Step 01
Design
Sketches, drawings, SolidWorks modelling. The rifle exists first as lines and dimensions.
Winchester M1885 · BMA graduation project
I won't be a rockstar.I will be a legend.
The project's motto, a tribute to Freddie Mercury
Charles Couillard, artisan gunsmith
Artisan gunsmith. Restoring pieces of history, creating exceptional pieces.
Diplomas
A qualified gunsmith.
French Craft Diploma in Gunsmithing (BMA)
Lycée Benoît Fourneyron, Saint-Étienne · 2026
The craft-art diploma of the trade: machining, fitting, wood, metal, gun mechanics.
CAP Armurier
Lycée Benoît Fourneyron, Saint-Étienne
The foundation of the trade: strip-down, recommissioning, regulations, a sure hand.
Vocational diploma in microtechnology
Lycée Dumont d'Urville, Caen · 2024
Precision before gunsmithing: fine assembly, reading drawings, mechanics, optics, electronics.
One craft, two hands
Some firearms are preserved, others are invented. I work on both: I restore antique and collectible firearms, and I build bespoke pieces, from design to finish. One foundation connects the two: the hand. Diagnosis, fitting, machining, wood, metal, inlay work, finishing.
Restoring pieces of history.Creating exceptional pieces.
01 · The bench
I restore pieces of history
Antique firearms, collectors' pieces, military heritage. Restoring without erasing history: patina, markings and traces preserved.
See the restorations →02 · The stage
I create exceptional pieces
One-off pieces, transformed or built to order: CAD, machining, wood, mechanics, artistic finishing.
See the creations →Latest work
Fresh off the bench
A spent case turned into a brass cross
Reclaimed, flattened, cut and shaped, a simple spent cartridge case becomes a cross inlaid flush into the walnut grip panel of a Remington 1858 black-powder revolver
MAC 12/70 side-by-side shotgun: recommissioning
Complete strip-down, cleaning, fore-end iron recommissioning and fitting of a rubber recoil pad
Darne over-and-under shotgun: cleaning and recommissioning
Complete strip-down of the action, ultrasonic cleaning, polishing of the barrel sleeves, wood restoration, full reassembly
Flagship project
An Uberti base. Everything else: handmade.
The barrel and receiver of the Winchester M1885 “Freddie Mercury” come from Uberti. Everything else went through my hands: the woodwork, the sights, the barrel bands, the fore-end cap, the finger lever and every finish. Then the rifle was proofed at 2,750 bar. Official verdict: compliant firearm.
Read the case studyNine months. One rifle.No shortcuts.
Nine months in the workshop
From blank page to proof firing
Step 02
Metal
Making and fitting the furniture: sights, barrel bands, fore-end cap, finger lever.
Step 03
Wood and finishes
Swan-neck walnut stock, lacquer, fitted yellow leather, hydrographic chequering.
18 May 2026
The proof
French National Proof House, Saint-Étienne: 2,750 bar. Verdict: compliant, certificate no. 3572411.
June 2026
The diploma
Presented to the BMA gunsmithing jury. The rifle spoke for itself.
Workshop tools
The right dimensions, the right words
I share the references I wish had existed when I trained: a tool to understand and measure stock dimensions, and a bilingual glossary of the fine gun. Free, sourced, checkable.
01
Length of pull
The four stock dimensions, explained, measured, converted.
Open the tool →02
French gun terms
The gunmaking vocabulary, from French to English.
Open the tool →03
Stock finishes
Rubbed linseed, Tru-Oil, tung, wax: sourced ranges and troubleshooting.
Open the tool →04
Proof marks
Saint-Étienne and Liège: identify, understand, date.
Open the tool →
Follow the workshop
The workshop, day by day
Work in progress, bench moments, before and after shots: I share the work as it happens on Instagram.
Follow @charles.l.armurierAn exchange, a collaboration, an opportunity?
This portfolio documents my work, piece by piece. It exists to open doors: workshops, collectors, press.
Get in touch