...as far as order is concerned. i have yet to see someone go through & identify these guys to species level (or even genus level for that matter)

You will not be able to get very far with these animals using just photographs for identification. Many of the important characters used for identifications are on the underside of the animal. Some of these parts are hidden beneath the sternites and are nearly impossible to observe on a living specimen.

However, if you have a photograph with enough detail of the bases of the antennae, you should be able to place a bristletail in one of two families: Machilidae, in which the antennal bases are always scaled; or Meinertellidae, in which the antennae are entirely without scales. From there you may be able to put a genus name on it based on the shape of the lateral ocelli (just below the compound eyes) and other features.

For the Machilidae, the bigger of the two families, there is a good key in Mendes (1990).

Mendes, L. F. 1990. An annotated list of generic and specific names of Machilidae (Microcoryphia, Insecta) with identification keys for the genera and geographic notes Estudos, Ensayos e Documentos 155, 1-127.

I do not think there is anyone actively working in this group in North America at the moment. Pedro Wygodzinsky (American Museum of Natural History) was our expert on the North American fauna for a while, but I believe he has passed away. Helmut Sturm (Universitat Hildesheim, Germany) was the most recent worker on bristletails in your area. He published several articles on bristletails of western North America, one as recently as 2004. He is retired now, though. There are some other experts on this group in other parts of the world, but right now none seem to be concentrating on North America. I would be happy to look at specimens, but I cannot promise more than identifications to genera.

I have really enjoyed the excellent photographs of Archaeognatha on this site.