He is building me a F-Open Rifle now.

 

[JRS]

Am I reading this right in that you are saying that Seely Masker's wait is long???? It is my understanding that Seely passed away many years ago.

I believe he passed away in 1996?

 

[BenPerfected]

How do you know who is really responsible for accuracy?

• Barrel manufacture?
• Bullet manufacture?
• Primer & Powder manfacture?
• Stock maker?
• Action manufacture?
• Or the gunsmith who is mostly good at bedding the the above?
• Or the shooter that is world class on practice & asking questions and endless testing?

I think the gunsmith that checks all the above and can adjust the ignition is part of the process, but not nearly as important as the shooter.
Ben

 

[338 Mollett]

Good points Ben,Dwayne Dragoo set a national record with a rifle he worked on with the experience in all of 5 months!

 

[Raythemanroe]

GunSmith is a large part of the guns potential.. Then everything from load development to bullets, tracking need to be right to compete at a high level..

Ray

 

[Tommie]

#2 gunsmith is the hard question.
#1 will always be Mr Ackley.

 

[Ray B]

The best gunsmith that I ever knew, or hope to meet, was CP Donnelly, and his claim was that PO Ackley was the best gunsmith; repeating the comments of several above posters.

 

[ebb]

Yes James how could it get any longer than that?????

 

[jamesdmock]

The best gunsmith that I ever knew, or hope to meet, was CP Donnelly, and his claim was that PO Ackley was the best gunsmith; repeating the comments of several above posters.

The first custom barrel that I had smithed was done by Mr. C.P. Donnelly. It was a Sako L61 and he put a 9 twist .284 Win. barrel that he manufactured. It was very accurate and I used it for deer hunting for many years. He was a "good-un". James

 

[dedogs]

I think John Browning was pretty good (I'm still shooting one of his inventions). I, like others think P.O. Ackley was the best. dedogs

 

[john 800]

Ill answer the question with another question, even though i usully try not to be that guy. Haha!

What is the defenition of the greatest gunsmith? You could go a few different directions with that.
The most versatile guy? Many smiths specalize in barrel work or a certain type of build or repair work. I have alot of respect for a guy that does that kimd of work but i have a hard time calling that guy the best gunsmith in the history of the world when he is that specialized. (And thats not meant an insult, or even close) but to me the best gunsmith can and will repair or build anything

Is it the guy that comes up with some mod or fix that is influential? Like The guys that came up with the ppc? (Surprised that hasn't come up yet)
Mcmillan? For coming up with (i think) the modern synthetic stock after being an armorer in the usmc?
If you cant build a nice wood stock or metal parts from scratch, resolder the barrels on a side by side or do custom checkering, i have a hard time saying that guy is the best.

Do you go by how many rifles or pistols the guy has physically built himself that have won big matches or the guy that came up with the design or cartrige?

I could go on with other examples, but the first that came to my mind was john browning, but i am not sure if he worked as a smith, was he a smith or a designer/engineer type? Could the best smith ever have worked on machine guns on a navy ship that the general public has never heard of?

 

[338 Mollett]

Let me put it another way. The people at Holland and Holland ,and Ferlach with one hour of training can do anything a gunsmith over here can do.But with only one hour of training no one from here can do what they can!

 

[cjames]

I think John Browning was pretty good (I'm still shooting one of his inventions). I, like others think P.O. Ackley was the best. dedogs

I read something about if you brought back Henry Ford, Thomas Edisen, and John Browning back today. John Browning would be the only one not impressed. Meaning there is so many of his designs still being used today.