“We’re a bit of trade and a bit of retail,” says Bill. “We’re best known for replacement barrels for London guns -your Purdeys, Holland & Hollands and the like, but we also handle all sorts of tricky barrel problems, like bulges, dents, relay ribs, and sleeving. We’re rarely short of work.”
Indeed, far from slowing down, demand for Bill’s expertise remains steady. The workshop handles everything from double rifles and sidelock shotguns to proofing work and restoration commissions. Most of the business comes from within the UK, but there’s a growing share of work commissioned by overseas trade customers, particularly for bespoke builds bound for high-end international buyers. However, ongoing uncertainty over international tariffs, particularly with the US, has added a layer of complexity.
“There’s a bit of concern with these tariffs coming in from America,” says Bill. “It changes all the time, but it’s something like 20%. It doesn’t affect us directly, our name doesn’t go on the end sale, but it’s obviously factored in when pricing barrels for export.”
Despite such headwinds, the order book remains full. Bill credits the enduring appeal of traditional craftsmanship for this resilience, along with the workshop’s ability to turn around high-quality barrel work in a reasonable timeframe. “If you’re talking about a full new set of barrels for a high-end gun, from start to finish, you’re looking at around eight weeks,” he says. “That includes the blacking and finishing, though obviously it depends on the complexity, whether it’s a double rifle or an over-and-under.”
A key factor in the business’s success is its family-run nature. Bill trained both his sons from a young age, one focuses on repair work, the other on blacking and finishing, and their apprenticeship followed a model that is increasingly rare in the trade.
“They started young, still at school, helping out in the workshop,” Bill recalls. “They did a five-year apprenticeship with me. I’d give them jobs that were accessible but taught them the right things. It’s a very hands-on way of learning.”
While Bill welcomes the slow resurgence of structured apprenticeships, he currently serves as chairman of the Certification Panel for the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers and mentors young barrel makers across the country, he laments the decline of the large-scale in-house training schools that once underpinned the trade.
“When I started at Holland & Holland, you spent your first year making tools and trying out different areas of gunmaking, stocking, actioning, barrels, and they’d place you in the right department based on your aptitude,” he says. “You learned properly. These days, some firms still take on apprentices, but it’s often direct to a trainer rather than through a school.”
That grounding in tradition has shaped Bill’s philosophy on craft. For all the advances in machining and materials, he believes there’s no substitute for handwork when it comes to best gun barrels. “The big firms do exceptional work with CNC, and I don’t knock it,” he says. “But we work by hand. We’re not turning out 50 guns a year. A lot of our work, especially replacement barrels, just can’t be done on a machine because each gun was handmade to begin with. Even two guns made one after the other by the same maker won’t be interchangeable.”
This uniqueness, he says, is also why so many customers today are opting for longer barrels. “Twenty-five years ago you’d see 25inch barrels; now 30 or even 32 inches is the standard. It’s part fashion, part function, but mostly resale value. Longer barrels are more in demand, and they pattern differently. It’s the same with multi-chokes and ported barrels, trends come and go, but quality lasts.”
Sleeving work, in particular, makes up a large portion of the company’s output. It allows older barrels to be partially replaced while retaining as much of the original gun as possible, an approach that appeals to both collectors and shooters who value balance,authenticity and economy. “It’s a cheaper and practical solution,” says Bill. “And it keeps some history intact.”
Although deeply respectful of the heritage guns he works on, Bill is pragmatic about the future. He sees a sustainable path forward for traditional barrel making, provided that knowledge is actively passed on.
“Barrels and actions made by hand are built to last 100 years, not ten,” he says. “And they will last that long if maintained properly. But the only way that work continues is if we bring new people in and give them the right skills. That’s why I give back, mentoring lads from other firms, visiting their workshops, guiding them through.”
He also believes the trade could benefit from a better understanding of what goes into a well-made barrel. “Retailers and restorers sometimes underestimate the complexity. There are a hundred small decisions to get the balance right, the rib, the length, the weight. If the brief is clear and precise, it makes our job easier and the result better.”
For Bill, that collaborative spirit runs through everything he does. Whether working discreetly for a major London maker or helping a local customer restore a treasured heirloom, the standard remains the same. “These aren’t just tools,” he says. “They’re part of our heritage, and they deserve to be treated that way.”
Bill was the first person to be awarded Master Craftsman by The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers, an award he is extremely proud of. The award entitles Bill to use the post nominals MAsR.g after his name.
As he approaches 50 years in the trade, Bill Blacker remains a leading figure in British gunmaking, a craftsman, mentor and traditionalist, quietly ensuring that one of the most intricate aspects of the trade continues to be done right, by hand, and with pride.