Mr. Venters:
A rather perplexing question indeed from the author of "Gun Craft... Fine Guns & Gumankers In The 21st Century."
Nonetheless, your terms seem ambiguous. All guns are "hand-made." Some are even "hand-crafted." Human hands can build an AR-15. Human hands can craft a Galazan RBL. Does this make them fine guns? Hardly.
Furthermore, you can't reliably swap bolts in an M-1 Garand. Does this strict non-interchangeability give it special rank? Certainly not.
What's more, one can apply the rubric of hand fitting, assembly and finishing to most any of the above. None of which elevates them in the slightest.
What you are probably asking is what makes a Purdey, Holland, Fabbri, or Boss stand above the rest. In a nutshell, it is skill, dedication, tradition, plus a commitment to precision and art. Mix well and nurture for a a few centuries, and you might have a fine gunmaker.
Or the definition you seek.
