Die Hard Gun Designs

This blog post is about gun designs that seemed to be good enough that when the original manufacturers went under or gave up on them, other makers picked up the rights and began to build them. Many of these guns are still being made today.

The Mauser Rifle

We will start with a gun that is the most copied design in the history of firearms. Virtually every bolt action rifle owes at least some part of its design to the Mauser.

Brothers Paul & Wilhelm Mauser, second generation gunsmiths,  invented a new breech loading bolt action rifle in the late 1860s. The rifle was adopted by the German Empire in 1871. The design was refined into what became the quintessential bolt action rifle, known as the Mauser 98 or the Gewehr 98. The shorter version, known as the K98 was adopted by the German Reich and used during the two World Wars.

The rifles design was so popular that more than 20 countries paid licensing fees to build their own version of the gun. 

The United States was not one of them, US Armory at Springfield copied much of the design for their M1903 rifle and were subsequently sued by the Germans. 

Following the wars surplus Mausers were plentiful and cheap in the U.S. and thus thousands of them were sporterized into hunting rifles.

Winchester copied the design for the model 70 rifle, often considered the greatest hunting rifle ever made. Ruger also copied much of the design for their model 77 and Hawkeye rifles.

The Colt Single Action Army

The Colt Single Action Army revolver, also known as the "Peacemaker" was a revolution in gun technology. It was one of the first cartridge revolvers to fire a substantial cartridge and still is one of the most beautiful revolvers ever made. Graceful in both form and function it quickly became the weapon of choice for armies, lawmen and desperadoes.

With the invention of smokeless powder and with it more powerful cartridges, coupled with the introduction of the double action revolver and the introduction (and adoption by the US Military) of the 1911 pistol, the sales of the Peacemaker waned.

By the 1930s the old west had been tamed, the 1911 pistol was king and war was looming in Europe, which meant Colt needed to make production space for sales of weapons to European nations.

It's not hard to see why Colt disco'd the gun in 1941.

What Colt didn't anticipate was the popularity of a new genre of movies which popularized a fictional depiction of the old west. The popularity of the Colt Single Action Army increased exponentially and soon gun makers in Europe and the USA were making copies of the Colt.

Colt reintroduced the gun in 1956 with some slight improvements. Today you can buy one from Colt (who still produces the gun) or a copy from Italian gun makers Uberti, Pietta, Beretta and Pedersoli.  Taurus of Brazil imports one and domestically the Ruger Vaquero is king of the single action competitive matches. 

There have been millions of copies or "tributes" made.

The Colt 1911

We could not have a discussion about popular gun designs and not include the 1911.

I should not need to describe this gun or its history, suffice to say it is perhaps the most popular hand gun design ever.

Designed specifically for the U.S. Military it served from 1911 to 1986 when it was replaced by the Beretta M9. Sometime between the wars American shooters discovered the pistol and it's legendary status was sealed. Today you would be hard pressed to find a gun maker who doesn't make a copy or version of the 1911 pistol

The 44 Auto Mag

This pistol was the dream of one Harry Sanford. Harry started in the gun business working for the famous Golden State Arms in Southern California. Before long Harry had is own gun shop and while discussing possibilities with one of his gunsmiths, they started a chain of events that continues to this day.

Their idea was to build a semi-automatic pistol that shoots the 44 Magnum round.

There are a number of difficulties in shooting a rimmed cartridge in a semi-auto with a box magazine, so they decided to create a new rimless cartridge along with the pistol to match.

The design was worked out and the gun ready for sales in 1970/71 (the first units shipped April 8th 1971). There was a problem, the guns cost a butt load to produce, more than what people would be willing to pay. So they sold them at a loss, hoping to get attention that would drive demand and the price up.

That gamble didn't work out and the original Automag Corp went bankrupt. Then in May of 1975 Lee Jurras (of Super-Vel Ammo) stepped in as an investor and a new company was created to build the guns. Called "Trust Deed Estates", the new company resumed manufacturing until it to went bankrupt. Several other attempts were made until 1982. After Harry Sanford passed away in 1996 the company assets which included the rights to the name went to Harry's son Walter.

In 2015 Walter sold the rights to the name and what was left of the company to a group of investors who incorporated under the name Auto Mag LTD Co.

In 2020 it was announced the gun was back into production and available for sale. See my write up on this gun here

Cooey Model 64

This next one comes from the Great White North.....the Cooey model 64. 

The model 64 was the first and only auto-loading gun made by Canadian gun maker Cooey. Introduced in 1964 it was made by Cooey and then by Winchester Canada (a division of Olin, who purchased Cooey in 1961). 

The gun and the Winchester Canada brand was discontinued in 1980. 

A short time later Lakefield Arms purchased the rights and tooling to the gun and started producing them again (in Canada). Then Lakefield Arms was purchased by Savage, Savage continues to produce the model 64.

The Cooey model 64

A current production Savage model 64

Noble Arms model 60

This shotgun was originally manufactured by Noble Arms of Haydenville, MA. The gun evolved from earlier designs into the model 60.
When Noble went under in the early 70's, Springfield, MA gun maker Smith & Wesson bought the rights and tooling to the gun. They even hired Noble's President to run their Long Gun Division. Smith & Wesson called it the model 916. The gun was plagued with problems and was eventually removed from their catalog. See my write up on Noble Arms here

The Noble model 60 Shotgun

An ad for the S&W model 916

Kessler Arms model 50 Levermatic

Kessler Arms sprang up from being a supplier of air gun parts to Crosman, to making their own air guns then to making firearms. Their foray into gun making only lasted a few years, but they did produce some interesting designs. One of which was the lever action model 50 shotgun nicknamed the "Lever-matic".
When Kessler folded up shop in 1953, Numrich Arms bought the parts and rights to the model 50. A year of two later Marlin became interested in the gun and struck a deal to buy the rights. After some tinkering with the design, Marlin created the models 56 and 57, rifles using the action and name "Levermatic"

The Kessler model 50

The Marlin 56 Levermatic

Meriden Model 15

In 1912 Sears and Roebuck began offering the Meriden model 15 pump action 22 rifle. The gun was made for 6 years and then production of all Meriden guns ended around 1918.

In 1922 Mossberg purchased the rights, tooling and left over parts and began making the rifle as the model K, they also offered a round barrel version called the model M. 

In what could be called a slap in the face, Mossberg brand labeled a version of the rifle for Sears's rival Montgomery Wards (as the "Premier").

The Meriden model 15

The Mossberg models K & M

Armalite AR-7

When the legendary gun designed Eugene Stoner invented the AR-7 survival rifle, he thought he had a winner. Surely it would sell to governments for use in military aircraft and clandestine units. Even James Bond used in it not one, but three movies. 

Unfortunately for Stoner it didn't really take off.

Armalite ended up selling the rights to Charter Arms in 1973. Charter Arms made the gun for 17 years. When the patent expired other companies began making them and Charter Arms ended production. Henry Arms is now producing the rifle.

The original Armalite AR-7

Ad for the Charter Arms AR-7

The current production Henry AR-7

Hartford Arms model of 1925

High Standard got into the gun business by buying what was left of the Hartford Arms & Equipment Co. in 1932. The sole product, the model of 1925, became the Hi-Standard model B.

This launched a gun company that went on to produce other variations of the original pistol as well as shotguns, rifles and revolvers.

High Standard replaced the model B with a series of guns with continuing improvements. Following models were given names like "Olympic", "Supermatic" and the "King" series.

In 1968 High Standard was acquired by Leisure Group who moved production to another city but continued to produce the Hi Standard pistols.

In 1978 the managers of the company orchestrated a buy out and continued to produce the pistols.

In 1984 the company went under and was sold at auction. In 1993 a new company was formed to produce the pistols. That company lasted until a few years ago. 

The Hartford Arms & Equipment  model of 1925

The Hi Standard Model B

One of the last of the High Standard gun models to be produced:

MAC-10

Machinist turned gun designer Gordon Ingram cemented his legendary status when he created a select fire pistol in 1964.

In 1970 he along with his then employer created the Military Armament Corporation to build the pistol, known as the Model 10, the gun world called it the "Mac 10". They had hoped to sell it to the U.S. Military for use in the Vietnam War.

By 1975 the war was over, and the company was bankrupt, the "MAC 10" slid into obscurity.

That is until RPB industries began making a semi-auto copy in the early '80s, but that didn't last long as the Government overlords decided that open bolt semi-autos were too easy to convert to full auto and they seized production units, putting RPB under.

One of the employees, Wayne Daniel, picked up the torch and ran with it. He created several companies including SWD and Cobray to make a closed bolt version of the MAC-10, called the M-10. Masterpiece Arms as well as others have also made copies, ensuring that this design will be available into the future.

The Military Armament Corp M-10

The RPB/SWD/Cobray M10

The Masterpiece Arms MPA30

Remington model 17

Perhaps the most famous gun design that wouldn't die is the Remington model 17. The design dates back to 1915 when John Moses Browning patented a hammerless pump shotgun.
Browning sold the patent rights to Remington. During WWI another famous gun designer, John Pederson, made some modifications and Remington began producing it in 1921 as the model 17.
It was unique in that the loading and ejection port was one and the same and located on the bottom of the receiver, making the gun ambidextrous. 

Remington gave up on the design in favor of a side ejecting shotgun in the model 31 and eventually the 870.
After the patents expired in 1937 Ithaca Gun Company began producing it as the model 37. After a couple of moves and bankruptcies/reorganizations the Ithaca 37 is still produced today.

Remington model 17

Ithaca model 37

Boberg XR-9

Boberg Arms was founded in 2009 and named for its founder Arne Boberg. Introduced in 2011, the Boberg XR-9 was a pistol of unique design. The magazine was backwards, and cartridges were pulled out to the rear rather than pushed out the front. The guns had a very high price point and failed to sell well.
In 2016 Arne gave it up and sold the design to Bond Arms, who now produces it under the "Bullpup9" moniker.

Boberg XR9S

Bond Arms Bullpup 9

LC Smith Shotgun

L.C. Smith got into the gun business in the 1860s when his father partnered with his neighbor William H. Baker. Baker had invented a double barrel shotgun and wanted to go into production.
By the time the enterprise moved to Syracuse (then called W.H. Baker & Co), L.C. Smith was part owner. When Baker left with Smith's younger brother to start the Ithaca Gun Company, he left behind the company, but not his patents.
Smith hired a talented designed named Alexander Brown to find a way to build the Baker shotgun without violating the patents. Which he did and the shotgun company was doing well. Along the way Brown also invented a typewriter that looked like a great invention. L.C. Smith created the Smith Premier Typewriter company and in 1889 sold the guns, tooling and patents to Hunter Arms in Fulton, NY. Smith's company merged with the Corona Typewriter Company tp form the Smith-Corona Co. and during WWII made M1903A3 rifles for the US Army.

Hunter Arms produced the LC Smith shotgun for another 56 years, then sold everything to Marlin in 1945. Marlin made the gun off and on until 1971.

Thompson Submachine Gun

Invented by US Army General John T. Thompson in 1918, too late for WWI, but he started a company called Auto-Ordnance to produce it anyway. 

Between the wars the gun became a favorite of prohibition era gangsters and G-Men, earning a dozen or more nicknames in the process.

Once the 1934 National Firearms Act was passed, the gun was limited to military, law enforcement and the rich. 

The gun was adopted by the U.S. Army as the M1927 and used throughout WWII.

Like so many guns designed for military use, the lack of a war, meant a lack of demand and in the 1950's Auto-Ordnance went under and the parts and tooling were purchased by Numrich Arms who continued to put together a limited number of them each year. Numrich also created a semi-auto version for sale to the general public.

Then in 1999 the parent company of Kahr Arms purchased the rights & tooling to the Thompson/Auto-Ordnance guns and began building them again. See their website here.

Spencer Shotgun

Christopher Spencer is remembered as one of the greatest firearms inventors in history. His Spencer repeating rifle was used extensively in the Civil War and out west, but a lot of people may not know or remember that he also invented one of the first pump action shotguns, the year was 1882. Every pump action shotgun that followed owes parts of their design to this gun.

Circa 1890, Spencer sold his last gun company (one of several that he started) to Francis Bannerman and Sons, a New York retailer of guns and sporting goods.

Bannerman continued to produce the Spencer shotgun until 1907

Did I miss any? Feel free to post a comment