THE SKINNER STORY
Larsson grew up in St. Ignatius, a rural town with population under 1,000, just outside a wilderness area densely populated with grizzlies. Always an avid outdoorsman, Larsson was introduced to gunsmithing in high school shop class. He continued learning the craft from there and became a hobby gunsmith, building bullseye pistols and custom 1911s. A sharpshooting bullseye competitor and pastor of a small Bible church, Larsson also worked at Buffalo Bore Ammunition, which was based in St. Ignatius at the time.
One day circa 2008, his good friend and longtime local educator Dr. Tim Skinner showed him a project he’d been working on. Skinner had been on a backcountry hunting trip when the sight on his Marlin was knocked loose in the scabbard. Frustrated with the lack of available options for durable aperture sights, he went to work with some machining tools in his basement.
“I made one that wouldn’t break,” he told Larsson.
It was sturdy, Larsson agreed. “Then I didn’t see him for a while,” he said.
When he did run into Skinner again several months later, the retired educator had made a few more of the sights and improved his design. Then, as a few more months passed before the two men talked again, things escalated further. Skinner started taking orders for his sights, added a small CNC machine, and even launched a website, but he was finding himself too busy to enjoy retirement.
Larsson, too, was at a crossroads, considering leaving his post as minister. Skinner suggested: Why didn’t he buy the business? In August of 2010, Larsson agreed and went to work in Skinner’s basement filling the handful of peep sight orders from Skinner’s website. Through bullseye shooting, gunsmithing, and his experience with Buffalo Bore, Larsson already had a network of contacts within the firearms industry, and with more online promotion, the business grew rapidly.
ORIGINAL DESIGNS
Within a few months, Larsson hired two employees and moved out of the basement. Today Skinner Sights employs 13 people: nine to manufacture sights, tactical rails, scope mounts, and other accessories, and four to sew gun cases, from rifle scabbards to concealed carry garment bags fitted with the “world’s strongest coat hanger.”
“I designed everything we make,” Larsson said. “We don’t steal anything.”
Strong words, but it’s a point Larsson takes seriously. Just like Dr. Skinner’s first sight, Larsson’s designs are inspired by his own life experiences and his years surviving outdoors in harsh environments that demand trustworthy equipment. He doesn’t try to improve other companies’ existing designs – he just makes the best product that he can to fill the need he sees.
For example, as a former pastor, Larsson saw that church gatherings are “soft targets,” and he came up with a concealed carry Bible cover. The concealed carry garment bag was born from an encounter with a federal judge who contracted Larsson for some gunsmithing work. He’ll tell you the whole story himself, but suffice it to say, he saw the value of having a gun case that doesn’t look like a gun case, and the idea stuck in his head. Skinner even makes paddle bags to protect expensive wooden canoe paddles.
“We’re trying to stay relevant and make sure people have what they need,” he said.
WHY CHOOSE SKINNER?
Not only are the designs original, but materials are sourced as locally as possible, and you’ll find little aluminum at the Skinner shop (except where the rails are concerned). We’re talking solid steel, stainless steel, and brass bar stock that travels just a few hours from Cd’A Metals in Idaho before the Skinner Sights crew gets to work to “carve away everything that’s not a sight.”
As straight-shooting a businessman as he is a marksman, one way Larsson encourages accountability within the industry is an invitation-only breakfast he hosts at the gun industry’s annual SHOT Show. The “Skinner Sights Real Deal Been There Done That Grand Slam Breakfast” is a response to what Larsson sees as a strain of over-commercialization and anti-cooperation among industry players. One year, a breakfast intended for media members disappeared before many of the gun writers Larsson knew were able to eat.
So, he started his own event and invited a dozen writers, innovators, and likeminded folks in the firearms industry to get together and build business face to face while sharing ideas and a meal. It’s grown every year, and this year saw 50 attendees including Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and leaders of several major lever gun companies.
SIGHTS SET
Although big orders for Ruger/Marlin have been keeping the shop busy, Skinner’s goal is still to get customers’ orders out the door within 48 hours. Needles have been flying on the sewing side of the shop as four women work to fill an order of 2,500 pistol cases for the USCCA. They can finish about 100 cases per day. And Larsson’s working on an upgraded website – he also wrote the programs for the CNC machines – to launch by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Skinner remains focused on turning out accurate aperture sights that can’t be broken – if you find a way, Skinner will replace it for free – and will add style to your long gun. Chances are you’ll find sights to fit your rifle at Skinner Sights, and some parts that can’t be found anywhere else.
As the company’s tagline says, “We aim to please.”
