People are fanatical about their favorite sports teams, I never really understood this, but to each his own.
Florida Gators
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I just got back from the Crossroads of the West gun show in Phoenix and decided to tell all of you what a great show it is.
This is my third time attending the December CotW show in Phoenix, I can't tell you why I didn't write a review earlier, but better late than never, right?
A little background: The show is held the 1st weekend in December and is billed as the largest of the year and is also their only 3-day show.
The Crossroads team has been hosting gun shows for 47 years, I don't know how long they have been hosting them at the Arizona Fair Grounds, but they seem to have it pretty well organized.
I don't know how many people were in attendance, but it was busy. I saw several familiar faces, some streaming live or taping info at the show, I even spotted Ian McCollum from Forgotten Weapons wandering the isles.
There were hundreds of tables, in four large buildings as well as a 1/2 dozen tents and many tables on the fringes of the buildings in covered and uncovered spaces. The long building on the left was hosted by Small Arms Review and featured tons of full auto weapons and antique arms, this is also the building with the most surplus and project guns for sale.
The location is the Arizona State Fairgrounds near where Interstates 10 and 17 meet. The address is: 1826 W McDowell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85007. There is ample parking onsite, the cost is $12 per day. Entry fee is $26 for a 3-day pass, $21 for a 2-day pass. The gates open at 11am on Friday and 9am Saturday and Sunday, closes at 5pm on Friday and Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. If you buy the weekend pass, you will get a wrist band when you exit on Friday afternoon.
You are allowed to bring your firearm in, but it must be unloaded and checked by security. There is food onsite, plenty of restrooms and even a beer vender. For those of you not from Arizona, it is legal to drink a beer and shop for guns at this event. Although the Small Arms Review building banned all drinks from their building.
If staying overnight, I recommend staying a bit away from the fairgrounds, the area is not the best and has lots of homeless wandering around looking for things to steal.
I can recommend staying near State Farm Stadium in Glendale, off the 101 loop. There are a couple of nice hotels there and restaurants with walking distance as well as a mall and movie theater.
For those not from Arizona, be prepared weather wise, this year it was warm and sunny (high 70's in the afternoon), but it can sometimes be cold this time of year, best to bring a light jacket, just in case.
I was thinking the other day about how many gun companies over the years have changed ownership and thought I would do a post on the ownership histories of some of the gun companies.
We'll start with one of the oldest gun companies:
While most call the company famous for their lever action rifles Winchester, it only went by that name once.
1852 - Smith & Wesson Company founded to develop the lever action Jennings-Hunt pistol. The company is re-organized as the Volcanic Arms Co.
1855- Oliver Winchester invests in the Volcanic Arms Co.
1856 - Smith & Wesson both leave the company, Oliver Winchester forces the company into receivership and buys out the remaining partners.
1857 - Winchester moves operations to New Haven, and reorganizes the company as the New Haven Arms Co.
1866 - New Haven reorganized into Winchester Repeating Arms Co.
1931 - Winchester goes bankrupt, purchased by Western Cartridge Co (Olin Corp).
1935 - Winchester & Western formally merge company renamed Winchester-Western Co.
1980 - Olin sells the gun making business to the employees, it is renamed "US Repeating Arms Company."
1989 - US Repeating Arms goes under, bought by a French holding company
1989 - assets are purchased by Herstal Group (FN/Browning)
2006 - New Haven plant closed; manufacturing moved.
1816 - E. Remington & Sons is founded upstate New York
1828 - Remington opens factory at Ilion New York
1873 - Remington begins making typewriters
1886 - Remington sells typewriter business (becomes Remington-Rand)
1888 - Remington is purchased by Marcellus Hartley & Partners, renamed Remington Arms Co.
1912 - Remington merged with Union Metallic Cartridge Co. (founded in 1867), HQ moved to Bridgeport, CT
1933 - Remington Arms/UMC is purchased by DuPont Corp.
1934 - Remington Arms acquires Peters Cartridge Co. (founded in 1887)
1993 - Remington Arms/UMC/Peters is purchased by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
2007 - Remington purchased by Cerberus Captial Management, becomes part of "Freedom Group" subsidiary.
2007 - Remington acquires Marlin Firearms
2015 - Freedom Group renamed Remington Outdoor Company
2018 - Remington Outdoor files for bankruptcy
2020 - Remington goes under, parts of the company are auctioned off, Ruger buys Marlin, Vista Outdoor buys the ammunition side. Rem Arms LLC now owns the Remington Firearm business.
1870 - founded by John Marlin, a pistol maker
1901 - John Marlin dies, his sons take over
1915 - Marlin purchased by Wiliam Bonbright & Co and Kissell-Kinnicut & Co.
1916 - Marlin renamed Marlin-Rockwell Corp.
1917 - Marlin-Rockwell purchases Hopkins & Allen Arms Co.
1921 - Marlin-Rockwell reorganized into the Marlin Firearms Corp.
1922 - Marlin goes bankrupt and closes its doors
1924 - Marlin's assets & liabilities purchased at auction for $100 by lawyer Frank Kenna.
1925 - Marlin resumes operations focusing on sporting arms.
1968 - Marlin moves to a new plant in North Haven, closes the New Haven plant.
2000 - Marlin purchases H&R 1871 Inc
2007 - Marlin is purchased by The Remington Freedom Group
2010 - Marlin's North Haven plant closes, production is moved to Remington facilities.
2018 - Remington Outdoor files for bankruptcy
2020 - Remington goes under
2020 - Marlin purchased by Sturm, Ruger & Co.
1852 - Horace Smith & Daniel Wesson form the Smith & Wesson Company to develop the Jennings lever action pistol.
1855 - Smith leaves the company returns to Springfield, MA
1855 - The company is renamed Volcanic Arms and taken over by Oliver Winchester who moves it to New Haven
1857 - Wesson rejoins Smith and founds the Smith & Wesson Revolver Company.
1874 - Smith sells his portion of the company to Wesson
1965 - Controlling interest is purchased by conglomerate Bangor Punta
1987 - London based Tomkins PLC purchases Smith & Wesson for $112.5M
2000 - Tomkins PLC make an agreement with President Bill Clinton, which spawns a boycott, sinking the stock price.
2001 - Saf-T-Hammer purchases S&W for just $15M
2002 - Smith & Wesson changed name to Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.
2016 - S&W Holding Corp, changed its name to American Outdoor Brands Corp.
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1836 - Samuel Colt founds the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company of Patterson NJ
1838 - Patent Arms Mfg. Co goes bankrupt
1847 - Samuel Walker orders 1000 revolvers from Colt
1847 - Colt founds the Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company
1848 - Colt builds the Hartford factory
1862 - Samuel Colt dies
2002 - Colt splits off its defense group into Colt Defense LLC
2015 - Colt reunites Colt Manufacturing and Colt Defense LLC
2016 - Colt files for bankruptcy
2021 - Colt is purchased by CZ
2022 - Colt renamed Colt CZ Group
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1926 - Carl Swebilius founds High Standard Company as a tool & die company in New Haven, CT
1932 - High Standard purchases the Hartford Arms & Equipment Co.
1945 - High Standard moves to Hamden, CT
1968 - High Standard is purchased by The Leisure Group
1977 - High Standard relocates to East Hartford
1978 - Employees purchase High Standard
1984 - High Standard goes bankrupt and is purchased by Gordon Elliot
1990 - High Standard is purchased by American Derringer Corp.
1993 - The assets and name is purchased and moved to Houston, TX
1994 - High Standard of Houston begins making pistols
2001 - AMT is purchased by High Standard of Houston
1894 - Savage Arms founded by Arthur Savage in Utica, NY
1897 - Company reformed with new investors
1905 - Savage sold his interest in the company
1915 - Savage is purchased by Driggs Seabury-Ordnance Co.
1920 - Savage purchases J. Stevens Arms from New England Westinghouse
1930 - Savage purchases A.H. Fox, Davis-Warner and Crescent Arms.
1946 - Utica plant closes and manufacturing moves to J. Stevens factories.
1960 - all production moved to Westfield, MA
1988 - Savage files for bankruptcy & reorganizes
1994 - Savage purchases Lakefield Arms of Canada
2013 - Savage purchased by Vista Outdoors
2019 - Savage/Stevens purchased by a group of employees
1859 - Frank Wesson (brother to Daniel B Wesson of Smith & Wesson) and Nathan Harrington found a gun company which fails shortly after.
1871 - Frank Wesson starts another business called Wesson & Harrington in Worcester, MA
1874 - Harrington buys out Wesson and forms new partnership with William Richardson, the new company is Harrington & Richardson.
1894 - H&R build large factory in downtown Worcester.
1897 - both Harrington & Richardson die the same year
1964? - H&R is purchased by the Kiddie Company (makers of fire extinguishers).
1986 - H&R files for bankruptcy
1991 - the company is reorganized as H&R 1871 Inc.
2000 - Marlin purchases H&R 1871 Inc.
2015 - Production of H&R guns ends
2020 - JJE Capital Holdings Corp purchases H&R 1871 Inc, they also own Palmetto State Armory
1877 - The Smith brothers (L.C. and Leroy) along with W.H. Baker found the W.H. Baker Gun Company in Syracuse, NY.
1883 - Leroy & W.H. Baker leave the company to start Ithaca Gun Company in Ithaca NY
1916 - Ithaca purchases the Lefever Arms Co.
1967 - Ithaca was purchased by Jerry Baldrich & Assoc.
1971 - Ithaca is made part of General Recreation Inc.
1985 - General Recreation goes bankrupt
1987 - Ithaca is purchased by Ithaca Acquisition Corp and moves production to Kings Ferry, NY.
2005 - Floyd Marshall purchases Ithaca Acquisition Corp, moves everything to Upper Sandusky, OH.
2007 - Dave Dluback purchases Ithaca Acquisition Corp and renames it Ithaca Gun Company.
1864 - Joshua Stevens founded J. Stevens Arms & Co. in Chicopee Falls MA
1883 - Stevens Arms & Co purchased Massachusetts Arms Co.
1886 - Reorganized as J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co.
1896 - J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co purchased by I.H. Page.
1915 - J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co purchased by New England Westinghouse
1916- Renamed J. Stevens Arms Co.
1920 - J. Stevens Arms purchased by Savage Arms
1945 - The division is renamed Stevens Arms
2019 - Vista Outdoor purchases Savage/Stevens for $170M
1877 - Founded in Lisle, NY, moved shortly after to Syracuse
1880 - Baker and Leroy Smith sold their interest to brother L.C. Smith.
1880 - WH Baker and his brother form a new company called the Syracuse Gun & Forging Company.
1880 - Baker Guns renamed L.C. Smith Shotgun Co.
1886 - L.C. Smith starts making typewriters, sells gun business to Hunter Arms.
1888- After a fire the Baker Brothers move operations to Bativa, NY
1889 - WH Baker dies
1890 - Syracuse Arms & Forging changes name to Baker Gun & Forging Co.
1919- Baker Gun & Forging sold to H&D Folsom.
1930 - The last shotgun with the Baker name is made.
1945 - Hunter Arms is purchased by Marlin
1871 - Johnson & Bye Company founded in Worcester, MA
1883- Johnson bought out Bye and renamed the firm Iver Johnson & Co.
1891 - Company relocates to Fitchburg and changes name to Iver Johnson Arms and Cycleworks
1971 - Iver Johnson was purchased and relocated to New Jersey
1980s - Iver Johnson is purchased by Lou Imperto (owner of Henry) and moved to Arkansas.
1993 - Iver Johnson name no longer used and no Iver Johnson products being manufactured.
2006 - Squires Bingham (owned by Armscor) purchased the rights to the name and begin using it on guns imported into the US.
Andrew Fyrberg & Co
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1896 - Andrew Fyrberg & Company is founded
1899 - Fyrberg commits to selling 100% of his production to Sears
1904 - Fyrberg sells the entire company to Sears, it was relocated and renamed Meriden Firearms Co.
1907 - Fyrberg leaves Meriden and founds Andrew Fyrberg & Sons Manufacturing Co.
1916 - Meriden Firearms is sold to New England Westinghouse
1917 - Colt buys Meriden from New England Westinghouse.
1919 - The plant and production is shut down, some designs are made by Savage and Mossberg for a few years.
1980 - Arcadia Machine & Tool Founded as a stand-alone company by Harry Sanford along side his Auto Mag Corp. in El Monte, CA.
1985 - AMT moves to Covina, CA
1987 - AMT moves to Irwindale, CA
1988 - AMT reorganized into Irwindale Arms Inc.
1998 - IAI is purchased by Galena Industries, moves to Sturgis S.D.
2001 - Galena goes bankrupt
2002 - High Standard of Houston Texas buys Galena/AMT & moves operations to Houston.
1938 - Dan Wesson (grandson of founder DB Wesson) goes to work at Smith & Wesson
1965 - Smith & Wesson is purchased by Bangor Punta, that same year Dan Wesson starts a tool & die company.
1968 - Dan Wesson cofounds Dan Wesson Arms Inc.
1978 - Dan Wesson dies on Veteran's Day, his son Seth takes over
1990 - DW Arms goes bankrupt
1991 - DW Arms is purchased by Seth and others, name changes to Wesson Firearms.
1995 - Wesson Firearms goes out of business.
1996 - NY International Corp (Bob Serva) purchases Dan Wesson Arms moves operations to NY. Only the name is used, no revolvers are manufactured.
2005 - CZ-USA purchases the Dan Wesson company and name, begins producing revolvers again.
1903 - Herbert William Cooey opens a machine shop in Toronto
1914 - Cooey gets military contract for training rifles
1919 - Cooey introduces the Canuck .22 LR rifle, name changes to HW Cooey Machine & Arms Co.
1929 - Cooey moves to Coburg near the shore of Lake Ontario
1937 - company is turned over to HW's son Hubert
1957 - Hubert dies and Herbert comes out of retirement to run the company
1961 - HW sells the company to Olin's Winchester-Western Canadian division
1980 - Winchester Canada closes the factory
1980 - Lakefield Arms buys the rights and tooling for the Cooey model 64.
1994 - Savage buys Lakefield Arms and continues to manufacture the model 64
1836 - Ethan Allen and his brother-in-law Charles Thurber start a gun company in Upton, MA, named Allen & Thurber
1837 - Allen brings his other brother-in-law Thomas Wheelock into the company.
1842 - the company relocates to Norwich, CT.
1847 - the company relocates to Worcester, MA
1854 - the factory burns in a fire, they move to another factory in Worcester
1856- Thurber retires, Wheelock becomes partner, name changes to Allen & Wheelock
1863 - Wheelock retires, Sullivan Forehand (Allens son-in-law) becomes partner in the business, the company is reorganized as Allen & Company.
1865 - Henry Wadsworth joins the company and marries Allen's other daughter.
1871 - Ethan Allen dies, the company is reorganized again as Forehand and Wadsworth.
1876 - The factory is moved once again, still in Worcester
1890 - Wadsworth sells his shares to Forehand, the company is reorganized once more to Forehand Arms Company
1898 - Sullivan Forehand dies of a heart attack, his two sons (grandsons of Ethan Allen) run the company.
1902 - the company is sold to Hopkins and Allen
1916 - Hopkins and Allen go bankrupt and is purchase by Marlin-Rockwell
1863 - Thomas Bacon opens the Bacon Arms Co. in Norwich CT
1865 - Bacon sold his interest in the company & goes to work for another company.
1888 - Bacon Arms goes under and is purchased by George Cilley, the name is changed to Crescent Arms
1892 - Crescent moves to a new factory on Holly Hock Island in Norwich
1893 - Crescent is purchased by H&D Folsom
1930 - Savage buys Crescent Arms from H&D Folsom
1935 - the Crescent-Davis division of Savage is dissolved
1938 - the last gun with the Crescent name is produced.
1852 - Thomas Bacon starts a gun company in Norwich CT
1854 - Thomas Bacon leaves the company, sells his shares
1867 - The company goes bankrupt, Charles Hopkins and Charles Allen along with 3 other investors buy the tooling and factory. The new company is named Hopkins & Allen.
1874 - 50% of the company is bought by Merwin & Hulbert
1878 - Hopkins & Allen move to a larger facility in Norwich
1894 - Hulbert brothers go bankrupt and sell their share of Hopkins & Allen
1900 - Hopkins & Allen factory burns to the ground
1901 - a new factory is built on the same site
1901 - Hopkins & Allen purchase WH Davenport Fire Arms
1902 - Hopkins & Allen purchase Forehand & Wadsworth
1916 - Hopkins & Allen go bankrupt and are purchased by Marlin-Rockwell
1981 - Dornaus & Dixon incorporates in Huntington Beach CA
1983 - samples of the Bren Ten pistol displayed at the SHOT show
1984 - Miami Vice debutes, the Bren Ten is used on the show
1986 - D&D goes under and ceases operations
1986 - The Bren Ten Corporation is organized and buys the rights to the pistol.
1987 - The company is reorganized as Peregrine Industries.
199? - Peregrine goes bankrupt.
1969 - Auto Mag corporation is founded in Pasadena CA by Harry Sanford.
1975 - Auto Mag goes under, a new company with the investment of Lee Juras is formed, Trust Deed Estates or T.D.E.
1982 - TDE goes bankrupt
1996 - Harry Sanford dies
2015 - Harry Sanford's son, Walter sells the rights to the pistol
2015 - A new company, Auto Mag LTD Corp is formed in South Carolina.
