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Either through retirement or passing? Mine retired. Wow – I miss him. What a void he leaves. He was truly excellent. The knowledge, skill, craftsmanship, insight – things that took decades to hone and refine. I am of course specifically referring to his work on older firearms. I know there are some young guys out there who are sharp and have skill, but most don’t have any history with older firearms and their main focus is modern firearms.
We need more guys like Mark Douglas 
Steve,
Well said. I really like Mark’s video’s, he pulls back the curtain and shows us what can be done.
I use to buy guns with flaws but without the people to make the gun right it’s not practical. I find myself being very particular and asking for a return policy if it doesn’t function. The collector/shooter is a big part of the market. I won’t own a collector car without taking it for a drive once in awhile. T/R
I’m blessed to know one still working, though now in his ’60s. He works mainly on high-grade doubles, & is snowed-under with work from all over the country, though he lives like a hermit in an “undisclosed” location; if I hadn’t known him for 40 yrs, it would be impossible to get him to undertake anything for me. Even knowing him as I do, I’ve been waiting a yr for him to do a checkering & refinishing job on a bolt-action sporter.
But all the others I’ve known, retired, or like most of my old friends, “departed.”
November 7, 2015
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I’ve lost a few over the years, current one just got out of the hospital and hasn’t been in good health for several years. He does mostly quick repairs but can be convinced to take on more involved jobs. This time of year his outboard motor repair business keeps him busy so his gun customers sometimes need to wait a week or two. Not many good smiths can turn one around that fast. No idea what I’ll do when he closes up shop. Nowadays anyone who can cobble together an M4 calls himself a gunsmith, and some of them can’t match the correct gas system to the barrel.
Mike
Same problem here. Any that I really trusted have passed on. There is a local shop that is authorized to do factory repair work but I still don’t trust them on my antiques.
TXGunNut said This time of year his outboard motor repair business keeps him busy so his gun customers sometimes need to wait a week or two.
A “gunsmith” who makes outboard motors his first priority”? I’d sure start looking for a replacement, difficult as that job is bound to be.
One of the aspects I really appreciated about my former gunsmith was he was located only 30 miles away (mostly highway miles). Compare this to what is involved in packing up and shipping a rifle (and having it shipped back). It was great! It was also nice to see him in person. He had an appreciation for vintage pieces. He also enjoyed working on them more than a Remington M870.
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