Back in Sept of 2018 I featured Meriden Arms as the Firearm Factory of the month, this month we take a look at one of the arms produce by them.
The model 15 was a pump action .22 rifle made by Meriden Arms Company of Meriden, Connecticut.
The story of this rifle has to start with the company that made it: Sears, Roebuck and Company.
Sears, Roebuck and Co was making millions selling brand labeled merchandise to retailers and consumers all over the U.S., but especially the untamed west where catalog sales were popular due to lack of retailers, or rather the lack of stocking retailers.
Sears had been looking for more gun makers to fill their orders with.
In 1899 Sears signed a contract with Andrew Fyerberg to purchase his entire production capacity. Fyerberg was operating out of a small factory in Worcester, MA. After signing the agreement he needed more production space, so he moved to an old shoe factory in Hopkinton, MA.
In 1904 Winchester broke their agreement with Sears (one they would renew later on), which left Sears in need of more guns and fast. Sears outright purchased Andrew Fyrberg's company and moved it to the a large factory in Meriden, originally occupied by the Meriden Malleable Iron Co.
While looking for more gun designs to produce, Sears was offered the chance to purchase (or lease?) the patent rights to a pump action .22 designed by Basil Savage, son of Arthur Savage of Savage Arms fame.
It is rumored though, that the gun was actually designed by Arthur Savage himself, and was a derivative of his own pump 22 rifle. He supposedly had the patent put in his son's name to prevent any lawsuits from Savage Arms Co investors.
The gun was patented in 1912 and was introduced in the Sears Fall catalog that year.
The ad below is from 1916, the last year Meriden was in business.
Like many of its competitors the model 15 was designed to be broken down for easier transport. A thumb screw on the left side separated 1/2 of the receiver along with the barrel and magazine from the back 1/2.
The magazine was loaded via a bullet shaped keyhole located 7/8s of the way forward. The barrels were octagon and measured 24" long.
The safety was mounted on the upper portion of the tang, note the make and model number stamped on the tang.
In 1916 Sears sold the Meriden Arms Factory to the New England Westinghouse Company, which was a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric of Pittsburgh.
In 1899 Sears signed a contract with Andrew Fyerberg to purchase his entire production capacity. Fyerberg was operating out of a small factory in Worcester, MA. After signing the agreement he needed more production space, so he moved to an old shoe factory in Hopkinton, MA.
In 1904 Winchester broke their agreement with Sears (one they would renew later on), which left Sears in need of more guns and fast. Sears outright purchased Andrew Fyrberg's company and moved it to the a large factory in Meriden, originally occupied by the Meriden Malleable Iron Co.
While looking for more gun designs to produce, Sears was offered the chance to purchase (or lease?) the patent rights to a pump action .22 designed by Basil Savage, son of Arthur Savage of Savage Arms fame.
It is rumored though, that the gun was actually designed by Arthur Savage himself, and was a derivative of his own pump 22 rifle. He supposedly had the patent put in his son's name to prevent any lawsuits from Savage Arms Co investors.
The gun was patented in 1912 and was introduced in the Sears Fall catalog that year.
Like many of its competitors the model 15 was designed to be broken down for easier transport. A thumb screw on the left side separated 1/2 of the receiver along with the barrel and magazine from the back 1/2.
The magazine was loaded via a bullet shaped keyhole located 7/8s of the way forward. The barrels were octagon and measured 24" long.
The safety was mounted on the upper portion of the tang, note the make and model number stamped on the tang.
In 1916 Sears sold the Meriden Arms Factory to the New England Westinghouse Company, which was a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric of Pittsburgh.
New England Westinghouse needed the factory to build Mosin-Nagant rifles for the Imperial Russian Army, as WWI had broken out just 2 years prior.
Meriden Arms production moved to another facility in Meriden, utilizing what parts remained, for another two years or so.
In 1922 Mossberg acquired the patents & tooling (and it is assumed some parts) to the model 15 and began building it as the models K, M and S.
Mossberg also made a version for Montgomery Wards under the "Premier" moniker.
Mossberg produced the gun until 1931, when the Great Depression put a wet blanket on gun sales.
Specs:
Action: Pump/Slide Action
Caliber: .22 Short, Long & Long Rifle
Capacity: 22 (Short), 15 (Long) & 14 (Long Rifle)
Over All Length: 40"
Weight: 5 lbs 3.7 ounces
Barrel Length: 24"
Years Produced: 1912-1918
Number Produced: approx. 25,000
As with most of my Featured Gun posts, this one is also inspired by a gun that I own. This model 15 was gifted to me by the member of a national gun forum. He had seen my work and asked if I would show it the love it deserved.
The serial number puts this gun smack dab in the middle of the production, assuming around the same number of guns were produced per year (not counting the 1st and last year of production) a good guess for its birth year would be 1915.
The picture below is how the gun came to me. Stay tuned for the restoration of this rifle.
Sources:
In 1922 Mossberg acquired the patents & tooling (and it is assumed some parts) to the model 15 and began building it as the models K, M and S.
Mossberg also made a version for Montgomery Wards under the "Premier" moniker.
Mossberg produced the gun until 1931, when the Great Depression put a wet blanket on gun sales.
Specs:
Action: Pump/Slide Action
Caliber: .22 Short, Long & Long Rifle
Capacity: 22 (Short), 15 (Long) & 14 (Long Rifle)
Over All Length: 40"
Weight: 5 lbs 3.7 ounces
Barrel Length: 24"
Years Produced: 1912-1918
Number Produced: approx. 25,000
As with most of my Featured Gun posts, this one is also inspired by a gun that I own. This model 15 was gifted to me by the member of a national gun forum. He had seen my work and asked if I would show it the love it deserved.
The serial number puts this gun smack dab in the middle of the production, assuming around the same number of guns were produced per year (not counting the 1st and last year of production) a good guess for its birth year would be 1915.
The picture below is how the gun came to me. Stay tuned for the restoration of this rifle.
Sources:
I have one of these rifles, does anyone know of a gunsmith who can restore it to proper working condition
ReplyDeleteIs there somewhere I can check my Meriden's s/n to confirm it's year of manufacture?
ReplyDeleteModel K parts via Gunbusters
ReplyDeletehttps://www.gunbroker.com/item/995834412