When California was once home to some of America's most talented Gun Smiths.

[Clayguy]

Damn straight! Republicans have passed some of the worst gun control!

They aren't our friends, as soon as people realize this the better. It's just a different wolf in sheep's clothing.

Why we have to settle for the lesser of the two evils is beyond me. Why can't we have someone that doesn't give us double talk when it comes to protecting the 2nd Amendment?!

The Mulford Act was passed because the Black Panthers were carrying firearms and "patrolling" areas in Oakland, CA looking for cops to shoot. It was passed in an effort to try to keep cops from getting shot by Black Panthers. Now they go by Black Lives Matter and Antifa. The Mulford Act was well intentioned, but was absorbed by Democrats as a basic platform for further gun control measures.

 

[DustyGmt]

Hogue grips were also made in California (maybe they still are). The Hogue family were customers of mine when I lived there.

Love me some Hogue. Just put a Hogue beavertail grip on my 43 and it feels like a new pistol. Dont know why didn't do it sooner since I've always been partial to Hogue. Pachmayr too, except on magnum revolvers. For some reason the hard plastic of the pachmayr under heavy recoil doesnt feel too great on the hand.

The OP's post is great, although a lil depressing. When I was younger I always thought I wanted to move to California for the weather, beaches, mountains, cities, etc... California has this intangible quality, indescribable mystique about it.

Unfortunately it's a pipe dream. Same with Colorado. Some of the most attractive places to live. I used to think my state of vermont was a haven, insulated from all the stupid woke policies and anti gun nonsense. My worst fears were realized and after a couple centuries of unencumbered gun ownership in VT, 2018 was the year we got UBC'd, we lost 10+ for rifles and 15+ for pistols. Now with covid everybody from NY, CT, MA is moving here permanently infecting us with covid and anti gun politics so constitutional carry will probably be next, then Semi's.

Thanks to the OP, it's a nice reminder that things didnt always used to be this way. Nice bit of nostalgia and history. I knew some of the great smiths were from CA....

 

[vintovka]

I know more than a dozen extremely talented gunsmiths who have been forced out of CA. Know at least a dozen more who flat stopped working due to regulations and harassment by CADOJ and local govt. Just insurance premiums (or lack of insurance) has also claimed many. Remaining gun shops can't/won't keep a smith on site due to liability issues. Some won't even install scope mounts on pre drilled rifles due to liability issues. Then there just old age/illness that has claimed some of the best like John Martz and Hal Sharon. I hear CA wants to license metal working machinery to control manufacture and may pay informants. CA's UN-enforceable over regulation, 10%+ sales tax on goods and labor, unstable politics have driven demand and black markets off the charts. Might be some really good smiths still there in CA but you will never hear about them.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Bob Chow's wife was known to help him work on guns too.

Valentino Giananni converted Garands to take a BAR magazine. He was on Columbus street between Lombard and Chestnut Streets in San Franciscograd. He passed away in the early '80s.

Robert Dunlap, former senior instructor at Lassen College was known for repair work. His company, Pacific International Service Corp (PISCO) was the warranty station for almost all major firearms makers. He closed shop and created American Gunsmithing Institute that does those videos/CDs on gunsmithing.

For a brief time, barrel maker H. Pope was in San Francisco, but his shop was destroyed by the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

R. Davis and Co. in Emeryville and Sacramento was famous for adapting the Python barrel to the Ruger Security Six and S&W revolvers. They were called the Couger and Smoth respectively.

California has been killed by the state "progressive" legislators and governor. Makes sense since an armed populace is incompatible with a police state.

 

[vintovka]

Quick check on PISCO shows the moved to

PISCO
140 East Third Street
Coquille, OR 97423

Dunlap and Hal Sharon were instructors at Lassen. Knew Hal and learned much from him both at lassen and when he was working for us on a PIMC/OLD SAC ARMORY contract near Sonora CA.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Glad this thread came up.
I have a 1/2 box of Perfecast Accuracy Bullets made by Wisler Western Arms Inc.,205 Second St, San Francisco.
Wonder how old they are..?

 

[Miami_JBT]

The Mulford Act was passed because the Black Panthers were carrying firearms and "patrolling" areas in Oakland, CA looking for cops to shoot. It was passed in an effort to try to keep cops from getting shot by Black Panthers. Now they go by Black Lives Matter and Antifa. The Mulford Act was well intentioned, but was absorbed by Democrats as a basic platform for further gun control measures.

Any different than the pro gun anti cop protesters in VA? Remember, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Any authority the state assumes against one party
will eventually be used against the other. The boot of oppression simply changes side from right to left and vice versa.

As a cop, there were laws in place already to go after the Black Panthers. The Mulford Act was an against everyone's civil rights. No different than the Patriot Act or Red Flag Laws.

 

[daniel craig]

I mean, NY is the home of Turnbull and they’re ranked some of the best in the nation.

 

[George P]

I mentioned Terry Tussey in a post above; found out yesterday that he passed away 11/14/2020 at the age of 80. He was a great custom gunsmith.

 

[Miami_JBT]

I mentioned Terry Tussey in a post above; found out yesterday that he passed away 11/14/2020 at the age of 80. He was a great custom gunsmith.

¡Coño!

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

One friend was stationed at DLIWC Monterey 1967-68, pre-GCA 1968, said to purchase a long gun it was walk in, pay, walk out, for a handgun a five day wait while they sent your name to Sacramento for a background check.

 

[Mk VII]

Anyone else remember those Pachmayer gun transit boxes which doubled as a scope stand?

 

[taliv]

On the sniper rifle side, his name escapes me at the moment but one of the most well regarded accurate custom bolt gun smiths was in California. AFAIK he almost exclusively made 308win and always used the same ugly olive green stock with some wacky black grippy coating. Run about $6000. But every one would shoot one hole. Sometimes you figure out what works and stick with it.

I ran into someone last year though that had one of his rifles (unfired) that was part of a secret service special order in 30-06. Pretty cool.

 

[Mn Fats]

R. Davis and Co. in Emeryville and Sacramento was famous for adapting the Python barrel to the Ruger Security Six and S&W revolvers. They were called the Couger and Smoth respectively.

Smolt I believe you mean. Or Smython...

 

[George P]

Love me some Hogue. Just put a Hogue beavertail grip on my 43 and it feels like a new pistol. Dont know why didn't do it sooner since I've always been partial to Hogue. Pachmayr too, except on magnum revolvers. For some reason the hard plastic of the pachmayr under heavy recoil doesnt feel too great on the hand.

The OP's post is great, although a lil depressing. When I was younger I always thought I wanted to move to California for the weather, beaches, mountains, cities, etc... California has this intangible quality, indescribable mystique about it.

Unfortunately it's a pipe dream. Same with Colorado. Some of the most attractive places to live. I used to think my state of vermont was a haven, insulated from all the stupid woke policies and anti gun nonsense. My worst fears were realized and after a couple centuries of unencumbered gun ownership in VT, 2018 was the year we got UBC'd, we lost 10+ for rifles and 15+ for pistols. Now with covid everybody from NY, CT, MA is moving here permanently infecting us with covid and anti gun politics so constitutional carry will probably be next, then Semi's.

Thanks to the OP, it's a nice reminder that things didnt always used to be this way. Nice bit of nostalgia and history. I knew some of the great smiths were from CA....

You've had Bernie for a lot longer than that...................

 

[Aim1]

Very cool.

 

[DustyGmt]

You've had Bernie for a lot longer than that...................

Yeah, vermont was kind of an anomaly. We are one of the most liberal, left leaning, tree hugging, granola crunching, hippy dippy states in the country but somehow we have gotten away with 200+ years of absolutely no gun control. I guess all good things must end. I thought we had the muscle to overturn it but only a relatively small contingent showed up at the Capitol to protest it.

Makes me think alot of dyed in the wool vermonters around here feel their bolt action hunting rifle is well and good enough, which is fine. There is an ongoing court case but its stalled at the moment afaik.

MAGPUL made my day though, they showed up to the Capitol in montpelier with a truckload of 30rd magazines on the eve of the "historic signing" and handed them out like Thanksgiving turkeys. Lol. Which is alot more than the NRA did, which was nothing. Then, just as you'd expect, as soon as that got signed in they hit the governor's desk with more Gun Bills trying to institute long waiting periods, Age restrictions, etc... at least he vetoed those. Count my blessings I guess.

Yep, we are starting to feel the Bern here in VT.... just to twist the knife a lil more it was our Republican governor who got the ball rolling on all this new VT gun control, after making several televised promises he'd never do so. Good ol Flip Flop Phil, made sure to report that he voted for Biden on TV too. It's starting to feel like we are on the losing side.

 

[lionking]

FL is being New Yorked and New Jerseyed.

Actually in the Tampa bay area there is a heavy amount of ex NY and most I know are pro 2nd and DON'T vote the same as the state they left. It may be different in the Broward/Palm beach area. A you saw this last election FL is not turning solid blue.

 

[Miami_JBT]

Yeah, vermont was kind of an anomaly. We are one of the most liberal, left leaning, tree hugging, granola crunching, hippy dippy states in the country but somehow we have gotten away with 200+ years of absolutely no gun control. I guess all good things must end. I thought we had the muscle to overturn it but only a relatively small contingent showed up at the Capitol to protest it.

Makes me think alot of dyed in the wool vermonters around here feel their bolt action hunting rifle is well and good enough, which is fine. There is an ongoing court case but its stalled at the moment afaik.

MAGPUL made my day though, they showed up to the Capitol in montpelier with a truckload of 30rd magazines on the eve of the "historic signing" and handed them out like Thanksgiving turkeys. Lol. Which is alot more than the NRA did, which was nothing. Then, just as you'd expect, as soon as that got signed in they hit the governor's desk with more Gun Bills trying to institute long waiting periods, Age restrictions, etc... at least he vetoed those. Count my blessings I guess.

Yep, we are starting to feel the Bern here in VT.... just to twist the knife a lil more it was our Republican governor who got the ball rolling on all this new VT gun control, after making several televised promises he'd never do so. Good ol Flip Flop Phil, made sure to report that he voted for Biden on TV too. It's starting to feel like we are on the losing side.

Phil Scott is a scumbag no different then FL's Rick Scott.

VT was for a very long time "classically liberal". It espoused the beliefs of what our founders were in terms of liberalism. Freedom to do what one wants. But Liberalism has been corrupted and co-opted by Progressive Socialists and Authoritarian Socialists.

No different than how Conservativismhas been corrupted and co-opted by Progressives and Authoritarians.

And yeah, I feel you about CA. My Uncle Gerb moved out there in the early 70s and my Father almost did too. I grew up as a kid listening to stories about how awesome CA was and I visited it as a kid and loved it. It truly is ashame what has happened to CA.

 

[George P]

It was still a nice place to visit in the 80s (CA); used to take vacations there and the kids loved the aquarium in Monterey, the beaches in Ft. Bragg, etc.

 

[entropy]

I loved the area around Ft. Ord when I was stationed there; the aquarium, Cannery Row and all the fine restaurants in the area. Went to Salinas, Watsonville, Gilroy, Sacremento, San Fran, Big Sur, Carmel, Arroyo Seco, etc. But I couldn't have afforded to live there otherwise. I did get a little further out, too. Went to Weed with a friend who's wife was from there, and Redding, and also got south some. Tijuana, for that classic leave stint of trying to find that darn mule, LA, San Diego, I went to Northcrest for a week when a friend from there ETS'd. Not sure I'd want to go there now.

 

[DustyGmt]

Phil Scott is a scumbag no different then FL's Rick Scott.

VT was for a very long time "classically liberal". It espoused the beliefs of what our founders were in terms of liberalism. Freedom to do what one wants. But Liberalism has been corrupted and co-opted by Progressive Socialists and Authoritarian Socialists.

No different than how Conservativismhas been corrupted and co-opted by Progressives and Authoritarians.

And yeah, I feel you about CA. My Uncle Gerb moved out there in the early 70s and my Father almost did too. I grew up as a kid listening to stories about how awesome CA was and I visited it as a kid and loved it. It truly is ashame what has happened to CA.

Yeah. His supposed change of heart and deep soul searching moment when he decided to take action once and for all to save the children wasnt even prompted by some horrific shooting. It was some kid who told another kid he was bringing a 12ga to school, wrote in a lil diary too about being a shooter or whatever. The kid wasnt even charged, the rest of VT was. But the kid didnt even have to face up to his actions, or non actions as the case may be. Some disturbed lil emo punk did some posturing and the whole VT model of personal and individual freedom with guns came crashing down. It was totally political and I'm sure he was only thinking of reelection and his "legacy". Yeah, like you said. Scummer.

I remember in the weeks leading up to it I sent an email to his office and was sent a reply that no drastic steps were going to be taken in terms of new gun legislation and that his plan/proposal was to get grants to harden school security and better address mental health. Nothing about new gun restrictions. Then I heard it straight from his mouth on TV what he was urging legislators to do and I tried to send more emails to Scott and Representatives and none of the messages would send, I've never seen an email fail to send with a "message not delivered" notification until then. I tried to call as well and could not get through or leave a message. Went online and saw that thousands of others experienced the same communication barricade. I dont know what that was all about, to this day I dont understand it. Maybe all the calls and emails crashed the system but I know some people felt it was intentional. Idk about that but it was definitely weird and disappointing to not even be heard about it.

It happened lightning fast too. One second it was "oh no we arent signing any new gun restrictions and the next it was already over. Sorry for the extended sidebar/rant. Idk if you can tell but I'm a lil bitter about it.