Jerry W. Huddleston grew up in Portland, Oregon. From 1957 to 1959 he was in the Army and stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 1959 he moved back to Portland. He worked in construction, was employed by Ford dealerships and in 1980 he became self-employed as an auto mechanic, auto and RV sales. He built his first gun, a pistol in 1952. It was a crude piece, and afraid that someone might get hurt with it, he discarded the gun. The third gun he made was a .441 cal., completely handmade except for the barrel. It had set triggers and patch box escutcheons and was carved behind the cheek piece. The gun did not have a patch box lock as he could not find a book to make one at that time. He sold the gun to Dr. Harry Smith for $125.00 in 1964. In 1999, Jerry saw Dr. Smith and he told Jerry that he had sold the gun a year prior to that.

p>Jerry did not apprentice to anyone but did learn his engraving skills from Robert Evans and is continuing to study under Mr. Evans. He is a member of the Firearms Engravers Guild of American and has learned gun making from books and other gun makers he has met over the years. Until 1993, all of his guns were unmarked. Since then, he marks his guns with either J.W.H. in script or Jerry w Huddleston on top of the barrel or scratched inside the patch box. He does have one gun that he made in 1975 that was signed on top of the barrel. Jerry makes Golden Age long rifles and pistols as well as high art English and Continental firearms of the 18th and early 19th century, especially French.
In 2007 Jerry won the best-engraved pistol award from the engravers guild, sponsored by Smith and Wesson. In 2012 Jerry won the prestigious Engravers choice award from the Firearms Engravers Guild of America at Reno for his work on a Nicolas Boutet style double flint shotgun. This shotgun was featured in Gun digest. He is listed on the FEGA sight as a Master Engraver.

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Resource: Contemporary Longrifle Association Member.