Gentlemen,

Yesterday I reordered the 7th printing of my book "Tricks of the Trade, Custom Rifle Metalsmithing". It should be ready in 3 weeks. It's been 2 years since I sold out the 6th printing and there is still a lot of interest in the subject. The price has gone up a bit, the new price is $80 a copy with $10 shipping, $30 to Australia and Europe.

If you would like to order a copy, you can do it by credit card or personal check. The phone number and address is:

Mark Stratton Gunmaker
PO Box 91
Marysville, Washington 98270

Phone: 360-657-7141

Thanks for your interest,

Mark Stratton

Mark,

Any new material since the 2004 edition?

Sorry there isn't, but you got me thinking... After I wrote the book I found other machine fixtures and tools that should have made it into print.

Perhaps I will do a small new section and send it out at no cost...

Mark, is this something only gunsmiths would benefit from, or are there things in there that hobbyist smiths could use? My uncle just bought a lathe and being retired and bored might find something in there to occupy him I'm thinking.

Red
PS
good to see you back around, I hope things are going well.

I think I sold more copies of this book to the Home Shop people. The problem is that when decide to do machine work as a hobby, they buy a machine, it arrives and they think, what the hell can I do with it and how do you set it out to do what needs to be done? People read the "HOME Shop Machinist" not because they want to make clocks, but they look and study the machine setups so they can build whatever they want. This is a great book for that reason. Not only is there drawnings for gun bulding fixtures but there is a CD with over 200 Digital photos of machine setups. Customers have been very happy with it, both the fire arms builders but the home shop people as well.

Mark. I just spent 10 minutes searching the web and there are NO, repeat NO, copies of your previous printings for sale anywhere. Apparently, those who have them, keep them. As soon as I deliver some finished work, I will be placing my order.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark_Stratton:
Sorry there isn't, but you got me thinking... After I wrote the book I found other machine fixtures and tools that should have made it into print.

Perhaps I will do a small new section and send it out at no cost...

That would be great, but I and I'm sure most would be more than happy to pay for it or at least cover printing and shipping.
Don

Have you tried to market it to/through Brownell's?
Regards, Joe

Brownell's was very interested in carrying this book. But at the time, we couldn't agree on a price. I think the best thing you can say about how popular it has been, customers reorder a copy because they loaned it to a friend and couldn't get it back.

There has been only 2 places you could buy the book, the first was from me directly or the book store at Trinidad State Collage.

I know more than one maker who no longer sells through Brownell's because of their excessive margin of price. Too bad, one side or the other (probably both) need(s) to improve their efficiency, we would all benefit.
Regards, Joe

You know Joe, at one time Midway was selling the book. They were willing to live with the price margins. Then I got a letter from Midway's layer with a 21 page letter with the phase, in evey third paragraph, "We can sue you at your expense for....." I dropped then from my customer list ASAP. I refused to sell then anymore product. I might turn this product over to Brownell's at some point, but I need to have copies sitting on my shops floor for a while.

hi mark,

i got an original copy of your work. i know you were blasted by some people who were very "sensitive" but i really enjoyed the book and the information it contained. if you ever publish an addendum, i will gladly pay for the information.

thanks,
max

Seems that you may be paying a bit much for your printing as well. I recently had a machine manual printed at our local copy shop from a PDF file. Over 300 pages, both sides and bound, for $17.

I am not saying that you should not be making money on your book, just trying to maybe help you make more.

John

Printing costs weren't really an issue. Brownell's wants you write the book, cover the printing costs while they took over 50% of the profit margin. However I never thought about Amazon, I will look into them.

The section I would like to add is or 3 additional fixtures plus a reprinting of the articles I wrote for the GUNMAKER. The GUNMAKER this the publication published by the American Gunmakers Guild. It would be a nice addition for metalsmithing. There are a couple of articles about wood working but I'm sure you won't hold it againist me.

I have this book, it is well worth the price.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark_Stratton:
Printing costs weren't really an issue. Brownell's wants you write the book, cover the printing costs while they took over 50% of the profit margin. However I never thought about Amazon, I will look into them.

The section I would like to add is or 3 additional fixtures plus a reprinting of the articles I wrote for the GUNMAKER. The GUNMAKER this the publication published by the American Gunmakers Guild. It would be a nice addition for metalsmithing. There are a couple of articles about wood working but I'm sure you won't hold it againist me.

Hi Mark, I have a copy of your book and have found it invaluable. I would order another copy if you are going to add the new fixtures and your Gunmaker articles......I printed off the article on making octagonal barrels......Kiwi

Mark,

A friend just pointed this thread out to me.

We went the ebook route and are working on a hard copy version now but we'll be using a print on demand company for that.

Feel free to contact me at shakari3@mweb.co.za if you feel it'd help to discuss either option...... we might even be able to put your book onto our site if that's of interest.

I just lent my copy to a gunsmith. I may have to get in line again.

Did I just read here, in the custom gunsmithing forum, that a craftsman should be willing to lower his profit margin so Brownells can retain theirs?

Rich

Rich.

First thing to remember is that the current Brownells, under Pete Brownell is NOTHING like the old Brownells.

My Father has been talking to them now for 27 months, on just redoing an existing contract so a addenum to his book they published can be added to.

A 435 page addenum, on a CD that is print ready and Brownells says that they will not have enough demand to sell this to the 7000 plus copies of the first book they have all ready sold.

Yes, the main hangup has to be with the Royality percent, but once that was worked out they pulled this BS about not enough possible sales.

Mark is right about printing it himslef, it is just a PITA doing it that way.

James Wisner
Custom Metalsmith

Any word on when you will be shipping? Thanks!!

Hey Jim & Mark,

I know all the fun involved in dealing with big outfits.

I have a suggestion if you do not mind a little more hassle for more money.

I have gone to Google Archives and printed out a few of the old books about hunting in India and Africa. I took them to a local LDS book/printing store here in town and had them spiral bind them for me with a thick laminated card stock set of covers.

These books lend themselves to being left open on a bench for reference.

It's worth checking out...

Rich
DRSS

Hi Guys, Well the books came in yesterday from the printer. I'm signing them and getting ready to ship today. They will be comming Priority Mail.

You know Jim is right, Brownells is trying to make a buck and so am I. I spent the time putting the book together and having it printed. Brownells want the line share of the profits, maybe through their network and catalog they can sell more copies. Maybe I should be happy with that. But I think through the internet and word of mouth, which has work out well, I can get the information out to the gunsmiths and gunbuilders who are interested in the industry.

When I took delivery of my first 100 copies, I thought that I might sell 30 copies having the remainning copies rotting in my basement floor. Well this is the 7th printing and sales are still strong, go figure.

I can't wait! Finally get to see how some of you artists do your magic!

A customer gave me a call today asking about a Ruger Number One converison to .22 long rifle rimfire. I had done one 2 years back but didn't take any photos or make any drawings. If I take on this work I will do it from the stand point of doing an article for the GUNMAKERS GUILD and material for another book. Anyone interested?

Back when I was teaching metalsmithing at Trinidad, is was great to have a student have an idea than was better than yours. As the teacher, I learned a lot. I think to get good at this trade, you need to keep an open mind to what is possible. Even after starting to professionly building projects, I would take NRA classes to see if the instructors methods were better than mine. Your always looking for a better way of producing product, whether it faster, more professional or easier with the same result.

With my book, I've published the best methods and tools and fixtures that work for me. But you might see a tool and say this is a good tool but it would be better if I changed the design by doing this.

What I would like to see happen is a discussion about tooling and machine setup. Some of you are either professional gunsmiths or home shop machinist who would like some addional information on how to better use the machines you own. I'm thinking that I might take one of the tools from the book and present it here online. The first machine that someone might buy is a lathe. Most gunsmith like to do barrel work, whether it be turning a barrels profile, perhaps threading and chambering. We could let the thread follow it natural path. It might be interesting.

What Mark just said, and plenty of it!
Regards, Joe

Yes Mr Stratton that would be great.
I have your book and allthough the dollar had doubled in price here when I bought it I still consider it a good buy.

Mark,

PM sent.

Mark's book is a terrific source of information! Well worth the few dollars! Was invaluable when I started making my own custom Mauser scope mounts!

Mark,

I have one of your books on order and am quite anxious to get it. I would love to see, and maybe be a part of, a discussion about methods. One thing that has irritated me since deciding I wanted to build custom rifles was the resistance of most gunmakers to sharing their knowledge.

Too see you present such information and foster a discussion would be benifitial to all I believe.

I for one certianly wish I had your book to reference when I was figuring out how I wanted to cut an octagon barrel! Instead I sat down with a collection of pictures and figured it out with a little help from a fellow T&D maker.

I have shipped all the books that were on order encluding one to Nathaniel Myers, I remember the name on the shipping label. They went out on the morning of the 24th.

I'm going to set down later this afternoon and write the first thread on a radius cutting tool ment for cutting the radius between the tapered round to the cylinder section of a round barrel. I know I have presented JPEG's on this sight before, but I might send out a help a wanted sign later today.

Woo Hoo!

Thanks again Mark. I look forward to it. Wish I had known about your book when I was at CST in Machine Shop.

A word on shipping; the end on the 6th printing was in early 2008 and in gereral shipping has go up in price. The average cost in the US was about $8 to ship my book around the country. With Priority Mail is $10.80 and the clerk at the post office said it was going up after the first of the year. One nice thing is they do supply the boxs. However thoses live outside the country got hit a little harder. I sent one copy to Spain and the cost was $46.50 and to Canada it's $26.50. I pick up the cost this time but for future orders the customer will paid the charges. They didn't know the cost and either did I so it's only fair for me to pay the freight.

Now you might have read the posting from the gentleman from Iceland. He wanted me to send it UPS, UPS wanted $125 to send the book there. I couldn't spend my customer's money without shopping around. The US Postal Service cost $22.50 to Iceland so I gave the customer his choice. Now most say it's a great book, but I think you can wait a few weeks for the difference in money paid for shipping.

Mine came about two hours ago.

It is just about some kinda' wonderful!

Thanks for the hard work Mark!

Rich
check your PMs.

I got mine yesterday.

I am tickled.

Brad Hurt