Agreed. I have the distinct luxury of building guns strictly as an avocation, and you might like my work, 'cause it ain't high art and there are often tell--tale signs of hand wrought parts and human endeavor. My guns do not rest next to the artists' guns in many of the finer collections. They do, however, come in from the mountains and fields annually with deer blood all over them, something, I'll wager, most top-end rifles never saw and never will.
If I had to build guns for basic support, I doubt that I would like it nearly as much. Now it is fun because the thought of "work" never enters my mind. It is not work, but rather creation and pure enjoyment. My only goal is to do better each time and not allow sloppiness to enter into the picture, a common journeyman's pitfall. Now for those few who can retain this happiness and enthusiasm, put out production work of distinction, and feed the family, too, my hat is off to you and you have my utmost respect.
I rarely hunt anymore and haven't really missed it. I always ask my customers to bring me a few steaks and some ground meat from their first kill with the rifle. I eat it now but don't have to get cold, drag it, gut it and cart it around. Rather go trout fishing in the spring.
A friend asked me recently why I was not at the latest big-name contemp. show. Pure and simple; I went to an auction instead. A concurrent reason; there I feel as if I am taking a hamburger to a steak and lobster tail cook-off. The big names in collecting don't want my stuff, and the people off the street usually are there out of curiosity and often don't come to buy, or they tell you that they would really like to have it, but...
Point is, there are a lot of builders out there that achieve modest success as avocational builders who are neither world-class quality artists nor icons of the trade. That is good. There is a place for all of us to have fun and maybe sell a few guns. I like seeing mine used rather than handled as objects d'art.
As for Dixon's, they serve a very noble and useful purpose, and the people who run it are well intentioned, dedicated, and an asset to all of us. I have only two things to add. When the judges really like a piece, it ends up with multiple ribbons, many blue. We call it a "bouquet." I only ever got one bouquet from them, when I moved from apprentice to journeyman class several years ago. The comment was made directly into the microphone, "Well, his prices just went up," after the award was given. Perhaps if the judges themselves would refrain from such public comments, then the rank and file would truly be able to accept the official notion that "education" prevails as the dominant goal.
This was said on July 28, 2002, according to my written notes.
One final suggestion. Never, never enter a gun at Dixon's that has already been sold. You are setting yourself up and putting your head through a picture frame and saying "punch me." You have nothing to win and everything to lose. Trust me, if you enter this gun and it does not attain at least one blue ribbon (many are given annually) then the customer has a lifetime to bug you about why his gun was not blessed by the high priests. The misguided notion persists that if the judges don't issue blue, then the piece is not good. Want to give a gun the kiss of death around here? Hang a green Dixon's ribbon on it and see if it sells. Here perception talks and reality walks.
