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 intend to remedy this situation. 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 calculations and craft needed to produce specific product. Each book or video will show the fabrication of a single item 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. Of course, it is not sufficient to simply resolve to build firearms. Tools and instruction in their use are also necessary for the gun maker. My site provides references to an abundance of written sources composed by the most revered gunmakers in history; much of this is summarized for the visitor in the free Bibliography ("A Bibliography For Makers Of Small Arms") which appears on the site page "Free Resources." Finally, let me candidly acknowledge that I do not know it all. My command of the art and science of gun making must be small in comparison to all that can be known about it. This is the situation in which we all are placed, no matter how much time we devote to the study of our craft. Our knowledge is always a work in process. Therefore, we should all resolve to do the following: strive to expand our knowledge by a little bit every day, maintain an active interest in the work of others who are advancing the field of gun making, and, most importantly, gratefully acknowledge correction if we have erred.