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Gunsmith

Many trade skills required for gunsmith

Colonial gunsmithing required the skills of a blacksmith, whitesmith, founder, and woodworker to build a gun. A finished weapon required fine detail work on iron and steel, the carving of decorative designs, hammering and casting brass and silver into complex shapes, and engraving hard and soft metals. These skills were usually learned in an apprenticeship lasting five to seven years. A male youth began his apprenticeship between the ages of 12 and 14 years and completed it by the time he was 21.

Colonial gunsmiths mainly performed repair work

Because imported firearms were cheaper than those made in Williamsburg – typical of many goods in colonial America – the gunsmith mainly repaired arms and other objects. Gunsmiths often repaired axes and other items made by blacksmiths, cast shoe buckles and other items like bells, and sometimes repaired silver objects.

Colonial Williamsburg gunsmithing

Today, gunsmiths demonstrate their trade and interpret at the James Geddy site in the middle of the Historic Area, practicing their trade alongside the brass founders and pewterers in a historically accurate setting. During the 18th century, the Geddys were gunsmiths, blacksmiths, founders, and silversmiths.

A gunsmith performs detail work on the stock of an American long rifle.

A gunsmith’s precision work

Gunsmiths work on the barrel of a rifle at the outdoor forge.

Beauty in the details

Inside the Gunsmith Shop, interpreters work on building a new rifle.

Tools of the gunsmith

Multimedia and related links

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  • Gunsmith

    Master Gunsmith George Suiter talks about the art of making guns in the town of Williamsburg. January 16, 2006

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
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  • Prelude to Victory

    "Prelude to Victory" celebrates the anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown with three days of special programs that recall September 26, 27, and 28, 1781. September 24, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
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  • Fashion and Function

    A corset's engineered strictness defines the shape of the 18th-century woman. Journeywoman Brooke Welborn explains the trend. May 5, 2008

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
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  • Researching Revolutionary Citizens

    Actor-interpreter Corinne Dame talks about the continual research necessary to give a living and accurate portrayal of Williamsburg's 18th-century citizens. September 18, 2006

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
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  • The Gunpowder Plot

    Add your shouts to the clamor for revolution in Colonial Williamsburg's evening program, "The Gunpowder Plot." Author Gina DeAngelis explains. September 17, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
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  • Emissaries of Peace

    Adept negotiators in pursuit of peace, the Cherokee tribe endures through centuries of change. Colonial Williamsburg director and producer Linda Randulfe talks about the November 8 Electronic Field Trip, "Emissaries of Peace." November 5, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
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