David: I was just re-reading one of your prior texts here and I finally realized (Duh!...not sure why this took me so long?) that the formal name of the Syracuse operation was "The Syracuse Gun Company" who just happened to make "LC Smith" guns. A small but very important distinction here (certainly from a business perspective).
The Syracuse Gun Company became the Hunter Arms Company after the sale, but curiously...they both made the "LC Smith" gun. By rights, they should have been called the "Alexander T. Brown" gun because Lyman C. Smith was merely a "financial promoter" in all of this.
He bought into Mr. Brown's previous 3-barrel gun business in Syracuse, heavily promoted that company's then "new" hammerless gun designs and promptly sold it to the Hunters (for a handsome profit, I'm sure). He then abandoned gunmaking altogether to invest in another company (based on yet another A.T. Brown design) that became the "Smith-Corona'" typewriter. He funded the building of the LC Smith Tower in Seattle, Washington, starting in 1914 (one of the very 1st "skyscrapers" west of the Mississippi) using the profits from the sale his interests in both Smith-Corona and his many previous companies (including Syracuse Gun). Not sure why "LC Smith" means anything at all to guns folks (at this juncture) but that's "the power of advertising" I guess.
All the original engineering and design work came off of Mr. Browns desk. The "rotary bolt" that was used so-successfully (and for so long) by both of these companies (and by several others) was purely his idea. The "unsung hero" to the end, all the Syracuse "Elsie" guns reflect his genius and his engineering prowess. They also reflect the "build quality" of a small "boutique" gunmaking business that started in Syracuse, New York in 1877.
Postscript: I guess Lyman C Smith should get a bit more credit here, because after reading more closely about him in Houchin's book I can see why he might be more deserving of some admiration.
Last edited by Lloyd3; 03/27/25 01:14 PM.
