I've removed alot of wood from the Dragon gun's stock, and ... look what I found inside!

The stock isn't finished, but it's 2/3rds there.

Yesterday, it rained from about 2:30 on here. Prior to that, Jerry and his son Timmy, had come up to help me with some casting, and perhaps shoot some if it didn't storm. Jerry cast for about 3 hours, while I fit the newly assembled Dragon action into the stock. We set up at the field about 3pm, and it began to rain as we finished setting up. It then rained for the next four hours, while we shot. We tore down camp in the rain, and progressed back to the house for dinner ... looking like a pack of nearly drowned rats.

A good time was had by all! haha. We did get a bunch of good video and stills. They'll be posted later. This was a special opportunity for Jerry to share the guns with his son Timmy, and have him get a taste of shooting long range. I've had the chance to shoot with three of Jerry's four sons now, and they've all been extremely well mannered, all very willing to chip in and pull weight, and all shown mature range safety characteristics. We have some good stills and video of Timmy's work yesterday.

Was a good day guys.

New Pics added:







Different exposures - some flash. It appears differently.



923 grain slug recovered off of a steel target @ 104 yards. Steel plate on legs stuck into the ground. It pounded the plate, bent the legs, and pulled the whole thing out of the ground. Still, it flattened the slug like this and sheared off much of the mass "petals" that develop when the slugs expand on a steel plate. The dome shape fits perfectly into the deformed steel plate. This is on a plate that could move and absorb energy by moving. Were the plate unmovable, the thing would likely have disintegrated. And, the slug flew true, and was easy to place.













Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2009 07:32PM by barnespneumatic.

Gary,

That is one BADA$$ looking rig!

Very impressive gun Gary! it will be a Masterpiece!!

That looks superb, Gary!
And a very "Dragonesque" stock to go with it
Someone's going to be very proud...

Cheers

Neil

Gary the Dragon is a Beast. Way to go .

Great tie in with the Dragon Skin! I like the scales and armored stock, and here I thought you only did oak leaves.

Gary, It's great that you acknowledged all the care and devotion that Jerry's kids all reflect. Jerry, you are providing the highest and what at times seems the rarest asset to society, educated, well mannered respectful children, thanks!

Kent

Those are Oak leaves Kent! Pre-historic Oak leaves looked much like Dragon scales. hehe.

You are correct about society too. Most children I've had the misfortune to be tormented by, are unrulely monsters - simply run amock and ignored by parents too self absorbed to notice or care. It's a complete shock to be around well mannered young people. You feel like taking the time to share, perhaps teach, when you are treated with respect. Your children share those same well mannered attributes. It takes time and the willingness to set limits in order to have children mature well.

Gary

Kent,
Thank you for the kind words.

Very nice. Even with the unfinished stock, it looks great. Very...purposeful.

Oh good grief.....

Where to start? (insert long list of adjectives expressing "holy-cow-thats-cool)

But what really struck me is how much I was taken aback, and its still incomplete. No finish on yet and who knows what else Gary has left in his carving tool.

Or maybe it is s good thing that it was revealed at this stage..... If Id have seen it in its fully compleated glory, I'd have choked on my coffee......

So Gary, is the this the result of what happens when the customer give you creative freedom? Yikes, sign me up!

TECH NOTE Unrelated to the thread...apparently enclosing text in < > causes some display formatting issue.....



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2009 07:28PM by dan_house.

That's it Dan,

Depends upon if you want to tell the artist how to create, or let it up to him. Some let me do that. If the customer has to "see" each detail prior ... and have each explained until he understands the "why" of the design .... then it's simply too exhausting and counter to the creative process. If the customer had the maddness of artistic creativity running thru his veins ... then he'd be the overworked, underpaid craftsman ... rather than the client. To place upon that craftsman, the task of explaining the completed project, along with pictures, options, charts, spec. sheets, and price grids ..... destroys the creative spark, and most of the enjoyment of working.

There are two conditions during which this work is interesting to me. 1). When I'm in the process of watching my mind draw out the concepts on my brain's 3-D screen. 2). During those pauses which signify the completion of any major phase. One condition is total creativity sparking to life, by drawing from every skill I've ever mastered. The other condition is the satisfaction of seeing an abstract idea turned into concrete reality. Apart from those times, it's an Odyssey of rocks and thorns. I know the "happy image" of the old white haired craftsman whistling a merry tune while scraping perfect shavings off a plank. The reality is that you always need another tool, better light, less pain, and hotter coffee. The only thing that makes it fun, is to be able to follow a thread ... such as this Dragon gun. That's been enjoyable. It's been fun to show you the various phases.

Best,
Gary

GAry

I love the whole dragon motif - nicely carried over into the WOODwork - hehe

Like the contrasting cap at the bottom of the grip as well

So, I'm guessing that all the grids/specs etc on the website previously were done under protest, eh?

You've now ruined my mage of you as "Santa", the happy craftsman

and here I thought the elves were helping with all those little details, running the CNC machine etc - haha

Glad you're having fun with the dragon.....does this mean a Wyvern is next???

I could yet get some wings on this beast ... we'll see.

YES ... all those grids were done under protest. You don't think I wanted to make the same thing over and over and over ... did you??? However; grids are the norm. They are people's experience. I've taken on enough of trying to change the world. However; which guns are the ones people speak of? Anymore, when I post a pic of a new Bison ... I get a resounding ..... yawnnnnnnnnn. Been there ... seen that.

It's the unexpected, that will always be the standouts in any body of work. Rather than ... this is the 435th still life "bowl of fruit in a wooden bowl, on a side table" that old so-in-so painted. Mona Lisa wasn't a series.

Gary

Just to complete the thoughts with the obvious disclaimer: Of course, everybody doesn't want a Dragon, or want to go on a fantasy expedition. That's the most interesting stuff for me. It's not for all; and my prime objective is certainly not to cast stones at all of the other projects. I can't help being the artist I was born as. You will have noted that the prototypes always appeared on the website (when fresh off the bench) and the price grids limped in several months later (because I had to do them for normal people to make sense of what I'd made). So; I fully realize I'm not "normal people", and ... the point of my ramblings is that freedom often makes an interesting pc. of creative art ... where a model number always makes a copy of a previous unit. No insults intended - hopefully none taken.

Gary

GAry

I was just giving you a little zing - hehe. I love seeing both the "new" and "out there" as well as the "mundane" 23rd Bison - haha

Hey, I guess my bullpup fascination is a GOOD thing, making you push the envelope and all that


Remember, being "normal" is boring...but occasionally necessary!

having seen the finished dragon , it makes me really appreciate the early pics , and even back then the final pic must have been in garys eye , there is no way at the end you could go back and just add a bit that was taken off earlier , like the scales under the stock ,,, great themed styling.

Thanks Tom,

I'm glad you found it interesting.

That is part of the "slog" for me. I do "see" the work when I design it. And then, there's the lifetime of making individual parts, with individual operations ..... keep working ...... more ....... yet more ..... now apply finishes ...... now assemble. And then, finally, I can hold what I saw in the beginning.

That's why I always say ... "yeah ... right ... " ... when I read the obligatory "party line" in stories of craftsmen where it's explained ... "I just start, and let the pc. speak to me, and direct me as I work". What a bunch of hogwash. You have an idea. You refine the mental image. You draft a careful plan. You follow the plan. You succeed. EVERY time I've granted an article to a writer, regarding my work ... I've told them that. And ... every time, they've changed it back to the stupid party line. They always know what they are gonna write in advance, and could care less what you say.

Gary

yes ,,, i can see it must be frustrating ,,, but sure ,, all you have to do is provide something for the photographer to snap ,,, the guy allready has the generic covering words written ,, stitch words to pics , and voila ,,, an article ,,, sort of a just add water , instant article.