I think that the "Gunsmithing" topic is too broad and covers too much stuff. I think this forum needs a topic entitled
"The Custom Rifle" to narrow things down and put the focus where it should be, which is on fine custom guns and those who have made and who now make them.

But thats just me.

I disagree, I see some of these forums with so many closely related threads that it is confusing were to post and it is seemingly unnessary to hop from thread to thread to discuss similar topics.

blue,



There are several members who think AR already has 2 to 3 times as many forums as required and that the very large number of forums is at least partly responsible for the fall off in activity at AR.



Many members only visit a couple of forums and as more forums appear other forums suffer from a lack of activity which in turn produces boredom.



Having said that, I think if several forums could be abolished then there is some value in a Custom Rifle forum. I also think that Gunsmithing would be better named with something like HA uses, that is, Rifles and Riflesmithing



However, if you have a forum Custom Rifles you will still get a lot of the Custom Rifle activity posted on the African Hunting forum, Big Bores and Medium Bore.



The Big Bores forum was initially suggested by Mitch and the idea was to cater for big bore users where the gun use did not relate to Africa. But in my opinion that forum took a lot away from the African Hunting forum.



Mike

I tend to agree with Mike375. I really like AR, in fact it is the only fierarms related site that I visit on a daily basis, don't pay much attention to any of the other sites, except on rare occassion, I probably spend too much time here as it is. I would rather see a few less forums than a few more. Just my 2 cents worth.

Mike, I couldn't agree with you more.

AD

Saeed has the best forum of this type on the www. Don't need the forums subdivided any furthur. It all becomes micro-managed. 2C worth.

WEll, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me.

I guess what I was hoping for, since I (and I am sure others as well) like to look at custom guns so much, is that if there was a custom gun forum, then people could come on and post photos of their custom guns for others to see and appreciate.

Everything you ask for is already in this forum. I also enjoy the custom rifles posted here. I wouldn't mind seeing a place for photos only as I like to reference them, but we don't need to turn up the snob factor by seperating rifle forums based on the grade of the wood and the amount of engraving. If we did, then we have to also create a room for McMillan based "customs" to avoid the what is a custom rifle crap over and over again.

Everything that you'd like to see happen with a special 'Custom Rifles' forum already comes to fruition right here on this forum, plus others on AR. The photos, the expert professional gunmaker input, contributions and insights by owners and users, etc., all crop up with regularity right here.

There are way too many forums on AR right now if you ask me, and their number tends to water down the content of some of the discussions.

Simplicity and a minimum of clutter tends to make every undertaking more satisfaying, more efficient, more productive, and more enjoyable....

AD

Dempsey

Well, I guess I am of the camp that I don't really care what you call them. They could be called custom or they could be called gobbledigook for all I care. Just so people post photographs of them, and then I can make up my own mind what I think of them. Its kind of like going to a museum (which I do quite a bit). They put it up there, and then the viewer has to decide what it is and whether they like it. If one puts it up there, they have to accept the risk of ridicule. In a way, Custom guns are more than just guns. They are statements about how a customer and a maker perceive the gun. And as such they are art. And art should be enjoyed by everyone, including those who cannot afford to own it theirselves, for art is the expression of the human spirit, and we are all (hopefully) human.

K

I agree with Chuck on this one, as I pefer to have a fewer forums than what we have right now.

I am with the majority here, FEWER FORUMS! There are way way too many. The gunsmithing forum should be kept like it is, broad. And there are people who from time to time post their photos here, also on the other forums. so in reality creating a forum just for rifles and their pictures would make one more place that you have to check to see if there are pics if that is all you are looking for. Some people visit the other forums more often. There is a guy from spain who goes on big bore and has posted some great pics of his nice collection of big guns.

Your best recourse if you are trying to get pics is to just post asking people to post pictures of their rifles, they will probably respond in force, as everyone likes sharing that kind of thing.

Red

May I suggest, as an example, the elimination of the "knives" forum. Posting topics of this nature on say the hunting forum would bring more intrest and response. As it is now, it might as well not even exist.

I have to go along with the other's on this, as there are just tooo many forums.
If you want to see pictures of custom guns and work, just ask, there will be lots of fellows that will be more than happy to show & tell.

Just another observation. Allen's post regarding binoculars on the African forum is another good example. I think of optics as they relate to hunting or "gunsmithing" and never visit the optics forum. If this was a bird watching site, and I enjoyed bird watching, it might be another matter. I enjoyed his review but would not have seen it (my own fault) had it been posted under optics.

I have to agree with Chuck and others. When I visit AR (frequently) I look only at this forum, the big game forum, and the BR forum. I also look at the political forum from time to time because it's interesting to see the levels to which adult human beings can stoop!
Too many custom guns being pictured only makes me feel envious and inferior anyway!
I have never met but hate Chic Worthing because he makes such nice stocks. I've not met, but hate John Ricks because he just seems too damned competent. I've not met but hate Allen Day because he shoots trophy animals instead of the little scrappers I settle for if, indeed, I shoot anything at all. While I'm at it, Chuck Nelson sent me a picture of a bull elk which has him teetering at the brink as well! These are just the openers on my list. There are a lot more and I suspect you know who you are! Regards, Bill.

I like seeing pics and descriptions of custom guns more than anything else on AR. And I wish more folks would post pics of their rifles. But I think there are too many forums.

You can count me in on fewer forums. I used to go through every one and take a look. I now only hit a few of the ones now. I skip over many one only as so much time.

Count me in with the "too many forums" crowd. I think one of the reasons the bird hunters feel like the red-headed step child on AR is because we are chopped into "shotguns", "dogs", "birds". None of which have enough traffic to really be worth while.

We should never forget that this is a social gathering, and those with similar interests should be able to for(u)m a community. Be that big game hunting, REALLY big game hunting, bird hunting, whatever. If we chop it up, it becomes a question and answer session, and what's the fun in that? My $0.02 worth. Dutch.

Bill

One can look at another person with many custom guns and take two avenues.

The glass is half empty, e.g. I am envious.

the glass is half full. e.g. this is what I have to look forward to if I make some effort.

The wonderful thing is that the choice is always ours.

KJK

Maybe Saeed will buy us each a cheepy digital camera & we can post photos of all our guns. Or buy one camera & we pass it around!