Besides engraving and inlaying gold or silver on the frame of a rifle, shotgun or pistol, Glimm engraves bolt knobs for Nosler’s new custom rifles.
    Nosler-brand bullets enjoy a reputation for premium quality and consistency; now they offer 500 high-quality rifles, built to the buyer’s specific needs, each year for $3995 each. Glimm engraves a checkered pattern and the Nosler insignia for each of those rifles.
    “Each knob takes about two hours for me to finish,” Glimm says.
    An engraving on the frame of a rifle can fill from 50 to 200 hours of Glimm’s time, depending on the detail he adds.
    Most engravers draw the etching on a piece of paper first, before attempting to engrave the gun. Glimm draws it directly on the gun’s metal.
    If Glimm wants to insert a gold or silver inlay, he expects to devote about 200 hours to the project. First, he cuts out the shape and then taps the relief into the background. After that, he undercuts the edges and crosshatches the background. Next, he cuts out the animal and then nails the inlay to the action or the stock. Finally, he shapes and details the inlay to perfection.
    When asked what he does if he makes a mistake, Glimm simply stated, “You don’t.”

    After 21 years of success, Glimm wants to contribute to the future of all of the shooting sports so he donated two engraved pistols and a “gopher getter” rifle to the Pondera Shooting Sports Club and the Pondera 4-H Shooters. The clubs will raffle one of the pistols and the Savage Mark II FV rifle and auction the other engraved pistol to raise money for a new shooting complex in Conrad.
    Club members will sell raffle tickets for the Savage rifle at the Whoop-Up hamburger stand at Legion Park and at the Rodeo. Tickets will cost $1 each or six tickets for $5 and be available until July 6. The rifle drawing will be held July 7.
    A Ruger .44 pistol engraved by Glimm will be auctioned at a PSSC fundraising dinner on July 26. Mark your calendar now to attend an evening full of community fun, good food and dancing. Glimm’s Ruger .45 engraved pistol will be raffled later in the year.     Only 500 tickets will be sold at $10 per ticket or three tickets for $25.
    The shooting facility will provide handicapped access for all types of shooting sports and the club plans to host a variety of tournaments and provide a place for hands-on Hunter Education, too.
    Pondera Shooting Sports Club directors hope to complete the building by November with the help of donated labor, equipment and materials. Already, the Pondera 4-H shooting sports kids have contributed $10,000 to the building. Even though they are not quite ready to pour concrete, PSSC directors used a portion of that donation to purchase rebar and other metal materials before prices increase even further.
    Besides 4-H shooters, many people will benefit from a safe, efficient place to learn about all aspects of shooting sports. The Conrad Gun Club – dedicated to trap shooting in the area -- Pondera Valley Small Bore Club, adult archers, Hunter Education, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and families will have an opportunity to shoot. A meeting room will be available to host educational activities and meetings.
    “We hope we can meet the needs of all of our area shooting clubs,” says PSSC board member and 4-H shooting sports instructor Randy Brenteson. “I’d rather spend my time helping kids learn to shoot than wait a few years and pull them out of a jail cell.”
    Fairfield gun dealer Jim Gray agrees with Brenteson.
    “Target shooters don’t get into trouble,” Gray says.
    Glimm sees a larger target.
     He says, “You need a place to shoot. If you don’t support shooting sports, they will die out and the politicians will take them away from us. We need more people involved in all of the shooting sports.”
    Hollingsworth gets right to the point:
    “The Second Amendment is the cornerstone that allows all of the other nine amendments to stay in place. The future of our Bill of Rights, and especially the Second Amendment, is to be able to teach our future leaders how to shoot safely and the importance of respect. If kids don’t have a place to shoot, when will they learn?’”
    Editor’s note: Examples of Jerome Glimm’s artistry can be viewed on his web site at www.gunengraver.biz.