Lots of them, Daryl. But, how many of the others had the same last name as Westley Richards, and had a first name that began with the same letter?
Just too much of a coincidence for me. Please don't take my opinion as being a put down of all W. Richards guns. I believe each gun has to be judged by it's quality of workmanship, regardless the name on it. Gunmaking in the era that these guns were made was a cutthroat business. Patent infringements, claims of patent infringements, court cases, one-upmanship in advertising .............. competition was tough to sell your guns. I cannot prove that Wm Richards was capitalizing on Wesley Richards reputation, but until proved otherwise I will believe it was a convenient way to gain "name recognition". We can judge all guns on a stand alone basis. But, we are not in competition with other firms to say afloat, and make money.
All my best, SRH
