TINCANBANDIT's Gunsmithing : June 2025

I put together a list of gun makers and where they had worked and what gun companies they had founded. I was surprised at how many had worked at the same places.

If you know your history, you will probably know about "Gun Valley", the unofficial name for the area from Springfield, MA in the North to New Haven, CT in the south, much of it following the Connecticut River, it was the center of gun making for over 100 years.

Starting in 1877 when Springfield was chosen as the site of America's first Armory/Arsenal. Chosen by George Washington himself, it was upstream from a set of falls, putting it out of reach of enemy boats, it was the crossroads from Boston, Albany & New York. It was also on a river, that could provide the waterpower necessary before electricity came along.

Springfield also became the home of Smith & Wesson, later Savage moved to nearby Westfield. Moving down river you pass the town of Hartford, the home of Colt and others.

Farther south you pass Meriden, the home to a short-lived Meriden Arms. North Haven is next, the once home of Marlin and Mossberg.

Not far to the east is Norwich, the home to a dozen or more gun companies and is where S&W, Crecent, Winchester and Hopkins and Allen got their start.

Then to Hamden, the home of Eli Whitney and later Hi-Standard and Whitney Arms.

Farther south is New Haven, once home to the lever action rifle as both Winchester and Marlin once called this place home. Mossberg was also founded as well as a host of smaller gun companies.

Along the coast you will find Bridgeport, once the HQ of Remington-UMC and Charter Arms. Southport is not far; this is where Ruger was founded and is still the company's headquarters.

So here they are in no particular order:

John Marlin

worked at Colt 1861-1863

Founded Marlin Firearms Co. in 1870

William B. Ruger

worked for Springfield Armory 1938-1945

Co-founded Sturm, Ruger & Co. in 1949

Harry Sefried

Worked for:

High Standard

Colt

Ruger

Robert Hillberg

worked for:

Colt

High Standard

Springfield Armory

Co-founded Whitney Firearms Co in 1953

Horace Smith

worked for:

Allen & Thurber

Co-founded Smith & Wesson company 1854

Co-founded Volcanic which became New Haven Arms (Winchester)

Co-founded Smith & Wesson 1856

Daniel B. Wesson

worked for:

Edwin Wesson

Co-founded Smith & Wesson company 1854

Co-founded Volcanic which became New Haven Arms (Winchester)

Co-founded Smith & Wesson 1856

Thomas Bacon

worked for Allen & Thurber (Forehand & Wadsworth)

Founded Bacon Manufacturing Co 1852 which became Hopkins and Allen

worked for Manhattan Arms 1855-1858

founded Bacon Arms 1858 which became Crescent Arms 1888

William H. Baker

Co-founded W.H. Baker & Company which became L.C. Smith which was sold to Hunter Arms.

L.C. Smith Company, became Smith-Corona Co.

Co-founded Ithaca Gun Company

Co-founded Baker Gun & Forging Company Bativa NY which was bought out by H&D Folsom

Frank Wesson, brother to Daniel B Wesson (S&W) & Edwin Wesson and uncle of Gilbert Harrington (H&R)

Co-founded a gun company in 1859 with his B-I-L Nathan Harrington

Co-founded Wesson & Harrington in 1871 with his nephew Gilbert Harrington, which became Harrington & Richardson

George Kelgren

worked for:

Husqvarna

Co-founded Swedish Interdynamics AB 1979-1983 which became Intratec 1983

Founded:

Grendel 1987-1994

Kel-Tec 1991- current

Doug Mclennahan

Worked for:

Colt

High Standard

Ruger

Founded Charter Arms 1964

O.F. Mossberg

worked for:

Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works

C.S. Shattuck Arms

J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co.

Marlin-Rockwell

founded OF Mossberg & Sons in 1919

Frank Tobin

worked for W.H. Davenport who got bought out by Hopkins & Allen

Founded Tobin Arms in 1903

Lucius M Diehm

worked for Colt

Founded Hartford Arms & Equipment 1925 which was bought out by High Standard

Carl Swebilius

worked for Marlin 1886 - 1926

worked for Winchester 1926

Founded Hi-Standard 1932 after buying Hartford Arms & Equipment

Iver Johnson

worked for Allen & Wheellock 1862-1865

Cofounded Johnson & Bye 1871 which became Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works 1882

L.C. Smith

worked for WH Baker Co 1863

Co-founded WH Baker & Company in 1877 which became L.C. Smith 1880 which then sold to Hunter Arms in 1889

Founded Smith Typewriter in 1886, which became Smith-Corona which made M1903-A3 rifles during WWII

his brother co-founded Ithaca Gun Co. in 1880

Co-founded Syracuse Gun & Forging Co. in 1884

Charles Hopkins (brother to Samuel Hopkins, co-founder of Hopkins & Allen)

worked for:

Bacon Mfg

Allen & Thurber

Manhattan Firearms Co

Robert Davidson

Founded Noble Firearms in 1943

Worked for S&W when they bought the rights to his shotgun

Clarence J Hamilton

founded Plymouth Iron Windmill Co in 1882 which became the Daisy Rifle Co.

Founded the Plymouth air rifle co in 1894

Founded the Hamilton Rifle Co. in 1898

Warren Center

worked for:

Iver Johnson

Harrington & Richardson

cofounded Thompson-Center maker of contender pistols in 1965

Christian Sharps

worked for:

Harpers Ferry Arsenal

founded Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Co

founded The C. Sharps & Co

Hugo Borchardt

worked for:

Pioneer Breech Loading Arms Co

Colt

Winchester

Sharps Rifle Mfg Co

Remington

Ludwig, Loewe & Co.

Andrew Fyrberg

worked for:

Iver Johnson

C.S. Shattuck

Forehand & Wadsworth

Harrington & Richardson

founded Andrew Fyrberg & Sons which became Meriden Arms which became New England Westinghouse which was bought out by Savage Arms.

Christopher Spencer

worked for:

Colt

Co-founded Roper Sporting Arms

Co-founded Billings & Spencer

Founded Spencer Arms Co which became Francis Bannerman & Sons

William Richardson

worked for:

Ballard Arms

Frank Wesson (brother of Daniel B Wesson)

Co-founded Harrington & Richardson

Benjamin Tyler Henry

worked for:

Robbins & Lawrence

Volcanic Repeating Arms which became New Haven Arms which became Winchester.

Joshua Stevens

worked for:

Colt

Eli Whitney

C.B. Allen

Edwin Wesson (brother to Daniel B Wesson)

Cofounded Massachusetts Arms Co.

Founded J. Stevens Arms Co, which was bought out by New England Westinghouse and then Savage Arms

Harry Sanford

worked for:

Golden State Arms

Founded:

East Pasadena Firearms & Tackle (Harry W. Sanford Firearms)

AutoMag Corp which became T.D.E.;

Arcadia Machine & Tool, which became Irwindale Arms Inc. then Galena Industries.

Karl Lewis

worked for:

Browning

Colt

Dan Wesson Arms

The Remington model 6 was a single shot rifle, a smaller version of the Rolling Block design.

The story of the model 6 can be traced back to the original Rolling Block.

During the Civil War development of breech loading rifles was going at full steam. One of the designs to come out at this time was a single shot breach loader that had a breech lock and hammer that rotated backwards, both exposing the breech and cocking the hammer. When fired the hammer would act as the breech lock.

Designed by Remington engineer Leonard Geiger sometime in late 1864 or early 1865, the gun was revolutionary for its time. The Rolling Block was used extensively as a military arm throughout the World during the latter part of the 19th century.

Fast forward to 1901, Remington is now owned by Hartly & Graham and has turned its focus on sporting arms as there were no major wars being fought.

The Rolling Block design was scaled down for a takedown "Boys Rifle". Patented on July 22, 1902 the gun was strictly rimfire, chambered in .22 Short, Long & Long Rifle as well as .32 Short and Long rimfire.

Being that the rifle was designed for young men and in minor calibers, the gun had to be affordable and light. Weighing just 3.75 lbs when equipped with the 20 1/8" barrel.

Barrel lengths and over all lengths varied thorough the production run, which lasted from 1901 to 1933 with exactly 498,000 units being produced.

The model was improved in 1903, carrying the designation of "New Model Improved" and then again in 1929 with the name "Improved Model 6".

Interestingly Remington (now owned by DuPont) reissued the model 6 designation to a pump action hunting rifle in 1981. The second model 6 was discontinued in 1987.

I came into possession of a Reminton Model 6 this year, it was among 5 other guns that were gifted to me by the estate of a retired gunsmith. The gunsmith was not able to make contact with the owners of the firearms and had them transferred to his private collection. Being that they all needed parts and repairs, they were donated to me.