doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Colt 1878 for first purchase

Just explain to her that it is like an IRA investment that you can enjoy while you're alive and that she can profit from when you croak. [/quote]

Now that's funny!

Joe, as for the quote, I made it up on the fly when doing my profile. It sounds familiar though, I believe someone once said "Life is too short to drink cheap..."
I just added the other things I love

Just tell her it reminds you of her....a once in a life time find.

Very nice, sounds like you've used that line before,
I might have to borrow that sometime ;-)

Wow jOe, aren't you the silver tongued devil! Who would of thunk it.
Steve

Adding to the mystery of where or by whom the Colt shotguns were made--from the endnotes found in the book, The Birmingham Gun Trade, by David Williams, I find the following: "Colt employed Alexander Thuer, an English gun maker as a contractor to lead his (Colt's) hammer and hammerless shotgun making." Now the question is, was Thuer working in England or America?

Later on: Oops, I googled the name and see that it is common knowledge he worked in Hartford. Well, at least we know where he came from.

P.S. In the mentioned book there is extensive discussion of the relationship and intercourse between Colt and the Birmingham gun trade, especially dealing with the development of interchangable manufacturing, which Colt pioneered. Also, there is much otherwise unpublished material on gun making in Birmingham, along with some great pictures of the small shops.

Joe, good find. Thuer coming to Hartford was similar to Mr. Deeley coming to Harrington and Richardson when H and R acquired the sole rights in the U.S. to manufacture the Anson and Deeley patent. Rights were acquired through Westley Richards. Deeley helped set up the H and R double barrel manufacturing which took place 1880-1884.

Joe,

Nice one.

That whole chapter 4 needs to see the light of day. Gee, just think about it. Mechanization, interchangable parts, factory made guns, all considered a good thing and sought out by the Birmingham makers who turned to US makers to learn how to make it happen.

Some documents are available for sale at http://www.midlandshistoricaldata.org/ . I can recommend, "Industrial History of Birmingham and the Midland Hardware District, 1866". ISBN-84526-036-8

Pete

Quote:
"Adding to the mystery of where or by whom the Colt shotguns were made--from the endnotes found in the book, The Birmingham Gun Trade, by David Williams, I find the following: "Colt employed Alexander "

With all due respect why "the mystery"? If the Colt Historian who has ready access to the Company records has stated the the 1878's were made in England and the 1883's** were made in Hartford this seems to be perfectly clear to me.
**Barrels excepted.
Jim

Jim, you must not be paying attention. You offer only a thought of what you think you heard. The recent historian for Colt says the 1878s and the 1883s were made in Hartford. The book Joe Wood points out says the same. The 1884 Colt catalog says similar. Where is your Factory proof ? Let's see it and we will all learn something. Seriously, do you think your Factory historian was thinking of a 1878 pistol ?

The mystery begins with the current Colt Historian contradicting her predecessor, or so it would seem, based on the recollections of two of our members, both of whom are reporting on phone conversations, one recent and one not as recent. In other words, we're still short on any kind of evidence that would qualify as more than hearsay.

I'm sure Ms. Hoyt told Jim exactly what he is reporting to us, but it also seems pretty clear that there have been differing opinions over the years, that there still are, and that no one has produced records or other conclusive evidence. It does seem like we're getting closer.

It still intrigues me that high-quality doubles from such a famous maker (albeit not famous for shotguns) would still be so under-researched and so little understood. But if the gang here can't get to the bottom of it, nobody can. TT