Joseph Reichert

I have spent many years in the study of machine tool technology, especially as applied to the fabrication of guns and ammunition. In conjunction with this study, I also devoted time to learning the essentials of metallurgy, the chemistry of propellants and primers, metal casting, metal forming, and other related disciplines. Much of my knowledge was acquired during the course of a four year apprenticeship I served at Los Alamos National Laboratory, at the conclusion of which I was awarded the title of Journeyman Prototype Machinist. In building my enterprise, JRI Gunmaker, it is my objective to assemble in one place all reliable information on the design, making and testing of guns and ammunition, and make that information available to serious craftsmen who wish to manufacture those products. It is my conviction that the small shop is capable of producing guns and ammunition of a quality and reliability competitive with the output of established industrial concerns. The only obstacle to this goal is the lack of sound instructional material in the subject matter, and the absence of organizations which will promote the necessary exchange of knowledge. I seek out and publish books which communicate the necessary skills to those who wish to fabricate firearms and ammunition. Many such books exist, though they are not always easily found. I also write my own materials, and am working on books and instructional videos which will contain step-by-step demonstrations of the scientific procedures and craft skills needed to produce specific products. Each book or video will show the fabrication of a single product from start to finish, that is, from raw materials to a completed firearm, or finished component of ammunition. If I do my job well, my students will come away with the skills required to build complete shooting systems.