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Trinidad State Junior College gunsmithing instructor Speedy Gonzales believes that it is important for students to develop the qualities of excellence, integrity, and taking pride in one’s work in addition to the technical skills they must learn on the way to becoming extraordinary gunsmiths.

Gonzales is a consummate machinist and inventor.  He became interested in shooting benchrest in the mid-1970s and in his quest for the best and most accurate benchrest rigs, decided he needed to learn to build rifles himself.  After 30-plus years of building guns for a living, Gonzales closed his shop near Fort Worth, Texas, and moved his family to Trinidad to teach in the Trinidad State Gunsmithing Program because he wanted “to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of gunsmiths.”

Adam  Rehor and Jacob Couie, who are in their final semester as TSJC gunsmithing students, say that their goal is to become as good gunsmiths as their teacher, and “put out a quality product as good as his or better.”  In order to learn as much as possible, they have not wasted their time at TSJC.

Reminiscing about the time they have spent in the gunsmithing program, they said they can’t believe it is almost over, and all that they have accomplished during the past two years.

They described building and working on as many guns as they could get their hands on for themselves, as well as their friends and family members. Those guns include three ARs, two 1911s, two Mausers, a 22-250 Ultra Mag, a 6 mm, a 330, two 6mm PPC benchrest rifles, and a rail gun.

Rehor, who is from Kirk, Colorado, a small community on the eastern plains, said that he was not motivated to excel in high school, until his principal challenged him to discover what he loved doing, and pursue that interest as a career.  In high school he had been a competitive amateur trap shooter, who went to the ATA World Championships two times.

Couie, from Riggins, Idaho, came to the TSJC Gunsmithing Program because he was interested in benchrest shooting competition and wanted the opportunity to study under Speedy Gonzales,  who was inducted into the Benchrest Hall of Fame in 2005.

Both young men have impressed Gonzales with their abilities to such an extent that he recommended them to build a rail gun for one of his own clients, Bret Solomon.  In addition to teaching his students the skills he has perfected, Gonzales believes in providing them with real-world experience, re-enforcing the importance of customer service, attention to detail, and reliability they will need to be successful.

Gonzales’ confidence in the young men was not misplaced.  After receiving his finished gun, Solomon sent an email testimonial that read:

“I must say that my feet have not touched the ground from the minute I opened the shipping boxes.  When you spend over $3,000 to have a gun re-built from the ground up, you always have some apprehension, especially when the master (Speedy) is not doing the work, but assigning it to two students.  To Jacob and Adam I say this:  You have taken a sow’s ear and literally turned it into a silk purse.  The work is as professional as anything I have received from Speedy in the past.  I have never seen a rail as unique as this. GREAT! GREAT! job, guys.”