Daily and weekly updates.

6-9 I have been working on the new house evenings, sometimes 'til midnight to make progress. I'm still putting in more than full weeks building guns and house work is "spare" time work. I got the jacuzzi tub and shower area tiled last week and am getting ready to grout the tile work. Took a picture to post up since it came out pretty nicely.

6-7 Talked to my barrel supplier last week and he finally got his .45 reamers re-built! He said he was going to get some Southern Mountain Rifle barrels headed this way soon. I APPRECIATE every customer's patience in waiting out this slow barrel delivery. I have all the premium stocks paid for and the locks and furniture ready for assembly when the barrels come in. I will make every effort to build a gun that was worth waiting for when you finally get them! Thanks a lot guys.

6-7 Just listed for sale on "Current flintlocks available" page- FACTORY FINISHED Wilson 20 gauge, left hand, 30 inch barrel with rear sight and sling swivels.. A customer who called asked a favor to sell his Wilson due to an impending problem (could be related to a female...who'd a' guessed?). It is unfired, in pristine condition, and I will transfer the lifetime warranty to the gun since it is brand new. If you're interested in instant delivery, give me a call! Jug choked to shoot tremendous patterns with shot and get great round ball accuracy!!! Click link below to see pictures of this "for sale" gun.

6-7 Just listed on "Current flintlocks available" page- FACTORY FINISHED Left hand Wilson 20 gauge. A customer who called asked a favor to sell his Wilson due to an impending problem (could be related to a female...who'd a' guessed?). It is unfired and I will transfer the lifetime warranty to the gun since it is brand new. NOW POSTED!. If you're interested in instant delivery, give me a call! There are several guns posted which can be built sometime soon since I have extra barrels and wood for those particular models. Check "Current guns available" page for details.

I've been working a lot of overtime on guns and the house which leaves no fun time for me, but I'm making great progress. I started doing the tile work on the shower area on Monday afternoon and plan on having it done this weekend. All my hot/cold water is hooked up and I had no leaks. For those of you who don't know, I'm doing all this work myself since I had to let my small crew go last Oct. after they worked for me for thee months. The electric is in and almost all hooked up, the main rooms are ready for painting and the floors will be put down quickly since I bought laminate flooring this time, instead of real hand-routed hardwood like the last house! It's a lot of hard work, but it's satisfying to look around and see the progress. I'll try to get a few pictures taken and posted next week. I will go fishing some time this summer!!!

5-21 I have extra .40 caliber barrels and stocks for the Southern mountain Rifles. The stocks are upgraded maple! Call for prices and schedules on delivery. Waiting on the .45's and .36's, but have furniture and locks to build these extra guns in .40 caliber.

4-24 New left-hand English Game Gun in 12 gauge pictured on "Current Guns available" page.

4-24 I took off a weekend and went to visit my little sister in Oklahoma for the opening of their turkey season a few weeks ago. We were able to call in a 22 lb. gobbler and take it, all on video.

Also have posted a beautiful, 12 gauge English Officer's fusil which was ordered with bright barrel and lock. It was all hand polished and came out beautifully. It has a sliding wooden patch box in the stump wood maple and some additional carving and teardrop panels. Also has a bayonet for re-enacting! Go to "current guns available" page and click blue link to see this fine piece.

3-12 Got some .40 caliber Southern Mountain rifle barrels in and ready for breeching. The .45 caliber barrels are supposed to be coming in soon, too. The .36's are a ways off since the suppliers reamers are BOTH broke! It takes a while to replace them unfortunately.

3-1 I get a lot of interest from customers about how the firearms are produced here at the factory. I've taken a series of pictures and explained the steps of the wood stock work. Of course, there is the separate production of locks, barrel work etc., but I'll post those pictures later. This will give you a sense of the amount of work that it takes to get a 25 lb. blank down to a 2 lb. stock ready for finishing.

2-1-2013 I just received confirmation that I'll be receiving Southern Mountain Rifle barrels next week, so all of you patient customers can now relax and know that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. I'll get on them as soon as they arrive and get them breeched and prepared for gun construction. THANK YOU all for your patience on this unfortunate delivery delay.

1-2-2013 I hope all of you had a great Christmas and holiday season. I took off a bit of time for family but have been hard at it here since I got a big batch of barrel blanks in right before Christmas. I ran contours on them in the lathe, got them polished in the round, breeched and am running flats on the mill right now. As soon as I get them mostly finished off, I'll hit the stock machine again and get some of those promised guns in the main shop vise for finishing. I appreciate everyone's patience, ESPECIALLY those of you who've had Southern Mountain Rifles on order for more than a year. I have NOT forgotten you and Ed has promised to get me some of the delicate little S.M.R. barrels soon. Our deer season is over and though I passed up numerous chances and hunted hard, I never did see a big buck. I guess I used up several years worth of luck back in 2010 with the two biggest bucks I've ever taken. I did take a buck, so there's some good venison for cold winter nights anyway. Passed up a ton of does and when I finally decided to take one, they disappeared. Typical. Sure like carrying that flintlock no matter the outcome. If you got a nice critter of any sort, send me pics or call for my email address and you can send them that way. I can post them on the website. Cheers~

12-19 I just got an iron mounted French Type "D" finished and photographed. I am also assembling a brass mounted French Type "D" that I'll also photograph to show the difference in the looks of the two firearms. Go to the "Current Flintlocks Available" page and click blue link.

12-12 I got a fine matching pair of French pistols finished off and photographed today. Just go to "Current Flintlocks Available" page to see the new photos.

12-12 I've been working on the house hard from 4-8 every night and have made some progress. Click blue link below. Our late black powder season opens up on Saturday and I've got a big buck cruising my land that I have yet to set eyes on. He's rubbing 3 inch trees and seems to be nocturnal. The cold weather may force him to get up and fill his belly during daylight, so I'm going to take some time off to chase him this weekend. There's a very slim chance I'll see him, but I sure won't if I'm working or sleeping in late. Good luck to you guys out there and send pics if you lay one down with your "Caywood" flintlock. Cheers!!

12-7 As some of you know, I'm also an artist in various mediums and had saved back some of my signed, numbered, limited edition pen and ink prints done back in the mid 80's. I was smart enough ( yeah, I know, it's very surprising!) to set back 10 matched sets with matching serial numbers. There are 7 prints in the series; a very large format mountain man with bobcat kitten, wild turkey in full strut, 3 raccoons, 3 cottontails, white-footed mice, bobwhite quail and a print of my son Cody, playing cowboy as a kid. The edition number per print was only 150 and only 100 with the wild turkey.

I'm "tinting" these pen & ink prints using watercolor paints, which brings a beautiful depth and vibrancy to the art and still allows you to see the pen work. I had these printed on heavy weight, acid free paper, for lasting value. The hand painted, matched sets will run $1,900 and there are only 7 sets left as of now. I have singles of some of the prints left, but have sold out of the turkey long ago and only have a few of the mountain man prints left. I'll be posting all of the artwork in the coming weeks, so you'll have an idea what they look like. Stay tuned and give me a call if you'd like more specific details on this very special, limited offering. I feel very lucky that this art wasn't lost in the unfortunate house fire, which got most of everything else I owned!

12-7 I'm going to sell my personal left hand flintlock rifle which I'd built about 20 years ago. It has a Getz .40 caliber and interchangeable Getz .50 caliber barrel. I put a $500 blank of figured maple in this gun, stocked it up in an early Lancaster style stock design with brass Bivins wide furniture. I also replaced the original Siler lock with my English sporting lock and it throws a shower of sparks. It has a sliding wooden patchbox with an ivory insert inlaid in the lid and is also fitted up with set triggers.. I quit using it not long after it was built since I'd started this company and had a "new" Caywood gun to use. This gun has been lightly used, and is in extremely good condition. It has a ramrod groove molding and nice cheek-piece molding. It has a long pull length, about 15 inches, so it'll fit the taller physique well. I can do some nice incised carving behind the cheek-piece if you want me to dress it up a bit more. If you're interested, give me a call and I can take a few pictures and email them out. It's also fitted up with sling swivels. $2,200.

11-29 Just got another shipment of barrel blanks, so I'm going to start working them up and get them breeched. I STILL don't have any Mountain Rifle barrels, so you guys who've been patiently waiting, thank you AGAIN and I'm leaning on the problem to get them delivered as soon as possible. I WANT to get your guns built since some of you have been waiting for over a year.

Here are some new house pics from November. I do gun work until 4 every day and then go work on the house until 8 or so, until I'm completely tired out!! It's coming along nicely and I'm almost ready to start putting up sheetrock on the bedroom walls. The ceilings are all done and about ready for the insulation. I'll have the chandelier in the great room up tomorrow afternoon.

11-16 Our deer season opened up last Saturday and I took a little time off from house building and gun making to hit the woods for a bit. The weather was warm and windy, then rainy and windy on the weekend, but finally cooled and calmed down on Monday. I took a small buck with the English Game gun and have him aged 3 days and in the freezer now. I don't normally shoot small bucks, but there was a lot of hunting pressure around my 30 acres and I figured he might as well end up in my freezer as somebody else's. I think I'll try a different spot this weekend and try for a doe in a place where does need a little thinning.

Have a couple of French pistols to finish up, a Type "D" in the process and getting ready to cut a new batch of stocks to start filling my backlog of orders. I'll get the pistols photographed and posted, as they came up really nice, with some additional carving and engraving. I hope you guys are having some quality woods time, too. It's good to get out and clear up your brain, especially after the turmoil our country has faced. I have faith that everything happens for a reason and we'll just have to hang in there, enjoy life and let destiny take it's course. Most of all, enjoy life! Good luck out there and Happy Thanksgiving. I'll be giving many thanks for our blessings and ESPECIALLY to all of our service members who keep this country free through their great sacrifices.

10-26-2012 Our muzzle-loading season started last weekend and it was hot, dry and windy. It was not exactly good hunting conditions, but I went out Saturday morning anyway. I was hunting a steep, rocky hillside above a good deer trail at the head of a draw. The deer weren't moving in my area, but about 9 o'clock a mature coyote came by and made the mistake of giving me a clear shot. The .54 caliber round ball rolled him down the hill and put and end to another turkey, deer, quail and rabbit killer. I hunted again on Sunday morning and even though we were trying to thin some does, I passed up a shot at a mature doe since it was so warm. It would have been a long, long drag out and I figured I'd better spend my time working on guns and the house than working that deer off the top of that mountain. Seems we do get a little smarter as we age. I went out this morning, but it was so cold and windy there was no deer movement at all. Tomorrow looks much more promising and I'll keep you tuned in if I have any luck. Check out a new French Type "C' on the "Current Flintlocks Available" page. Just got it photographed and shipped on Wednesday. Customer just called and is thrilled with his new toy!!!

10-16 Some progress pics posted on the blue links below. The house is dried in, the inside work is started and the insulation will be in next week. I'm going to finish out the inside myself which will take a while, but will save me a lot of money in the long run. I've been out doing electrical work for a week and have started planing the cypress wall boards which will go on the great room walls. It's going to take a bit of time to get the house finished, but with no mortgage to pay, I can work on it as time and money allows and not have to pay interest. The hardest parts are done, like climbing around on the roof and the inside work can be carried on even if it's cold and wet outside. I'll have my heating system in to keep it comfortable and just take my time to finish it out. The last house, which burned down, consumed over 4 years of my time and I stayed hard on the job, because on that project, I did have an interest payment every month. After settling the legal case, I had a little nest egg to get this going and figure I can do the work at my own pace and have a little time left over for occasionally chasing critters.

8-8 The crew has been working HARD in this heat and have the floor on, all the walls up and the deck will be finished this week. I've been working out there most afternoons and evenings since I'm doing a lot of the log work for the post and beam structure that will be featured in the great room. The electric is all in, at least for the work part so we can fire up all the tools. I'll get some recent pics loaded up too since these are only a partial amount of the work completed.

10-16 Among other things, I have 4 English Fowlers finished and assembled. They all came out beautifully and I'm sure I'll have some very happy customers. I took some pictures since several are carved and also have sliding wooden patchboxes. I've sent out a bunch of guns which I didn't have time to photograph! Too much work to do~

All prices below are WITH locks and include smoothbore barrel w/o rear sight. The Mountain rifle and the English Game gun are also priced with rifling.

Firearms highlighted in green feature 6 barrel interchangeable system. .50, .54, .58 rifled and 20, 24 and 28 gauge smoothbore. Extra smoothbore barrel is $295, and extra rifled barrel is $350 breeched. Additional charges for fitting to drop-in status is $70, rear sight is $35, and barrel tenons/front sight charge is $35.

The English Game gun comes in two barrel configurations. The large bore version has a 12 gauge and .62 rifled barrel system. The small bore version features a 28 smoothbore and .50 and .54 rifled barrels. Smooth barrels $295, rifled barrels $350. The English Game gun is priced with rifled barrel and sling swivels. (Subtract $100 for smoothbore versions.)

The Southern Mountain Rifle has .32, 36, .40 and .45 caliber rifle barrels. Additional rifled barrel with tenons, rear sight and front sight installed is $415.

With the exception of the Northwest Trade gun and the Wilson Chief’s Trade gun, all of the above firearms can be fitted with either brass or iron furniture, all fully engraved. The only option on the Wilson T.G. is a brass or iron butt plate.

The English Officer’s fusil features a 37 inch barrel, palm swell, end cap and lug for bayonet. Bayonet is $70, fitted to gun.

French pistol has interchangeable 20, 24, 28 smooth and .45 caliber rifled barrels.

French Type “C”, Type “D” and Southern Mountain Rifle are right hand only.

Sling swivels are $50, fitted to gun with extra slotted tenon for the sling bolt to traverse.

Lock price increase; English Fowler and Mountain rifle locks are $175 and all others are $145 plus $8shipping.

Here's a pair of large bore English Game gun barrels which I custom engraved. Believe me, it took all of my meager skills to do lettering, since the human eye picks up any and all imperfections! I got them close enough and the customer was happy with the work.

I went turkey hunting up in Missouri since our Arkansas population is so pitiful. I did manage to take a jake on my two day hunt despite cold, windy, wet, miserable weather. I haven't shot a jake in 20 years, but after viewing the $190 price tag just to hunt turkeys, the decision was made for me...bang! My little sister Kelley got a gobbler with an 11 inch beard the next day (while I slept in) and Zoe also got an 11 inch beard gobbler on the last day of the weekend. Zoe also shot a 3 bearded gobbler about a week later. Good season all around! I hope you guys had some luck chasin' those old rockheads, too.

4-9 It's finally warmed up enough to get started on the new house out on King's River. Just like I need more things to do!! I'm going to have a crew come in and get it up and dried in and will do a lot of the work myself at different stages. It's not like I'm not busy enough, but it will sure be nice to be back out there. The sooner the better. Turkey season starts next weekend, but we have so few birds I don't think many guys will hunt. The population is just bottoming out in most areas and with such a fragile resource, a gentle approach will help it rebound. It should be a good hatch this year since we have not had the hard spring rains and flooding which so often destroy the nests. Good luck to all of you chasing those gobblers!!

4-9 I have the Arkansas State Shoot program posted, so you guys can make plans to attend. They have matches for everyone to say the least, so come join the fun! Go to the home page and scroll down to the link!

I got some fine pictures of a gobbler that one of my customers, Allen Reed, got this morning. He said he called it in to about 28 yards and dropped it. He said it took the bird over an hour to come in and you guys know how excruciatingly slow that can seem. Sure makes you glad you have a light gun. Allen bought a kit with fine stumpwood and did the work himself. Good job Allen, on the gun and the turkey. That is his second bird with it.

3-20 I had a little experience last week that really made me shake my head at myself. Last fall, during the first week of deer season, I had hunted hard with no success, although I did pass up quite a few legal deer. On the second Sunday, I had hunted with my .54 caliber English Game gun all day in the rain and drizzly conditions, again with no success. The next day of the season, I got up early to go back to work, building your guns (since you guys are relentless about that stuff!). BUT just to be sure, I drove out to the river land to just see what might be going on. Miraculously, just as I got inside the gate, I saw a nice tall-racked buck standing down the road about 80 yards away. There was also a small buck standing to my left at about 40 yards. The bigger buck stood looking at me for a long, suspicious time, but finally lost interest and walked over a little closer and started making a rub on a pine tree. Things were looking up! It seemed slightly possible that I might actually be able to make something work out here? I didn't want to take a 70 yard shot when I thought he might come closer and maybe join up with the other buck. He finally quit working the pine and started walking right up the road. Yes, really. Right to me. Not really believing my luck, I just sat and watched him walk closer. All while I'm in the Suburban!! This never happens to me. Looking this gift horse in the mouth, I just let him keep closing the distance. At about 50 yards, he walked off to the left where he might actually end up next to me in the field with the other buck and allow me a 30-40 yard shot. Painfully, after about 3 or 4 minutes, he reappeared and stubbornly headed right back down the road where he'd come from. He was walking directly away and although I tried to grunt at him to turn him quickly, he just kept walking. Being an experienced and very skilled hunter, I had my English Game gun rested on the trusty old car frame, ready to take a shot if he'd turn broadside. I'm just glad there was no video going to record that, since there are already enough obviously untrue, scurrilous rumors floating around about me? There are no tire tracks on that animal sir! But I digress... The deer was quickly making his way out of the territory and was the only legal buck I'd even seen. I finally grunted very loudly at him and he heard it. He swung his front left leg out to look backward. He was still standing at a pretty severe angle away from me, but then again, I had a solid rest. This whole episode had so far lasted about 10 or 12 minutes. So I was, at least to the best of my typical buck-fever ability, mentally prepared to close the deal. When he stopped, I locked the sights down on his last rib, knowing it would humanely place the round ball. Here's where it kind of started going down hill.

Remember that little part a while back about hunting all day in the rain? I had been very aware of the conditions and had dumped out the priming powder numerous times over the course of the day. I always I hunt with a flintlock and I go out whatever the conditions are and have taken numerous big game animals in drown-you-out quick rain conditions. Unfortunately, the simple humidity encountered in that 10 hour hunt had slightly moistened the powder, right in the touch hole. Of course, I couldn't see that. At the end of that day's hunt, I should have fired the gun, cleaned it and re-loaded. Please remember that I have hunted with a flintlock for over 40 years( yes, I started hunting when I was 5), so that lapse in judgment is perplexing to say the say the least? Again, I digress...I was locked in like a vise-like hold on his last rib and with utmost care, gently squeezed the trigger. The pan lit instantly. The main charge, however had a different opinion of the matter at hand. Having sucked up a tiny amount of humidity, it had hardened overnight in dry conditions. The pan lit the tiny hardened fraction of powder like a fuse and it slowly hissed. I'm staring over the sights at the big buck as my gun is apparently discussing whether or not it should choose to go ahead and get on with the show? Finally reaching a decision, the main charge lit and the beautiful cloud rose, sending the ball on it's path. Since I had witnessed the long, juvenile, ongoing discussion of whether the pan and the main charge could come to an agreement, I had seemingly lost interest. When the round ball was sent heavenward, I quickly made a very flawed judgment. I assumed that the .54 ball had passed absolutely no closer than two box car lengths to that buck. He almost casually ran down the road from me, seeming to be only mildly disturbed about that loud sound. Not wanting to disturb the area any worse than I already had, I drove back out to let things settle down before searching out what was obviously a clean miss. I came back to the shop and started cleaning my gun and doing some shop work. After a while, I reloaded the cleaned gun and went back out. I found the exact place the buck was standing when I had fired. There were scuff marks in the nice, clean road. No hair. No blood. I peered down, ever more disgusted with myself for all of the bad decisions I'd made. I could have snuck up within 25 or 30 yards when he was making the rub and had an easy shot, since his head was completely hidden in the line of pine trees? I could have reloaded after the rainy hunt and had an instantaneous ignition? I could have not even fired? All these things ran through my mind as I drove back out.

So, I slowly walked down the road where the buck had run. He'd been visible to me for about 30 yards before he disappeared. He was slightly heading off to the left the last time I saw him. There was only one row of planted pines between the road and a big open field to the left. I looked out over the field which gave me a wide open view for several hundred yards. No buck laying there. I walked down the road looking up under the pines on the left side of the road to see if maybe he'd fallen out of obvious view. Nothing. No blood or hair or sign of anything. I just lost faith in myself.

For days afterward I went out and looked for buzzards, crows or any sign that I might have hit this buck. I never saw anything, including any sign of the live buck. I thought that maybe the neighbor had taken him? My property is small and anything could have happened?

Last week, in preparation to plant more pine trees, I was out spraying grass killer. In the last 14 years, I have planted about six thousand Virginia pines for wildilfe habitat. (Only about 1,000 have actually made it, but they are beautiful the place is overrun with wildlife.) During my spraying efforts, I looked over about 20 feet off the road...to the RIGHT>. There was a fine deer rack sticking up out of the low weeds. I knew instantly what I was looking at. I was looking at my FAILURE to do diligent searching after shooting at a magnificent game animal. If I had done even a cursory examination of the right side of the road, I would have easily found this fine buck. I was sick to think of the waste. Sad thing is, I know better. This buck had run down the road off to the left and just as soon as I lost view of him, he'd veered off to the right and only gone about 12 yards. I should have found him, but I was convinced I'd missed him, when in reality I had hit him perfectly. Last year, I also shot perfectly, two jumbo bucks and both of them made it OVER 100 yards? This buck made it only 35 yards. That is why I've bored you with this story. Don't doubt what you think might be a wild shot. Look hard.

I also mean this about life. If you have tried hard to take a shot at something that doesn't seem to work out, don't give up. Keep searching and looking and having a positive attitude that your efforts will work eventually. That is a very important lesson and although hard to adhere to, all of our shots are not wild. Some do hit their mark even though we are convinced otherwise. Have faith in yourself and you never know what you'll find. Don't learn it the hard way like I did...it's all just a waste when you lose your faith~

God Bless our veterans. They keep us all free with their huge sacrifices!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you see a military woman or man, please grab their hand, look them in the eye and thank them. It means more to them than you could know.

2-12-2012 Sorry for not keeping up to date on this posting, but I've been busy as heck getting guns out the door. I have been working a lot of weekend days to try to get caught up, but it seems I take orders as fast as I take them off the board. It's definitely gotten to be winter here in Arkansas. We're expecting 4 or 5 inches of snow on Monday and although we've had some warm spells through what would normally be fairly cold winter weather, I'm sure we're not done with it yet. I've seen 20 inch snows in March, but at least we're one day closer to spring. I got the big double doors built and installed, so I've got the new shop all locked up and will continue working on the interior as the weather gets a little warmer. I'm also in the planning stages of building my new log home back out on King's river. I'm really excited about getting it re-built and plan on moving in sometime by fall. It won't be finished yet, but at least I'll be back out there with all the critters! Everybody stay warm and safe out here! Cheers~

I had shipped a 20 gauge French Type "D" out a couple of weeks ago. The customer was very happy. His first 5 shots out of the box at 50 yards was about a 3 inch group and he outshot the rifles in his club. I can only say that he must be a very good flintlock shot to take an unknown gun and shoot that well with it. Congratulations Jim and thank you very much for the nice note and your patronage. I appreciate you.

It's Sunday and I'm working since it's so cold out and I need to try to catch up a bit anyway. I'm working hard guys and thanks for your patience!!

2-29 Please review the newest price list posted below. I have tried diligently to keep my prices lower, but the rise of energy, insurance, raw materials etc. have combined to forced the issuing of a new price list.

It's that time of the year to truly take into account all of our blessings and give thanks. It is so easy to ignore the great things in our lives and overlook the simple things that can mean so much if we'd just slow down long enough to show some appreciation. I'm as guilty as anyone and although I don't learn really fast, I'm getting better in my "old" age! I really appreciate all of you out there who have patronized me over the years and also the current customers on the waiting list for their extreme patience in getting their firearms delivered. I have been working diligently, but I'm building all the parts for every gun and it just takes a long time to go through the process. For instance, I just built ramrod thimbles for the trade guns and had to make about 300 even though each gun only uses two or three. It seems like every process is more efficient to set up the operation and build a bunch than doing it piecemeal. It takes longer, but in the end is much more efficient and helps keep prices down overall. I just APPRECIATE your patience so much and for not excessively contacting me about when I can give you delivery. Deer season has been pretty bad in this area since we've had nothing but heat, rain and high winds. Not exactly conducive to deer movement. I've passed a lot of legal deer, being picky about what I harvest, but have lowered standards a bit and have some critters in the freezer, though I haven't hunted as much this year. I'm apparently not the only one who's had some bad luck. But it is still nice to get out of the shop and get some woods time. We still have few days left in the season after Christmas, so all is not lost just yet. Luck may yet arrive. Or I may have used up several years worth last year when I shot the big 13 point and 10 point only a week apart?

11-1 I got the 12 gauge barrls breeched and polished today and will machine the tapered flats and stamp them tomorrow. Then I can start stock work for these large bore guns. I also have a new picture of the shop with doors on and lockable.

10-31 I apologize for my lack of updating this page. To say I've been busy would be a large understatement!! I've been getting guns out, parts built, stocks cut and barrels breeched. I just got in enough 12 gauge blanks to fill all of my current orders, so each and every one of you who has a large bore fowler on order can now look forward to delivery as soon as I can get them built. I have been steadily taking orders and I appreciate everyone's patronage and also the PATIENCE shown from my long waiting customers. You guys are great for not harassing me, because you understand I'm working as hard and long as possible to get everyone's fine piece delivered. I have also finally gotten my new shop double doors welded up, built and hung so my shop is now locked. I can begin carrying out some of my construction tools to speed up the building process. I was just afraid to have many tools available for "carry out" by the locals, if you get my drift. I've also been doing a little hunting on weekends though I didn't take any days off to muzzle load hunt during our first season. I saw quite a few deer, but didn't take a shot since all I saw were small bucks and does. I sure enjoyed being out in the beautiful and colorful woods. Just what I needed for a break in brain fatigue. I'm sure some of you would think it wouldn't take much rest to salve my brain, with it being so small and all! But what are friends for anyway? Everybody be safe out there and enjoy mother nature's gifts! I'll be updating this page a bit more often, so stay tuned! Good Hunting!

9-1 I've been working on the new shop in the evenings as the heat has been subsiding a little. I can tell you that arc welding up my shop double doors inside the shop has been a hot chore! I've got some new pictures of the progress and though it hasn't gone as fast as I'd like, I've been working extra hours on gun work to get your guns built and delivered. I've been putting in 10 to 11 hours a day and some weekend work to stay up. I've been taking orders at a pretty high rate and want to stay on top of it as much as possible. I know hunting season is right around the corner and I GREATLY APPRECIATE the extreme patience my customers have shown. As usual, the main hang-up has been a dependable barrel supply, but I have no control over it and can only do my best to work with what I have in stock. I'll get a few more guns built before hunting season so some of you will get to slip through the woods with a new "Caywood" this season. Hopefully it will bring you some great luck!

8-24 Sorry guys, but I've been extremely busy of late and have not had time to update the website as I usually attempt to do on a somewhat regular basis. One of the best bits of news to report is that my house fire lawsuit has been settled in my favor. I spent almost 2 weeks in Fayetteville preparing for battle in a scheduled 3 day trial. We went through all of the depositions, photographs, testimonies, and any and all related information to be prepared for the courtroom. There were many big thick stacks to inspect and refresh my memory. The trial was to begin on Monday a week ago, but the opposing party finally saw the futility of their defense and settled the damage claims out of court. We got a good settlement and though nothing can ever make you whole after a total loss house fire, this financial gift will help ease the transition back to a normal life with a new cabin yet to be built, but in the SAME beautiful place on King's river. Life hands you many painful things, but all any of us can really do is continue doing the right things and let the higher powers take us on the path they have planned. It has put me behind in my gun work, but luckily the guys who had sent money for their guns to be built have all been understanding for my delay. AND I've been working on the new shop, having gotten one of the huge double doors welded up and almost ready for installation. I and some friends have also been setting some lines for catfish on the weekends. We have caught over 125 lbs. of catfish this summer out of King's river. I can tell you those fillets caught out of this clean water are some of the best fish you've ever put on a fork. With all the extra supper fixin's, fans and barely pops to keep us cool, it's been a great summer, though HOT!!!

A very outstanding young man in the military contacted me about 6 months ago while he was deployed in Iraq. He is the commander of a special forces unit and is now temporarily back home in the U.S. before being re-deployed. He had placed an order for a Southern Mountain Rifle in .45 caliber. I timed the building of his rifle for when he could be home to get it delivered. I know some (o.k. many) of you have been waiting for longer than six months for your guns, but I hope that you'll be understanding as to my priorities in this instance. To show my appreciation for Travis' service to our country, I stocked him up a beautiful walnut blank with nice curl at no extra charge. I also did a bunch of extra carving, engraving, coned his muzzle, made him a turnscrew and a spare ramrod at no extra cost. I appreciate this fine young man serving our country to protect our freedom and felt like this was good way to show it. Click the link below if you'd like to see this new rifle yet to even be in his hands, though it's being delivered right now!

7-1 I have to apologize to any and all customers who may have called and left a message on the phone machine. It finally got through to me that the machine was not recording messages left even though it says it was on and operating! I'm sorry if you have not gotten a call back recently since I did not get your message. If you need to call and ask questions, order a firearm or just insult me, I'll try to get this thing operating again and stop this problem! Please take a moment this Independence Day and give thanks to our military and stop for a moment to think about their sacrifices to keep us free. As civilians, I believe we all have an obligation to fight for our freedom by being willing to inform people when they have misconceptions about what is going on in this country. I'd hate for our brave soldiers to go to foreign lands and fight only to come home to a country that we have not defended. We don't have to dodge bullets and bombs, just fight the daily battles to shed light and truth when we encounter individuals who are not informed. Nobody likes to fight, but if you can persuade a neighbor, acquaintance, family member or friend to not vote in a way that takes away your informed vote, you have won an important small battle. Remember; small battles win wars.

6-30 I am going to have some extra English Fowler locks available in about one month or so. I shot a bunch of extra waxes to send to the foundry and just got the castings back today. I've got to send the frizzens off to be carbon restored, but should have them back in about 3 weeks or so. I made extra lock parts because they've got a minimum charge for their work and I figured I might as well get a bunch done for the same price. I'll have both right and left hand locks available so give me a call and reserve yours. I got all the trim on the new shop and its looking good. I still have to build my double doors, but I've got the main breaker box almost hooked up so I can fire up the arc welder. It has been unbelievably hot here and it takes the steam out of you a bit, but as long as I've got longer daylight, I'm going to lean on it pretty hard. I've been catching some nice catfish out the cool, clear waters of King's River and they sure taste good shallow fried up in War Eagle Fish Mix. I just haven't had enough time to do very much fishing. I found a dead blue catfish of about 23 or 24 lbs. floating dead a week or so again. I don't know what could have killed such a big fish, but he floated on down the river and no doubt filled up a bunch of turtle bellies. I'd like to catch one like that for sure and I WILL get pictures. I'll be setting lines on Sunday night and maybe get a couple of good ones on 4th of July morning. Cheers~

I hope we can all take a moment from our celebrating of Independence Day to honor the brave military who fight deadly battles to KEEP US FREE. These selfless people endure tremendous, dangerous hardships and they don't complain. They just do their job, asking only that we appreciate them, remember them and thank them if we get the chance. I know I ALWAYS thank our veterans and current members for their SACRIFICES when I encounter them and it brings a tear to my eye to shake their hands. Cheers~

I had a customer send me some pictures of his patterns from a jug choked, 30 inch barrel, (English Game gun), from 10, 20, 30 and 40 yards. He says it shoots better than his modern full-choked, back bored shotgun and is a heck of a lot more fun. He took a big old gobbler with it and I'll post a pic of him there, too.

6-17 We caught 4 good catfish last weekend, with the biggest being tad over 4 lbs. Lost few off the limblines, but going back after them a little bit this weekend, too. I've been steadily working on the new shop and making progress in spite of the warmish weather. I'm building a few extra guns right now since I have extra barrels run and stocks cut. I will have at least one 20 gauge Wilson available in about a month or less, so if you're needing a fine new smoothbore, give me a call.

I'm starting to really feel some renewed enthusiasm as America seems to be waking up to some tough realities. Everyone has their own ideas, but the realization that big government is bad government seems finally to have made a serious impact on people's consciousness. It is rather like a 4 year old grabbing a hot pan handle in spite of being warned that it will hurt. The handle will still get grabbed and the PAIN will be what taught the lesson, not the preceding words of warning. And that folks, is what always teaches lessons; PAIN. It doesn't matter whether you're 4, 24 or 44 years old. What seems like a good decision will always be judged only from the amount of pain that results from it. If there is a belief that the government can take care of everything in your life, will fix every problem and this country and citizens will suffer no pain, well, I think most people have now suffered enough pain to change their belief system and are finally ready to quit being in pain. Of course we need government for it's legitimate role as mandated in the Constitution, but when people vote for a nanny state to take care of them, falsely believing that their welfare will be looked after, it always fails. The reason is that spreading the wealth around only works on paper. WHY? Because when everyone gets the same reward no matter the level of effort they put into it, people quit putting effort into it and it all goes down. Like this country has just experienced. It is an element irrespective of nationality, age, sex, or any other parameter of human existence. When your neighbor gets the same amount of the pie and he didn't work, then you quickly realize that you don't have to work either, can get the same amount of pie and you quit being productive. WHY WOULDN'T YOU? Once everyone quits being productive, no one produces any wealth. That is the heart and total failure of all socialist experiments. In spite of leader's words that they know the way to change everything and everyone will be treated fairly, it cannot happen. Because, once again, people won't produce if they're rewarded for not producing. If a producer gets penalized for producing, excessive taxes, regulations etc, he'll also quit producing. Reward bad behavior and you'll get more of it. Penalize good behavior and you'll get less of it. Take that to the bank whether you like the reality or not. You cannot change human nature nor can I nor can our hallowed saviors/leaders. And look at all who have tried. Failures to the end. And America is not going to fail. Here is the important thing to realize, each of us as individuals has to fight the small daily battles against the creeping belief that government is the answer. IF WE WANT FREEDOM, we have to realize it is not free and we are all obligated to speak with our acquaintances, friends and neighbors to clear up the many misconceptions that are "believed" Use common sense and courtesy in educating people about our problems and be ready to walk away from those who "believe" in the direct contradiction of truth, for they will never learn. But there are many people out there who just misunderstand and can be educated about reality. I have faith in US! God Bless America!

The website hosting service I use, Hosting Metro is one the best companies I have ever dealt with. I have hardly ever had any problems (usually of my own making), but when I did, they remedied it promptly and with courtesy. Their rates to host a website and protect your domain name are unbelievably low. When you contact them, you are treated with knowledge, respect and FAIRNESS. Something you rarely see in the corporate world. I truly recommend their services if you or a friend are setting up a website. You can search them on the internet for contact information. GREAT COMPANY!!!!!!

6-5 I've been out working every day on the new shop after I get done with gun work. I finally got all the roofing iron on and walls up. I'm getting ready to set my breaker box and weld up some strong double doors for the east end. This weekend will be spent doing trim work and I hope to get it all finished!

5-26 I just received a picture of the Joplin high school where my sisters and I went. We lived a half a block away.

I'm whittling the waiting list down for firearms, so there is time to order a firearm for the fall hunting season and get it in time. Give me a call if you have any questions or would like to place an order. Cheers~

5-23 As many of you know, I grew up in Joplin, Missouri and still have a lot of family and friends in the area. My immediate family all survived the tornado which struck yesterday. Many of my friends have sustained injuries and loss of loved ones and my prayers go out to all of them. Many are still unknown as to their conditions or whereabouts, so this is still very much up in the air. I'm hoping and praying that all of them are o.k. and have not lost their families, homes, businesses and properties. It is devastating to see this level of destruction, but it brings home the point that there are no guarantees in life and that we must all take care to show our love for our families and friends and not take anything for granted. I'm praying for all of the Joplin residents and that they can come out of this unscarred. God Bless them all.

5-17 I just now received 8 20 ga. barrel blanks for Wilson Trade guns, Northwest guns, French guns and English fowlers. I've got to breech them, run contours on the lathe, polish them and cut the flats. It'll take me a few days to get this work done, but I'll be calling you guys pretty soon, so start collecting those aluminum cans from the roasdside! I've already got stocks cut and locks built, so I should be getting quite a few some guns delivered in the next month or so.

I just got a call from a California customer. He said he was having trouble with his Wilson, with a 36 inch, 20 ga. barrel . He said every time he takes it out to shoot it, he spends most of his time showing it to the other shooters, giving them a history lesson on flintlocks and smoothbores and showing them how well a flintlock can perform. He said its the most fun he's had in years. I suppose I'll have to pay him a commission on the orders he generates since he's spending so much time and effort promoting my products. Thanks Jim, I appreciate your very nice comments and am glad you're having so much fun!!! Jim had unfortunately lost his home in the San Diego fires a few years back and replaced his lost flintlock with a "Caywood". I built him an extra special gun at no extra cost because I know exactly how it feels to suffer a loss like that. Cheers to all of you~

5-16-2011 Turkey season has provided a few thrills, disappointments and successes. Here are a couple of picture so success, since we all know what failure looks like with turkeys, a blank page...congratulations to all of you who turfed a turkey and if you got one with a "Caywood", send me the pics and I'll post them here. Good job!

I went out and worked on the new shop this weekend and got the east wall finished. I've got just little more work to do on the west wall and it will be closed in. I'm going to build double steel frame doors for the east side and try to get them installed in the next 2 weeks or so. I'll try to get some updated photos posted pretty soon. It is sure looking nice and it sits in a beautiful spot on the hill above King's river.

5-11 I'm expecting some barrel blanks to show up this week, so I'll be able to fill some of your 20 gauge orders pretty soon. I appreciate your patience in waiting this out, but it is one of the things I just don't have any control over. I have also added a new page explaining my order and payment policies. I have changed my down payment amount to reflect the substantially higher cost of engaging in business. I have invested in this factory to produce extremely high quality firearms at a very affordable price but inflation and other factors have made it necessary for me to slightly change my policy. The new page can be accessed from the index page. The waters are receding from the rivers, but I'm still on a strict work policy on the new shop and firearms here at the shop. I'll get to some fishing here in a couple of weeks when I have time to take off for a little r & r.

5-6-2011 I just got a left hand English Game gun with a 12 gauge and 62. caliber rifle barrel finished and sent out. I also finished and sent a left hand 12 ga. English fowler. Both smoothbore barrels were jug choked and should provide very light and powerful firearms for chasing gobblers. I've got a left hand Wilson almost finished and ready to be final assembled and shipped. I'm starting a couple of French Type "D" 's and should have them out in about 4-5 weeks. My waiting list is getting trimmed down so when you order, the wait won't be too long to get your fine firearm delivered. I've also been out working on the new shop since the weather has finally turned around. We had approximately 20 inches of rain around here in only four days. It brought the river up about 35 feet and messed up all the fishing. It looks like our white bass and walleye spawn are wiped out for this year, as far as trying to catch any. It's going to take a long time for the water to go down and clear up enough to go chasing them.

The Arkansas State Shoot here in Berryville is coming up on May 20, 21, and 22. at Luther Owens Muzzle Loading Range and Park. We have a covered firing line, camping with showers and electrical hookups, and 84 matches for shooters of all ages. FREE TRADER'S spaces and camping! For further details, Bob Wiley, 870-367-7176. Come join us for the fun!!

I got a great email about this helping alleviate many health problems. It is worth a try and it won't hurt anything. I take cinnamon caplets every day just for a safety measure. Can't hurt and who doesn't like cinnamon and honey??

3-25 We have been having some warm weather to turn the fish on and now we're back to COLD and rainy weather. I'm still going to go fishing Sunday 'cause ya' can't catch 'em if ya' ain't out there!! Today is Saturday and I'm doing gun work which is what I've been doing on a lot of weekends lately. I can fish on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the weather finally cooperates.

Under the heading of "No good deed goes unpunished", I received an angry call from the wife of one of the subcontractor's who did a little barrel work for me on occasion. I have known them for a long time and have always had a little trouble dealing with the wife, but nothing of concern until I got this call. She proceeded to tell me how I had no business talking about barrel steel because it was going to hurt their business? I had written and posted on this website a little bit of educational information concerning barrel steels to INFORM customers about possible problems they might encounter when barrels are made of steel not designed for barrel making. She did not offer up any possibility that maybe I was correct and that maybe they should reconsider their choice of a barrel steel. It was strictly a rant that I should not be telling people about possible safety issues. I gently told her that I also have talked about another safety issue of short-breeching breech plugs and the possible safety problems associated with that . She didn't care that I was trying to help people make safe and wise choices when they purchase a firearm. I look at this business as a PROFESSION, not a hobby. If I am not professional in all decision making, I fail my customers and I choose to not behave in that fashion, however easy and simple that path might seem. Doing the right thing is not usually the easiest thing. So I calmly told her that I would take care of the problem and thanked her. I still stand by my efforts to inform you the customer. I do not produce barrels for the secondary market and am not in competition with them, but she still wanted to silence me. Kinda makes you wonder? I just PRAY that nobody EVER gets hurt from using a barrel that is unsafe. I'm doing my best to make a safe product and that will never change.

I'm still running about 5-6 months behind but slowly catching up by working weekends and evenings. I've got 3 guns photographed and ready to post here, so stay tuned. The QUALITY just keeps getting better! Thanks and everybody have good luck chasing turkeys. I'm going to give them a try myself as soon as the season begins. Cheers~

2-25 OOPS! I apologize for my lax behavior in getting this updated with any kind of frequency. I have been busy as heck trying to get your guns built and delivered. We have had some pretty substantial winter weather here, so I've actually spent more time on weekends getting guns built and waiting for spring weather so I can get out for a little fishing. We had a big snow, then a brief melt off and then an even bigger snow. It pretty well shut everything down for a while but I never lost electricity, so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience for me. I was sure glad I was working indoors and not out on the new shop. Since I've last updated, I built and delivered two French Type "D" 's. I had carved both of them and meant to photograph them but I didn't get that little job done. They came out very nicely and I had two more very happy customers. One was fitted up in iron and one in brass furniture. I've also built 2 Wilsons, a French "C-D" pistol, a 12 gauge English game gun and now have a 12 gauge /.62 caliber English Fowler, and a .45 caliber Southern Mountain rifle in the finishing stages. I'm also fitting up another 12 ga./.62 English fowler and should have it stained by Monday. I HAVE been busy. As fast as I get them built, new orders are coming in so I'm not really getting caught up too much. A little bit, but if you're wanting a short waiting list, it doesn't look like it's happening any time soon. One improvement I have made in the last year is carefully polishing the face of the breech plugs. The plugs come in with machine marks on them and even though they're not real rough, the surface does provide some tooth for fouling to stick to. It takes a little longer to polish them out and a little more custom work to breech the barrels, but the positive result is that the customer has a much easier time keeping fouling from building up on the plug face...for the lifetime of the gun. Seems like the extra work is more than worth it. It's one of those little details you don't see, but I always strive to build the finest firearm I am capable of.

A friend came over last weekend and we went out to my land at the river to hunt coyotes. He has an electronic caller which is nice with it's remote speaker. We had just gotten set up in my two man deer stand WAY up in the air, when a great big coyote came running in and stopped on the trail out in front of us. It wasn't a really smart thing to do with two guys sitting there with scoped .223's. Greg's shot was right in the boiler room and we had another deer fawn/turkey poult killing machine eliminated. When we got down and walked up to it, we were sure it was a big male. WRONG! It was a huge female, so we stopped her from popping out about a half dozen pups which would have soon become little killing machines, too.

I'll continue working some weekends to get guns delivered so I can take little more time later to work on the new shop. It's starting to warm up a little bit, so it won't be too long. Besides, when the fishing heats up, I won't feel too guilty if I take off a day or two and chase them around! If you need a gun for fall, it is NOT too early to get on the waiting list!! Have a good one out there and if you mange to drop one of those rock headed gobblers with your flintlock, send me a picture for the website.

1-4-2011 Happy New Year to all of you and I hope you all had very happy holidays. I pretty much worked all through the holidays with the exception of New Year's day and Christmas Eve and Christmas. I didn't even take off a day to hunt for a doe or two during our late muzzleloading season or our after Christmas hunt. I wanted to get out, but just kept working to get your guns built. As I've explained to several customers, I don't have barrels in and I cannot force my supplier to produce them on my schedule. I do contact him and add more barrel orders and get rough ideas on delivery times, but I can't pester him and do anyone any good. It just doesn't work that way and I know he's working as hard as he can also. For those who keep calling to check on your gun, I'd like to add that if I told you 3 weeks or a month ago that I don't have your barrel in, well, it doesn't do me or ANY of my customers any good to keep answering the same question repeatedly. I know you're anxious to get your fine firearms and I appreciate your desire and patience too, but each trip to answer the phone requires me to stop, turn off my machine, take off my breathing protection, hearing protection and eye protection. Then to explain that your barrel still isn't in does not get anyone's gun any sooner. I am single handedly building all of your parts, doing the lock building, barrel work and stock work to produce a very high quality affordable piece of art. I do it because I know you appreciate my efforts and abilities to consistently build quality. If you'll just restrain your phone calls, everyone will be happier to get their guns sooner. I ONLY make money to pay my bills when I produce firearms, so you can be assured that I am taking the orders as they came in and filling them as quickly as possible. Thank you once again for your patience and have faith that I AM working as hard as possible to deliver your fine pieces. Cheers~

I have been photographing the building process as I've gone along on this last batch of stocks. I'll try to get those pictures edited and posted so you can see the continuing process from raw stocks to finished products. I've got two French Type"D"'s almost finished and a couple of Wilsons in the finishing stages. I'm getting ready to start cutting 12 gauge English fowlers, so those at the top of the list are going to be hearing from me soon. Stay warm out there and pray for spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12-9 I've got some more production pictures posted so you can see the steps taken to build your fine firearm. Just scroll down a little bit and click on the blue link "production pictures" to see the latest.

12-1 I've got almost all of the barrels channels inletted in the 24 stocks and am about ready to start the second process of contouring and inletting stocks so I can get some guns built. As soon as I get some stocks cut, I begin the assembly and go on to finishing these firearms out and getting them delivered. I'll get these production pics posted in a day or two and show the process.

11-29 My son Andrew was blessed with some flintlock luck on Saturday and took a nice 8 point here in Arkansas. I had built him a .50 caliber Wilson years ago to hunt with. He'd taken some nice bucks through the years with it and he ONLY hunts deer with a flintlock. I offered to shorten the barrel length to 30 inches last year and he thought it would be great since he does a lot of hunting in very thick cover and from tree stands. The gun shoots great and it made it a lot handier for chasing these bucks in the rugged hills of Arkansas. It is rough and steep and any decreased weight in a firearm sure helps if you spend much time out. The buck came in from behind his stand, as USUAL, and Andy patiently waited until the buck finally stepped into a small opening. When his shoulder came clear, Andy made a perfect behind the shoulder shot and the deer only went about 40 yards. Good job Andrew and there will be some great meals around the Caywood home this cold winter.

11-23 The Thanksgiving season is almost upon us and I'd like to take time to give thanks to all of my customers, past and present, and for all of my blessings! We live in the greatest country in the world and I am personally thankful that it looks like the country is once again heading in the right direction. No person, county, state, or country can spend money you don't have and just worry about it later. Because later WILL come and then the bill plus interest must be paid. Americans woke up and decided that the course of our country must change or we would face a crisis like we've never seen before. We didn't get in trouble overnight and we sure won't get everything fixed overnight, but we had to change course and thankfully we have. My faith and trust in Americans has been restored. Each of us must fight these battles to keep our country free or the military men and women who sacrifice by putting their lives on the line won't have a free country to return to when their "duty" is done. I SALUTE every service person, past and present, for the great sacrifices you have all made to keep us free. I NEVER take it for granted and I hope you other freedom loving Americans don't either. Freedom is never free and eternal vigilance is the price we must ALL pay if we wish to remain free. I am a proud American once again and see great things in our future if we don't become complacent and think that OUR freedom is somebody's else's job to protect. It is our obligation if we wish for our children and grandchildren to live freely. AND please, always take the time to thank our service people for their sacrifices.

YES, I have begun another run of stocks and have enough to cover all of my orders and a few spares to boot. If you have a gun on order, your stock is being worked on. I'm going to explain the process and post pictures of the progress on these stocks so you can see what building a fine 18th century firearm entails. The first step is to select the proper figured stock for each firearm type. I have selected the proper grade of stock for each; 12 gauge English fowlers, standard English fowlers, English game guns, French guns, Wilson trade guns, Northwest Trade guns, and Southern Mountain Rifles. The next step is to carry them to the wood room, place and trace the correct profile pattern for each on the stock and cut off enough in the butt section to allow me to run them through my jointer. The jointer allows me to straighten the wood and sometimes it is extremely crooked and twisted. Once I have the left side straightened, the stocks are run through my planer to thin them to the proper thickness and make them parallel. Once, they are thinned, I again place the proper profile pattern on the stocks and trace them out. The stocks are then cut to profile using an industrial strength band saw. Once they are cut, I place my barrel inletting vises in my stock duplicator to hold them steady for the barrel inletting process. I'll be posting the progress and pictures as I proceed. Click the link below to see the stocks I've begun working on.

11-23 I have only taken off 2 days during our deer season, besides the weekends. I took off last Wednesday to package up the 13 point buck after I had hung and aged him for 5 days to tenderize him. The meat really tenderizes when you hang them and keep them between 35 and 39 degrees. After I got the buck in the freezer, I spent all day Thursday starting another run of stocks and cleaning the shop. The shop is actually clean and organized, as incredible as that must seem to those of you who have been here!! Since I had those chores done, I took off Friday to hunt before the weekend. I went back to the skimpy brush ground blind where I'd shot the 13 point buck because I knew there was another big buck running the area. I had not been in there for 7 days and sure enough, there were new BIG rubs! I sat patiently trying to wait him out and amazingly he showed up at about 9:15 that morning. I saw him come up onto my little bench from the steep hillside below. He was out about 60 yards, so I slowly and carefully stood up to give me a better view over the brush. When he hit an opening, I was already cocked. He was highlighted in the sunlight as I settled the sights on his chest behind his leg. The hammer dropped and the only thing that happened was the pan flashed!!! I had neglected to use my touch hole pick to work fresh priming powder into the touch hole that morning. Luckily, my brass primer was hung around my neck, so I grabbed it and re-primed the pan as the buck continued walking up the hill, angling away from me slightly. Somehow (PANIC?), I banged the primer against the hammer of the gun which he heard. He stopped and looked but he was looking directly into the sun, plus I was camouflaged and in my blind. Again, he entered an opening at about 60 yards with the sun hitting him and stopped for a clear shot. I had already sat back down to help steady my shot, so I sighted behind his shoulder once again and this time the flintlock went off instantly. Thank goodness. I knew this was a BIG buck and the ball almost knocked him off of his feet when it hit him. He flipped around and headed downhill at high speed. I shakily reloaded my gun and carefully approached the spot where he'd been standing. I found two patches of hair. Slowly, I began working out his trail although in the leaves there were no tracks, just scuffed leaves. After following the trail for about 60 yards, I finally found a drop of blood. At least now I knew I'd done more than graze him. As I followed his marks down the hill the blood trail began to increase and make tracking easier. I just slowly and carefully followed him down, keeping an eye peeled in case he was still alive. After about 120 yards, I found him piled up with his head in a sun filled opening. What a relief. As I approached him, I realized that he was much bigger than I had originally thought. Most bucks, especially my bucks, shrink in size once I get my paws on them. This buck was even bigger than the 13 pointer I'd shot the previous Saturday! I absolutely could not believe my luck? Two monster bucks in one week from one ground blind where I had sat for only a total of less than 3 hours. Like my father says, I'd rather have a thimble full of luck than a pick-up load of skill any day!! And that day he was sure right. The ball hit the buck perfectly behind the shoulder, exited the other shoulder and yet he didn't bleed a drop of blood for at least 60 yards! Then he made it 120 yards? It just shows how tough these big old bucks are. I measured his neck right under his chin and with the tape stretched tight he was 21 inches. The other buck was 22 inches around. Today, I am smoking about 25 pounds of roasts and tenderloins to share with my family and many friends. I hope you and your families and friends are blessed with good health and good food. I'm giving thanks just like I do every day, but this Thanksgiving will be a little more special for me. The two biggest bucks I've ever taken, one week apart. I know I'm a liar, but this time I didn't have to!! Blessings to all of you~

11-19 Blind hog finds yet another acorn. I got the buck which was taken opening morning ( last Saturday) put in the freezer on Wednesday. After getting another 24 stock blanks picked out and prepared for the next run, the shop cleaned and organized, I decided to go hunting this morning. Since it was a Friday with less hunter competition and colder temperatures than we're expecting for tomorrow, I hit the woods this morning. I sat in the same ground blind and shot what appears to be as big a buck as the last one. He has 10 points, but he's wider and taller and absolutely perfect except for one brow tine being an inch longer. I cannot believe my luck. The Goddess of the Hunt, Dianna smiles again.

11-15-2010 Blind hog finds acorn AGAIN!! Yeah, guys, I went out Saturday morning for the opening day of modern rifle season, using my flintlock of course. For those of you who have not read previous postings, I am a dedicated flintlock hunter using only traditional firearms and round balls. I began hunting with a flintlock when I was 13 and have never taken a big game animal with anything but a flintlock. Using round ball for big game and shot for turkeys, I have managed to take all of Arkansas big game. I took a 400 lb. Arkansas black bear with the .48 caliber Crockett rifle. I used my .54 English game gun to take a 6 X 6 elk and have hauled home truckloads of whitetails with all calibers of flintlock rifles. I've taken quite a few deer with the .40 caliber and it takes them quite cleanly when the ball is inserted precisely. I believe I'm the only Arkansas hunter to take all of the big 4 with a muzzleloader and of course, it was flintlock muzzleloader. It is not necessary to use modern technology, including scopes, sabots, modern propellants, primers and any manner of ignition, including electronic ignition! The old flintlock with round balls has been working for 300 plus years and didn't suddenly become ineffective just because somebody invented a sabot! What the traditional firearm does require is some hunting skill to allow close shots at game. When I see a deer at 100 yards, the hunt has just begun, it's not over with the settling of magnified cross hairs on the critter's chest. I took this buck from a ground blind where I had previously taken the two other largest bucks I've ever shot. He was shot at about 22 yards and I can assure you that this puts the thrill of hunting front and center when you're face to face with a deer like this. I thank the good Lord and Dianna, the Goddess of the Hunt, for presenting me with this beautiful creature. I am going to have him mounted as a start to re-building my trophy collection, which was all lost in the house fire.

11-15-2010 Mr. Whitman, who called from Iraq, please try to re-contact me as your number did not come up on caller i.d. and the message you left on the message machine was very garbled. I was not able to correctly address an e mail to you to establish contact. If you would please call back, we can get this straightened out. Thank you, sir.

10-29 Well, I have concentrated on building firearms for the last 3 weeks, since hunting seasons are upon us, and neglected working on the new shop. I plan on working on it all weekend and am trying to get it closed in by the end of November. I normally work until about 3:30 in the afternoon and then devote the rest of daylight to the construction. I have just laid that work aside lately to get these guns out the door. I'm running about 7-8 months behind on orders, not even counting building the #7 Crockett rifle, so if you're thinking about ordering a firearm, you'll have plenty of time to save up the funds. Our rifle season starts in about 2 weeks , so I'm trying to get caught up as to allow me to relax and enjoy my time in the woods since I, like many of you, look forward to this all year long. I don't take vacations to speak of, so this is kind of it for me. Read below for some helpful tips if you are a deer hunter and/or flintlock hunter. Good luck out there and most of all, enjoy all the time you get to spend out with Mother Nature, whether you take a critter or not~

10-26 I received a package from a friend and customer today and wanted to share a little of it with you. Inside the package was a fine print of a mountain man with a caption underneath: "We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend". Well put, with a fine piece of artwork which will hang in a prominent place here at the shop. Here is the letter included;

Dear Danny; I received my 20 gauge Wilson as scheduled. What an incredible surprise when I opened the shipping box!

The beauty, fit and finish was beyond my expectations. The stock is gorgeous, metal work fit and finish superb, and attention to detail very obvious. I have studied early American long arms since the mid 1960's so I am well aware of what I now hold! It takes time, effort, a conscious dedication to a craft and enthusiasm to produce a product that people can cherish for a lifetime.

With gratitude and appreciation for the pride of ownership you have given me, Jim F., San Diego Ca.

Jim, I just want to say thank you for your generous tip, beautiful gift and thoughtful letter. I don't make a lot of money in this line of work, but there is more to dedicating my life to this work than money coming through the door. You guys out there are awesome and I'm humbled.

10 26 Our black powder season ended on Sunday with a whimper. We had a full moon period, hot days and nights, high winds and mosquitoes! I saw 5 legal bucks the first weekend within shooting range. I was hunting in a skimpy ground blind and had about 10 deer from 15 feet to 20 yards for over two and half hours. I was crouched behind a small 3 foot high bluff and couldn't get away with much movement, as you can imagine. A nice 8 point came in close and walked away to about 18 yards and looked back up the hill at another deer. I was going to place the ball behind his head when he lifted it back up, but before I could make the shot, he turned around and started walking right at me. I kept my sights between his eyes as he walked along, head to the ground, grunting the whole time. I was just peeking over the rock when he stopped and jerked his head up, at a distance of 9 feet. I lifted my gun up to shoot him high in the throat and I pressed the trigger. The gun fired and he stumbled about halfway down, leaped about 15 feet and took off...at HIGH speed! He had seen the flash and instantly jerked his head and neck just enough that I only grazed his neck. I carefully tracked him and never found a single drop of blood. Talk about a close encounter. I saw the other bucks several times during later hunting sessions but never took a shot since there is big buck running the area. I figure I have a better chance at the mature buck if I leave the area mostly undisturbed until our rifle season opens in about 2 weeks. Hopefully the weather will be cooler and he'll be up moving looking for does to play with.

HELPFUL TIPS; I'd like to offer a few tips to help make your season a little more successful. One very important thing to do in the loading process is to clean your barrel first and remove any moisture, rust, oil etc. so you have a dry, clean charge. Before pouring the powder charge, place your touch hole pick completely in the touch hole to the far side of the bore. This gives you a much bigger flash surface than just having the small opening presented to the flash. Each time I go out, I work fresh priming powder into the touch hole so that I get instantaneous ignition. A good way to insure this is to completely fill the pan with priming powder. When you are ready to take a shot, tilt the gun away from center to roll the powder away from the opening. This will allow the flash to smack directly into the main charge with no hang fire. You can do this whether you are shooting fowl like ducks or pheasants or hunting deer or turkeys. Try it for yourself and see how well it works. Also, try to minimize all of your human scent whether you hunt from the ground or use elevated stands. If possible, shower with scent free soap, wear clean scent-free clothes and I even use the scent reducing sprays you can buy at any outdoor store. Another nice trick is to take either cedar or pine needles ( whichever may be present in the area you are hunting), crush them and rub on yourself and your boots, clothing and even bare skin. The oils in these softwood needles do a pretty decent job of keeping mosquitoes off of your skin and definitely help hide human scent. It is also very helpful to wear a head/face cover if you are hunting from the ground as deer can definitely distinguish a human face at close range if given the chance. Any time you have close encounters with deer that do not detect you, you have been successful whether you take a shot or not. I'm very selective about which deer I take and may have twenty deer go by before I ever touch a trigger. I always have fun being in "tight" with deer and other wildlife. Last Saturday, I saw a legal 6 point buck, a white squirrel at 15 feet, 5 jakes, a bobcat and another deer later in the afternoon. On Sunday I never saw a deer! That's hunting! I also use a loading block which is very handy. The block I made holds 3 powder charges, three patched balls and two spare touch hole picks. I carry my brass primer on a separate strap so it doesn't bang the block and make noise. Here is a picture of the block so you can make your own before you head out. With the gun loaded, I have four shots available. If I can't get the job done with 4 shots, I'm probably heading home for a long session with some barley pops!!! Good luck out there and be proud of any animal taken in fair chase with a flintlock because you are doing it the hard way...and the right way!

10-14 I just got two more guns photographed and posted. Just go to the Current Flintlocks available page and click the blue links. They are both sold and shipped to two very happy customers. One thing I keep hearing is "It was worth the wait". Thanks guys, I appreciate your very nice comments.

10-14 Our deer season opens up this weekend and I got a fine little English Game gun built back from a broken stocked firearm. It was broken completely through the wrist and I got it repaired so the break is invisible. I'll post few pics later so you can see it. I got it sighted in last weekend and it shoots dead center. I just salvaged some old parts, some not even engraved, and put it together without lavishing much time or money on it. I knew you guys would go on strike if I wasted time for my own gun when you've all been waiting so patiently. I only worked on it after hours and part of a weekend to not delay your firearms. I can tell you I am really looking forward to some woods time whether I shoot a deer or not. I have been working long hours and weekends to keep delivery of your guns on a somewhat timely fashion and this will really help clear out the cobwebs to get refreshed with some of Mother Nature's little miracles. I hope you are all making similar plans and get to spend time with friends and family this coming season. Good Hunting and be safe out there!

10-13 I've got a 12 gauge/.62 rifle English Game gun up for sale. Go to the "current flintlocks available" page for details. It will have a full factory warranty even though I've shot it a little bit and taken a buck and a gobbler with it. It is a great powerful little gun! Pictures now up!

Our season opens next weekend and I've got new .54 cal. English Game gun built since I lost my other one in the house fire. My new gun had been broken completely through the wrist, but I repaired it and you cannot see the repair. Good Hunting out there and keep yer powder dry!

9-27 We had a great shoot this weekend and had about 120 shooters attend to compete for the fine prizes we gave away.

Kevin Battson won the Northwest Trade Gun with 2 barrels with a 413 XXXX. Second place was only one X behind!!! Talk about some competition! The grand aggregate had 10 targets so they got to do a lot of fun shooting. The top lady shooter was Mari Chandler and she won a beautiful print donated by Doug Hall, a very talented artist from Missouri. The lady's aggregate had 6 targets. Everyone had a great time with beautiful weather for the most part, but it did unexpectedly turn off cold yesterday.

Be sure and make plans for next year and come have a great time!! Our Arkansas State Shoot is mid-May and I'll keep you updated on the Berryville Shoot page. Please click the link below for pictures of the winners and also shots from around the range.

9-21 We're gearing up for the 55th annual Saunder's Memorial shoot here in Berryville. The shooting starts on Thursday at noon or 1:00 I think? I hope you are all making plans to attend and it looks like we're going to have great weather most of the time. I've been breeching, turning and stamping some 12 gauge barrels since I have eight 12 gauge English fowlers to build. Yeah, it's going to be a while getting them all done, but they'll be nice. I'm also taking the extra step to polish the face of the breech plugs to help prevent fouling from sticking. It takes longer to do it correctly, but the customer will get a lifetime of easier cleaning. It's a step that has never been done on my guns before, but I always strive to make things as close to perfect as I can. The new shop is coming along slowly but I'm making progress and will have it closed in in about 3 weeks, although I've got to build some double swing doors for the end of the shop. It's going to be fall hunting season and the end of daylight savings time soon, so I've been working overtime to get guns built and keep shop building progress going. Those woods are going to be a welcome break this fall. I've got a fine Southern Mountain Rifle built with a.32 and .45 caliber interchangeable barrel system. I got some nice carving done on it and will photograph it before I send it out. Also have a 2 barrel Northwest gun built and a Wilson 36" barrel 20 gauge about ready to go out. This shoot is slowing me down a bit, but its part of the job, too. Thanks for all of your patience out there and saddle up to come to Berryville!!!!

8-30 I finally got the final sheets of roofing iron on the new shop last week. I can tell you I'm glad I got those long, heavy sheets pulled up and attached. I'll start putting on the peak trim and get to finishing the end walls sometime in the next few weeks. I also changed my stated "delivery time" on the index page because of a customer complaint. It's hard to keep up with everything including all updates on this website, but I give it an honest try. The most important thing is I try to accurately state a delivery time for the customer. I can't DEFINITELY deliver everything exactly on time, but I do make an honest effort to get things delivered as soon as possible. A customer demanding to me when his gun will be built and delivered overlooks a pretty important fact; I don't currently own a working magic wand. I have to deliver guns or I can't pay my bills, so I'm not delaying anyone's firearm for spite of any other assumed reason. I simply work as hard as I can without burning out. I worked on guns all day Saturday and many overtime hours during the week to keep deliveries as short as possible. If you hear some grousing out there, take it in stride and realize that in spite of my good will efforts, I cannot just make something happen because someone demands it. As I try to convey, when you are looking to receive a high quality item for a fair price, it takes time because others want the same deal. I have the stain and finish on 3 firearms right now, a Northwest gun with 2 barrels, and r.h. 36 inch Wilson and 41 inch r.h. Wilson. I'm fitting up a 2 barrel Southern mountain Rifle today and will start on 2 12 gauge English Fowlers this week. I'm working steadily and hope everyone realizes that patience is rewarded with a lifetime quality gun. As I tell anxious customers, it'll be worth the wait and I almost always get a nice call or letter telling me that the gun was way more than they expected and they were glad they were patient. Impatient customers are only shorting themselves~

Have a great day out there and start practicing for the fall hunting seasons, they'll be here before you know it!

8-19 I'm starting on 2 Wilson Trade guns today and will start on two 12 gauge English Fowlers next week. I'm working as hard as I can and getting a lot done, even making progress on the new shop. The last part of the roofing iron will be up today. Then its going to get a lot easier for sure. I also want to remind you to make plans for the September shoot where we're giving away a Northwest Trade gun with two barrels! This is a really fine prize for the top shooter and you can see pics if you scroll down and click the blue link. We're also giving away a very fine Doug Hall print for the top lady shooter. You can go to the Berryville Shoot page and click on the link for the pics of that. Stay cool out there and keep practicing...you might be glad if you walk away with a new gun!

8-19 I just got 2 more fine firearms sent out this week. The gun has a 20 gauge and .54 caliber interchangeable rifle barrel. It had a nice almost full curl stock and was all iron mounted, a really pretty gun! Here is the reply of one of the recipients;

Danny,
I received my new French Type "D" Fusil today and I want to let you know how extremely pleased I am with it. The workmanship exceeds my expectations and it will be something that I will be very proud to pass on one day. I do want to verify that the serial number is R28 0194. Thanks again for your hard work in producing such a fine gun.
Sincerely,
Don H.

8-12 I have some sobering news to pass along to all of our brothers and sisters in the black powder world. One of our nicest and most loved Arkansas Muzzle Loading Association members took his life last week and has left us all in a state of shock. I got the news that Wayne Livingston had taken the last step and left this world after suffering some health and personal problems. Wayne was always there with a smile and encouraging words for everyone. He was always willing to take the new, inexperienced shooters under his arm and patient watchful eye. He taught well and was a fantastic flintlock shooter. Wayne will be missed by all who had ever had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with him. A truly unselfish person and his passing will leave a big hole in the club. I would also like to point out that the A.M.L.A. is one of the greatest clubs around. The members have worked hard to build a very nice range and facilities at Hattieville, Arkansas. If you want to join a club with some truly great people, this is the club to contact

I've just finished building a small lot of locks to go into the next guns I'm building. I just shipped a left hand Wilson and a right hand Wilson last week. I'm getting ready to ship a French Type "D" with 2 barrels and a left hand English Game Gun first thing next week. The new shop is coming right along in spite of the excessive heat. I'm working on it in the evenings when it cools down a little. Plus I have some towering oaks which provide shade in the late afternoon. And plenty of ice cold water. Make plans now to join us at the end of September for a chance at a grand prize NEW GUN with two barrels and also a very nice print for the women's top shooter. It's not far off and you will meet and enjoy a really nice crowd or people if you make the trip! Stay cool out there and keep practicing~

8-2-2010 Club meeting for Luther's Longhunter's Muzzeloading club is set for August 21st at 12:30 at Geraldi's on the east side of the Berryville square. All interested parties are invited to attend. If you'd like to volunteer to help at the Saunder's shoot, we'd greatly appreciate it!

Additional prize for Saunder's 55th Annual shoot. Please scroll down for details.

I've been working on the new shop roof and got some roofing up on the south side last week. Going out again this afternoon. We're looking at near 100 degree temperatures for the next few days.

I just had a fine gentleman come in and pick up his new Southern this morning. I photographed it yesterday and at first blush blew out one of my 3200 watt photography lighting bulbs! I had no choice but to continue the best I could, but the pictures came out o.k.. This gun has a great piece of stumpwood, brass patchbox, brass end cap and brass sights. And lots of engraving and carving! Click link to view~

I got the north side of the shop roof done this week. Man, its' been hot here. I think our heat index has been running about 105 and it feels like it up on that roof. I'm starting on the south side tomorrow. It'll be a lot easier when I get down on the ground to do the end walls. Both long walls are already done. Got a new face around here. She's my new guard cat and her only lethal weapon seems to be her tailpipe emissions. It should turn the stomachs of the most hardened criminals.

7-19 I'm working on 6 guns right now and am getting ready to ship one this week. I'll also photograph the newest Southern Mountain rifle when its completed and post it. It has a fine piece of stumpwood maple and some nice carving too. I had a problem caused by a customer returning an entire gun only for the addition of a rear sight. The gun just showed up one day with request to add a rear sight. I always urge customers to contact me first before sending something back to prevent problems. A lot of the time I can solve a problem over the phone if they'll just give me a call. I've had locks show up with instructions to fix them, when there was nothing wrong with them. I call the customer and explain the situation. The customer will say, "Well, I couldn't get it to stay cocked in the gun etc., etc.,. The problem is that the lock works when its OUT OF THE GUN which they're building. So a simple call would rectify that wood needs to be relieved within the lock inlet to allow proper parts clearance.

The returned game gun suffered a break through the wrist on its return shipment. He could have sent the barrel only and prevented the damage. Now, it just puts me even further behind to have to build a new gun immediately since he's already paid for the gun. So if you do have a problem, please contact me first and we'll work to get your problem resolved with the least amount of effort and/or risk! Thanks~

Luther's Longhunter's Shooting club is proposing a club meeting for Saturday, Aug. 14th in Berryville. If you are a club member (or you would like to volunteer to help at the Saunder's shoot in September) and can make it that day, please contact us so we can firm that date up a.s.a.p.! I think we'll probably plan it for about 12 or 1 at Geraldi's on the east side of the Berryville square. My phone is 870-423-4741.

I have posted some additional information for shotgun shooters on the "Berryville Shoot" page.

I got another really nice Southern Mountain rifle finished and photographed but have been short on time to get pics posted. Click the link here to see this fine toy for Jerry!

8-2 We are also giving away a beautiful Doug Hall painting, limited edition print for the top woman shooter at the 55th annual Saunder's shoot this September. It is a large (approx. 24 X36 inch) canvas and framed very nicely. It is a very beautiful painting of a native American brave posing in a woodland scene in native dress and is valued at approx. $750. A GREAT prize!!!!!! I have it posted on the "Berryville Shoot" page if you'd like to see it.

Hey Guys! I have finally gotten the NEW FREE GUN pictures posted. It is a beautiful gun and everybody needs a good look at it to get fired up about coming to the September shoot in Berryville. It is our 55th annul shoot and we're expecting a pretty good crowd. We normally have about 120 shooters and hope to increase it this year.

A word I use a lot is "patience". If you read down these postings, I repeat that word a lot and always thank you for being patient as I'm working as hard as I can and doing a good bit of overtime. I know how excited you are to receive your new guns, done RIGHT of course. The reason I'm focusing on that word is because one of the reasons you are willing to wait for one of my guns is because as a professional gunsmith, I use patience as one of my main tools. It is how things get done correctly. It is something cultivated over many years of experience and you learn to not rush things no matter what the impetus is. I think its one of the main reasons you pay for my product. I take whatever time is necessary to get out gun done right AND I don't get paid more. I would get paid more to rush "your gun", get it done sooner, sent out and out of my hair. BUT, I don't do that and am committed to never doing that. I like to expend my "patience" on the products I build because they reflect that quality forever. When I have to expend patience on the phone answering "How is my gun coming along?" questions, it just wastes my time, resources and "patience". I have to shut off my machinery, take off my breathing protection, hearing protection and eye protection to come answer the phone. And it doesn't get anyone's gun done any sooner. In fact, it just slows everyone's project down. If I only get 3 phone calls a day inquiring, that is 15 per week and 60 a month. Seems like that would kind of add up after a while? I am well aware that I'm behind and that every one of you wants your gun yesterday! If my darned magic wand wasn't always in the shop for repairs, I'd get more done. Unfortunately, the only thing that gets quality guns built is dedicated, disciplined, workmanlike consistency and "patience". I'll keep working hard to get your guns done. And this is also food for thought : Those who have shown the greatest patience are NOT taken for granted. I am the final determiner about what "extras" go on a gun to show my appreciation, so there is actually a tangible reward for your "patience". Thanks for being such an understanding (if excitable) bunch of fine people. I truly appreciate you and count my blessings every day for my God-given talents to be able to build fine 18th century firearms. I'm lucky and though I have lots of dirty, hard jobs to accomplish, I wouldn't trade my "job" for anything! You guys are the ones who make it all possible~

6-30 I'm already putting stain and finish on new firearms since I got the barrel work done last week. I'm going through the orders as they have come in and working as much as humanly possible. I have to start putting in some time on the new shop in the afternoons. Luckily, it has cooled down a little bit since the high 90's stretch we had for a few weeks. It has been substantially cooler lately, so James (a good friend) and I are going to start back on the new shop. I got about 60 more pine trees planted on the perimeter and there were already about 50 pine trees or so growing . It is such a beautiful spot and I'm excited about getting back on the building job. I got a lot of my food plots planted last night and will have a great sunflower crop going in about 2 or 3 weeks. I'm also growing a patch of field corn for the deer and turkeys to eat . I'll just leave it standing so they can reach the ears when the snow and ice fly in the winter. Everybody stay cool out there and thanks again for your patience!!!! Cheers~

6-20 I just got done running octagonal flats on the latest shipment of 20 gauge barrels. I've got breech plugs in them and the round parts all polished, so I just have to polish flats, cut wedding bands and stamp them and I'll be back to building guns. I have decided, at least for while, to not sell locks, parts or barrels separately because of my workload. I don't think its fair to my customers who have ordered gun ( and waited PATIENTLY!) to be further delayed because I'm making parts to sell to the secondary market. I may change policy later, but building this many models of guns and having sufficient inventory to keep things running smoothly is difficult to say the least. Selling parts isn't really what I'm set up to do. I do produce everything, but I want to build guns! I guess if you want a Caywood lock, you'll just have to buy a gun. I have a small confession to make here today. The paragraph below says "no fishing anytime soon" and although no one spotted me out on the water ( since we had King's river completely to ourselves on Wednesday) I did take the day off and go floating. A really good old friend of mine came in Tuesday night and we slipped the little flat bottom in the clear cool waters of the King's and had a magnificent trip. We caught about 125 fish, including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, shadow bass, spotted bass, goggle eyes, blue-gills, black perch and shell crackers. What a great variety of fish and lots of wildlife too. I'm going to work on Saturday and Sunday, so I didn't set anyone's gun back too far anyway. It sure was nice to catch a little break in the middle of the week. Everybody stay cool out there!

I just got a beautiful stump-wood Southern Mountain Rifle shipped out (I got it photographed and will post pics here soon) and have gotten back on the barrel production. I've got the barrels breeched and turned. I'll start polishing them today and then start cutting octagonal flats. Then I can start building guns again. I got some locks built last week and it sure is good to hear the sparks SIZZLE when you drop the flint. When you have crackling, sizzling sparks, you've got real flintlock. Thank you all for your patience and not bugging me too much. I know you're excited about getting your guns and many of you have been waiting for good bit. I've got the orders to build as they were taken, so everybody hang in there and I'll get you built a.s.a.p.! Thanks and have a good weekend. I'll be working here at the shop of course to get your fine firearms built! (NO FISHING ANYTIME SOON!) Cheers~

6-2 My first load of barrels came rolling in today. I now have 20 gauge barrels, though not enough to fill my orders, but I can only build so many guns in a specified amount of time anyway. I've already started in breeching them up and will start running contours and cutting flats tomorrow. Please realize that I am trying to get to the guns in the order in which they came in. I know you're impatient out there, but work is stopped when the phone rings and it only slows everyone's fine firearm down. I appreciate everyone's patience and always bend over backwards to let customers know it! I can tell you that any guns ordered now won't be delivered until 2011! The orders have been pouring in and there are only 9 days in a week! Thanks again and I'll call those of you who are scheduled to get guns built. Everyone else can relax and go fishing until I call~ Thanks.

5-26 My barrels are coming in next week finally, so I can get to work cutting the contours, breeching and cutting flats. It'll take me a week or so to get it done, but I'll get to work on building ordered guns as soon as I get the barrels run. I'm building 10 locks right now so I'll have what I need done when the barrels are finished. I'll be building the guns in the order that they were ordered, so please be patient until I contact you. I know you're excited about getting a new toy and that is as it should be, but I can only work so many hours in a week!!! Please be patient. I just got another fine French Type"C" carved and built. It had fine piece of stumpwood on it, but I didn't photograph it because the customer was a tad impatient, so I just sent it out. I have also built up and finished the GIVEAWAY Northwest gun with a 20 gauge and interchangeable .54 caliber rifle barrel. I carved it and specially engraved it. It will be given to the high shooter at our September shoot in Berryville. I'll try to get it photographed and posted before the weekend, so you can salivate and give attending our shoot some serious thought. We're going to have a lot of fun and you can see the shooting program on the "Berryville Shoot" page. Plan now to attend, even if you've never been to Berryville before. We have great facilities and other than me being there to harass and insult you, we have lots of really nice people to meet and enjoy. Sept. 23rd thru the 26th. I've been taking a lot of orders and right now, if you order it'll be close to or after the beginning of 2011 before it gets built.

Wayne Baker, who runs the Second Amendment gun store in Brunswick GA., had me build him a 24 inch barrel Northwest canoe gun to hunt turkeys with. I jug choked it full and he said it worked like a charm. Click link

I took out the new English Game gun this weekend to turkey hunt. It features a .62 rifled barrel and 12 gauge interchangeable barrel system. I jug choked the 12 gauge full and took a fine bird at 40 yards. I had a self imposed limit of 35 yards, but misjudged this guy and still knocked him flat. Not a single pellet in the lower neck or breast.

4-28-2010 I'm currently running about 5 months behind on orders. If you are wanting a fall hunting firearm, please call soon and get on the list so I can get your fine gun built in time.

Notice; If you have purchased one of our locks from Mike Rowe (and not Caywood Gunmakers) in the last 7 years, please contact me for details on a reward and a brand new lock to replace the old one. The locks usually have a CC&R stamp on the inside of the plate above the main leaf of the mainspring, but if you can identify that it is one of the Caywood's locks, please contact me for details. Thank you~

Since there has been no price increase since 3-15-2007, the below prices are now effective. Orders placed before 4-27-2010 will be honored at the previous prices of course. All prices below are WITH locks and include smoothbore barrel w/o rear sight. (Mountain rifle is rifled.) The English Game gun is also priced with rifling.

Lock price increase; English Fowler and Mountain rifle locks are $175 and all others are $145 plus $8 shipping.
The tale of a gun.

A good customer of mine from Canada has had a bit of a rough time and it all kind of revolved around a Wilson kit that he purchased several years ago. When going through Canadian customs (which is VERY anti-gun and anti-freedom) with his kit gun, the agents harassed him and scared the heck out of him and his poor wife. They had done nothing wrong, but the big tough guys just had to abuse their power and make themselves feel important. They thoroughly questioned them and detained them for a long period of time, even though no laws had been broken. They finally got through the ordeal at customs and made it home. Then customs showed up at their house and confiscated all of his guns! They had to hire an attorney at great cost and emotional turmoil to finally get the firearms returned. They had done nothing wrong, but when you're dealing with beaureaucratic thugs, you have to suffer until they've finally exhausted all of their tricks and leave you alone. He got the Wilson Trade Gun back and continued on with life. I got a call from him last fall and he had wrecked his 4-wheeler with the Wilson in the gun rack. It pretty much destroyed the gun and he needed a new stock and numerous parts. He wanted me to supply the assembled-in-the-white version for him and get it all put back together. I said I could do it, so he sent me the "remains" and the parts to work up. I have a commitment to my customers and I ALWAYS want them to look at the gun in their hands with nothing but good thoughts and feelings. So here he had suffered the abuse of the Canadian police and the legal system and was going to have to pay for the same gun twice. I could hardly see how he could ever view this gun with positive feelings unless I did something to change the course, so to speak. Even though he had originally purchased a kit, I wanted to overcome, as much as possible, any negative thoughts about this firearm. So I have built him a totally factory finished gun (at no additional cost to him above the assembly) and also installed a fine brass English fowler thumbpiece to accent the beautiful brass lock plate. This has turned out to be an exceptionally fine piece and I hope he can now look at this firearm with good, positive feelings. Always doing the right thing turns out "right" in more ways than one. It's enough to know you can help someone and make a difference. I got a picture of the partial remains and the finished gun so you can see how it turned out.

2-14 I have been working seven days a week trying to get caught up around here and not get too far behind. I have been getting a few calls from customers wanting immediate delivery on guns, but I work off of a waiting list and have to honor the orders as they have come in to be fair to all those customers. If I do get extra guns occasionally for immediate sale, they are always listed on the "Current Flintlocks available" page. As I was standing in the shop today, I looked at all of the different models I'm currently working on and was surprised at the diversity at this point in time. I've got everything from 24 inch Northwest guns to 12 gauge English Fowlers to small and large caliber Southern Mountain rifles. Click the link below to see a small part the diversity. And this is not even close to all the models produced here. I'm going to count up all of them one day, including the left hand models and I'm sure it will surprise even me. And they all incorporate standardized interchangeable barrels systems, which complicate the production even further!

2-7 Well, we got a foot of snow last week and its finally starting to melt down a bit. It's safe to say that I've put the new shop construction on hold for bit. It is so mucky and cold that outdoor work is about as inviting as crawling through an alligator pit with raw steak clinched in my teeth. I think I'll wait a bit for the birds to start singing and serenade me while I'm out working. It has been a really cold, snowy wet winter here and I think it has been unusually cold everywhere this year. Building guns is sometimes hard dirty work, but at least I do get to work indoors. I am blessed! I've currently got 6 guns in the works and will start shipping a few next week when I get a couple of them totally final assembled. Thanks for your patience out there. I got a bit behind after a small bout with the flu. It didn't really hit me too hard, but I think everyone in northwest Arkansas got a "treat" with it. The fishing will start up soon, so I'm looking forward to getting out there and breathing fresh air. We're giving away a Northwest Gun with 2 barrels and also a beautiful Doug Hall framed print (value about $850) as grand prizes at the September 55th Annual Saunders Memorial Shoot in Berryville. The shoot is a ways off, so start making plans and saving your pennies now to join us. We're plannin' on havin' quite a good, little, old time and might even crack open a few ice cold barley pops sometime during the 4 day shoot??? Stranger things have happened! Everybody stay warm out there and give me a call if you're thinking about a fine new flintlock, I think I know where I can get you one...Cheers~

12-21 The holiday season has snuck up on us again and its been hectic around here. What happened to fall? I was supposed to get some time off and now its Christmas time? Who's in charge around here~

At the end of the year it is especially important to me personally to thank each and everyone of you out there for your support. Its been a good year in many respects. As many of you know we lost our house last January, but I have a deep, unshakable faith that everything happens for a reason. When bad/scary/unexplainable things happen in our lives, we must reach deep to restore our faith. I have been so blessed to follow my path in life, however rough and rocky it might have been. Counting my blessings every day is as important to me as breathing. I have always found that if I just believe that these things happen for a reason, it becomes apparent to me later why things did happen that way. We are all faced with obstacles in our lives, you just can't escape that hard reality. What we do with those obstacles is "the measure of the man" as they say. In other words, its not so much what happens to you, its how you handle it. When you look back later, can you say with confidence that you did the right thing to deal with hardship? If the answer is "yes", then the next obstacle will be that much easier to handle. With the help of family, friends and faith, we can all make our way successfully through the difficulties that we are handed. My hope for all of you is that your obstacles are not too difficult and the blessings you receive are abundant. I know I've been blessed and much of it is because of all the wonderful people out there. Thank you for your support. May the higher power continue to bless all of us in the most wonderful ways and help us through the rough times. May you all have a Merry Christmas and best wishes for a very Happy New Year!

And be assured that the job here at Caywood Gunmakers is to continue to build the highest quality firearms possible!!

We finally have some extra 20 gauge barrels for all of our guns. Give us a call for details on prices and delivery times. We ended up with one 20 gauge rifled barrel for either the Northwest Gun or a Wilson Chief's Grade Trade Gun. SOLD. This barrel is 41 inches, so if you have an older gun with a 41.5 barrel, it will require shortening your stock just a tad. If you already have one of these guns, it will drop right in with just a little tang height fitting. Or we can build you a brand new gun with a light powerful .62 caliber rifle barrel in it.

12-7-2009 Well, our gun season is over with and although I did take one deer, I didn't see many this year. I went out yesterday morning and saw a nice 8 point and a smaller buck. I also had doe tags and saw 5 does that I could have taken. Unfortunately, I was on the far side of a very steep mountain and had a long drag back to the car if I did shoot one. I would have taken a big buck if the opportunity had arisen, but I was too lazy to do that work for a small deer. Besides, I had a customer coming in at noon, and didn't want to have to deal with a deer while doing business. But we have a later 3 day muzzle-loading season, so I'll be out there then and have another go at it. Hope you all had a good season and have taken a few flintlocked critters to help fill your freezers. I got my deer with a .62 caliber English Game gun ( 30 inch barrel), which I'm writing an article on. It has the interchangeable 12 gauge barrel, so I'll be doing some testing and experimenting with that barrel also. This gun will come up for sale when I get all this done, so if you're looking for the ultimate in power and versatility in a short light gun, consider this one.

12-3 2009 Back in the shop now after a short absence. I apologize for the inability of customers to contact us. I have been returning calls for the messages left in our absence. If I haven't called you back, I may not have a full phone number to allow me to contact you. Please give us a call and we'll help you out. Cheers~

We've been out working on the new shop and have gotten quite a lot done. It's slow, but we're getting there. At least we've had fairly decent weather to be working in. We're going to try and get all the roof and wall steel on before really cold winter weather hits. But we're still building your guns as steadily as we are able. We've got a few extra stocks cut, so check out the Current Flintlocks available page and we'll get you fixed up! Thanks~

11-3 I have been putting the roof ( beautiful burgundy color) on the new shop this week, so we've missed some calls coming in. We are planning on being here Thursday this week, so you can call us then if you need to ask any questions or place your order for a fine new flintlock. It looks like the economy has finally recovered, so we can all breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy our "woods" time this year again. It has certainly been a time for America to re-awaken and hopefully reset their priorities so that we build upon the values that make this country the greatest country in the world. We thank you for all the patience you've shown in waiting for delivery on your guns. We're getting caught up slowly and are pretty much back on schedule, although we are going to get some of that "woods" time in about mid-November when our rifle season opens. I am going to hunt with my flintlock, the only type of gun I EVER hunt game animals with. I might add I've never taken a big game animal with anything but a flintlock. Bear, elk, deer and turkeys always present themselves when I willingly limit myself to "primitive" weapons and don't indulge myself with a shortcut like the technology of modern firearms. I do own modern firearms, but they are tools for other kinds of varmints, not big game animals which I RESPECT too much to use modern firearms on. Whatever form of hunting you choose, be safe and take a kid hunting, too. Just give us a call and get on the list if you're needing a Christmas present for yourself or a loved one.

Just a short aside on another note. You and I hear the word "value" tossed around like a rag doll sometimes and it gets me thinking about the true meaning of the word. Value, to me, means that you appreciate the thing, service or product every time you use it. A bargain is sometimes the most disappointing thing you can "acquire", because though you may have saved some money, the product just never brings that level of satisfaction and appreciation that a "valuable" item might. We can "value" friends, family and many other things in life, but when it comes to objects where I actually have a choice in the matter, I often dismiss any of the bargains offered because they almost always disappoint once in hand. When you carry a disappointment, you never say, "Well, at least it was cheap and I love it!" Quality costs more for a reason, because it delivers "value" that brings satisfaction each time the item is used. I save my money for "value" in whatever I purchase and end up NEVER regretting those few extra dollars used to acquire it. It doesn't matter if its a knife, a firearm, a car or any other thing where you have choices. Value is something you know when you see it. And it matters~

10-23 We've been out of the shop almost all week putting in electricity at the new shop. We now have power! Our deer season started last weekend and I've had very little time to get out. I've been a few times but have not seen a single deer. I plan on going sometime this weekend since its over tomorrow. I'll keep you posted if I have any luck with the .62 caliber English game gun. Good luck out there and be safe~

We built a very nicely maple stocked English Officer's fusil with our 1,000th 20 gauge barrel. We received a letter from the proud owner;

My Officer's fusil arrived while I was on vacation. I could hardly wait for my vacation to end to see it. We just got home and I was stunned. It is the finest firearm I have ever owned. The fit and finish is superb. The stock grain matched patch box lid is beyond belief in the figure and character of the stumpwood. This is going to be one fine hunting season.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures taken. I lost all my studio lighting/photography equipment in the fire and I don't have much of a set-up with my new unfamiliar camera either. I'm working to get a new set up so this won't happen again.

9-30-2009 We got another 2 shipments of barrels finally and are back to full production on everything. We have barrels for our French rifles and smoothbores, English rifles and smoothbores and Southern Mountain rifles in stock. I've got extra stocks cut ready for assembly, so if you've been waiting for us to get geared up again, give us a call and we'll give you details on delivery times. Sorry for the horrible delay. We just hope this never happens again!

We had a great Berryville shoot last weekend. It kept us out of the shop for 5 days, but we had a good turnout and everybody had fun in the SUNSHINE and complete lack of mud. We had 114 shooters and 30 smoothbore shooters on the trap/sporting clays ranges.

NEWS: Luther's Long Hunters (our local club and shoot sponsor) has taken steps to give away a Caywood Northwest Trade gun with 20 gauge and .58 rifled barrel for the first place FLINTLOCK shooter next September. The gun will feature our 41 inch barrel model, jug choked 20 gauge, sling swivels, sling, brass sighted rifle barrel and full factory warranty. Stay posted and we'll get pictures of the new prize gun posted on the Berryville shoot page soon. Tell all your friends to start making plans now to come have a "shot" at a new flintlock. We look forward to seeing old friends and making LOTS of new ones. Get fired up!!!!! This will be the 55th anniversary of the shoot and we want to make this special and memorable!!

9-17-2009 We received another shipment of barrel blanks today! If you have called recently concerning information on ordering a firearm and I haven't returned your call, here's why; We have had an extensive delay in getting barrels and I wanted to make sure that when I returned a call, I had current good information on delivery times on any gun ordered. We have promised delivery and not been able to accommodate it sometimes and I just want to be extra sure that I have something to base a prediction on. So I'll be returning those calls soon for those wanting to get a gun ordered. We have plenty of parts, locks and wood, so we're good to go on most any model we offer now. We appreciate everyone's patience on this matter which was out of our control, but frustrating nonetheless for everyone. THANK YOU! We feel like we're finally back on track now.

We have our new shop building frame up with the doors all framed in, too. We're expecting to get electric service soon and have the well drilled. Our main efforts are going to be getting our ordered guns built and delivered. The shop is going to have to wait a bit, but we're quite excited about getting relocated in our beautiful new spot. So I'm are working steadily on firearms and also looking forward to our black powder season. It has been extremely cool here this season and I know the bucks are going to be active early this year. I heard that there were 3,000 cool weather records set in the U.S. this summer, so so much for global warming?!?!? It's been nice, but I'm not ready for fall/winter...we've got way too much to do before winter sets in! Yikes! You guys have a good fall, practice a lot and shoot straight when that fine creature finally presents itself this fall. We should be thankful for all the good things in life and never miss a chance to enjoy time off with friends and family. The days you work all blend into one fuzzy memory. The days you take off and spend time in the woods or on the water with friends are the memories you will never regret...do it.

I've found the walleyes again and have managed to slip away a few evenings to put a few really nice fillets in the freezer before the fall scattering makes them almost impossible to find. I don't know where they go, but once cooler temps get here, I really have a hard time finding them. They're very hard to catch, but they're usually big fish, so it makes the efforts worthwhile. And its good to get away from the office/shop for a bit, too. Kind of clears the head! Good Shooting out there!

8-3 I got the new tooling delivered to the barrel manufacturer, so we should be getting our 20 gauge barrels in soon, so I can do the machine work and breeching on this end. I realized I should have been more clear after talking to a customer last week. The impression was that we are completely out of barrels. We have lots of barrels on the rack , we are just out of 20 gauge barrels which are the most popular and also what most of the orders require. We've got lots of different calibers and the smaller gauges which all fit into our interchangeable barrel system. So to be clear, we have barrels in stock, just not the 20 gauges and also .62 rifled barrels. But they're a comin'.

8-3 Got the pad all finished and the building frame should be up this week. We'll start putting on the roof steel and wall steel as soon as we get some guns built. The building is just going to have to wait a bit. Thanks for your patience!!!

I have contacted our barrel supplier repeatedly and have decided that we are going to build part of the tooling for his new lathe so we can get SOME BARRELS. I have done everything I can to fix the problem and hope this truly gets it fixed so I can get back on track again and get some guns built. I CANNOT show my appreciation enough for your patience in our efforts to resolve this problem. I know its been frustrating for many of you. It has certainly been frustrating for me and I think I'm finally making progress. Stay cool out there and thanks again~

I have been working on the new shop for the last 2 weeks, forming up the floor pad and pouring cement and finishing the surface. It 's been a typical hot Arkansas summer with plenty of humidity to keep us warm. Of course I also have to keep my old tractor too, so I end up with plenty of dirt and grease under my fingernails. Its going to be a beautiful shop in a great place, so I'm excited about getting it finished and moving into it as soon as possible. Everybody stay cool out there and do a little shooting every weekend so you'll be ready when that venison on 4 hooves finally walks by this fall. Be safe and Good Shooting!

The Berryville Shoot is going to be held September 25th, 26th and 27th. We have men's, lady's, junior's and old timer's matches to go along with the shotgun shooting and general whooping and hollering. Come join us for a great time and see old friends and make lots of new ones. Electric hook-ups, showers and a large gathering cabin available. 60 point covered firing line. Yeeehaaaaa!

6-11-2009 It may be hard to believe but we've been very hard at it around here even though I've been lax in keeping everyone updated out there. We finally got a few barrels in last week and got them finished out. One of our suppliers had promised barrel delivery in the first of April period and we finally got some last week! His lathe had broken down and he just sent the blanks to us and I got them turned in our lathe. Our delay has caused a fair amount of concern among customers who've ordered a while back but I'm leaning on the problem and will hopefully be receiving some long delayed barrel orders soon. I REALLY appreciate everyone's patience in waiting this out and will try to make up for the delay with extra nice work and make it worth your wait.

While I was waiting, I got a really nice .62 caliber with interchangeable 12 gauge English Game Gun fitted up and finished. This is the gun with the 30 inch barrel and it really has a nice balance and weight. I'm going to shoot it to see how it performs with the .62 at long range and also work up some loads for the 12 gauge shotgun barrel. The 12 gauge is jug choked full and should really perform well. I'm also going to shoot some 12 gauge balls through the smoothbore for those guys sitting over a bear bait that really want a thumper. It can certainly be used for elk and other large beasts, also. I'll finish the testing and experimenting and probably offer the gun for sale. Although, I may like it too much to sell it!

I'm getting on with the new shop construction and should have it finished in about 3 or 4 months. I can't wait to get out there because we'll have more floor space and also a shooting range on site. I enjoy shooting and it will make it much easier to do any adjustments to a customer's firearm if necessary. I'll keep you posted and let you know our progress. Oh, and its not too early to order a gun for hunting season. By the time I get to your order, get your gun built, delivered and you work up a load and learn to shoot it, it will be hunting season. Time flies and we don't like working too many hours overtime to deliver fine guns in time for season. I'm always behind and now is no different! Cheers~

I've had pretty good luck lately fishing and have quite a few bags of white bass and few walleyes. The biggest walleye we have caught so far was about 4.5 pounds, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I've been going out quite often and occasionally catch quite a few. It's been a long winter and cold late spring. I kind of like the occasional shaft of sunlight fighting it's way through the cloud cover. It won't be long before we can float King's River and enjoy the beauty of that fine water.

Our turkey hunting was non-existent this year. Most of the hunters recognize the extremely low populations and have backed off accordingly... thank you. The main reason is we've had BAD hatches for at least 3 years in the northwest corner of the state. We had 12 floods last year and lots of nests were destroyed. Hopefully we'll get a good hatch and the hills will be ringing with gobbles next year and in the next few years. We hope all is well with everyone out there and you're catching a few fish and maybe having a little luck with the turkeys, too.

4-6 I've just begun cutting another run of stocks for barrel channels. I'll have English fowlers, French guns, English guns and Southern Mountain rifle stocks. It's taken me a while to get enough quality wood delivered to start the process, but its here now and I'll be making messes for a few days for sure. We have been overwhelmed a bit since the house burned down dealing with insurance agents, lawyers and the 1,000 other things that must be taken care of to even start re-building a normal life. We're hanging in there and having a little fun along the way. We've been out fishing and even caught few walleyes and some nice white bass. But this cold weather keeps running the fish back down and chilling out the catchin'. Spring is almost here and we ARE ready for it. We're going to jump back on the new shop, so we'll be hitting that pretty hard to get the building up and dried in. Everybody be safe out there and good luck chasing those gobblers. Our season starts Saturday, but I'll be working on your guns instead! OUCH!

Kurt V., your stumpwood English fowler with sliding wood patchbox....GORGEOUS and coming right along!

I worked on the new pad for the shop on Monday, Tues. and Wednesday so that's why you didn't reach us on those days. I got more pad work done, got the septic tank put in and also the line from the shop to the tank installed. During which of course the tractor had a flat, I blew a hydraulic hose and then the tractor died, yet to be revived. Sound pretty typical to me...

The Christmas season is upon us and it sure feels like it here in Arkansas. I only remember it being this cold here this early one other time. It was back in 2000 ( Dec.19th) when I shot my 6X6 Arkansas elk. When we got up at 4 a.m. that morning it was about 60 degrees and blowing HARD. I shot my elk about 8 or so and about the time he hit the ground it started snowing! We finally got him dressed out, transported to the trailer and taken to the A.G.& F. check station and back to camp by 4 in the afternoon. By about 9 that night it was probably 0 degrees and the wind chill was about minus 25 degrees. It started snowing, icing and freezing hard the next day and that accumulation stayed on the ground for over a month! It is unseasonably cold ( global warming... yeah right!) but we're indoors building guns today and we are VERY thankful for that. We wish to extend our best wishes and Christmas greetings to all of our friends and customers! What a treat it would be to meet each and every one of you personally and shake your hands. The real world demands too much of our time and we can only dream about standing around a huge campfire with all of you passing the jug and enjoying the life that the good Lord has given us. We are all so blessed to live in the greatest country in the world and we should give thanks on a daily basis. We hope that this day finds you and all your loved ones in good health and spirits and some time off to enjoy the fruits of your labors. I am so blessed and thankful for all that this world has provided and even though we, like you, struggle with life's problems, it's good to know that we're all in this together. I may not have had the opportunity to shake your hand, but know that we are there in spirit with all of you! I would also like to recognize the HUGE SACRIFICE of the brave men and women of the armed forces who protect our freedom. Most of these brave souls will not spend the holidays with their families and we need to put their welfare and safety in our prayers! God Bless you and God Bless America! Merry Christmas!

12-17 We got some new house pictures taken last week and wanted to show you the almost finished project. I've still got some closet work, cabinet work and trim work to do, but it's getting there. In another 40 or 50 years, I'm planning on having it finished. Click the link below.

12-16 We got "weather sidetracked" last week on the new factory. I got a lot of pad work and road work done, but we didn't begin digging the footers. Tomorrow we will get a break and be out at the new site scratching dirt. I'll get a few pictures taken so you can verify that we don't just lay around gathering up road kill for dinner. The deer hunting has been REALLY spotty with quite a few of my friends not having any luck.

12-2 I'm are getting ready to go full bore on the new building starting sometime this week. I've got the pad about finished, so we'll start digging the footers and tying re-bar for the pad. I'm sure we'll have a really long cold winter with lots of rain, snow, ice, sleet, wind, power outages and other blessings since we've started a construction project. It's been unusually cold this year so far and I see no end in sight. We had record cold across much of the nation and continent last year...I see a trend. Come on spring! Check out the "Current Flintlocks Available" page for some spring turkey hunting guns we are building. We're going to keep producing guns as much as possible because some days it will just be too cold to work outside. We'll shut it down when we start moving machinery, so get your new gun soon if you can convince your "boss" ( wife) that you can't live another day without a high quality flintlock! Happy Hunting and Happy Holidaze! Cheers~

11-18 I went out hunting last Wednesday after working at the shop all day. I had been sick, so it was my first go at them this year. I had built a natural ground blind about 3 weeks prior to this trip, so I had a nice place to go and get set up quickly.

11-3 I'm going to finish the pad for the new factory this afternoon and start digging the footers and laying steel for the pad soon. I've got the building designed and can get the steel ordered to keep this project moving along. I'll keep you posted on progress and if you're looking for a new hunting piece, go to our "Current Flintlocks Available" page and pick one up before they're all gone. Good hunting and remember; the Goddess of the Hunt, Dianna, always smiles on those who carry flintlocks! I'll sure be out there on Saturday morning!

10-30 I have almost finished the pad for the new building. I've been going out after work and working on it until dark every night. I'm are going to dig the footers and start laying the re-bar for the pad. I hope to have it poured in about 10-12 days. The new shop is going to be set in a beautiful place amongst the pines. I've already got the shooting berm built. I have already used it for practice and it will make a great addition to the facilities once I get up and running again. I'll take pictures in progress and post them on the page below; New Factory.

We had a great Berryville Saunders shoot with 113 shooters. The weather was great and we didn't hear any complaints. Make plans to attend next year and we'll have even more fun. We are also going to have a different division for flintlock shooters and old timers, on the main aggregate only. If you would like to get on our mailing list, just give us a call and we'll send out a program when we print.

10-1 I'm getting ready to start building our new slightly larger factory. I'm going to do it all except the concrete finishing on the pad. I've got the pad cleared and ready to level. I'm going to build a steel building to keep our costs down and then finish out the inside with standard construction to have a nice interior. I've got a front end loader on my tractor to lift those heavy beams. If you are needing a gun, look on our "Current Flintlocks Available" page and see what we've got offered. Its going to be a while before we're up producing firearms again!!! I don't think the few available guns will last long...and your wife won't notice a new gun if you also purchase our fake lampshade and cord kit! We like to think we're a full service company, serving all of our customers needs~.

9-4 We got a letter from another satisfied customer and have it posted below. Thanks Devin!

It is Thursday the 4^th of September and a day that will always have a special meaning to me the day my English Fowler arrived! To some this might not be such a special event but to me it has been a long time coming since I first set foot in your show room in Berryville 10 long years ago! I had been on vacation and someone told me about your shop so my friends and I stopped to look around just to pass the time of day. What I saw hanging on your walls changed the way I looked at black powder rifles I had a Hawkins kit gun in a percussion format as a teenager and loved to shoot it but it didn’t have the appeal that I was looking for. As a kid growing up watching Fess Parker portray Daniel Boone and Brian Keith in the Mountain Men left me fascinated with the allure of a flint lock smoke pole and now I was holding one of your guns wishing somehow I could get one. After I went back home to Texas I spent the next several months searching out black powder gun makers but I never found one that captured the beauty and the perfect handling qualities of your guns! Well in April of 2008 I was back through Berryville and I stopped at your shop and fell in love all over again with the beauty, and craftsmanship of your guns this time I had the opportunity to visit with you and decided to order a 20 gauge English Fowler. After going home I called you a few times and added things to the order including a .54 caliber rifled barrel, sling swivels, sliding patch box etc. Every time we spoke I became more appreciative of your desire to ensure that I would be happy as a customer! Your attention to detail was evident when we spoke and you always took the time to listen to my concerns and questions. As I waited for you to complete my gun I have spent numerous hours researching the history of these magnificent guns and as you had told me regarding the historical accuracy was proven time and time again!

And now here I am looking at this awesome work of art feeling the superb handling qualities and observing the magnificent attention to detail and craftsmanship. I can’t see any place where the fit and finish are not perfect! My very good friend Keith is with me and as a trained engineer in the weapons industry he can not get over the finish work done even on the inside of the lock! High praise indeed!

It took just a moment to place the lock in its place and the trigger “pull” is beyond description. As a retired Texas peace officer with numerous hours in training of new officers with their firearms I do know something about the function of guns and to say that this trigger is fantastic is putting it mildly.

The overall appearance, quality and workmanship are of a true museum quality firearm!

To say that I am happy with this gun would be absurd yet I can find no words to describe the joy that I have just by looking at this gun let alone handling it and I cant wait to get out to the field and start the sparks flying!

As our forefathers were prone to name their rifles I have followed with tradition and named this beautiful work of art “Lillie Bell” after my maternal grandmother. I chose to name it after her because of her stalwart character she was a dependable hard working farm raised women gracious in everyway and always a Lady! I want to thank Caywood Gun makers for this wonderful gun and I will remain a customer for years to come!

Everybody get out there and get your shootin' iron fired up for this season. It never hurts to get back in practice and sharpen your skills before you drop a flint on a live animal! I saw two nice bucks standing on the food plots this morning...nice fat healthy animals with really nice racks. They've already shed their velvet, too. Practice now will pay off later! Good luck and enjoy the time off and the fall season!

8-29 We've built a 30 inch barreled Wilson for a gentleman and it is a really nice and handy little gun. It assembled right now and I've got it photographed so you can see it. It has two thimbles and is fitted up with sling swivels. I've offered this model for a while and after putting this one together, I think I'll have a lot more requests for this particular barrel length. It is really cute~

We have made some changes in the Berryville shoot program concerning the shotgun matches.

The shoot flyers you received have an insert detailing the changes, but I want to post them here for those of you who don't have a copy of the flyer.

Chokes may not be changed once you have started a match. Example; (Matches 39, 40 and 41 or any re-entry or protection match.)

Original and flintlock shotgun re-entry matches will be $5.00 for the match and $3 for each re-entry.

Shotgun protection match will be Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and will be $2.50 per shooter. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place plaques will be awarded. This match will be shot on the 14 yard line. Ties, if any, will be shot on the 16 yard line.

Please come join us for a great and fun shoot on September, 26th, 27th and 28th.

8-27 NEWS!!! I'm making plans to build a new larger shop at the land at King's River. I built this shop I'm in with a good guess as to required space needs, but it is just a little cramped. I had to add numerous pieces of machinery along the way to build a better product and they all take up a lot of space. I have stock production/woodworking equipment, shaper for grinding barrel flats, slotting mill, lathe, large metal working mill, grinders, barrel-polishing machine, 2 sandblasters, 4 workbenches, wax shooting/investment casting facilities, presses, 5 drill presses, etc., etc.. The new factory has a planned 10 foot ceiling, along with a nice showroom and office, all planted under some beautiful mature oak trees. I will also have a shooting range at the new facility for those who wish to try out their new gun, if they come pick it up in person...what a nice bonus! I am going to custom build the room's spaces for our purposes and be a little bit more efficient. The new building is only going to be 200 sq. ft. larger, but I should have more space available and not knock out light bulbs when I'm swinging guns around! I'm going to get the pad poured a.s.a.p. and get the building up and dried-in before winter sets in. Yes, I have a lot of work to do, but I'll get the current orders filled before I start breaking down the production facilities. If you need a gun soon, I'd suggest ordering now, before its too late! I'll be (HOPEFULLY??!??!??!??) back in production a little before the first of the year? I've got the tools from building the lodge on hand and I will be working full time to get it plumbed, wired and all interior construction completed while its not snowing. I have a lot of work to do, but its going to be so nice to have that extra room.

I have two guns available right now that are finished, so give me a call if you want either one of these very fine pieces and yes you can see the pictures!

8-25 I had just shipped a new Southern Mountain rifle to a customer and got this reply from him. I always appreciate the very nice comments I get. When you hear it from a non-biased customer, you know it has some level of credibility...unlike me!

Danny; I met the Fed Ex delivery man on the front porch when I got home the
other day. Thank God I had a pocket knife with me, as I could not sign
the paper work while searching for a knife in the kitchen.

While I was pulling the packing out of the box, I did my best to ignore
the gun within…when I took the time to look, even without the lock in
the mortise, it was obvious I was looking at a masterpiece. I was very
reluctant to take the time to put the lock in place, as I could not seem
to take my eyes off this beautiful and unbelievably slim flint lock rifle.

After some moderate fumbling to insert the lock, I shouldered the gun
for the first time…the sun seemed to ignite the stump wood stock, the
figure was so spectacular. I was absolutely shocked at the lightness of
this rifle; it was almost like the barrel was not in the gun yet… just
what I had hoped for. The metal to wood inletting is superb, the lock
and triggers just right for the gun.

All thing considered, I now own the prettiest, lightest almost dainty
like .32 caliber Southern Mountain rifle I can imagine. I could not have
asked for anymore quality, and then there were the goodies (barrel pin
tool, touch hole picks etc), everything in top quality, well
thought-out, superbly designed for function, and constructed with what
looks like infinite care.

Thank you Danny !!

Sincerely
Dick C.

Check out the "extra" Southern mountain Rifle we have pictured on the "Current Flintlocks Available" page. It has a very fancy upgrade maple stock along with some incised carving!

Things are looking up on the economic front for sure. With the price of oil falling dramatically and a 2% growth in the last quarter, everyone is feeling much better about the strengthening economy. I've not really noticed any decrease in people traveling. Everywhere we look there are folks pulling campers, boats, atv's and motorcycles and enjoying life and summer vacations. We never did have a single quarter of negative growth ( a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth) and with the Republicans finally getting on the pro-energy agenda, oil prices will continue to drop and fuel the world's best economy. The home foreclosure rates have been a bit overemphasized I think. The last figures I heard were 1 in 174 homes being foreclosed on. I know that it's painful for the individual facing this problem, but it's way less than 1 %? Why is the press giving this so much publicity? Anything to make us feel miserable? I guess its not too difficult to see how enamored the press is with Obama and the Democrats, but I'd take it with a bit of salt, as they say, and realize that all things considered, we've had 7.5 years of good economic progress. When you consider the shockwave we suffered on 9-11-01, the recovery is remarkable and is a testament to the will, ingenuity, dedication and adaptability of all the hard working Americans who make this country great. Tough times are absolutely part of any long term economy as the markets dictate supply and demand. We have seen strong figures on all fronts and I'm sure that with this fall's election finalized, everything will get right back to normal.

If you are considering a fine new flintlock for this fall's season, just give us a call and we'll get the project going! Cheers and have a great weekend~

8-1 If you'd like to join the Luther's Longhunters club, come on by in September and we'll be happy to fill you in on the details. We have a lot of fun and welcome all to come join in. These are the greatest and most fun bunch of people to spend time with. We're looking forward to another great shoot at the end of September. You can come in and camp as early as Tuesday Sept. 23rd. Shooting starts Friday at 9 a.m.. Abuse of shooters is immediate and non-stop! LOL!

I took a quick break last Friday ( between working at the shop here and the house on the weekends) and went walleye fishing in our "new" 21 year old fishin' boat. It is an older boat but in very good condition and certainly gets us safely out there and back. We only caught one walleye, but she was a good one.

7-25 We just moved our furniture into the lodge yesterday and will get some pictures posted soon. The work is not all finished, but we're getting close. I know I haven't posted any new pictures for a long time, but I've been very busy attempting to get as much work done as possible here at the shop and also at the house. Stay tuned...~

7-23 Our foundry made a little mistake in pouring 5 Wilson trigger guards in brass instead of iron. If you'd like to upgrade your Wilson, we'll let you have these really nice guards for $28. (shipping $9) Brass has gone up tremendously lately, in case you haven't noticed! If you send in your old guard, we'll give you free shipping on the new one and everybody's happy. We drill all the holes on a drilling jig, so they will be completely interchangeable. Or if you're ordering a new Wilson, we can save one back for you. Just give us a call and everyone have a great and safe weekend!

If you haven't heard, all of us who embrace freedom scored a victory today in the Supreme court ruling allowing legal ownership of firearms in Wash. D.C.. I would like to point out however that there were 4, yes 4, justices who voted against your right to self-defense and you can see how perilously close we are to anarchy by the government. The Supreme Court justices swear to uphold the Constitution and yet 4 of them IGNORED the very plain and unambiguous wording of the 2nd amendment. The original framers of the Constitution wrote the Bill of Rights in common language so that it could not be misinterpreted and yet these 4 took it upon themselves to re-interpret those very simple words into something totally different from the real meaning. Folks, this is not settled and it takes eternal vigilance to retain the rights enumerated in our most brilliant republic's writings and beliefs. We are very proud to have contributed to this cause. We donated part of our #8 Limited edition Crockett Rifle for the recent N.R.A. I.L.A. auction which raised an additional $26,000 to support this important cause. Without the 2nd amendment, the rest of the amendments are just so much ink and paper. If you are asked to fight for our freedom, please pause and realize that it is up TO ALL OF US to fight the daily battles against liberalism and those who would rule us with complete dictatorial power, given the chance. "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing". I don't know who originally said that, but it really rings true today! I am sure that I aggravate people when I fight little battles in trying to inform others about what is really going on in this country, but my son fought with the Marines and its the least I can do to preserve the rights that way too many have fought, suffered and died for. We must all put forward those stubborn little facts that refute liberalism. Sometimes not pleasant, but real men don't back down from a fight worth fighting. I never have and I never will.... Semper Fi.

6-24 We have toed the line on price increases even though we have ( as everyone else has I'm sure) suffered price increases on all of our supplies and components. Everything from barrels to wood to castings to insurance has gone up, some substantially! Our solution, at least temporarily, is to just work harder to make up for the increase in the cost of doing business. No, we can't sustain it forever, but I know a lot of you out there are doing the same as us, working harder! So we'll just have a go at it and see how things settle out. Business has been very good, so we'll be thankful for all that we do have and wish all of our customers continued prosperity and good health! The lodge is almost done, with me being on the verge of "tired", and will allow me to finally spend more overtime here at the shop in the coming months. Then I can take off a little time when the leaves change and get a breath of fresh air. I'm sure we're all looking forward to that special time! Cheers!

5-30-2008 We have one of our "new" replica flintlocks hanging on the gun rack in the showroom. Twice we've had customers in the showroom discussing the various models and looking them over really well. One customer had inspected almost every gun in the showroom, taking almost an hour as we discussed various features. He really liked the light weight and balance of all the models and couldn't believe how nicely these light guns handled. Finally, I bet him that the bottom gun weighed less than 3 pounds. He looked at me like I was crazy (hey, we're not going to discuss that here!) but didn't take out his $5 bill. I finally picked up the gun and handed it to him! He almost threw it through the roof! He got a smile on his face and said that he remembered about us building the new replica but was totally fooled by this authentic looking piece. The other customer who had also stood right in front of the display for awhile was similarly fooled and couldn't believe how much the gun looked like a real firearm. We are offering this fine gun with wall mount form for $300. We are also offering a full 3 dimensional ( finished on all four sides) for $400. We will also offer a model with fully functioning lock/ trigger assembly for $600. This model can be used as less expensive firearms in movie making, etc. These are such a realistic looking 18th century piece that you won't have to ruin a real gun by hanging it over the fireplace or risk gun law restrictions in an office building etc. We're a bit behind so if you're needing a fine replica for any need, just give us a call and get on the list!

Then I'm going after a giant catfish in our fishing hole. I've had 4 large catfish, up to 7 lbs. torn off of a metal stringer by this behemoth. We think he weighs about 50-60 lbs and it's going to take some stout gear to bring him in. He's ripping the clasps off the metal stringer and tearing my limb lines off and we're using 150 lb. line. I'm sure he appreciates the easy meals we've dished up on the stringer, but there might be surprise waiting for him quite soon. The river is really a big river now after all the spring flooding and these big fish have really piled up in the river. We floated the river last Sunday and two friends floating with us saw an estimated 4 foot long catfish, probably a blue cat, swimming along fairly shallow, one hole down from below the lodge. I caught the biggest brownie, smallmouth bass, I've ever caught. She was over 4 pounds and quite a fight on 6 lb. line.

We just returned from the Annual N.R.A. I.L.A. convention and auction in Louisville Kentucky. We saw a lot of interesting things and met an awful lot of nice people. We had a great time but are glad to be home... a bit tired and worn out! The auction was a great success and the #8 Crockett Rifle brought $26,000 for the I.L.A. The gun will go on display in the new Anheuser Busch distributorship in San Antonio, Texas, pretty close to the Alamo. The I.L.A. is the legislative branch of the N.R.A. and they are primarily responsible for the preservation of the 2nd Amendment and our so very important rights to keep and bear arms. John Barrett had built a beautiful bag, horn , double-bit belt ax and knife to compliment the Crockett Rifle and it really opened a few eyes. Click the link below for a look at the display.

John Lott (of gun control research fame) has just done a survey of about 12,000 news segments, print and media included. The report is 56 pages and you will do a lot of wading through to find clear stats, but it is a very telling report. Keep in mind that 92% of correspondents/reporters are registered Democrats and his findings become quite understandable. His findings were that the media does 71% more negative segments when the economy is good under a Republican than it did when it was actually a bad economy under Democrat leadership. I think it is safe to say that the media is doing everything it can to sabotage the current administration so the Democrats can regain total power. Things were actually going rather well until we got a Democrat majority in the House and Senate both. Gas has climbed over a dollar a gallon, unemployment has gone up slightly and consumer confidence has gone down. We are still about 5% unemployment which is a better average than the 70's, the 80's or the 90's! And 10 million new jobs have been created since 9/11/01! My point is not to knock anyone, but to simply say, look at reality and take these scare tactics with a grain of salt. They also just did another poll of average Americans and I believe 74% said they were personally doing very well, but 62% said the economy was doing poorly?!?!? I guess it shows the power of negative press ( kind of like the old country song); Don't believe your lyin' eyes. Cheer up folks, the economy is doing fine and the capitalistic system will smooth out. We're still working our little fingers off here and enjoying some fine spring weather. I still want to take some time off and go fishing though! Grab your flintlock and go chase some gobblers. It'll do you good and restore your faith in the worthiness of the struggles of life! It sure beats the alternative! O.K., somebody help me down off my soapbox, I need to go make another mess here in the shop. Cheers!!!

4-30-2008 NEW PRODUCT! We are also trying to address a problem/solution which we have encountered through the years. People love to hang antique and new-made guns over fireplaces as decorator items. The problem with this is that the guns will be damaged from the dry and hot atmosphere. Our solution, to keep from ruining real firearms, is to produce flintlock replicas which are totally made from wood. The only non-wood components will be a steel hammer and frizzen. These replicas will be stained and painted to give the viewer the effect of a real gun but without the cost ( and possible damage) of a real gun. These can be used over fireplaces, on fireplace mantels, in shadow boxes, as door or wall appliqués or any other application where a gun would add just the right atmosphere. We will be finishing a model for photos and get them posted a.s.a.p. These will be suitable for museums and historical displays with great accuracy in detail and authenticity. And of course, the price will be considerably less than real firearm. I just got the prototype/first replica built yesterday and it looks fantastic. From 10 feet away, it looks like the real thing. I have stained the wood our standard stain color and the lock, butt plate, barrel, trigger and trigger guard an ebony black color. These are going to be collector's items because of their quality and uniqueness. I will get it photographed tomorrow and posted. Call for details and price. Awesome piece of artwork...it will look great on any wall or fireplace!

4-23-2008 We just finished a museum-grade, curly maple, stump wood English game Gun. The gun is built in .62 caliber rifled and fitted up with iron furniture. This is a blank that cost approximately $500 and it is truly a magnificent piece. I am sorry that my photography isn't top notch, but you can still appreciate the beauty of this fine piece. If you would like to order a similar (or even a less expensive grade) blank for your new gun, just give me a call for details and delivery times.

4-21-2008 We just finished an Officer's Fusil for Mr. Mike Church, who is a radio personality on Sirius Patriot channel 144. Mike wanted a custom job done and we have a few photos of the extra work we did. I did a beautiful tang carving, carving around the lock panels and I did some extra engraving on the butt plate. I fitted the gun up in a beautiful piece of maple stumpwood and it made for an extremely fine piece overall. I didn't take pictures of every view because you already know what this style of gun looks like. It will also take you to a page on his website so you can see the pictures he took of the gun..

I realize I haven't posted anything "new" for over a month! I apologize for the lack of "news", but I'm sure your wife had you cleaning out the closets and you wouldn't have had time to mess around on the computer looking at stupid gun pictures, anyway! We have been totally consumed in trying to get the #8 Crockett Rifle built for the N.R.A./I.L.A. convention in Louisville, Ky. The convention is in mid-May and we pretty much had to put everything else aside to get the rifle finished and delivered for photography. I had to finish the relief carving, incised carving, engraving and finish work. I had been working on and off on this gun for about 7 months, so I had it pretty much assembled,, contoured and final sanded, but there was a lot of detail/finish work to be done. I did manage to get some of my somewhat-less-than-professional photography so you could see this fine piece of Americana. New pictures are now posted.

Here is a new Southern Mountain Rifle that we are shipping out today. The customer specified a curly walnut blank and some nice incised carving in the cheekpiece area. I carved along the lower belly from the toe plate to the trigger guard. I also carved a border on the cheekpiece and also along the whole ramrod groove. I engraved the barrel and also the toe plate, butt plate finial and the trigger guard bow. If you would like a full dress southern like this one, just give us a call and we'll fix you up!

I'll be attending the N.R.A.-I.L.A. convention in Louisville KY, in mid-May. I'm in the process of finishing the number 8 Crockett Rifle to be auctioned off during the convention. Mr. John Barrett is building a beautiful bag/knife/horn, double-bitted ax combination to go with the Crockett Rifle. It will be a knockout set-up and all proceeds go to the N.R.A. to protect the 2nd amendment. If you would like to support our gun rights, see all the newest outdoor/hunting gadgets and gizmos, this should be on your docket! It should be a lot of fun and you need to get motel reservations soon if you're planning on attending. Cheers!I

1-3-2008 If you use the internet search engine "Google", just below Caywood Guns website are a couple of links for articles published in "GUNS" magazine. One article deals with the French Type "C" and an English Fowler. The other article is on the Southern Mountain Rifle. Both have great pictures and text from an independent author. Great articles for free and you don't have to listen to my bloviating...

Here are 3 pistols we just got finished and sent out. 2of the 3 are English walnut and one is very nice curly maple.

O.K.! I've finally gotten new pictures posted and here they are at the bottom of this page. Just click on the link above...

11-30-2007 I arrived back from deer camp about 2 weeks ago (yes, I'm late getting this posted, but we've been BUSY!) and can say that I ran into a couple of blind, deaf deer. I got a little 5 point with the .54 caliber English Game gun and a nice doe on the last evening with the .40 caliber Southern mountain Rifle. I had passed up a very nice buck with about a 16-17 inch spread on the first afternoon. He came in behind my stand and fed on acorns for about 15 minutes ( I had my gun cocked, finger on the trigger, sights on the lungs) before wandering off in search of true love. I knew that I was probably looking at the biggest buck I'd likely see during my trip and I was right. I saw a total of 13 bucks , including 4 spikes. The reason I shot the small 5 point is that he was crippled in his front leg and I didn't want to see him suffer. I shot him through the neck with the .54 and he's in the freezer. When I got back to camp, I explained to all the members why I'd shot the small buck ( we have a camp agreement not to shoot small bucks) and it was unanimous that I'd done the right thing. He probably wouldn't have ever recovered to good health from his wounds and I felt like it was the only humane thing to do. The last evening a nice doe came in to feed, then walked off into the brush. I had wanted to take her, but she almost got away before I got through just watching her. When I realized she was leaving, I got serious and placed a bullet between her ears. That little Mountain Rifle went off like lightning and dropped her in her tracks. I was glad to have the set trigger on that shot for sure. I'm hunting a big buck at the house ( I wouldn't, but he's tearing up my pine trees something awful) and haven't seen his carcass yet. But we've got a few days left, so I'll keep you tuned if I get lucky. Karen saw him one day and said he's bigger than the one she got last year, so he's a good one! Good luck with your hunting and enjoy your time with a flintlock in your hands, success or not! God Bless!

We get questions about premium wood quite often. Our main wood supplier is Mr. Freddie Harrison from Tennessee. He cuts wood exclusively for gunstocks and has spent his whole life working his large sawmill. He really can't explain why wood is "curly" and shakes his head when he ponders the question.. He said that some of it grows in low areas that are almost swampy. It will also grow up on rocky, infertile ridges. There might be one "curly" tree in a stand of 7 or 8 other identical looking trees, so it probably isn't genetics either. He says there are a lot of theories out there as to what causes curl in a tree, but none of them hold true according to his experiences. They are just some of the many miracles of nature and we're very glad that they are there. Freddie "hunts" curly maple trees like we hunt critters. They are like arrowheads, they are where you find them and there appears to be no pattern to their location. But Freddie is good at finding them, however rare they are. When he does find one, he has to bring in his logging gear, truck, loader and saws and cut it, load it and transport it back to his sawmill. He sometimes finds a few in one area, but quite often a curly tree is all by itself and he still has to do all the work for just one tree. What separates Freddie's wood from most suppliers is that he knows how to cut it and dry it. Most suppliers buy a large skiff ( 40 to 50 long planks) of whatever type wood they are trying to sell, maple, oak, beech etc. But those planks are all board sawn. This causes whatever curl might be present in a blank to be on the top and bottom of the gun. You will see that quite often in cheaper guns and it is not all that attractive. Freddie quarter-saws most of his blanks and the result is curl and figure on the sides of the gun, where you can actually see it!. It is much more difficult and wasteful to quarter-saw a tree, but it yields the most beautiful stocks to build a gun from. When we offer upgraded premium blanks, these quarter-sawn blanks are what we are talking about! He also has built special drying sheds so that his wood dries slowly. When a blank is kiln dried quickly, it almost always twists and curls. It is also more prone to crack . Freddie slowly dries his wood for about six months before he puts it in the kiln. That lets most of the moisture slowly leave the blank before it's kiln dried. Freddie's blanks stay straight and rarely, if ever, crack. Yes, it is more time consuming and slightly more expensive, but when you see the finished gun, you know why he's gone to such trouble. Freddie is also the only supplier that I know of who cuts stump-wood. It is the most beautiful form of figured maple that I have ever seen. We offer this unique product occasionally and we ALWAYS have satisfied customers when they see their stump-wood gun! One of the things I learned long ago about doing "hand-work" is; DO NOT scrimp on materials. It takes just as much time and effort to build a gun or knife (or anything else) from less expensive materials and you end up with a much less valuable piece. We never scrimp on our components, from gun-barrel quality steel, to quality wood to the finest flintlocks. You can be assured that a premium grade blank is one of the best ways to insure your firearm's value; "Mother Nature" never makes two of anything the same, so the beauty and uniqueness of your gun will shine amongst the cheaper, plainer guns that sometimes don't maintain their value very well. The unique beauty of upgraded wood adds greatly to the pleasure of owning a fine flintlock. Flintlocks are, by their very nature, a piece of artwork, so when you combine fine wood with fine craftsmanship, you elevate the aesthetic value to a high level. A fine flintlock is a pleasure to own and shoot. Those who invest in quality never look back in regret and wonder "Why didn't I buy a better piece?", they've got the results in their hands!

The two main types of maple that are often sold are red maple and sugar maple.

Sugar maple is a harder, sometimes less vivid wood. Red maple is a softer, more vivid wood, as far as figure is concerned. When you are trying to carve wood, the harder the better. On an un-carved gun, the red maple is fine and sometimes you get more stripe for the buck. We seal all of our gunstocks (after they are stained) in a hardening, penetrating sealer so that they all resist denting, shrinking, twisting and moisture invasion. If you are considering a fine firearm purchase, just go to our "current flintlocks available" page and see the choice of fine guns available.

We spare no effort to make the most trouble-free and high performance firearm in the industry. From fine wood selection to the last fire blued screw, you know we have concentrated on EVERY detail, so that you can "load up and go" and never look back. We offer a lifetime guarantee on all of our finished guns because we know we have built quality into your gun from top to bottom. Rest assured, that when you "Grab a Caywood, the sparks will fly"!

Our son, Andrew Caywood, had a successful hunt this opening weekend of muzzle-loading season. He joined a few friends for the weekend at their cabin near Pettigrew, a rough, steep, bear-infested area in the northern mountains of Arkansas. Andy shoots a .50 caliber Wilson with a 41 inch barrel. Since the area around his 2 tree stands had possibly been contaminated by other hunters in the area, Andy decided to hunt a thick pine/cedar area on foot. He set up where he could see about 35 yards into the area where he thought the deer would come through. Naturally, he heard a sound from behind him, presumably downwind and saw a nice buck, just briefly. He moved to a spot where he thought the deer would travel and had just gotten settled in when the buck came out. He made perfect heart shot at about 35 yards. Click the link below to see this nice flintlocked buck!

We had delivered another English Game gun in 12 gauge to a customer and wanted to post his comments.

The stock wood is absolutely stunning! Such exceptional depth and color in the figure throughout the stock's full length; it almost appears three dimensional. If this is an example of some of the stump wood you currently have available, anyone who orders one of these stocks for their gun is in for a real treat.

The quality of materials, plus the meticulous care and attention to detail evident in every part of this gun is a testament, not only to the skill, but pride of craftsmanship that goes into every Caywood gun. Thank you.... Danny, Mike, and everyone else at Caywood Gunmakers for creating this one for me.

9-7-2007 Look for a new article in this month's Muzzleloader Magazine. It features our new Southern Mountain Rifle. Muzzleloader Magazine is a VERY high quality magazine and we urge you to subscribe for the very best in historically correct and knowledgeable articles. Call Bill Scurlock at 903-832-4726. Please just don't tell Bill I said something nice about him...

1-3-2008 We are building a Crockett Rifle for the 2008 N.R.A. I.L.A. benefit auction in Louisville Kentucky. The Crockett Rifle features a sterling silver plate inscribed with "David Crockett-Freedom Fighter". This fine piece will be engraved N.R.A. I.L.A., #8 in 2008, and will be the centerpiece of the auction and should be a fitting statement when so many politicians are trying to take our freedom and our guns away. Also featured will be a fine bag, horn, ax and knife combination built by the talented John Barrett. We will keep you posted on the dates and ticket prices if you would like to attend and support our freedom and gun rights. The auction will also feature many fine customized firearms, hunts and associated products that would make any outdoorsman drool!

6-1-2007 We received a customer's comments on a recently delivered English Sporting Rifle and wanted to post his very nice comments. I work very hard to consistently produce our quality firearms and really appreciate all of the great feedback from our customers. These comments came from one of our fine friends from Canada and we thought you might like to read his thoughts on his newest "toy".

Dear Sirs;

I don't know of another superlative that adequately describes the magnificent piece of gunmakers' art that arrived a short while ago, today. The English fowler you built for me far and away surpasses my expectations. Its true what they say: the best things are worth waiting for.

The rifle's balance between the hands is perfect. It hangs perfectly when held and aimed offhand. I can hardly wait to get it out to the range for a sight-in session. Unfortunately, that may have to wait for a few days.....job, and other unnecessary obstacles in the way.

In closing, allow me to extend my warmest thanks and gratitude to you and everyone else involved in the crafting of my superb rifle. It is a masterpiece which I will be proud to cherish......and brag about endlessly to anyone who will listen. Including my pal in Saskatchewan, who owns a Hatfield. I think he'll be eating his liver, when he sees my Caywood. Sincerely, C.A. McKellar

Thank you Mr. McKellar and all the other special people who take the time and effort to express their fine comments. We really do appreciate you and it makes our sometimes dirty job a little easier! Danny

1-3-08 One of our really great friends, Mr. Mike Church who hosts the "Mike Church Show" on Sirius Radio, Patriot channel 144 is having us build him an English Officer's gun. We are going to custom carve and engrave it for Mike. You have to listen to this man if you have Sirius Radio. We have a membership whereby we can listen to him over the internet. Mike is a brilliant man, a very knowledgeable historian and extremely talented. I guarantee his parody songs will make you pull over to the side of the road you'll be laughing so hard. Mike really analyzes current events in a humorous way and he will entertain you like no other. Share this man's talent with your friends, they will thank you for it!

5-4-07 We just finished building a customer's Southern Mountain Rifle using a blank of Oregon Western walnut that he supplied. This blank is full curl and hard. I did some incised carving on it and it carved beautifully. A blank like this will run about $350 or so and it can get even fancier if you like! Click link to see this fine little .45 caliber thumper.

4-23-2007 Well, even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while! I finally loaded up my 12 gauge English fowler on Saturday, the second weekend of turkey season, and took to the woods after a particular big old gobbler. I'd been watching him since last year (when I didn't hunt at all) and figured that I might as well have a go at him as to leave him to the other hunters. Click the link below if you want to see him.

4-16-2007 We are proud to have contributed to the N.R.A.-I.L.A. benefit auction. We supplied an English fowler and several additional pieces which brought two and half times the retail price. These monies go exclusively to fight the gun grabbers and all those parties responsible for attempting to take away our 2nd amendment RIGHTS. These are not privileges people, they are RIGHTS We are proud to protect them, now more than ever. Please join the N.R.A. and do your part. Your grandchildren are depending on you!!!

We have hooked up with the N.R.A.- I.L.A. again and supplied an English Fowler, a tomahawk/belt axe, a large roach belly knife and turn-screw for their fundraising benefit in St. Louis next Friday night. If you are attending, you'll have a chance to take home this fine package and help support our gun rights at the same time. The English fowler and knife are hand engraved with the N.R.A. I.L.A. logo to commemorate the event. The English fowler is a premium curly maple blank, with hand-carved tear drop lock panels. The knife blade on the knife is hand satin finished, something we don't normally offer and really came out beautifully. Our gun rights matter and dollars to the I.L.A do tremendous good in fighting the gun grabbers.

Mr. Mike Emery, proprietor of the Northern Rifleman gun shop in Woodbury MN., is handling a lot of our products and has them IN STOCK. Mike has kits available, barrels, belt ax/tomahawk kits and will have locks and knife kits available soon. Stop in and see Mike if you're in the area. He's a fine fellow and will work hard to see you are fitted up with only the highest quality products. Mike has a website, www.northernrifleman.com. You can cut and paste this address in your browser box to check it out.

My father, Charles "the Elder" Caywood took on a gun-building job from the infamous Robert "Wileeeee" Wiley, which had laid on Robert's bench for around 30 years. It had apparently laid there after his attempt to build a fine gun from a blank. When he was through doing all the damage he was capable of, he laid it aside and went on to girl-chasing, something he's moderately skilled at doing. He shifted the aborted gun making project to the undisputed dean of Arkansas gunmakers, the above mentioned C.C. Caywood. Even with C.C.'s prodigious skills, undoing the damage which Bob had levied on this project took it's toll on the skill, patience and steel nerves of the practiced gunsmith. Please click on the link below to view the devastating results...

1-3-2008 With the rapid increase in copper, steel and wood prices, we had a slight price increase for 2007, but will hold the line for a while in 2008. You can be assured that we will not cut corners on the quality of your firearm, but we have no control over the world market and it's prices on materials. The price of brass has almost doubled, because the price of copper has tripled! Steel prices keep going up and wood prices creep up steadily. We buy wholesale amounts of material to keep our prices down and will keep working hard to bring you the absolute best quality for the price. That is our guarantee! Another aspect that is well worth considering is our EXCLUSIVE use of barrel quality steel. See new page on home page for additional info.. Yes, it does cost more to use certified gun-barrel quality steel, but it gives all parties involved an extra level of safety. Whether you are standing on the shooting line or 25 feet up a tree in a deer stand, you can rest assured that your barrel WILL hang together when you touch it off. We love for the sparks to fly, but ONLY out the end of the barrel where they're supposed to. I don't think this is really an area where discriminating people want to cut corners...the cost could be WAY too high. With a "Caywood", you can rest assured...

3-7-2007 If you've got a brochure and you'd like a new updated price list, just give me a call and we'll get it right out (free). The full brochure is $3, check, cash or money order. Sorry, no plastic here at Caywood Homewreckers..er..uh...Gunmakers! (That's how some wives apparently refer to us.) $8 for the collector's item brochure, David Crockett's First Rifle. Number 7 stock is cut and available. We have #7 Crockett Rifle assembled and are beginning to do the extensive handwork. Call now for the expected delivery schedule on #7.e?!?!?.

We will institute our increase on March 15th, so if you were planning on getting a fine firelock, now would be a good time to consider placing your order.

We just finished a fine, matching pair of French pistols with English walnut and brass barrels. These have 20 gauge barrels and are extremely light and powerful. We still have one brass barrel available, so grab it before its gone...

3-7-2007 Well, spring is just around the corner and the turkeys are about to start gobbling here.. We have two 12 gauge guns listed for sale on the "current flintlocks available" page. If you are looking for the absolutely most satisfying way to hunt turkeys, try a beautiful, light, quick-firing flintlock fowler. Spring will be on us in a heartbeat, so plan ahead now for flintlock delivery in time for the season opener. We are running about 2 months behind, but can build a few additional 12 gauges in time for the season, IF YOU ORDER NOW! Your wife will never know what you're up to, if you also order our accessory lamp shade and fake cord...we ARE a full service company! Gobble, gobble!

One of our fine customers and a great guy, Mr. David Higman, sent in a picture of his first turkey, taken with one of our 12gauge English Game guns. We jug-choked it to full choke and it patterns beautifully. He took this beautiful bird while hunting with his father in California. Click link below and if you have any good pictures of your ""flintlocked" game, give me a call and we'll get them put up.

1-4-2007 I'm going to go back after another white squirrel with the little Southern Mountain Rifle this weekend. They are so beautiful and should not end up in a coyote's droppings! 1-7-2007 I actually had some luck...see pictures below...success!

12-28-2006 We hope everyone had a fine Christmas and maybe got out into the woods with a fine flintlock and had some fun chasin' critters around. I was able to get out and enjoy some squirrel hunting with our new Southern Mountain Rifle. The gods of the hunt blessed me with a VERY special and unique trophy...a white squirrel. I had been up on the mountain ( and I mean a rough, steep mountain) seven times trying to get within range of this spooky old squirrel. He finally made a mistake right at dusk and I was able to get a clean neck shot on him. This squirrel would not stay on the ground very long and would often climb to an overlooking limb and just stay still for 20-30 minutes at a time looking for predators. I could not gain ground very often for fear of spooking him. After numerous trips and watching where he worked most often, I was able to get within range and make a shot with the .40 caliber Mountain rifle. I was using 23 grains of 3fg., a very light load, since I wanted to save him for mounting. He is the second pie/bald white squirrel I have taken and both will be mounted for the new lodge on King's River.

I also got a picture taken of some of the new knives for size comparison. Have a look on the link below.

11-22-2006 I've just arrived back from my short vacation at deer camp. I was successful taking in deer with our little .40 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle. One shot to the boiler room did the trick. I also took another deer and a wild hog with my .54 caliber English Game gun. Both of those were also one shot undertakings. I'm back at work this week and we're building guns as fast as we can.

5-17-2006 We've got a mis-print on our printed brochure that shows the .62 caliber rifled barrel to be $260. It is $295 for all the interchangeable barrel models, whether they're an English Fowler, Officer's Fusil or English Game Gun. Sorry for the mis-print! It is posted correctly below on the price list.

3-2 We also now have in production our 12 ga./.62 rifled bayonets for the big bore Officer's fusil. We didn't know what the demand would be for this bayonet, but we learned rather quickly that it was a losing proposition to hand modify the large number that were being ordered. So the new custom one is soon to be available...the waxes are at the foundry now. Just waiting to get the castings back.

12-30-2005 I have posted a new price list on the Current Guns available page and below. These prices will include the price of the lock. I'm moving the price increase back to Jan. 1st, 2006. If you'd like to order a new fowler or squirrel rifle, jump in now because we are looking at an approx. 10% increase due to the nature of economics and trying to make a living! I'll get prices posted BEFORE JAN. 1st...DONE!

12-30-05 My oldest son, Andrew Caywood, got a nice buck on the last day of our late muzzleloading season with his .50 caliber Wilson trade gun.

Here are 4 of the latest Southern mountain rifles we've sent out. From .32 up to .45 caliber, some with patch boxes, some without. They all came out very nicely.

8-16-2005 We are currently building the molds for a new line of knives (3, blade lengths from 3.5 to 7.5 inches) , a small belt hawk ( that's a tomahawk fer' you pilgrims...) and a new knapping hammer/screw driver. We are going to offer the knives and hawk in finished form or as kits. Don't know the prices on anything yet, but we'll sure try to offer high quality at a fair price . We'll keep the smoke signals coming on these new projects. 9-8-2005 Mike now has the molds built, so we should have some of the first products coming down in about 6-7 weeks.

Danny: Just a short note to tell you how pleased I am with my new southern mountain rifle. Everything is perfect on it. The upgrade on the wood is more than I had pictured. You really have to hold it and shoot it to really appreciate the craftsmanship that went into making this rifle. (It also shoots a heck of a group at 25 and 50 yards- accuracy is great) Everything is just perfect on this rifle. Note; The frizzen to pan fit is so good that I can turn the rifle upside down, then right side up and still have my pan full of priming powder-sure can't do that with my production flintlock. Ignition is instant. Again, thanks for an excellent rifle. Tommy S., Texas

4-5-2005 Here are a few of the turkey guns that just got shipped in time for turkey season.

3-28-2005 Check out the "current guns available" page for some English Fowler/Sporting rifle stocks that are available. If you are wanting a fine quality big bore or small bore fowler/rifle, these stocks are ready to be fitted up. Call for details.

We now have the updated info. sheets on the Mountain Rifle. Just give us a call.

3-10-2005 New optional patchbox for our Southern Mountain Rifle. Click below for picture and details.

3-2 We have received a couple of quite interesting books lately and wanted to inform our customers of their availability. The first, by Ian McCulloch & Timothy Todish, is; "British Light Infantryman of the Seven Year's War, North America, 1757-63." It is quite well illustrated and contains extensive and very interesting information on that period of history, at least as it pertains to British infantry. The 64 page color and black-white illustrated book is $16.95 plus $3.50 book rate or $4.50 priority postage. Website-www.timtodish.com

3-2 The other book is "Success In The North American Fur Trade" by Barry "Buck" Connor. This book apparently has all of the latest, extensive information on the Northwest trade gun.This book is a must-have for all serious students of the Northwest gun and traces it's lineage up to the 1900's. The book is 167 pages with 300 plus pictures illustrating the differences in the various models from various countries of origin. It also conains many small vignettes, references and educational information about the times and history of this most important of early American guns. The book is $21.95. Contact; Sitting Fox Agency-14071 W. Amherst Court, Lakewood, CO., 80228. Phone-303-914-0367.

Our new 62 caliber rifled barrel, which fits the 12 gauge model, will be available in the standard fowler pattern with 41.5 inch barrel, the Officer's fusil with 37.5 inch barrel and the English Game gun with 30 inch barrel. We are going to build up an English Game Gun SOLD!with the 62 rifled interchangeable barrel and jug choke the 12 gauge for turkey hunting. We are going to build this with a sliding wooden patchbox and premium wood. The 12 gauge will weigh about 5.5 lbs. and the 62 rifled about 6.5 lbs. All your friends will hate you if you buy this gun! (If you have any friends left after shooting that big buck last fall!) We also offer this in a 20 gauge smoothbore version if you just want to shoot 20 gauge roundballs. Pictures below of .62 rifled English fowler.

3-7-2005 We received a very nice letter from a customer who purchased our very first .62 caliber rifled English fowler. I'll let you read his quote verbatim; Danny et al; The rifle was received yesterday, Monday. It is a delight to behold and handles with surprising light grace, particularly for a rifle of such large bore. I have always been partial to simple elegance, and this rifle epitomizes that characteristic. It is certainly a unique piece destined to glean lusting praise from all at my first event of the year at Ft. De Chartres in April. I hope to shoot it before the week is out. I am sure this is a rifle destined to earn a suitable 18th century sobriquet. Thanks for a superb product that has exceeded expectations. YMOS, G.S. Missouri

3-7-2005 We have received our rifled 20 gauge barrels for the 12 gauge English fowler. We think this will put the weight of the .62 caliber gun (with 41.5 " barrel) at about 7 1/2 pounds. This should make a tremendous elk/bear/deer rifle and then you can drop in the 12 bore for some turkey and duck chasing. If you want a special order gun, please give me a call and we can get your fine piece in on this run of stocks. We can also offer this for the Officer's Fusil or even a 30 inch barrel English Game gun! The Game Gun should weigh about 6 1/2 in the .62 rifled version. This will make our entire line of firearms available with interchangeable barrels. This should make a very light and EXTREMELY powerful round ball gun for hunting everything from elk to griz. If you have a 12 gauge fowler, we can factory fit a .62 caliber or you can order and we'll send you the barrel, (all fitted up with lugs, sights etc.,) and you can do the final fitting yourself. These are available now. Cost; $210, smoothbore (plus lugs, sights) and $265, rifled, (plus lugs sights). What a powerful and light little gun this will make. We have LOTS of premium wood in stock, so give us a call.

Jug choking! 3-7-2005 Please click on "target" below for a pattern with a 12 ga. jug-choked barrel. Awesome performance!

Danny just returned from deer camp in south Arkansas where a mature 6 point fell to the .54 English Game Gun. Danny passed up a 10 point and several nicer bucks, but elected to take the old 6 point which had genetically inferior horns and left the other bucks to pass along their bloodlines. Just as good a' eatin' and helps the herd to boot...

Danny took this nice 6 point (old buck) with a shot between the eyes. These locks are so fast that the gun fires before they can blink. Check out the shot.

4-9-2004 Danny is joining the Governor of Arkansas, the Honorable Mike Huckabee, on April 18th and 19th for a turkey hunt with the Governor's new English Officer's fusil.

July 29th. We have just finished another Crockett Rifle which will be shipped out today. Will get pictures posted of the new gun, a.s.a.p..

8-8 We have just delivered the latest Crockett Rifle and the customer's comments are as follows. We are very pleased with the end result; customer satisfaction and workmanship performed.

The box arrived right on time this morning at 11AM. It is simply a work of art Danny. I am very pleased and happy I did this (happier that you guys did this). I am very impressed with everything I've seen so far. I love nice wood on firearms and this is as good as it gets. You did an exceptional job on the wood to metal fit and also on the carving -- and I am comparing this with some well known European makers. You guys also delivered it when you said -- something that doesn't always happen.

Due to numerous requests, we have completed work on another project. We are now to building a right-hand, southern style mountain rifle, iron mounted and blued, in calibers;.32, .36.,40 and .45 (yes, interchangeable barrels) for you small game enthusiasts. The 38 inch barrel with 7/8 inch breech, will be swamped and of extremely delicate profile, with a sterling silver front sight.. The lock will be the high quality 1820's hardware store styled lock produced by Quality Locks, Inc. The gun will feature hand-forged style iron furniture, toe plate, end cap, entry thimble with tail-piece, double set triggers and lollipop tang.
We will offer this in 4 pull lengths, 12.1/2,13 3/8", 14" and 14 3/8 inches. The rifle will also feature a stepped wrist, which creates a nice slimming effect. If you would like to reserve an order, just give us a call. We have this rifle in production in now. We will require a deposit of 20% because of the custom pull lengths. Price is $1995. We build this rifle to the very high standards of our past production to provide you with an heirloom quality firearm. Some of the features are styled after a very nice Elisha Bull rifle. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to call at your convenience.
These are going to be very nice pieces and should go quickly, so get your order in now. Price; $1995... (First seven taken...) We have one (.40 caliber)SOLD! available and it is pictured on "current guns available" page.

4-30-2004 Danny went hunting with the Governor last weekend and lo and behold, the birds outsmarted us. We were only able to goad one bird into gobbling and he walked directly away and kept going. The governor got all of his accoutrements and a nice aluminum hard case to carry the Officer's fusil in. He fired the gun 4 times to get familiarized with it and check the very tight pattern. We had a great time and the weather actually cooperated somewhat, but the birds did the usual thing and left us shaking our heads. That's why they call it huntin' and not shootin'! The bag, shot flask and horn were by October Country and they were very nice. The Gov' loved all of it. See pics below.

We have a new updated picture straight form the Governor's photographer posted on the Governor's Gun page. It looks much nicer!
Michael Lea has a line of flashguards available for our guns, including LEFT-HANDED guns. If you would like to get more info. or place an order with Mike, just give him a call at 614-291-4757.
Danny went bear hunting with the new Crockett rifle during Arkansas' short 4 day bear season. Click below for details.
bear hunt
Crockett rifle presentation to President Bush, Governor Mike Huckabee has arranged for the #1 Crockett rifle to be presented to President Bush on November 10th. Danny will be attending the fund raising luncheon at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock for the presentation. We will post pictures a.s.a.p.! 11-17-2003. I attended the fund-raising luncheon for President Bush on November 10th. We presented him with the #1 Crockett Rifle and a certificate of authenticity, along with a bag mold, screwdriver and a gorgeous bag and pair of horns by John Barrett. President Bush absolutely loved his Crockett rifle. I offered to come down and show him how to load and shoot the gun if he ever wanted to give it a try. He asked if I meant in Crawford, Texas and I said "Yes". He just smiled and said maybe we could shoot a deer or turkey with it. Although he is the most powerful man on earth, he is also one of the most down-to-earth people I've ever met. It was a tremendous thrill to meet him and it sure was fun, too!
2003 deer hunt with Crockett rifle
JUG CHOKING
10-28-2003 We've spent the last two days building a tool for jug choking barrels and it does a spectacular job. We are now offering jug choking which is much easier to deal with than choke tubes. The cost is $95 for the choking work and we will offer different constrictions for different purposes. We just worked up a nice load (1 3/8 oz. shot) with #6's and they patterned great. We also worked with 7 1/2's to see how well they would pattern and they were also very tight. We will soon have one right hand 12 gauge built and a load worked out for the customer.( SOLD!) We are experimenting with the amount of jug choking to see what results we get. This system is very simple to load and deal with in field conditions, so the hunter who does a lot of shooting and hunting will have a great asset Call for details. Look out gobblers! 8-24 The jug choking system works beautifully. The results are better than we expected and we can predict fairly closely how much pattern tightening will occur with the amount of jug depth that is reamed in the bore.
12-8-2004 NEW! We now have jug choking available for the 20 gauge guns. We can choke a barrel to any degree a customer desires and amazingly enough, they seem to still shoot balls well. Call for details. The charge for jug choking a barrel is $90.

Also, the bag, horn and knife on the Sept/Oct. issue of Muzzleloader was made by John Barrett. There were no credits given on the inside cover, but John does such fantastic work that we wanted people to know who built this great combination. It's the same bag/horn that is in the Cowboys/Indians magazine drawing.

10-14-2003. I made a trip to the range to shoot the new Crockett rifle. It performed beautifully and we were more than impressed with the accuracy. Check out the pictures of the trip. Crockett Rifle test firing

Check out the newest Crockett rifle, finished (and shipped) on the Crockett page.

New price sheets are printed, call or write for free updated price sheets.

                                           The Crockett Rifle with bag/horn combination built by John Barrett.


                                                   At the Grand Canyon on return trip home.

Danny had an invitation to go turkey hunting with Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and try to help him take a bird with a flintlock. The governor didn't get a bird, but here he is shooting Danny's left hand 12 gauge English fowler after the hunt. The Governor is an extremely enthusiastic outdoorsman and has a finely- honed sense of humor, a good thing when you're in the company of turkey hunters! The event was in conjunction with the National Wild Turkey Foundation hunting videos. Governor Huckabee says he would like to try it again next year when he can spare more time. Hopefully we'll be able to help him "smoke" a big gobbler.

Zoe Caywood was a guest on the show and was able to take a fine 22 pound gobbler with her 12 gauge flintlock, on camera too! It will be aired in the coming year and we will keep you updated on the station and date. Zoe looks on here, after the Governor's first shot with a flintlock, as he looks at the pattern. Zoe is the first woman to ever take the world slam (6 species) with a black powder gun and she did it with a flintlock! Good job, Zoe. I know I wouldn't want to be a turkey and have her after me. Gobble! Gobble!

    Danny, Zoe and Governor Huckabee. I know we look blurry, but we got up at 4:30 for Pete's sake. The trees behind us are not blurry because they got to sleep in until first light.  An article on Zoe and her World Slam came out in this month's Turkey Call magazine. Pick up a copy, I'm sure you'll enjoy reading about her exhaustive exploits chasing these hard-headed, stubborn birds. On Friday, July 18th, the Governor and his lovely wife, Janet, (accompanied by State Trooper Security) visited our factory for a look around. We had a nice visit and made plans for some upcoming activities that could be very exciting and beneficial for the company. Once again, we were highly impressed with the Governor's graciousness and willingness to help. He is a very down to earth person with a great sense of humor. I hope to get more chances in the future to spend time with him in the turkey woods and elsewhere.
We have built the governor an English Officer's fusil which will be displayed in the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock. We built it in 12 gauge so the Governor will have a "real" turkey gun to chase 'em with. The gun will feature a gorgeous piece of stump-wood maple with a sliding wooden patchbox, special carving and a few other custom touches.

                       First elk taken with a flintlock rifle in modern times in Arkansas. Danny used a left handed .54 Game Gun., and shot bull on the run, in the rain. Instant ignition and the ball passed all the way through bull exiting far side..
  New pictures of French pistols are up. Also, new pictures up for the mold and screwdriver set for Crockett Rifle.

Thank you to our valued customers!
         1-3-2008 We are proud to say we've been in business for 15 years now. It is due to you, our customers who have had faith in our abilities and many times ordered our products sight unseen. We really appreciate your confidence in us. We have tried to build our business slowly but also keep adequate inventories so that any gun ordered could be fitted up without a long wait for a barrel or other part to come in. It is very difficult to run a business and maintaining high quality on every piece keeps one on their toes. We always appreciate your letters and calls thanking us for our quality and we are glad we haven't let you down. We have supported the shooting sports industry and firearm rights from the very beginning. We believe that the 2nd amendment is the most important . It insures the other amendments will be honored. Thank you again for your patronage and best wishes for the coming years.
.                                                        Danny Caywood & Charlie Caywood                                                             NEW!

We are now offer our Northwest gun in a shortened canoe-style gun. The gun will be offered in a 24" barrel version and will still retain our interchangeable barrel system. Call for the many options and choices!

1-3-2008 We are offering our English fowler in the officer's fusil version. The gun features a 37.5 inch barrel (can be left bright) with bayonet lug, sling swivels, palm swell and brass end cap along with the crossed scepters stamp at breech. We are also producing an optional 10 inch bayonet which is compatible with the lugged barrel. The price will be $1750 and a separate charge of $60 for the bayonet. The 10 inch bayonets are now available!
bayonet