As Marvel origin stories are all the rage, here’s mine. I’m often asked, “How did I get into gunsmithing?” The short answer is, I had a bunch of guns and wanted a bunch of work done and either could not find anyone to do the work or did not want to spend the money to have the work done. Using what few hand tools I had already, I purchased a few gunsmithing specific tools and started reading forums and what little information was online at the time. This was in the early days of YouTube, 2009-10, when gun related videos had yet to really be a thing. With a few picture threads on arfcom and military firearm forum, I managed to assemble my first AR15 lower in a Fort Knox hotel room during armor officer basic training.
Fast forward to my first duty station at Fort Hood, and I was, “the gun guy” in my unit. Other Lieutenants, NCOs, soldiers, and my commander would ask which rifle or pistol they should buy, where to go shooting, or to mount optics. A slow accumulation of hand tools continued for most of my seven-year active-duty tenure as I spent most of my free time tinkering in the garage. In 2015 I was medically retired from the army, so during the eight-month med board process, I figured out how to make Kydex holsters from YouTube and forums, since I wanted holsters for all my pistols and it was cheaper to buy all the tools and equipment to make 15 holsters than buy them.
This was the start of 19Charlie Tactical and holster making; born out of necessity of needing a post-military income stream and not wanting to get a 9-5 job. A new gun store in town had just opened about that same time, so I brought in some sample holsters to stock the store. They bought an initial order, and I continued to make custom holsters for this store for several months. The store then needed a gunsmith, as numerous customers constantly asked for gunsmith services. I frequently hung out in the store and offered advice, eventually, being hired as an onsite gunsmith with what limited tools I had.
Work was steady at that store; I continued to accumulate tools and skills as needed. A 12-ton shop press, scratch start TIG welder, sand blast cabinet, Parkerizing tanks, air compressor, and lots of hand tools. That store had grown rapidly, too rapidly, and the owner embezzled $330,000 from investors, employees, and customers. I’m still owed $23,000 which I’ll never see. Needless to say, that store closed and I took all my equipment home.
For six months, I focused on holsters and personal projects, then landed a gig as the onsite gunsmith at Texas Star Shooting Range in Kempner, TX, my favorite local outdoor range. I soon transformed a 400 square foot shed into a workshop with nearly every capability for a gunsmith short of nitriding (which requires massive furnaces and thousands of degrees of heat). I acquired a mini mill and 21” lathe to figure out machining, made some salts for bluing steel, practiced welding skills, all largely from YouTube and forums, along with some old-fashioned trial and error experimentation. A gunsmith shop located on a shooting range is a HUGE force multiplier, as we can test fire and zero customer guns immediately after performing work, rather than drive to a range for testing, or deal with city ordnances with a test fire barrel.
Eight years later, I’m still at TSSR, have two apprentice gunsmiths working in the shop, a painter / laser engraver on staff as well. We’ve partnered with 9-Hole Review channel on YouTube for a dozen projects, often featured in the video. (First met Henry from the Military Firearms Forum). I’ve also expanded to a second shed on site for a dedicated bluing room for climate-controlled bluing and segregated media blasting room (its very dusty and loud). I’m ever expanding my abilities and skillset, perfecting my craft. Attending SHOT Show in 2026, the first time after being in the industry for a decade!
Opening Day in June 2017