Paul Ware (a.k.a. Sarge) Certified Cerakote Applicator
I started off in the Air Force Security Police right out of high school in 1977, spending time in Osan AB Korea and Altus AFB Oklahoma. I separated and immediately joined the Fort Worth Police Department in Texas. I served there in many choice assignments from Jan 1981 till Dec 2011. In my last 2 years, I returned to patrol as a sergeant and supervised a young team that was full of energy and dedication. It was good to return to my roots!
Throughout my career, I was always involved in firearms – both for pleasure and through work. When my youngest son turned 11, he became deeply involved in shotgun sports – mainly sporting clays – thus, so did I. He went on to beat me regularly and became nationally recognized with the National Sporting Clay Association.
Through all these years I never strayed far from that 18 year old kid humping a M-16 or a GAU (who remembers those?) and my love for 1911s!
After retiring from the police department, I stayed busy working on, building and talking about AR-15s, Custom 1911s and police shotgun platforms. I sure didn’t want to go back to a real job, so HRH Combat Arms and Coatings was formed.
Let’s face it – what we do in enjoying our firearms is very much a social event that builds camaraderie with new and old friends. I am all about that!
Do I know everything? Not even close… Are there things I can’t or won’t do? Absolutely. But I’ll tell you up front.
Customer satisfaction is our primary goal. If you are not happy, I don’t want your money – I would rather ensure you are happy and help you find what you need. That is a promise.
Walter Steven Miller Jr.
Master Gunsmith
I spent most of my childhood running around with friends playing army, cowboys and Indians and cops and robbers. Then high school came and it was cars and shotguns.
Right after high school I entered the delayed entry program for the Marine Corps in 1993. Then in January of 1994, I was off to recruit training at MCRD, San Diego, CA. I spent a brutal and soul shaping 13 weeks learning to be the absolute best I could be. Then after boot camp it was off for 8 weeks at SOI, on Camp Pendelton, CA, where my love for full auto, belt-fed machine guns was born! What an exciting time to get to play with the very guns I grew up watching Rambo and Arnold use! After my 4 year active duty tour in my beloved Corps, I left for civilian life.
I spent a couple years trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I enrolled in a tech college, got bored and left after 2 semesters. I worked as a state licensed Industrial Radiographer for a few years, and you could say that this led me to where I am today.
As the oil and gas business slowed I started building AR’s for welders, gas company supervisors I knew and some people I met along the way. I was laid off and by the luck of the stars and moon lining up just right went to work as an apprentice for a Master Gunsmith. I learned a lot just cleaning guns and doing small tasks for him. After a year or so he recommended I go to school for gunsmithing like he did. So I looked it up, signed up and off I went.
While in school I worked in the tool room to help pay for my new found education and love. As it would be the moon and stars were not done with me yet. I had the honor to serve as the longest running gun club president during my attendance, and best of all met my wife and had my first son during my time at the school. I must say TSJC, Trinidad, CO will always hold a special place in my heart for many reasons.
After 2 years and a few months at Trinidad refining my gunsmithing skills, and now with 5 years smithing, a gunsmith (some like to say Master Gunsmith) is born. I enjoy helping people bring old family heirlooms back to life and design and build custom firearms. I also like fixing and bringing everyday firearms up to date, or just making them fit their owner’s personality better.
My professional path as a gunsmith crossed the path of HRH Combat Arms, which started my friendship with Sarge at HRH Combat Arms.
Now HRH Combat Arms and The Texas Gunsmith have joined forces and would like to present to you, HRH Combat Arms & Coatings!
