SPECIAL GUN, SPECIAL PRESENTATION — Bloomingdale-area resident Brian Powley, right, of Brian Powley Engravers LLC not only had a hand in engraving a one-of-a-kind presidential commemorative pistol the American Pistolsmiths Guild did for former President Donald J. Trump, he also had a hand in the presentation of it Jan. 22 to Donald J. Trump Jr. That happened during Powley’s time in Las Vegas for the Firearms Engravers Guild Show and Safari Club International convention. -- Contributed

BLOOMINGDALE — Bloomingdale area resident Brian Powley of Brian Powley Engravers LLC is a patient man.

Involved in a special project launched by the American Pistolsmiths Guild on Nov. 9, 2016, the day after Donald J. Trump was elected president, Powley saw that come full circle in recent days when he was in Las Vegas exhibiting works at the Firearms Engravers Guild Show and meeting clients at the Safari Club International convention.

On Jan. 22, more than five years later, Powley was involved in the presentation of a one-of-a-kind presidential commemorative pistol to Donald J. Trump Jr., Trump’s oldest son who made a local appearance on Oct. 22, 2020, addressing about 500 people at a campaign rally for his father’s re-election bid outside of Bully Tools in the Jefferson County Industrial Park.

The project was spearheaded in 2016 by then-guild President Greg Darr who recruited more than 20 pistolsmiths, including Powley, who is a member of the American Pistolsmiths Guild. It promotes quality workmanship and the exchange of information and ideas among pistolsmiths.

“The pistol is a custom-built 1911-style handgun, and the appropriate caliber was .45,” explained Powley, who received the pistol in 2019 and engraved it with an “America is Great” theme.

The initials “DJT”, “45”, “USA” and the “#1” are pure 24k gold. The scroll work style is American Scroll.

“The pistol was then sent off to metal finishers, then assembled, test fired and had a custom presentation case fitted to it,” noted Powley.

Then came the waiting part.

“Trying to get anything directly to any U.S. president is difficult due to security concerns,” he explained. “Giving anything to a president while they are in office means you are giving it to the United States government and chances are, they will never receive it. Members of the American Pistolsmiths Guild wanted President Trump to actually take possession of this pistol sometime in the future, so we knew we would have to wait until he was out of office,” he added.

Powley was no stranger to this be-patient process as he waited more than four years to present a custom-engraved handgun to President George W. Bush in 2009.

It was late in 2021 that Powley said it was learned that Donald J. Trump Jr. was going to attend the S.H.O.T. Show — Sportsman-Hunters-Outdoor-Trade — and the Safari Club International conventions in Las Vegas on Jan. 18-20.

“The ‘powers-that-be’ were notified that Donald J. Trump Jr. was more than happy to take possession of the masterpiece and make sure his father would eventually become the owner,” Powley commented.

In Las Vegas for the trade shows, Powley received a message from the guild that a presentation was scheduled for 9 a.m. on Jan. 22 at the nearby Wild West Guns sporting goods store and was asked if he could attend.

“Yes,” responded a no-hesitating Powley.

“Unfortunately, most of the pistolsmiths involved in the production were not able to be in Las Vegas on that day, and these events are never guaranteed. It can get canceled at the last minute if there’s a security issue,” noted Powley, who along with his wife, Bettly, met with APG President Daniel Batchelor at Wild West Guns.

At about 9:05 a.m., “Donald J. Trump Jr. simply walked in the shop. We introduced ourselves and made the presentation. Not one part of our conversation with DJT Jr. was political. We wanted to express our thanks to his father as a supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Period,” Powley noted.

“It turns out, Donald J. Trump Jr. is no stranger to firearms. The very first thing he did was make the standard ‘safety check’ of the firearm,” Powley commented.

“He then asked about all of the features the pistolsmiths incorporated into the firearm, and Daniel Batchelor outlined them,” Powley continued, adding that Batchelor told Trump the pistol is fully functional and it is OK to shoot if he so chooses to do so.

Powley said his conversation with Trump involved highlighting the engraving theme he had put on the gun.

“He was interested to learn the engraving is all done freehand with a small chisel,” Powley said. “He was impressed and grateful to all involved and was more than happy to let us make our own photo-op. We thanked him for his time, sent our well wishes to his father and went back to our normal lives,” Powley added.

The post about the gun on the guild’s Facebook page notes the guild “has had the honor for many years of providing a custom ‘presidential’ pistol to Second Amendment-supporting presidents. This project for President Trump started the day after his 2016 victory by securing the serial number ‘TRUMP POTUS 45.’ Since he was the 45th U.S. president what else could we build but a .45 1911? This was a compilation build by many members of the guild who lent their talents to the project. A number of vendors also supplied U.S.-made parts for the project. The pistol features a Caspian slide and frame fit with Heinie sights a Kart barrel, EGW and Extreme Engineering internals. The magnificent engraving with gold inlay was by Brian Powley. Grips are American bison shin bone by Scott Kolar. The finish is a titanium nitride lower and magazines with a blue slide. Glenn Dean hand-crafted the case with inlay and dust cover. The Second Amendment is on the inside of the case. Donald Trump Jr., a great supporter of the Second Amendment and a shooter, made the trip to S.H.O.T. to take delivery. I can’t tell you how much of a pleasure it was to work with nearly 20 members to create this piece.”

Powley’s engraving hobby that began in 1980 ultimately morphed into a home business, one where he specializes in custom hand engraving on firearms, knives, jewelry, musical instruments and vintage and classic auto parts.

“After about 10 years, and the advent of the Internet, my hobby started to make some money. In 2000, I had been working at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel for 23 years, and I recognized the downward spiral of the steel industry,” Powley said in a previous interview.

“I was in management at the time, but still working the hobby. I was starting to get more and more work at home, and it was becoming a lot more than just a hobby — it was a real business,” he noted.

A comment to his wife and her response brought new perspective.

“I mentioned to Betty that ‘I’d love to do this for a living, but I don’t think a person could make enough money at it.’ Betty said, ‘If you keep telling yourself that, you never will.’ Those were the most motivating words I needed to hear,” he added.

Powley spent the next two years building a good customer base and basically working two full-time jobs.

“In May of 2002, I turned in my resignation and went to work for myself,” he noted of a decision Powley doesn’t regret and one that keeps him busy.

“I do restoration work on antique automobile parts for chrome-plating businesses, and I engrave a lot of flutes for various manufacturers and music stores around the country,” he noted.

The work has brought many accolades to the 1975 graduate of Jefferson Union High School and master engraver, including having a hand in two guns for two former presidents. He’s also done work for actor Joe Mantegna of the TV show “Criminal Minds.”

Powley is a member of the Firearms Engravers Guild of America, described on its website as “the world’s foremost authority and organization for firearm engravers and hand-engraving enthusiasts.”

Powley’s latest visit to Vegas included crossing pass with two other notables — “Pawn Stars” regular Mark Hall Patton and baseball legend Rickey Henderson.