Video—Preserving the Skills: Gunsmithing at Colonial Williamsburg

by
posted on December 23, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Most folks know Williamsburg to be one of the premiere living-history sites in the nation. What few perhaps realize, however, is in an effort to preserve that history to its most intricate detail, the majority of trades and skills being demonstrated at Williamsburg are done for real. The blacksmiths there are actually forging tools, the wheelwrights are making wheels and the gunsmiths, well, they're making firearms. In this edition of the Preserving the Skills video series, check out the fine art of gunsmithing at Colonial Williamsburg

Additional Reading:
Making the American Rifle at Colonial Williamsburg
The Guns of the Colonial Williamsburg Collection 

Colonial Williamsburg Fire a Flintlock Musket Program  









Latest

AR on table with target
AR on table with target

Skills Check: Rifle Standard Delta 2

Carbine performance is all about maintaining control. The Rifle Standard Delta 2 is a drill that pressures recoil control, visual discipline and cadence as distance decreases and time compresses.

Gun Sales Up for the 7th Month in a Row in 2026

The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) estimate of last month’s gun sales was up 2.2 percent compared to August 2025.

Caring For & Feeding Your Cap-and-Ball Revolvers

Compared to pistoleros of the 19th century, today’s handgunners have it easy. It's not enough just to get an old-school, cap-and-ball revolver. You also need to acquire everything to shoot and clean it.

Lighter & Better: Savage’s Updated Ultralite Series of Rifles

Savage Arms kicked off 2026 by announcing a new generation of Model 110 bolt-action rifles, and now, the company has also introduced an updated series of Ultralite rifles.

Gun of the Week: Franchi Momentum Elite MULE

One of the latest entrants into the general-utility rifle market is Franchi with its Momentum Utility Lite Elite bolt-action rifle, also known as the MULE.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 11, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.