Molly, thanks for asking this interesting question. I have enjoyed hobby gunstocking, and have learned much from some on this site and other very talented and knowledgeable folks. And I’ve always enjoyed learning from the old guns themselves – “all my favorite gunsmiths are dead” per Alan Gutchess and Jack Brooks. I usually use the tools and materials from the 18th century, and some of these efforts come close to the look and feel of the old work. The gunstocking process or working trade is what I find rewarding, and sharing what I learn with others.
Quite a few years back, Earl Lanning encouraged me to shift energy from gunstocking to research and writing, to share what we have learned. Gunstocking makes us better collectors and students, and collecting or study makes us better stockers. I’ve been fortunate to publish a book with the help of many, sharing some new information, and have contributed to another book and several articles. The writing may be more available as a legacy than the guns, depending upon where they end up.
To your point, my research showed me that some have enjoyed collecting and playing with arms for centuries, and I believe that will continue. I don’t remember where I found this woodcut –
(https://i.ibb.co/g6k25LW/17th-cent-the-gun-nut.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fQjghzN)
The author called this “The Weapons Fool”, or maybe in our terminology “The Gun Nut”. Probably written by a collector to poke fun at himself before someone else could do it. It translates roughly as “I am a fine citizen, and though I can’t stand the smell of powder, I own all kinds of guns, which bring me few compliments, since I don’t know how to use them, but I make sure rust does not appear.” Note the dog watering the work in the background!
So depending upon where my gunstocking efforts and those of others end up, I think some will appreciate our attempts to recreate old work and maintain those skills. Since we struggle to understand what is original work, and what is restoration or addition on the old guns we study, it is important that we sign and date our work somewhere, to avoid further confusion. We have a few museums and living history programs which demonstrate these hand skills, and some other countries like Japan consider such artisans as important legacies themselves. I think this will continue to some degree, and collectors will continue. I don’t know if the spread in value between what we call “originals” and our shootable contemporary guns will continue? That will be interesting.
The best part of stocking, researching and writing is the many friends we make here and all over the world. We as individuals will fade away, but I think we will continually be replaced by new networks of friends. The value of the old guns generally continues – in dollars and in enjoyment as both earlier art and history. Thanks for asking. I would like to hear thoughtful replies from others. Perhaps you (or the CLA or someone) should interview some of our best, and include this question. Bob