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Tag: Colonial Williamsburg

  • Gary Brumfield – Photos from the Archive

    Gary Brumfield – Photos from the Archive

    Gary Brumfield has been a friend, mentor, encourager, and teacher to me as well as many others.  He was the push behind the lock-timing experiments, helping me to develop methodology we used to time locks. Much of his help came while we were at the Seminar at Bowling Green back in the ’80s.

    On the first day of the early Seminars, we would meet behind Terry Leeper’s house and have a little shoot.  Nothing formal, just a chance to touch off a few and get acquainted. Two of the photos below came from those afternoon shoots.

    Gary primes the lock on his .60 deer rifle.
    Gary primes the lock on his .60 deer rifle.
    Left to right, Larry Pletcher, Gary, unknown, and Dave Wagner
    Left to right, Larry Pletcher, Gary, unknown, and Dave Wagner
    Gary's hand made lock set off the photo cell during tests without prime - just sparks alone!
    Gary’s hand made lock set off the photo cell during tests without prime – just sparks alone!

    The last photo of Gary was taken at the Seminar in the late ’80s.  I used it for the title photo, but thought I’d end with it too.  This is the way I choose to remember him.

    Gary , doing a carving demo at Bowling green.
    Gary , doing a carving demo at Bowling green.

     

     

  • Wallace Gusler Chats about Colonial Gun-making

    Wallace Gusler Chats about Colonial Gun-making

    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 our understanding of colonial firearms.

    I first met Wallace at the Seminars in Bowling Green in the late ’80s. I have had occasion to learn from him numerous times since then. I never stop at his booth without learning something. I had the chance to tape the panel discussion in which he participated at GunMakers’ Hall at Friendship. (Parts 1-6 of the interview are located on another page of this site.)

    As wide as Wallace’s interests are he still finds time to make beautiful guns. Some are shown in “Three Centuries of the Tradition” in which he also shared in the writing.

    I am pleased to be able to add Wallace’s interview to this site.