There’s nothing I enjoy more than a success story. You know, the “from humble beginnings…” thing.

Someone has an idea, acts on it, and becomes successful.

The same premise that compels immigrants to leave their homes and come here. Warts and all, we’re still one place where big dreams can still come true.

Not everyone will build the next Amazon. But gargantuan and successful aren’t synonymous.

For most, having a good idea, bringing it to life and improving things for others while making a living is success enough.

Ultimately, I believe the American dream is self-sufficiency, not global domination.

For a half century, I’ve been watching these kinds of stories unfold. And they never fail to inspire.

Ten years ago, I saw a gadget called the Gun Tool. It looked like the equivalent of a “Swiss army knife” for guns. Turns out it had just about everything you could imagine for quick adjustments to everything from grip scales to scope mounts inside what was, essentially am over-sided pocket knife.

It even made my list of recommended gift ideas for the gun owner. One still rides in my range bag whenever I’m going shooting. But like most of my go-to gear, I really hadn’t thought much about it until my recent trip to PASA Park.

Avid’s Gun Tool (top) was the idea that launched an entire company. From there, it’s grown to include a wide range of tools for any gun job (below).

That’s where I met Howard Tripp, one of Real Avid’s owners and “Chief Innovation Officer.” It was during our conversations that I realized Real Avid was the company that traced its beginnings back to a single, innovative idea: the Gun Tool.

“It was our first product,” Tripp told me, “and it set the tone for our company. We wanted to build tools that weren’t just high-quality, they were well thought-out and would be the best for the job.”

And it turns out, I was one of the very first people to notice the Gun Tool and write about it. From that small tool, Tripp, et al, has build quite a line of high-quality, gun-specific tools.

As we got into the series of DIY projects that were the purpose of the trip, I quickly realized that my personal tool bench was definitely lacking in purpose built tools. Where I used a collection of general purpose tools, Real Avid had single tools or kits that made the work easier to do -with less chance of damaging my gun.

The Smart Drive (above) is exactly what it says, a smart way to combine a pair of drivers into a manageable driver with more “oomph.” Their tool kits, like the Punch Set (below) are cased to keep everything together- yet at your fingertips.

While changing the stock in a Remington Model 700 American Hunter, for example, I realized their “Smart Drive” bit driver really was, well, “smart.” The base driver has a magnetized bit holder, rubber grips, a jeweler’s spin top and an LED light with no blind spot. And their Smart Drive kit includes what they call a “close quarters” driver that’s great for small spaces, but it also is used for what they call “Force Assist.” Simply put, you put the small driver into the side of the larger, and it becomes a horizontal handle that’s great for breaking loose screws-or making certain things are tight when you’re reassembling guns.

“Our goal is to make the best tools possible,” Tripp told me, “our cases, for example, aren’t plastic, they’re polycarbonate. They won’t shatter when they’re dropped. We could get them cheaper, but we’re out to make the tools that are best for their jobs, not the most profitable.”

So what about profits? “We’re not in business to break even,” he laughed, “but we’re not out to become the biggest. We’re determined to be the best for whatever the job might be.”

Ten years after the Gun Tool, it would seem Real Avid is staying on trajectory.

We’ll keep you posted.

—Jim Shepherd