PilkGuns | Pilkington Competition of Monteagle, Tennessee

Scott Pilkington

Scott Pilkington has had a long fascination with guns and shooting. From his earliest days with a leather gun belt and a set of Lone Ranger cap pistols, to the present time with Olympic class air guns and firearms, he has always been involved in many aspects. As a teenager he learned the art of engraving, a skill that served him well as his chief occupation for almost 20 years. In the engraving arena, he has received world acclaim for several of his engraving projects, having his work published in numerous domestic and foreign publications. Most recently his work and accomplishments were featured in the books, "American Engravers,the 21st Century",and "American Engravers III". He is still very much involved in this field as a teacher, author and practitioner of the art. He taught basic engraving classes several weeks each year for the GRS Company in Emporia, Kansas for fourteen years but ended that association in early 2008. His collateral interests in gun mechanisms and gunsmithing, plus being a member of the Tennessee National Guard at the time landed him a spot in the prestigious National Guard Marksmanship Training Unit, where he learned the skills of being a match armorer, with names like Gene Barnett, Joe Chambers, Frank Smith and Dave Mattice. He enjoyed working as a pistolsmith on the NG truck at Camp Perry, the Wilson Matches and other events, but doesn’t miss the nasty hands and ruined apparel that came with tearing down filthy black .45s all day long. It was under Dave Mattice's tutelage that Scott acquired the international gunmsmithing skills that are required to be gunsmith at the Olympic level. Scott has been part of the US Team at events such as the 1995 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the 1998 World Championships in Barcelona, the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the 2001 World Shotgun Championships in Cairo, the 2002 World Championships in Lahti, Finland and the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. He has also attended various World Cups from China to the US over the years. Also on the mechanical side, Scott enjoys old cars, primarily Corvairs and especially his Corvair on steroids, the UltraVan. The UltraVan is his primary transportation to many shooting events, and also to his military duties around the US. Scott was proud to serve in both the National Guard and the Army Reserve, retiring in October of 2005 at the rank of CW3 after 22 years of service.

Because of Scott's intense interest in Olympic shooting and US connections, in 1997 he was asked by the Steyr-Mannlichercompany to act as an US agent for their competition line of air guns. Although originally conceived as a part time job in addition to his engraving workload, Steyr sales evolved very quickly into a full time effort, and the business that has now grown to the point of having several full time employees. Scott is active in trying to promote safe usage of air guns and his writings and commentary in this area have quoted or recognized by such organizations as NRA, USA, and CMP. He is a member of the American Society of Testing and Standards, working in the F15.06 committee, Safety Standards for Non-Powder Gun Products. He is an avid sponsor the Olympic Sports and the athletes who make it great. Recognizing that the gunsmith's job at major world events is somewhat akin to the buzzard’s patience in waiting for something to expire, he began taking photographs and writing stories about the shooting athletes for publication back in the US. Scott also enjoys organizing tours of European gun factories along with the other cultural interests of the area for shooters of all ages. Scott also has an inventive side and in 2012 was awarded a patent for his airgun upper design that was put into production by the Crosman Corparation of New York. He enjoys helping you achieve your goals whether it is a Gold Medal in the Olympics or just having a fun night of shooting in your basement.

US Team at the 1995 Pan American Games, Buenos Aires.

Scott's toolbox at the 1996 Olympics. Scott and Norbert Ussfeller in the background.

Scott with Emil Senfter, designer of the LP1 and LP5.

Credentials from major world events

Photos - Credentials

On this page are some of the badges I have worn at various events. For loading sake, we have created thumbnail images and descriptions with links to the full sized photo. Just follow any link to the photo of your choice. Once you look at the photo, use the Back feature to get back to this page.