Experience the Life
: Trades
: Gunsmith Trade at Colonial Williamsburg
A gunsmith performs detail work on
the stock of an American long rifle.
Click image to enlarge |
Many trade skills required for gunsmith
Colonial gunsmithing required the skills of a blacksmith, whitesmith,
founder, and woodworker to build a gun. A finished weapon required
fine detail work on iron and steel, the carving of decorative designs,
hammering and casting brass and silver into complex shapes, and
engraving hard and soft metals. These skills were usually learned
in an apprenticeship lasting five to seven years. A male youth began
his apprenticeship between the ages of 12 and 14 years and completed
it by the time he was 21.
Colonial gunsmiths mainly performed repair work
Because imported firearms were cheaper than those made in Williamsburg
– typical of many goods in colonial America – the gunsmith
mainly repaired arms and other objects. Gunsmiths often repaired
axes and other items made by blacksmiths, cast shoe buckles and
other items like bells, and sometimes repaired silver objects.
Interpreters make rifles in Colonial Williamsburg
today
Rifles were the only Virginia arms produced in quantity. Rifle
production was concentrated on the frontier to the west of Williamsburg.
Using the same kinds of tools and traditional methods employed by
18th-century gunsmiths, today Colonial Williamsburg's tradesmen
require about 300 - 400 hours to make a rifle. Historians believe
that 18th-century gunsmiths worked faster, because they had been
trained in the business since youth and did not stop frequently
to explain their work to visitors, as gunsmiths do in Colonial Williamsburg
today.
Listen to a Behind the Scenes Interview: Gunsmith. Master Gunsmith George Suiter talks about the art of making guns in the town of Williamsburg.
 (MP3, 2.9Mb) || View transcript
This interview is part of an ongoing series of podcasts available on the Colonial Williamsburg site.
Learn more. |
For further reading:
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Historic Triangle