days of the master gunmaker gone?

T

troy_mclure

New member
what happened to all the master gun makers? did they just get phased out by computers?

"back in the day" they had people like Dan Wesson, bill ruger, h. smith, Oliver winchester, Mikhail Kalashnikov, Eugene stoner, john browning, etc...(yea, i know i missed some! :rolleyes:).

but there havent been any master gun makers recently. heck, we dont even have any people like Elmer Keith, designing cartridges, and shooting styles.

all we seem to have now is gun writers. :confused:
 
M

MTT TL

New member
You mean Ronnie Barrett, Randy Luth and Gaston Glock?

Those are just the high profile ones I can think of off the top of my head. Master gun makers produce quality weapons that stand the test of time. There is more a corporate type environment these days, as opposed to individual but all of these guys are fantastic.
 
J

johnbt

New member
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Karl Rohrbaugh, President/CEO



I think it took a master to design and build a 12-ounce 9mm that would work. JT
 
J

johnbt

New member
George Kellgren is a genius.

"In the 1970's, a Swedish designer, George Kellgren, developed an inexpensive weapon for South Africa's apartheid government. After South Africa rejected it, Mr. Kellgren struck up a partnership with Mr. Garcia.

A 1982 federal ruling said the weapon they produced could too easily be converted into an illegal machine gun. A series of minor modifications turned their KG-9 into the KG-99, then the TEC-9, then the TEC-DC9, and finally, after the ban on assault weapons in 1994, the AB-10 (for ''after the ban'')."


Maybe you remember him as the man behind the Grendel pistols.

No?

Kel-Tec? Surely you've heard of Kel-Tec. :) He's the owner and chief engineer.
 
R

reloader28

New member
John Linebaugh is still doing good business. Lives only a couple miles from me. Wife lets me go "play" at John's house when I've been a good boy. He's got some fun " toys".
 
M

MTT TL

New member
(Leroy) James Sullivan is still alive (I believe)

Mikhail Kalashnikov is still alive (and lucid, if ancient)

I think you are overlooking some of the truly great ones.
 
T

troy_mclure

New member
im more thinking of the number of guns that some of the old timers built.

how many successfull designs did bill ruger, john browning, etc..., make?

gaston glock designed 1 gun.
 
D

Dfariswheel

New member
These days, most great gun designers work for big companies or government contractors and the public seldom hears their names.

The days when a private individual could do the level of R&D and exotic materials engineering needed are gone. These days it just costs too much to do the design and prototyping for individuals.
 
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