Bringing out the big gun

Lannie Coats sits on the custom trailer he designed for the big gun barbecue. Clint Eastwood has nothing on United Machine Shop Inc. of Kilgore when it comes to have a "big gun."

Lannie Coats, vice president at UMSI, said a project like this one comes only once in a recession.

"When times are slow, we were looking for a project to keep busy, so we decided to build a barbecue," said Coats.

Rodney Williams and Jimmy Jordan were the main fabricators. Coats said his contribution was designing the custom trailer that hauls the 900-pound revolver.

"We took pieces of steel or whatever we had lying around for the project," Coats said. "Most of the metal is one-eighth- or three-sixteenths-thick steel."

Carlton Truelock, UMSI production manager, said an air compressor tank was used for the gun's cylinder.

The owners of UMSI are Kevin P. Copeland and Butch Copeland, who have already broken in the grill with a few barbecues.

"The grill was built with a smoker in the grip and the barrel is where the smoke comes out," Coats explained.

The barrel has a 4-1/2-inch diameter barrel, and it is still under discussion as to what caliber it would be.

Built for the company, the grill is not for sale, but if anyone is interested in something similar or even another gun, Coats said UMSI will be happy to fabricate it.

"The cost of the gun is around $7,000, but this is an approximate since we didn't keep exact costs because we were building it out of dropped pieces of steel and whatever else we had lying around," Coats said.

It took approximately 1-1/2 months to finish the gun, and that was working off and on during that time, he said.

UMSI has been around since 1964 and has machining equipment, fabrication equipment and a variety of rolling stock.

"We also offer service in shop AutoCAD drawing, we have certified D1.1 structural welders, calibrated inspection instruments, a paint shop and an inventory of flats, angles, round, plate, beam, alloys plate and round," said Coats.

UMSI is located at 2012 Hwy. 135 N in Kilgore; telephone 903-984-0218.