West, Jim

Jim was born and raised in Moab, Utah and forged from a long line of families steeped in hunting and fishing traditions. Jim’s passion for guns started at an early age when got his first BB gun. Later his mother, Wanda, taught him to shoot a .22 rifle. His first mission was to rid the farm of skunks and snakes. His second mission was to get a bigger gun.

Jim began working in the local gun shop at the age of 14 when Dean, the shop owner, took him on as a helper. Jim quickly mastered the art of sweeping the shop and taking out the trash, tasks he gladly performed for the chance to be around firearms. Dean recognized Jim’s natural talent for all things gun related and began teaching him the basics. Jim was particularly gifted with pistols and shortly took over the pistol repairs. Jim honed his gunsmithing skills over the years and was admitted to the American Pistolsmith Guild in 1995, an achievement he is particularly proud of.