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Offers an extensive range of gunsmith work on shotguns and rifles for private customers and trade.

Our gunsmith services vary from restoring old English shotguns to servicing and accurising modern rifles.

Lucas & Watts Gunsmiths

Location

The workshop is situated on the Herefordshire and Monmouthshire border and is equidistant from Hereford, Abergavenny, Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth.

We serve clients from across the UK.

Opening Hours
by appointment only

Our Services

About Us

Contact

Whilst visiting The Stalking Show in April 2022 I enquired at the Brock & Norris Custom Rifles stand whether they would fit old WW1 sniper scopes, with period correct mounts, to WW1 .303 SMLE rifles. It is not the sort of job I would entrust to anyone, and I wanted to find a reputable gunsmith who understands the nuances of SMLE’s and P14 rifles. They immediately pointed me in the direction of Chris Watts. Their rationale was that, not only was he a 5-year apprentice trained gunsmith, but he was also passionate about restoring wood stocked service rifles. When I met Chris, I quickly found him to be a personable and enthusiastic participant in a number of projects that had taken me 20 years to assemble the necessary parts to rebuild an ever growing number of WW1 British sniper rifles. These rifles are used in Classic and Veteran Service Rifle competitions at Bisley, so Chris’ work not only has to look right it also must shoot right. I introduced him to a few shooting friends where he has performed the same service for German WW1 and WW2 sniper rifles. I would have no hesitation in recommending his work to others.

NG, Derbyshire
If you require general or specialist gunsmithing services, I strongly recommend that you contact Chris at Lucas & Watts. Chris is not only an extremely knowledgeable, experienced and skilled gunsmith, but he is also very approachable and will provide you with an honest appraisal of your shotgun or rifle, with a realistic timeline and breakdown of likely costs for any work done. If you are local to Lucas & Watts, I advise you to call or email Chris to arrange a visit to his workshop to discuss your requirements.

DF, Herefordshire
Dear Chris, A quick note to thank you for fixing the fore-piece on my Woodward. Beautifully worked, and I used it at the weekend. So functions well too. I am very grateful. With good wishes,

ID, Herefordshire
I would make the strongest recommendation for Chris Watts for all matters gunsmithing, whether maintenance, repair, alteration, or advice on acquisition. He has a deep knowledge of guns, their mechanisms and their foibles, and he is a craftsman of the highest order. He has undertaken a number of repairs to my English side-by-side gun, made with Damascus barrels in 1900, and his love and respect for it is always evident. He offers excellent advice regarding the care and use of an old gun in the modern world. He has also done some excellent rifle work for me, changing sights over the years and always providing a robust and reliable solution which has the desired effect. He and Rosie are also the nicest people to work with, and they always strive to be as flexible and helpful as they possibly can. What more could one want in a gunsmith? Oh yes - and the costs are very reasonable!

AB, Golden Valley
After a stock-fitting, Lucas & Watts adjusted the stock on my William Evans in almost every conceivable direction and have subsequently replaced and regulated the ejectors. In its 100th year, these operations took great skill and attention to detail, both of which Chris clearly has in abundance and he now services all of my guns. There is no-one else I trust. Huge thanks for threading and recrowning a rifle that I thought was long past being sufficiently accurate. It has absolutely transformed it and I am so pleased to have had your advice in saving it rather than just consigning it to auction and buying a new one. Incredibly tidy work and turned around so quickly. Thank you. Chris has overseen my old Sako 75 being rebarrelled, bedded and Cerakoted. Once the work was done, he test-fired it and found the best factory loads that work for my applications. It really is unbelievably accurate even with factory ammunition - a real wolf in sheep’s clothing and I am genuinely grateful for his skills every time I take it out of the cabinet.

C, Hampshire
Chris Watts is my first choice for all my rifle smithing requirements. Everything from comprehensive barrel smithing, spares and repairs, rifle tuning to annual servicing etc. His attention to detail is second to none!

IL, Monmouthshire

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