The firearms manufacture discipline addresses how each part of the firearm is manufactured after it is designed. It includes the starting point for each part, such as a billet or a forging; and then the fixturing, workholding, and tooling in order to make each cut which leads to a finished part. Also included are the abrasive operations which clean up the part and the quality control operations to determine if the parts are usable. Lastly, this includes the final assembly, quality control and proofing operations done before the firearm is placed in the stream of commerce.
As a firearms designer and manufacturer, LTC Alphin created the not only the A-Square Hannibal Model rifle, but also the machinery, fixtures and procedures to manufacture it. This expertise has come in handy in many cases. Not only the Holmes case cited above but in cases such as Jenkins. In this case, the prosecution so feared the testimony of LTC Alphin that they stipulated an agreement where they would not present firearms and ammunition “evidence” if the defense did not put him on the stand. The trial went on and Mr. Jenkins was found Not Guilty.