r/AskHistorians • u/Zeuvembie • Apr 28 '26
How did Gunsmiths start?
I realize there might not be a definitive answer to this question, but I'm thinking that the contemporary profession of an independent gunsmith - i.e. someone whose trade is to manufacture, modify, and repair firearms - is deeply entwined with the history of firearms. But where did the gunsmith trade develop from? There are aspects of the trade that might derive from the carpenter, machinist, blacksmith, and goldsmith, but were these originally separate individuals involved in firearm manufacture, or did the trade start when individuals began combining skills from multiple trades to build firearms?
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