Artisan gunsmith in Normandy

Restoring pieces of history,
creating exceptional pieces.

I work with wood and metal, from the drawing board to the bench. Explore my work and how it was made.

My work My CV PDF

BMA gunsmithing 2026 · Open to opportunities in France and abroad

Charles in a yellow jacket, holding his entire Winchester M1885, from butt to muzzle. Portrait retouched from the jury presentation photograph.

The rifle I am holdingWinchester M1885 « Freddie Mercury »

BMA graduation project, 2026 · Design, woodwork, fitting and finishes

« I Won’t Be a Rockstar,
I Will Be a Legend »My project’s motto, a tribute to Freddie Mercury.

Selected work

A closer look at the work.

The whole piece, a useful detail, a workshop stage.

Complete MAC side-by-side on its stand, closely framed around the firearm

Full view · The restored side-by-side.

Restoration · MAC 12/70

Restoring a shotgun,
fitting a buttplate.

I restored this side-by-side from the Manufacture d’Armes de Châtellerault and made my first buttplate.

Strip-down · Woodwork · Fitting

Look closely at: the fit between the buttplate and the stock, then the shaping process.

See the full restoration

Customisation · Remington 1858

Inlaying brass into wood.

Wooden grip panel held in a hand, with the brass cross fitted

Detail · The brass cross fitted into the wood.

I cut and fitted a brass cross into a wooden grip panel. The detail shows the fitted piece; the preparation view shows the recess.

More woodwork: the Winchester
Explore the inlay work

Restoration · Darne over-and-under

Strip down, clean, reassemble.

Complete Darne over-and-under on a stand outdoors

Full view · The reassembled over-and-under.

I worked on this over-and-under through a full strip-down, cleaning its parts, restoring the woodwork and reassembling it.

See the restoration stages

See all the work

Each project documents the work and its stages.

My graduation project · BMA 2026

A Winchester.
A tribute to Freddie Mercury.

I designed an ornamental piece inspired by his stage costumes: Wembley’s yellow leather, white lacquer and Houston’s chequerboard pattern.

Nine months to turn the idea into a finished piece, documenting manufacturing choices, trials and decisions along the way.

« I Won’t Be a Rockstar,
I Will Be a Legend »My project’s motto, a tribute to Freddie Mercury.

My own work

Sketches and SolidWorks CAD, stock and forend, sights, lever and fittings, fitting work, lacquer and leather.

The base and specialist contribution

Uberti mechanical base: barrel, receiver, action and buttplate. The chequerboard hydrographics were carried out by a specialist.

Original photograph: Charles presents the complete Winchester to the jury in a classroom

Full view · Original photograph of the jury presentation.

From the result to the making: the barrel-to-forend fit, then the blank clamped under the milling machine.

Metal rear sight part beside its engineering drawing — **Designing and drawing**The rear sight, from drawing to finished part.

Lever held in a vice, with a file in contact with the part — **Fitting metal**Working on the lever at the bench.

Proof-tested at the Saint-Étienne National Proof House
Certificate dated 18 May 2026: firearm compliant.

From drawing to finished piece: the full project

The firearm has no engraving. The cartridge storage remains a designed and machined prototype, not fitted to the firearm.

Training and experience

Training that supports the craft.

Qualifications

2026

BMA Gunsmithing & CAP Armurier

Lycée Benoît Fourneyron, Saint-Étienne
Wood, metal, machining, fitting and gun mechanics.

2024

Vocational diploma in microtechnology

Lycée Dumont d’Urville, Caen
Precision, mechanics, optics and electronics.

Gunsmithing placements

Armurerie John Dillinger

Beaulieu-lès-Loches · Repairs and restoration with Pierre Le Bihan and Christophe Berruet.

Armurerie Jacques Denys

Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët · Everyday gunsmithing, in the workshop and the shop.

Native French · Fluent English
Driving licence · Available in France and internationally

Charles at his bench in an apron, beside a stock blank held in a vice — At the bench · Original photograph.

Behind the work

Finding my place in a workshop.

I am looking for a workshop where I can keep learning and put my training into practice. Wood, metal and historic pieces are at the heart of the work I want to pursue.

The Winchester also expresses something more personal: my love of Queen and the piano, and the desire to give that inspiration a physical form.

Normandy · Military history · Militaria collector · Self-taught pianist

More about my background

Recruitment & projects

Are you recruiting
for your workshop?

I would be happy to discuss my work, my background and the needs of your workshop.

Driving licence · Available in France and internationally

Get in touch contact@charles-couillard.com Download my CV (PDF)

Do you have a piece or a project in mind?

Whether you are an individual or a professional, tell me what you have in mind.

Discuss your project