         |
CREWS CUSTOM
GUNSMITHING
John Crews, Gunsmith & Cop
I began my gunsmithing training as an apprentice for a gunsmith in Santa Ana in 1979 while I was attending college. I then moved to Colorado and studied gunsmithing at Colorado School of Trades. I intended this to be a "sideline" skill to compliment my primary career goal of police officer. After completing my gunsmithing certification, I returned to California. In 1982 I was hired by the Santa Ana Police Department. Almost immediately, I became involved in the department firearms program. In 1986, I was transferred from patrol to the range as the department's only armorer and primary firearms instructor. I remained in this assignment for two and a half years. Since then I've worked various assignments. Currently, I am a Traffic Collision Investigator. I am also one of three fully trained department armorers and serve as a firearms instructor as needed. Periodically, the department sends me to instructor or armorer schools for the various manufacturers. These include Smith & Wesson, Sigarms, Glock, Beretta, Ruger and Remington. I work a modified "4-10" schedule (10 hour days, Monday through Thursday). This schedule allows me to spend quality time with my family and still spend some time in the shop working on the guns I like. August of 2005 marks my 23rd year as a full time cop. Throughout my career, I have been continually involved in gunsmithing to one degree or another. I owned a one-man shop in Santa Ana, Southwestern Armorers, from `83-`84. Because of high overhead expenses, I moved that shop to my garage until 1997. In March of 1997, I affiliated myself with Shawn Tugwell and Andres Sepulveda, a couple of young but knowledgeable and skilled gunsmiths also from Colorado School of Trades. Andres moved on to other things, but Shawn and I each operated independent but cooperative businesses out of the same location. Shawn closed his business and moved to Colorado in early 2000. Now I am again working alone and continue to provide top quality gunsmithing services.
|
