Westley Richards factory tour
- Thread starter G_Alan
- Start date
This got me thinking... what is the difference between what is demonstrated in this video, and gunmaking of 100-150 years ago? First off, they didn't have CNC machines back then, though they would have loved them. A lot. Without these, someone had to 'make' the raw parts from steel, using hand saws, files and drills, and many workers specialized in making these parts, to be delivered to the gunmaker. Once the 'raw' parts were in the gunmaker's hands, not a lot was different from the video depictions, with careful chiselling, shaping, filing and polishing of parts by hand, usually with tools precious to the craftsmen, some modified for special jobs. Jointing/actioning, hardening, regulating, metal and wood finishing, all pretty similar, and the hours required for precise hand work probably haven't changed much. 30-odd guns a year was a typical output, maybe even a bit high for some. Another difference? The apprentices would have been younger back then, usually starting at 14.
Just think how much cost-cutting has to happen and how many shortcuts have to be taken to bring down the cost of a double gun to what Turkish manufacturers are selling their guns for, with everybody in between taking a profit. I would rather have a second-hand early-to-mid 20th-century gun, built with attention to detail, than a new gun built on the cheap and sold for the same amount or more. Just my personal opinion.
Just think how much cost-cutting has to happen and how many shortcuts have to be taken to bring down the cost of a double gun to what Turkish manufacturers are selling their guns for, with everybody in between taking a profit. I would rather have a second-hand early-to-mid 20th-century gun, built with attention to detail, than a new gun built on the cheap and sold for the same amount or more. Just my personal opinion.
