Trust Our Onsite Gunsmith Services

Alex Van Sickle graduated from the Pennsylvania Gunsmith School in 2015. Ever since he was a kid, he always had a passion for firearms and learning about them. He joined the Shoot Smart team in August 2015.

While gunsmithing may be his passion in life, he also enjoys hunting, 3-position small-bore, trap, camping, snowmobiling, and steam engines.

Lever-actions and pistols are his personal favorites to work on, but he will gladly build a rifle to fit any person. Alex is from the Buffalo, New York, area. He works in the gun shop at the Shoot Smart Alliance and Benbrook.

Contact Alex directly at alex@shootsmart.com. 

Ever since Taylor was young he has had a passion for firearms. Taylor started is career in the firearm industry as a Shoot Smart Range Guide with the goal of becoming a Gunsmith one day. With his drive and passion he was able to achieve this goal.

Taylor joined the Army Reserves and served 6 years as a 91B, which further strengthened his love for guns. Soon after starting at Shoot Smart, Taylor accepted a position as an apprentice in the gunsmith shop. Working hands on in a professional shop only increased Taylor's knowledge of firearms. In 3 years, working under the Gunsmith Manager and the other gunsmiths, he went from barely knowing how to disassemble a firearm to being a fully certified and competent gunsmith.

Now Taylor specializes in modern firearms and cerakoting. "If you want to start a new build, set up your firearm for a specific task, or make it look sick I'm your guy" -Taylor House

Contact Taylor directly at taylor@shootsmarttx.com

Blaid graduated from MT Training Center in 2022. He was born and raised in Grand Prairie, TX and ever since he could remember he’s been around firearms. At an early age his grandfather got him into appreciating and understanding firearms, which led to his career choice, gunsmithing.

While gunsmithing may be his passion, his hobbies include mountain biking, adventuring new places, martial arts, and of course shooting sports.

Blaid specializes in modern firearms (AR’s, Glock, etc.) and cerakoting. He always pays great attention to detail and takes an honest approach to gunsmithing.

Contact Blaid directly at blaid@shootsmarttx.com

Originally from Dallas and raised in Granbury, Sam started in shooting sports through hunting with his father and grandfather as a child. This early exposure led him to competitive shooting with 4H in middle school, where he competed in air pistol and rifle, .22 at 50 and 100 yards, and muzzleloader silhouette. His experiences fostered what he describes as an obsession with shooting sports.

Before entering the firearms industry, he attended culinary school and gained experience working in restaurants across Texas and California, eventually working aboard the Pride of America cruise ship in Hawaii. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, reloading, and occasionally handcrafting knives. Sam is now fulfilling his dream of being a gunsmith!

Contact Sam directly at sama@shootsmarttx.com

After graduating from Murray State with an AAS in Gunsmithing Technology in spring of 2022, Thoryn came to work at Shoot Smart after relocating back home to Texas.

Thoryn has been apart of the Shoot Smart team since August 2022. He started at the Alliance gunsmith shop and recently moved to being our full time gunsmith at our Benbrook location in January 2023.

Thoryn grew up in Fort Worth, being interested in firearms from a historic and mechanical beginning, always enjoying maintenance and upkeep on his own firearms.

Both in school and at Shoot Smart he has excelled in pistolsmithing, specifically 1911 fitting and repair, but also has experience with many other handguns and rifles, as well as a variety of cerakote work. Outside of work, his hobbies include powerlifting, martial arts, and writing.

Contact Thoryn directly at thoryn@shootsmarttx.com