far more on the guns I make, then you ever see.

I figured ... what the heck ... we need another topic. Let's look at a few things about the new action I started testing last evening.

I could easily cut the time of manufacturer by 66% ... if I'd just stop doing a number of things that I feel make the guns better. This isn't a rant about anyone else. Perhaps everyone does it this way. I'm just telling you what I do.

1). I take way too much time on the trigger block. I actually band saw and file and grind out the parts. I fit them. I tune them. I then harden them, and temper them. I wrap my specially designed springs. I build something that will last several lifetimes.

2). I make the hammer so that it never touches the interior of the hammer tube. It's famous for people to get their guns and disassemble them, so as to sand and file and polish the hammers. Then lube them up with secret sauce. I take a different approach.

3). I make my main springs so that they run on guides that don't torque and twist as the hammer is retracted. The spring spins on ball bearings as it is retracted.

4) If I make a design, such as the one just made ... I bolt the top end on so that it's gonna stay there. Way more tensile strength than needed.

5). I make certain that my bolt retention system is beyond fail safe. It takes a bunch of time and effort to mill, fit, heat treat, and tune my bolt and it's retention parts.

6). I make certain that any interior part is properly finished. Someone, some day ... will service this gun. It won't be found to be a bunch of slopped together parts. It will be found to be a well engineered machine, that lends itself to being serviced. It's not glued together. The tech will not have to fight and curse the thing apart. When the parts are laid out, he'll find they were not damaged from being disassembled. He'll be able to reassemble the machine, without damage, because it was designed with the forethought of having a long life span.

7). If I made a quick and dirty PCP ... and sold it for 1/3 of the price I charge ..... I would be making more money than I make by selling one of my Barnes rifles, as I currently make them.

Just figured none of this was visible from pictures.

Gary

Old World Craftsmanship. It's a long lost art in todays hurry it to market, who cares if it breaks in 2 weeks,
It's ALL about the Money..Profit over Everything else. And sadly most of my friends think i am silly for spending
the money for something i haven't seen or touched yet. That's their loss, not Mine. I know the craftsmanship i'm buying.

Rick G.

Thank you Rick,

And ... you are not alone. I have heard, over and over and over and over again ..... year after year .... how EVERYBODY who is waiting has been endlessly heckled by their "friends" and family. It's clear that their friends do not care to own a Barnes rifle. But it's also clear that they cannot resist any opportunity to needle and chide their friends. Of course, those friends haven't read any of my blog posts over ten years. They don't know a thing about me or my history. All they know is that time has passed, and they see a darned good chance to stick the knife in the ribs of their buddy, and get the whole group laughing at their insane patience with me. Usually around the holidays ... when families "get together" for the chance to annoy the last brain cell out of each other, and do their yearly comparison of each other's bald spots. It's always so .... Norman Rockwell-esque.



Thanks for hanging in there Rick. Your case has been in the mail for a couple of days. Of course, Monday blew up and I shoveled up much of it on Tuesday. ;?)

Gary

#3.... holy cow!

Can we avoid talking about bald spots?

Oh yeah, #3 is pretty cool!

Hello Jerry,

Actually, my first thought was to use "camera lenses" .... but decided to change it to "bald spots" ....

I TOTALLY agree with you. First thing out of my father is,well did you get it yet. You paid more for that than my Panther in 308 caliber.Or his brother and his custom benelli shotgun in big case with three different barrel,s all magnaported. Christmas sometime,s has issue,s for me and i triy to avoid it.

Ah .... thanks Don ..... I think .... hahah

Gary

On the plus side, I never hear anything about bald spots
Perhaps my (lack of ) height has kept my head out of the rarefied thin atmosphere that affects the tall guys - haha

Basically, I am with Rick - if I value craftsmanship and items that will be passed down and last for generations, but someone else doesn't "get it" - well, that bothers me not one whit !!!!

Fortunately, my family (going back generations) has always been a "quality not quantity" kinda family - My grandfather came to the US from Ireland with hand tools from his father, which went to my father, and then to me , and which will continue on to my son Will and then to his kids.

My father has handled and fired my Woodsman ( yes, I know Gary....I do NOT have pictures because I am a bad correspondent ) and he said "what a fine piece of work - a real heirloom!"

I should also add the he was not precisely ready for the amount of kick from that baby, and said he could scarcely believe it was an "airgun"

As for in-law/relative types that might not appreciate a "gun" - well, I just never let them get their grubby fingers anywhere near the Woodsman - hehe


Besides, when you consider what I consider the expected "lifespan" of Gary's creations (ie generations IMHO) what is a few years of waiting??

There ya go Joebill!

By golly .... I didn't know you'd ever shot the thing! hahahah. "Bad Correspondent" .... hahaha .... you are entirely too modest Bill. hahah. "Bad" doesn't begin to convey the heights to which you have risen .... hahahahh. OK ... you expected that.

I'm glad your family have appreciated your Woodsman.

Thanks.

Gary

OK Joebill, go on about not having grown taller than your hair! At least I can take a picture!

POM....(post of the month).

See, this is why im trying desperately to own one of your guns. Its all those little things you do that NO ONE ELSE does. The hammer things almost made me spit out my drink cause you hit the nail right on the head. I've seen some ROUGH hammers from the so called "TOP AIRGUN MAKERS" and i've had to POLISH a handful of them on various guns that either i own or ones my friends own. Little details like that make all the difference in performance.

Spring Guides, Polished Internals, extensive trigger assembly work.....WOW. Keep doing what you do, its what makes your guns and work unique

Yep ... it's what has made some of the finest companies in history go out of business. hahahahah.. Vincent Motorcycles. Indian - their four cyclinder inline was magnificent. Auburn. Cord. Duesenburg. Attention to detail and fine craftsmanship.

I'll try to be the exception. And, in all fairness ... I do have to prevent myself from going farther down the road than I do. I'd love to do more ... but there simply isn't the time. One of the reasons things take so long is just the time between having done the same discipline the last time. Next time I "Hard Color Anodize" billet aluminum, I will have to re-educate myself on the technique first ... because it will have been a year since I last did it. "Acid etching" the same. Been a good six months.

I've never yet shown you guys "silver wire inlay" like they used to do on the Kentucky rifles. And some other stuff. Hey - maybe I'll live long enough. But .... I'm gonna need this stupid health equation to stabalize on a higher level. I've been working now, as if I'd just gotten over the flu. You know that dragging, shaky feeling. It's such a Royal bummer .... after having learned all this stuff.

I guess this is what every "Olde World Craftsman" has gone thru .... once the emphasis has switched to the word "Olde".



Gary

That Hoss was amazing piece of art......

Thanks Don,

Here's the link to the Hoss 45 Pistol .... in "Gary's Galleries"

[www.airgunrendezvous.com]

Gary

Gary, you rank up there with Theo Hegman and Girandoni as far as master craftsman...It is wonderful that the air gun world today has a master like you producing these masterpieces...I hope you have a family member or someone that you can pass on your expertise on to for future generations to enjoy...Allen.

Thank you Allen,

All very deep compliments. I appreciate them all. I greatly admire the work of Theo Hegman.

I'll be a single volume Allen. Nobody else in the family had the spark.

Much appreciated.

Gary

devil .......... detail .

Personally, I think that all else can be forgiven due solely to #5 on that list.

As you are painfully aware, it can be a long and frustrating journey getting back your health once it's lost. The "sweetness" of a low price and short wait time would be instantly and permanently forgotten if you ever ended up picking up your broken teeth after a bolt failure. And worse, should you catch a lost bolt further north...

as my old shop teacher used to say... "you can walk on a wooden leg, but you can't see with a glass eye."

That said, number 3 surprise me. Makes sense, though.

Hi Sean,

Yes - let's see if I can find a few pics. They will tell you exactly WHY I go to such lengths.



Emily



David



Timmy



Amanda



Kyle



Wiley (and Emily)


No other way to do it.

Gary

A greate collection showing why we don't want things running on the edge of coming apart or having to be operated perfectly to avoid disaster.

I love the way my rifle is designed and put together. Gary, your description of the design and manufacture of your rifles is the reason I bought one.
I like a piece of machinery that is designed so that it doesn't break and needs little maintainance BUT when maintainance is needed it is designed to be disassembled in a rational way by a person with reasonable skills, fixed and reassembled and can be expected to work properly. Not unlike what I do for a living!