Interviews

You may know George Sutton for a variety of reasons.  George, aka Mr Flintlock, has been doing the “Impossible Shoots” on Shooting USA on outdoor cable networks for a number of years.  You may know George from his visits to Friendship.  You may also know George as the man who has brought back Lehigh Valley lube under the name “Mr Flintlocks Patch Lube and Bore Cleaner”. George and I sat down and chatted ... Read More »

It’s Saturday morning , and Allen Martin and I will try a new method for interviews.  Formerly, I used a digital audio recorder, but this year we will use video. On the picnic table where we’re sitting is a wonderfully thin flintlock. That’s where the interview will start. Allen, thank you for a most impressive rifle.  Thanks also for being a part of this first try at a video interview. Larry Pletcher, ... Read More »

Jim Chambers has been a friend of mine for many years. I stopped in his booth and enjoyed a chat with him. Jim told me about his start in muzzleloading and his work with John Bivins. You’ll enjoy Jim’s story of his interview with John. He also tells about acquiring the Siler lock-making business from Bud Siler. Jim tells how the kit business actually began with ideas as far back as the ... Read More »

Mike Miller Interviewed at Friendship 2006 When I stopped by Mike’s booth there was a lot of activity. Noise from customers and shooting are in the background. As a former investigator, Mike is a far better interviewer than I am. I enjoyed his comments about his start in gunmaking and how he acquired his skills. Mike offered good advice when it comes to a customer planning to have a rifle built. He ... Read More »

Mark Silver discusses rifle making during the 2006 Spring Shoot. Friendship – Spring 2006 I stopped by Mark’s booth just before I had to leave Friendship. I thought I had missed him. He’s another long-time friend. I was lucky enough to take one of his classes at the rifle-making Seminar. Mark is another of today’s makers who worked for John Bivins. Mark is on my short list of men whom I consider ... Read More »

I’m sitting in the back of Mike Miller’s booth at Friendship. There are a bunch of fellows interested in Mike’s guns. You can hear the bench guns at the firing line, but I’m doing the interview anyway. I lucked into a chance to talk with Mark Baker. Widely known in trekking circles, Mark just happened to be there when I walked by. I couldn’t miss this chance. Mention trekking to black powder ... Read More »

Tom Schiffer has been a fixture around Friendship for many years. It’s fun to hear fellows like Tom talk about the “old days” when business was conducted out of the trunks of cars. Tom Schiffer Interview, Friendship 2006 I’m reminded of the fabled gun writer who wrote the book “Hell, I Was There”. Tom truely was there. In the interview Tom talks about his first muzzleloader and his experience firing the first ... Read More »

Ron Ehlert discusses rifle and horn making with BPM. Rifle Maker, Ron Ehlert Interview at Friendship 2006 Ron Ehlert is another long time friend that I met at Friendship. For the last few years Ron has shown me his progress on his German yeager project. The chiseled lock and barrel are incredible. In the interview he talked about his start in gun building, some other pet projects, and of course the yeager ... Read More »

Riflemakers look to Reaves Goehring for the best castings for their flintlocks. His care in providing the correct parts for the various schools of muzzloading makes him widely respected. Reaves tells Tom Curran some of his story. This interview takes place on July 27, 2008, at Dixon’s Gunmaker’s Fair, Kempton, PA, Reaves gives us a bit of background details of his life, and some of the story behind his marvelous longrifle castings. ... Read More »

Few men have had as large an effect on the muzzleloading sport as Wallace Gusler. To many he is the man in “the video” who makes a rifle from a skelp of iron, a plank of maple, and a bucket of scrap brass. Wallace Gusler made the video as the first full-time master of the Williamsburg Gun Shop. His influence doesn’t stop there. Since then his research and writing have added to ... Read More »

One cannot think of flint riflemakers without including Homer Dangler. A maker of muzzleloaders for decades, Homer is widely respected for his work. Home Dangler has been a part of Friendship for many years. He began attending Friendship when I was 10 years old. His booth has been a stop of mine since I began attending in 1977. There are always neat guns to look at and drool over. Although Homer is 82, ... Read More »

David Price makes beautiful guns. His speciality is the Swivel Breech. In the years I have known him, I have had the chance to look at many of his guns. His work is on numerous magazine covers, at Dixons, at Friendship, and as the raffle gun for GunMakers’ Hall.   David is man with the desire and ability of teach others what he knows. His web site,  The Flintlock Shop, has tutorials on ... Read More »

Tom Curran caught Chuck Dixon in the shop and collected this interview for Black Powder Mag. Even if you know Chuck you are likely to learn more listening to the interview. (Larry Pletcher) I had tried to call ahead to make an appointment to meet Chuck for this interview, but I don’t believe my message got through, judging from Chuck’s reaction when I asked him if he would grant me an interview. ... Read More »

Bill Rose is one of the best men with a rifle that I know. I first met Bill at a Stones Trace Club match where he and I both attend. He also shoots at territorial matches that I scored. Bill recorded this interview the day after he cleaned the Production Inline Rifle Silhouette Match at the Spring Nationals in 2006. Bill brings to the table a wealth of experience gleaned from many ... Read More »

Many shooters go to LC Rice to get a barrel. He and Liston make some of the best. I went to him for flintlock tuning. He tunes some of the best. . . LC Rice Interview at Friendship – Spring 2006 LC Rice has to be one of the most knowledgable and entertaining characters at Friendship. Listen to his story about he and Liston beginning the L&R Lock Company and their eventual ... Read More »

After shopping at Pecatonica for many years, it was fun to sit down and chat with Dick Greensides. I didn’t know until the interview that Dick grew up just a few miles of my home. Dick Greensides Friendship – Spring 2006 Dick Greensides is another regular at Friendship. He started coming as a shooter, and his hobby became a vocation. Dick brought a few stocks to Friendship and grew the business until ... Read More »

Billy Watson has been coming to friendship for many years. Billy simply makes great knives. Billy Watson on Knife Making – Friendship Spring 2006 Billy Watson’s booth is a favorite stop of mine. He had made two of the knives I carry. I’m sure there will be others I can’t resist. While I have two of his folders, Billy does all kinds of knives. The selection is best early in the week before ... Read More »

Need a beautiful piece of maple, walnut, etc for your next muzzloading project? You can’t do better than Wayne Dunlap. Wayne Dunlap Wood Supplier at Friendship – Spring 2006 One cannot mention gun stocks at Friendship without mentioning Wayne Dunlap. Wayne brings a great selection of stock blanks to Friendship. Wayne is the kind of fellow you can learn a bunch from if you listen instead of talk. I learned a lot ... Read More »

Whether you need edged tools for trekking or a museum quality replica of Little Turtle’s tomahawk, your single stop should be Bill Keeler. Beaver Bill makes about anything with a cutting edge. Bill Keeler on Tomahawks at Friendship 2006 Beaver Bill’s booth is always one of my stops at Friendship. My chat with Bill covers his many years in muzzleloading. He speaks about his museum quality edged weapons. One of my favorites ... Read More »

Dan Kindig, past president and long time Friendship attendee, discusses the old days. Dan Kindig has been a fixture for years. His booth hasn’t moved since I first came in 1977. Dan Kindig Interview from Friendship – Spring 2006   Dan was a lot of fun to speak with. His Friendship experiences go back to his visits as a young boy when his father came. He has many stories about the early days. ... Read More »

As Mike and I began this conversation, we realized that we had attended the same rifle-building seminar at Bowling Green. I was involved in timing flintlocks, and he was into tuning them. It was kind of fun to compare notes again. As you will realize as you listen, Mike loves to build fowlers. His last count was over 200 made. I like his approach to his relationship with the customer. I think ... Read More »

BPM interviews horn-maker Lee Larkin. Friendship – Spring 2006   I met Lee at his horn-making cabin in the Primitive area on Monday morning. My conversation with Lee was especially fun because I learned so much. He filled in a lot of blanks in my horn education. His information about Robert Rogers’ horn at Fort Ticonderoga was particularly interesting. Lee is a member of the “Honorable Company of Horners” Read More »

James Klein discusses rifle building with BlackPowderMag. James Klein Interview, Friendship – Spring 2006 From the time I first stopped by James Klein’s booth at Friendship, there have always been beautiful rifles to examine. In the interview Jim discusses rifle building, including his favorites to produce. James’s association with Homer Dangler has been a long one, and James has taken over the production of the gun stock stains that Homer began. Any ... Read More »

Blackpowdermag presents a Panel Discussion from GunMakers Hall. Listen as Mark Silver, Jim Chambers,Bob Harn, Wallace Gusler, and LC Rice field audience questions. . . . . . . Black Powder Magazine is pleased to bring you a series of digital interviews and discussions promoting black powder shooting sports. Our initial offering is a panel discussion taped at Gunmakers Hall during the NMLRA 2006 Spring Championships in Friendship, Indiana. Participants in the ... Read More »

Blackpowdermag presents a Part 2 of the Panel Discussion from GunMakers Hall. Listen as Mark Silver, Jim Chambers,Bob Harn, Wallace Gusler, and LC Rice field audience questions. . . . . . . Part 2: LC and Wallace discuss barrel harmonics and stress relieving a barrel. Mark and Wallace discuss the proper location of the touch hole. (Rain begins.) Bob Harn and Jim Chambers talk about what they need from a potential ... Read More »

Blackpowdermag presents a Part 3 of the Panel Discussion from GunMakers Hall. Listen as Mark Silver, Jim Chambers,Bob Harn, Wallace Gusler, and LC Rice field audience questions. . . . . . . Part 3: Jim and Wallace talk about leather vs lead in attaching a flint. Wallace discusses tools in the 18th century gun shop. Also discussed is knapping the flint on the gun. Wallace fields Mark Baker’s question about period ... Read More »

Blackpowdermag presents a Part 4 of the Panel Discussion from GunMakers Hall. Listen as Mark Silver, Jim Chambers, Bob Harn, Wallace Gusler, and LC Rice field audience questions. . . . . . . Part 4: Wallace discusses silk patches (Last of the Mohicans). LC discusses variables involved in accuracy. Wallace, LC, and Mark talk about barrel coning. LC discusses square vs round- bottom rifling. Read More »

Blackpowdermag presents a Part 5 of the Panel Discussion from GunMakers Hall. Listen as Mark Silver, Jim Chambers, Bob Harn, Wallace Gusler, and LC Rice field audience questions. . . . . . . Part 5: The group fields questions about the number of grooves in rifling a barrel. Jim Chambers talks about freshing out a barrel with a freshening stick. LC Rice discusses English locks. Also discussed were decorative cuts on ... Read More »

Blackpowdermag presents Part 6 of the Panel Discussion from GunMakers Hall. Listen as Mark Silver, Jim Chambers, Bob Harn, Wallace Gusler, and LC Rice field audience questions. . . . . .  Part 6: LC discusses lock geometry. Mark talks about touch holes and internal cones. The group discusses how placement of the touch hole can effect the threads in the breech plug and how this causes problems with breechplug removal. Read More »