doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Appreciation for custom gunmakers and gunsmiths

I just read the article below, and it deepened my appreciation for custom gunmakers and gunsmiths. Obviously the article is about fly fishing and waders, but there are many parallels in the firearms and hunting industries. I’ve never worked in the corporate world, but I can appreciate the realities of corporate enterprise and the business decisions that are necessary. I’m not knocking that at all. However, the individual craftsmen I’ve worked with on custom gun projects have had indescribable technical skills plus business skills, plus huge measures of honesty and caring. Talking over projects, giving me pointers, helping me learn …I don’t get the same in corporate transactions. I will gladly pay $150/hour for the time of a talented gunmaker or gunsmith.

Likewise, many members of this forum have shared their knowledge and helped me learned about all facets of gun work and shooting (mechanics, aesthetics, techniques, reloading, the list goes on). I hugely appreciate this forum and hope we can always keep this more personal side of the gun trade and shooting traditions available to everyone!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...il-boycott-after-private-equity-takeover

Paywall.

Here's an archive link: http://archive.today/oKQDA

My career was specifically about working with smaller specialty brands of an athletic nature and developing their presence in specialty and non specialty retail outlets, like big box and department stores. I have watched this scenario play out many, many times....both with the brands I was working with and with the brands we were competing with. That background is one of the reasons I found Don Amos's (Rocketman) spreadsheets on British gun values so fascinating. Frankly I find the whole examination of brand value fascinating. It's a window into human nature, especially insecurity regarding expertise.

I would characterize this process as inevitable. And it's usually because the founders have a passion for the actual things they are doing. Subsequent, professional management, whether hired to replace a founder stepping aside, the next generation of private ownership or because private equity (or if big enough a public offering) has a different outlook. It's simply ROI. Depending on who gets hired sometimes that orginal passion gets strung out for several more decades or it dissipates in a couple years.

Obviously each situation has nuances, but what i described is what happens. The only question is how long does it take. Sounds like Simms nose dived quickly.

The article ends on a rather sour note about the future. It's important to remember that future is the future of existing brands. What always happens, in every catagory, is that the magic of capitalism holds sway. Young companies see opportunity where others have vacated and step in. Motivated retailers looking for a edge and a point of differentiation take a chance. Avid consumers discover something new. It takes a while but new brands appear, fill a niche and gain a following.

So true, James. Aside from guns/gunsmithing I see this continually played out. A Southern company that is truly a ground roots operation is Red Land Cotton, in Alabama. It's a large farm that grows, gins and processes its own cotton. Their final product that's retailed to the world is bed sheets. Rush Limbaugh used to advertise for another similar outfit called Boll & Branch. My wife bought B & B sheets for several years until she discovered Red Land Cotton sheets. The quality is absolutely over the top. Superb product.

I really enjoy seeing and supporting a small company with owners that are hands on and pour their heart and soul into their products.

Canvasback,
You’ve got great insights into this. I rarely think in terms of “brand value”, but I see what you mean. One returning brand that I’ve been following lately is Rigby. Famous for their rifles for decades, they went through a long-term slump, and now they seem to be successfully building the value of their brand again. I’ve been listening to their Campfire Podcasts and really enjoying them.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9VbWlWwMypfq81xXY4UvDFgsUjxOk40I&si=tbkzhfH_Z656ftZz

Stan,
That’s funny you bring up Red Land Cotton. I grew up in North Alabama and worked as a cotton scout one summer. I had been around cotton farmers all my life, and that summer I worked closely with several. In recent years, I’ve seen advertisements for Red Land Cotton, but I didn’t know the background of their business model as you described it. It’s funny how things from our early lives stick with us. Even today, I’ll take a cotton shirt or a pair of pants over a modern synthetic blend any day!