Same here.
Some of the most "Master" gunsmiths I trained with in the 60's Army AMU retired and took up drinking full time, or rental house management, last I heard of them 40 years ago.
The old Master gunsmith who first took me under his wing and teached me a few things when I was 19 years old was a man named Tom Kincaid, here in town.
He invented, made, and installed the Kincaid Release Trigger for the Model 12 Winchester trap gun.
If you shot a release trigger at trap and won in the 50's & 60's, you shot a Kincaid trigger.
Another old friend years ago that taught me a few things was a man named Jack Colyer.
He patented the Colyer hi-cap magazine for the Remington pump & semi-auto rifles.
Goggle "Colyer Remington magazine" and see what pops up.
Either Tom or Jack would whack you up side the head with a steel bench block if you accused them of being a "Master Gunsmith"!
They both could fix, make, or build anything that walked in the door someone wanted fixed or built.
But they both would readily admit they were not master gunsmiths under the old world definition.
Sadly, Tom was robbed in his shop by a punk who smashed both his hands with a shotgun butt while he was trying to hand over the money.
He never could work another day, and died later a broken man.
Jack died of natural causes as I recall, if you consider running a whiskey distillery in your liver natural. That happened while I ws away in the service, so it could be true, or not.
Anyway, Tom was one I would consider a master gunsmith, and true gentelmen who would befriend a 19 year old kid out of high-school, and let me look over his shoulder at the milling machine, lathe, or bench block while he did his magic.
Reflecting on it, I never met a really good gunsmith who said he was a master at anything, so I don't know what it would take to make one.
I do know that once you think you think you master anything, you will soon find out the hard way you haven't really mastered anything at all.
rc