Our Official Charity Partner 2025
We’re proud to support the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers as our official charity. This article highlights the impactful work they do through their Bursary Apprenticeship Programme – offering young people like Mark Hewlett the opportunity to learn a traditional craft and build a rewarding career.
A Bursary Apprenticeship is a structured, four year-long program designed to provide the hands-on training and experience in a specific field of gunmaking or gunsmithing. At the beginning of their apprenticeship, the apprentice will be assigned a trainer, who is usually a master craftsman who will work closely with them in their chosen craft, for example:- barrel making, actioning, engraving. stocking or general gunsmithing. The apprentice will gain practical work experience, learning the techniques, tools, and processes directly related to their craft. Their work is reviewed regularly with appraisals and reports of progress provided to the mentors every six months.
At the end of the four-year period an apprentice should have gained a level of skill and knowledge to work independently of the master craftsman. At this stage the apprentice should also be able to present a “piece” of work to the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers Certification Panel of Master Craftsmen to gain full certification in their chosen field.
Apprentice gunmaker Mark Hewlett is two years into his apprenticeship with Gallyon Gun & Rifle Makers Ltd. Here we learn more about Mark’s journey into gunmaking and what he relishes most about his apprenticeship.
Mark tells us about what sparked his passion for gunmaking ‘I’ve always had a fascination with firearms and all forms of shooting. I revere hand skills and the attainment of craft, having always tinkered with my own stock alterations. Having reached a ‘pivot’ point in my working life I pursued the chance to combine those two passions and start a new career in gunmaking.’
All gunmakers have a particular part of their job that fascinates them, and Mark is no different ‘Despite focusing on barrel making now, my first and greatest interest is in stocking and oil finishing. I think it’s because of a strong appreciation of the aesthetics of fine guns. That being said, the more I learn about barrel construction and its subtleties – the more I admire their beauty.’
We ask Mark who has been the biggest influence on his career so far: ‘that’s both easy and difficult to say as it’s impossible to leave anyone out…..but, Don Custerson who is without peer for knowledge and expertise, Alan Bower our Head Gunmaker with over 30 years experience, Vince Loe who has been a stocker, actioner and barrel maker at Holland and Holland and George Hobbs, our Journeyman Gunmaker and former apprentice’.
With regards to specific craft and technology Mark explains that he does a bit of both; ‘we use a patented and innovative method of bonding our barrel tubes and structural inter-rib together, rather than traditional tinning. All the gunmakers work very closely with our CNC machinists – to better refine and tune the components we hand finish.’
