MY FIREARMS JOURNEY

My name is Bill Schwab Jr. and I have been involved with firearms for most of my life, and this is my firearms journey. I am not just a shooting or hunting enthusiast that wants to write about my shooting experiences. I worked in the business and I’ve been involved with firearms in some form or another for about 35 years.

I have bought them, repaired them, sold them, and cussed them. I love to hold and admire them. I have owned classic Remington firearms and Colt handguns, and many others. Talking and writing about them is something I love to do.

In the early part of the 1970s when around 15 years of age. I started doing gun shows with my brother-in-law all over Pennsylvania and New York State. At this time I started working in my brother-in-law’s and sister’s gun shop in Pennsylvania. The gun shop was Mike Jones Gun Shop in White Mills Pa. Mike and my sister Penny Jones would also open a gun shop in Honesdale Pa. It would be called Northeast Firearms and is owned and operated by Mike Jones Jr. today.

One of my first jobs in those days was reloading. I did thousands of rounds of reloads for our shop customers. This was one of my after school jobs while I was in high school. I would become very active in shooting off the bench and enjoyed reloading for my own pleasure as well. My firearms journey would get started.

It was probably at this time that I started to become hooked on guns and shooting. Would also start meeting people who would become life-long friends and hunting buddies.

With my wife Kendall along we headed for Trinidad, Colorado and gunsmith school in July of 1978. We then transferred to Montgomery Tech in Troy, North Carolina in the spring of 1979 (transferred to be near family). We loved Trinidad, and the Southwest.

My Firearms Journey was in high gear

Returned to Pennsylvania and started gunsmithing in May of 1980. Working full-time in Pennsylvania gun shop for 12 years, Was still doing gun shows and becoming very good in the gunsmithing field. Work for Gander Mountain as a gunsmith and for Remington Arms Co.

Because of the gun shows that I was able to attend with my brother-in-law over the years, I was able to meet many great firearms collectors and dealers. Some of these men would be considered experts in their field of firearms at that time. Some would stop and stay at the Pennsylvania gun shop. Great experience on my firearms journey.

Many of these men started to use me for their gunsmithing needs. I was able to work on many high-grade and collectible firearms because of this. My brother-in-law would become a very highly respected collector in the Remington field. Was very privileged to work on some guns that are quite rare today.

Because of this background, I have not only bought and sold classic firearms, but was able to work on them as well. I know them on the outside and on the inside as well.

Being able to work in that type of environment today is almost impossible. As doing the gun shows like in that time period, and finding those guns today will likely never happen again.

So why this website? I developed a severe case of psoriatic arthritis that limits what I can do with my legs and hands (been a tough haul.) But that’s okay! I can still shoot in my firearms journey.

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