Navy man loves to fix things

Shawn Greenlief overlooked the barrel and decided it was time to jump in.
Screwdrivers, ultra fine grinding paper, oil – you name it and he went to work with it.
Nestled away in a backyard garage on the North Carolina side of Knotts Island, the place quickly has become a haven for one of the things he loves the most.
Fixing, cleaning and repairing pistols and rifles.
Even at this hour, with the sun just coming over the tree tops and birds singing their early-morning harmonies, he struggles with not attending to the project at hand.
“I was a marksman before anything,” the 29-year-old Navy Chief said. “I’ve always been a fix-it guy.
“To me, everything about fire arms makes sense.”
Greenlief grew up in South Carolina, working the farmland with his family.
But while his father was instructing him on plants and animals, he also was instilling something that soon turned into a way of life.
“I’ve been around guns forever,” he said. “But my dad’s rule was that I had to understand guns before I could ever have one.”
Something added onto that frame of mind came from the military – everything has to be inspection ready.
In 2021, he started helping others with questions and problems with their weapons.
Then a light went off.
A serious hobby could be more, maybe even bring in a little extra cash for he and his wife – Ashlee, and 2-year-old son Colt – named after the gun company.
So he founded Greenlief Gunsmithing about seven months ago.
“I love it down here and I love to fish, just love it,” said the Navy engineering machinist mate. “It’s my nature to meet my neighbors and I started helping. That’s just how I was raised in South Carolina and it’s how I’ll always be.”
One thing he does when someone wants their weapon cleaned is to bring it back to factory condition.
“I take it completely apart and clean everything,” he said. “If something is iffy and might need replacing, I do that.”
A tool he finds invaluable is an ultrasonic cleaner similar to those used in the jewelry business. He’s also taking on the task of “bluing” the metal surfaces.
“The ultrasound strips all of the carbon off,” he said. “It makes a big difference.”
A fix-it guy, in his terms, gunsmithing isn’t as difficult or complicated as many would think.
The hardest part is turning business away. But life in the military probably has saved him.
“I’m notorious for talking myself out of work,” he said with a laugh. “It’s about the discipline and good habits. You learn them and they can make you successful.
“The other day I was thinking about the business. I think I have something going on here.”