As I’ve spoken of many times, I like to fiddle around with my guns. I’m a certified Glock Armorer, and I own books on the SKS and Mossberg 500. But, I’m not a gunsmith by any stretch of the imagination.
That doesn’t stop me from becoming a really big fan of Fred Zeglin and his new podcast, Gunsmithing Radio.
This is a fairly new podcast, with 4 episodes so far. There doesn't seem to be any set schedule. In fact, I just happened to notice a new episode on my iPod this morning.
In the first episode, Fred explains that Mark Vanderberg, the founder of Gun Rights Radio Network, approached him to start a podcast about gunsmithing. Fred has been a gunsmith for about 30 years, and he agreed. I’m glad he did.
Episode 1 begins with an explanation of gunsmithing and how Fred got into the craft. Episode 2 explains how to become a gunsmith.
Episode 3 gets a bet more technical, by explaining the tools a gunsmith uses, and a little about how they figure into the business side of being a gunsmith.
I was just fine with my level of tinkering, to this point.
Then Episode 4 moves into how to do specific things with a specific rifle, namely modifying the trigger guard of the venerable Mauser bolt-action rifle. I listened, but I have to admit didn’t get all of it. For one thing, most of what he talked about was beyond my skill level, and second, I haven’t even shot a Mauser before, let alone disassembled one.
But all that aside, I’m a fan, for a number of reasons.
The first is the host. Fred’s style and tone is wonderful, at once conversational and professional. You can tell he’s had a lot of experience teaching his craft, which is a good thing, since gunsmithing is danger of becoming a dying field.
Second is that, even though I didn’t understand it all, this is what I call a "timeless" podcast, one I can keep, and listen to any time, from now on. It’s not so immediate that it loses its relevance in a week. Mausers will always be Mausers. Or not – that’s the beauty of gunsmithing.
I discovered one thing, though, that may help me in the future. I subscribe to most of my podcasts through iTunes, and I rarely visit the individual podcast websites. When I was researching this post, I visited the podcast website, and I found pictures of the Mauser, and all the modifications Fred talked about in Episode 4. So, next time, I’ll pay attention when Episode 5 shows up on my iPod, and I’ll be sure to visit the website.
So, Gunsmithing Radio has taken a welcome place on my podcast rotation.
