Golden Poop Awards: Worst Gun Company Mistakes

 

Today we are looking at the Worst Mistakes made by a gun company

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Here we have gun companies who made disastrous mistakes

Bren Ten

The company set out with the lofty goal of building the ultimate combat pistol, they may have succeeded, but a few mistakes were made. One mistake was not making their own magazines, and many guns were shipped sans magazines, and some owners never got their magazines.

As it goes the guns didn't sell as well as expected and the magazine issue didn't help. A couple of plans to resurrect the gun failed as well.

The mistake was getting too far ahead of themselves. They should have made sure that magazines would be ready ahead of the guns. This is especially important when you are selling a gun for ten times what a typical combat semi-auto handgun sold for.

Whitney

The Whitney Arms Wolverine were built by a company called Hillson, which was Robert Hillberg, the designer and Johnson, the machinist. The guns were well made, very attractive and even sold pretty well, but a deal made with an unscrupulous distributor killed the company's profits and thus the company.

The gun was brought back once by Olympic Arms (with a polymer frame) and rumors are Samson Manufacturing is going to bring the original back.

The mistake was not having a plan to distribute the pistols in the beginning and then choosing a crook to do business with.

Ruger

This mistake was not by the company itself, but rather its founder Bill Ruger. While Bill was alive Ruger would not sell magazines with a capacity higher than 10 rounds to civilians, they would also not sell the Mini-14 factory folding stocks to civilians.

Bill Ruger stated publicly that magazine limits and waiting periods were a good idea. 

Many people boycotted Ruger products for these comments/policies. Once Bill Ruger Sr. passed on, those policies were thankfully reversed. Was Bill Ruger speaking his mind or losing it?

The mistake was Bill Ruger letting his personal or delusional feelings direct company business. 

USFA

United States Fire Arms Company was a producer of very good, if not the best made copies of the Colt Single Action Army. They even produced them in a rented space in the old Colt Hartford factory.

For some odd reason the owner decided to sink the resources of the company (including selling the old machines used to make the SAA clones) into a new .22 pistol called the "Zip Gun". The gun did not sell, not very many were made and USFA went out of business.

The mistake was selling the tooling and spending an inordinate amount of money on a gun no one wanted.

Smith & Wesson

I think the Wesson family made a mistake when they sold or allowed Bangor Punta to take over the company, everything started to go downhill after that.

In 1987 a British firm: Tomkins PLC bought S&W as an investment, not with the purpose of making better guns. 

In the year 2000 the Clinton Administration proposed new gun restrictions; Tomkins made a secret deal to be exempt from the restrictions in trade for putting a lock on their revolvers. A boycott followed and the company's stock price fell to 19 cents per share by the end of 2000. Six months later S&W was sold for 10% of what it should have been worth.

The mistake was making a deal with the devil to save your own skin....

44 Automag

The 44 Automag was a revolutionary design for several reasons, one it was all stainless steel, two it was a 44 magnum in an automatic. The problem was the cost, the gun cost so much to make they could not sell them for a price that provided a profit. It doesn't take a CPA to know that losing money is not a winning strategy. Despite internal efforts to convince the owner to build the guns from mild steel, the owner insisted the guns be made of expensive stainless.

The mistake was not redesigning the pistol in order to make it more economical to produce.

J. Kimball Arms

Magnum automatic handguns require a delayed action, thus ported gas is usually the best way to go.

John Kimball thought he had a better way, by making a chamber that would allow the brass to expand into a ring, the case would stick in the chamber and assuming the extractor held onto the case, would slow down the extraction and thus the rearward movement of the slide.

The idea failed, the ring would get fouled with debris from the combustion and the slides would be sent backwards at high velocity, the pin stopping the rearward movement often cracked or broke.

The First Gun

Every gun has a story, this one is about that first gun, the very first firearm that you purchased. To write this, I polled several of my friends & family to get their stories.

Here is my story. It was the fall of 1989, I was in college and working part time at a rental car facility near the SeaTac Airport. My major in college was law enforcement (Administration of Justice). Between classes my fellow law enforcement students would discuss things and firearms often came up. At the time the Glock pistol was still fairly new, but everyone agreed that they were great pistols. 

One night at work, a co-worker told me that he had found a gun in a car. I told him I would be interested in buying it (not even thinking about the fact that no one had reported it missing). He told me that he had traded it for a car, but he gave me the two magazines that were with the gun. What he handed me was two Glock 19 mags, loaded with Federal Hydra-Shoks, in an nylon double mag pouch.

So I talked to a gun dealer I went to school with and had him order me a new Glock 19. I paid $389 + tax (it came to $405), it came in the old school "Tupperware" box. I still have the gun, I carry and shoot it often.

Bobby Thurman bought his first gun when he was 18, he had joined the Navy a few weeks before and after finishing basic training he decided to buy a rifle at the PX (San Diego). 

The year was 1979. He put the rifle in storage before he shipped off to the Western Pacific. The gun is a Remington 700 in God's caliber (30-'06 for you newbs). He still has the rifle, although he hasn't fired it in years.

After becoming of age and having money in his pocket, Uncle Mike went to a gun store with the intent of buying a handgun. The dealer attempted to talk Mike into buying a Glock, giving him the speech about leaving the gun in the rain, dropping it on the ground or using it in sandy/dusty environments, to which Mike replied, "I don't plan on doing any of those things with my gun". 

He ended up picking a Belgian made Browning Hi-Power. He sold it to his grandfather years later, then inherited it back, then sold it to his uncle. The whereabouts of the gun are unknown today.

Randy's first gun was a Baikal 12-gauge single shot shotgun, he bought it because it was cheap. He still owns the gun, although he hasn't fired it in years.

It was the first in a very long line of Russian made weaponry that Randy would buy.

My Brother's first gun was a Taurus model 85 in .38 Special. He came late to the gun owning game, but after people started getting robbed and killed in his neighborhood, he decided he needed a gun.

My Father knew someone selling a gun, not knowing much about it my brother bought it, he didn't like it and sold it a short time later, replacing it with a S&W 380 Bodyguard.

So, What was your first gun?

Firearm Factory of the Month: Jefferson/Kodiak

 

This is another one of those gun companies that few have heard of. Kodiak Manufacturing Company.

It is funny that few have heard of this company, yet they manufactured the 1st .22 Magnum Semi-Auto Rifle, known as the model 260. 

Our story starts in Hartford in 1957. Colt's Manufacturing was working on a new line of rifles, originally called the "57s". Theses high powered rifles would not be produced by Colt, instead they were assembled using actions provided by Firearms International Corp. Firearms International was a D.C. based importer of FN, Sako and other European arms.

The larger calibers used FN Mauser model 300 actions and the smaller calibers used the Sako L57 actions.

The rifles would be assembled by an outside company called Jefferson Manufacturing. The company was run by former Colt or Winchester employees. 

I could not find if Colt set up the new company using former Winchester employees who were recruited away or if the employees left Colt and or Winchester and started the company. The Winchester connection does seem plausible as the Kodiak model 260 rifle does bear a resemblance to the Winchester models 190 and 290 rifles. 

In late 1958 the new line of rifles was announced and given a new name: "The Coltsman". The rifles came in 3 grades, standard, deluxe and custom in 4 calibers: 243 Win, 308 Win, 30-06 Springfield and 300 Win Mag.

Production lasted for 1 year (1959) and enough rifles were built to supply Colt until 1962.

Jefferson Manufacturing attempted to market and sell their own branded rifles but were unsuccessful and in 1963 they sold out and the company was renamed Kodiak.

Kodiak produced a short run of Coltsman rifles for Colt in 1963 in 2 grades (standard and custom) in 5 calibers: .222 Rem, .223 Rem, .243 Win, .308 Win, .264 Win Mag and 30-06 Springfield. All built on Sako actions.

During this time Kodiak was working on a new rimfire rifle, not just any rimfire rifle, but the first .22 Magnum semi-auto rifle.

They called in the model 260, they also made a .22 LR version for Colt called the "Colteer-4-22".

Kodiak also made a pump action shotgun.

In 1965 Colt removed the Coltsman series from their catalogs, the following year, Kodiak closed their doors.

What Remains:

The Jefferson/Kodiak factory was located on the corner of Quinnipiac Ave and McDermott Road (112 Quinnipiac Ave.).

The building still stands and is now occupied by Airgas Company.

Gun Works of Art: Parker Invincible Shotgun

The Parker Brothers of Meriden Connecticut made some of the finest shotguns available anywhere. With "The Invincible" we get the best of the best, the best materials, best fit and finish and best engraving and checkering. Only three of these guns were made, they are considered by many to be the most beautiful, ever, period. They are estimated to be worth in excess of $5 million.

The one below, number two of three, thankfully resides at the National Firearms Museum, where you can go and view it in person.

To see the story of Parker Brothers factory, click here 

Source:

NRA Museums:

Featured Gun: The LeMat revolver

 

The LeMat Revolver: One of the most innovative revolvers of the U.S. Civil War.

By: Randy Chamberlain 

When people think of iconic 19^th Century revolvers, the Colt Navy and Remington New Model Army often came to mind.  Yet there is one pistol among these famous firearms that is so distinctive and unusual that it captures the attention of historians, collectors, and firearms enthusiasts alike: the LeMat Revolver.

 

In the 1850 New Orleans, a French physician and inventor, Jean Alexandre LeMat, designed a revolver that was made to provide more firepower, particularly for cavalry and military officers.  At that time, mounted cavalrymen often fought at short range, where a blast of buckshot could be devastating.  LeMat reasoned that a soldier armed with a revolver and a shotgun in a single handgun would have a significant advantage in a charge, skirmish, or self-defense situation. 

LeMat put his reasoning to design and created a single sidearm that combined two weapons in one: A high-capacity revolver for multiple shots before reloading, as well as a powerful shotgun.  The result was a unique design featuring a stacked dual-barrel configuration. 

The upper portion of the firearm consists of a nine-chamber cylinder, typically chambered in .42 caliber but also available in .36.  Running through the center of the cylinder was a larger smoothbore barrel, usually 18 gauge, but ranged from 16 to 20 gauge.  A pivoting striker on the hammer allowed the shooter to select which barrel to fire. In the upper position, the hammer struck the percussion caps on the revolver cylinder. In the lowered position, it ignited the central shotgun barrel. 

The design also featured a dual ram rod that was originally placed on the right side of the gun, which would be moved to the left side in later models. The main rod would pivot to align with a chamber, where gun powder and a ball would be pushed into the cylinder and as the ram rod level was pulled, the load would be packed into the chamber tightly.  The end of the ram rod could be unthreaded and removed to push a charge in to the shot gun barrel.

 

Under the cylinder, grooves were cut around the larger barrel to collect the fowling from the gun between cleanings.  When it was time to clean, the weapon came apart easily with a lever under the shot gun barrel.  In later models, they replaced the lever with a rod that pulls outward to open the weapon.

 

The spur on the trigger originally sat high but was lowered to a more comfortable angle when the design went further into production and a spur was also added to the trigger guard for a second finger hold, which would later be removed on newer versions.

As political tensions built in the U.S. near the Civil War, P.G.T Beauregard, who was related to LeMat by marriage, helped promote the LeMat within the Confederate military circles, leading to a deal with LaMat to provide 8000 revolvers to the Confederate Army and another 3000 to the Confederate Navy, although the full order would never be reached due to the blockade by the U.S. Navy.  It’s estimated that around 2,500 made it into the Confederate service.  Unlike anything else carried on the battlefields of the American Civil War, the LeMat’s innovative design promised tremendous firepower, but it also came with significant challenges that limited its widespread adoption.

 

Southern manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. were limited which resulted in most LeMat revolvers were produced overseas, primarily in France and England. The firearms were then smuggled through the Union blockade and delivered to Confederate forces, although only a relatively small number reached the South compared to more common revolvers.  Those who carried the LeMat often appreciated their exceptional firepower. Confederate cavalry officers, in particular, viewed the LeMat as a prestigious and formidable sidearm.

 

The LeMat was also heavier and bulkier than competing revolvers. Reloading remained a slow process, as each chamber had to be loaded individually with powder, projectile, and percussion cap. The weapon's complex mechanism also required careful maintenance, and production quality varied greatly depending on the manufacturer.  Despite these limitations, the LeMat earned a reputation as one of the most powerful and intimidating handguns of the Civil War era. 

 

As time passed, several versions of the LeMat Revolver were produced throughout its history.  Early models were percussion-cap firearms, typical of mid-19th-century technology. Later versions were adapted for metallic cartridges as firearms technology evolved after the Civil War. Manufacturers also experimented with different calibers and barrel lengths, with the Baby LeMat being the rarest version of the weapon, using a 4 ¾” barrel and .32 Caliber.   While the original concept remained the same, these variations reflected changing military requirements and advancements in ammunition design.

 

Today, the LeMat Revolver occupies a unique place in firearms history. Its unusual appearance, innovative engineering, and connection to the American Civil War make it one of the most sought-after collector firearms from the period.  Original examples are highly prized and can command substantial prices at auction. Reproductions have also become popular among historical reenactors, collectors, and enthusiasts interested in experiencing one of the most distinctive firearms ever designed.

 

The LeMat stands as a reminder of an era when inventors experimented boldly with firearm technology, seeking every possible advantage on the battlefield.  Few firearms are as instantly recognizable as the LeMat Revolver.  By combining a nine-shot revolver with a shotgun barrel, Jean Alexandre LeMat created a weapon that was decades ahead of its time. More than 175 years after its introduction, it remains a symbol of ingenuity, ambition, and the relentless pursuit of battlefield advantage.

As is typical on this blog, we write about guns that we own, have owned, have worked on or came into contact with, this one is no exception. Randy purchased his reproduction LeMat years ago and it kind of got lost in his collection, he dug it out for this article.

 

About the author: Randy has been a decades long member of the NRA, the Civilian Marksmanship Program and Washington Arms Collectors (among others). He began collecting weapons in the 70's and has owned more than 500 firearms, including the subject gun above. He will continue to contribute his vast knowledge of surplus and collector weapons.

Credits:

YouTube.com: LeMat Grapeshot Revolvers: Design Evolution, @Forgottenweapons.com, 3/2/2016

YouTube.com: The LeMat Revolver, @Guns of the West, 6/1/2021

Wikipedia.com: LeMat Revolver, 6/7/2026

Interesting Firearm Photos #98