"As an interesting side note, shortly after the turn of the century, Whitworth decided that they would like to make more money on their barrels. So they started to reduce the shipment size to their main customer, LC Smith. After LC got very short on barrels, Whitworth announced a price increase. LC had started looking around and Krupp sent them some fine (better than Whitworth) barrels at a cheaper price. LC used this lever to REDUCE the price they had been paying Whitworth instead of paying more. They continued to use Krupp as an option".
"I was under the impression that Whitworth barrels were considered superior to Krupp. At least Lefever used Whitworth barrels on the very highest grade guns like the Optimus while Krupp barrels were frequently found on lower grade guns in the B&C range. This may have been in a time period before the era you are referring to."
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Great-Great Grandson of D.M. Lefever
I've heard the above story of the Hunter Brothers/Whitworth Steel Company barrel tube "controversay" many times over the years; but have yet to find any hard evidence that this tale is indeed fact, other than inclusive evidence recorded in period company catalogs. The Hunter Arms Company only listed Krupp Steel barrels as an avialable "option" on their hightest cataloged models (Monogram, A2, and A3) from 1900-1905; and there is no mention of Krupp barrels being available, or as a cataloged option afterwards. Whitworth Steel barrel tubes were always standard on these high-grade models UNLESS a customer special ordered otherwise. Although I'm sure there are other examples, the only highest grade Smith gun I've seen to date with Krupp barrels was a 16 gauge A2 shipped with one set of Whitworth and one set of Krupp barrels; certainly an odd request. There may indeed have been a dispute with Withworth, and Hunter may have cataloged and used some Krupp barrels to demonstrate the seriousness of any alleged threat, but threatened action was all it was, as Whitworth tubes were never cataloged as anything but standard on these highest grades. And I've also wondered about Hunter Arms being Whitworth Steel's largest customer? If you include every A2, A3, and Mongram Grade Smith gun ever produced, including Mongram Grade guns produced thru the end of production in 1950 and all those examples made with Damascus barrels; you count less than 500 guns. If Hunter Arms actually was their largest customer, Whitworth Steel tube production was pitifylly small, Hunter Arms produced more highest grade double guns than any other American maker. As to price, and although I'm yet to discover maufacturer cost of a set of Whitworth tubes, Krupp tubes were always much cheaper than WHitworth tubes, as I've seen Krupp barrel tubes on $50 Grade 3 SAC guns and lower end Flues Ithaca models. Maybe the Germans were much more efficient that the English at producing steel, but I suspect there is little to no difference in strength qualities between the two.
And contrary to the above statement, Uncle Dan did not always use Whitworth Steel tubes on his very finest pieces; and prime example of that fact are the two "Uncle Dan" Grade D.M. Lefever guns featuring Krupp barrels and bearing his name As I recall, on at least one of those guns (don't have pics at hand just now) Krupp Steel is boldly inlaid in gold atop the barrels.
And one interesting side note to my Smith gun/Krupp steel associated research came from the discovery of the last A2 Grade Smith gun ever produced; made and shipped in 1916, 4 years after the last A2 catalog listing. In the case of this gun barrel steel type was noted in the shipping record; information almost never found recorded in the shipping ledgers. With this gun the barrel steel entry was listed as Krupp, while the Monogram entry underneath was recorded as Whitworth; and at some point after original shipment, this A2 was returned to Hunter for the fitting of an additional set of barrels and forend. When I examined the gun, all evidence of this gun having ever been produced with Krupp barrels was gone; both barrel sets were engraved instead "Monogram Steel" (this same Monogram Steel moniker is subsequently found on later Monogram Grade Smith guns). Obviously the original owner specified Krupp barrels for whatever his reason; and now, of course, there's no way to know for sure, but I theorize the gun was originally shipped sans the standard Krupp Steel trademarks because of the anti-German sentiment generated by WWI.
