Sad Departure Of Another Custom Gun Maker

[shrapnel]

It is hard to post this, but Steven Dodd Hughes, a good friend and Internationally known custom gun maker died July 27 at home with Nancy. Nancy Crow, Steven's girl friend has asked that I announce his untimely death to those pwople that knew or knew of Steven.

His work is well known for his discriminating eye and ability to build abslutely beautiful custom rifles. I have had the good fortune to own some of his guns and share my love of custom guns with Steven. We were working on a couple articles at the time of his death and I don't know if he got them completed for print.

Steven was 75 years old, and had battled COPD for years and was fortunate enough to survive Covid with the poor condition his lungs were in.

I wish I had something better to post, but these things need to be shared so his friends and readers of his articles will know what happened.

Nancy did ask if anyone wished to offer condolences, to contact me and I will pass it on to her. Those that knew Stven, knew him to be a very private person.

Steven, I along with many gun enthusiasts will miss your presence and contributions to the shooting industry...


RIP

 

[antlerradar]

I wish I had something better to post,


RIP

How about some picture of his work. Just about everyone here can appreciate a well made rifle.

 

[INMT]

How about some picture of his work. Just about everyone here can appreciate a well made rifle.

Dodd Hughes, Steven – ACGG

acgg.org

 

[shrapnel]

I was over at his shop a couple months ago delivering a rifle he was going to write about, and he pulled out this unfinished gun he had started before Covid in 2020.

He told me that he couldn’t finish the project because his lungs were so bad from all the years of smoking and dust in the shop it had contributed to COPD.

It is a Winchester low wall in a 22K hornet and I bought it knowing he had started the project and I called another local Gunsmith that said he could finish it. I can’t wait for it to get done. The plan is to have it color cased on the Action and lever and then the rest of the wood finished in a nice hand rubbed oil finish.

 

[noharleyyet]

Superb...

 

[Point Creep]

Do you ever give assholes a tour of your fancy gun collection? I know one that would like to see it.

 

[Wyoming270]

Im not joking when I say i think you should elaborate for some of the younger audiences into the level of work he put into his rifles. Im floored by the ammount of young hunters I encounter trying to sell me "custom built rifles" that turn out to be they selected the stock color and barrel finish type on the kimber build your own website. That sort of thing is all too common and I feel it really takes away from the craftsmen who cut stocks out of a piece of expensive lumber and did handfitment of actions.

 

[Wyoming270]

Heres what his finished rifles look like. Incredible attention to detail. Beautiful finishes, hand cut checkering. Most people never understand what quality hand finished guns put forward over even the expensive factory production rifles.

 

[44hunter45]

I was over at his shop a couple months ago delivering a rifle he was going to write about, and he pulled out this unfinished gun he had started before Covid in 2020.

He told me that he couldn’t finish the project because his lungs were so bad from all the years of smoking and dust in the shop it had contributed to COPD.

It is a Winchester low wall in a 22K hornet and I bought it knowing he had started the project and I called another local Gunsmith that said he could finish it. I can’t wait for it to get done. The plan is to have it color cased on the Action and lever and then the rest of the wood finished in a nice hand rubbed oil finish.



View attachment 413920View attachment 413921View attachment 413922

Call @p_ham

 

[44hunter45]

Do you ever give assholes a tour of your fancy gun collection? I know one that would like to see it.

Here is the @shrapnel collection website.

Cody Firearms Museum

Cody Firearms Museum https://centerofthewest.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Cody-Firearms-Museum-HD.mp4 A Must-See Wild West Museum The Cody Firearms

centerofthewest.org

 

[Point Creep]

Here is the @shrapnel collection website.

Cody Firearms Museum

Cody Firearms Museum https://centerofthewest.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Cody-Firearms-Museum-HD.mp4 A Must-See Wild West Museum The Cody Firearms

centerofthewest.org

I"ve been to that one a few times.

 

[shrapnel]

Do you ever give assholes a tour of your fancy gun collection? I know one that would like to see it.

Many times!

That’s how Steven and I met. I was displaying Guns at a Gun Show and he would always stop with another friend that liked nice Guns and we discuss the craftsmanship and the beauty of nice firearms. That’s how our relationship started and eventually, became good friends and he asked to write about quite a few of different guns I had. That’s why I took them to Gun Shows was just to have other people see and enjoy what previous makers had built as an art form and function as a rifle.