Buck Conner1
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- Oct 20, 2015
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SUBJECT: A few facts on the NW Trade Guns....
Every time the subject of the NW Trade Gun comes up you'll find everyone is an expert and when questioned about the parts that make up one of these guns most don't have a clue as to what was really correct. Most of the "in-the-know" talkers are just repeating what was passed down from another with his knowledge coming from another and so on.
This has always been a sore point for me and the so called living history groups. With a little research (now available on-line), how easy is that? You don't have to go to a library and spent hours just getting to the subject matter of your searching for.
Those that are dedicated to such areas just grit their teeth with some remarks or written statements that are not even close to the subject in question.
The NW Trade Gun is a good example for posting this topic. There are a few so called experts telling everyone on the Internet about "correctness" for the "wedding bands" seen on these modern gun barrels. They really need to do a little research before making statements showing they hadn't even tried to be close to being correct.
We have heard issues with the modern barrels being offered for NW guns today making me do a little search on the Internet about the location of the "wedding bands" to be sure I gave the correct information.
It's interesting how the different barrel maker families produced their products for the cottage industry in Europe back in the day. Yes this was where the term "cottage industry" started, not the 60's hippies as most think. From the 1600's through the 1800's families in Europe and North America worked in this manner. One family group where suppliers of wood blanks, another family sawed out the stock blanks, another group supplied barrels, locks, misc. hardware and so on. Then those pieces would go to those different firms to assemble the firearm, such was the case for the NW Trade Gun. These firms in the early days didn't have time to build every little piece, the reason for the cottage industry idea as they were producing these guns in the tens of thousands offered over the whole world. Cheaply made, easy to assemble, no frills, just a plain working gun for everyone no matter what color the skin. It wasn't until H.E. Leman and others got into the game with their modern day assembly methods for producing everything needed that the industry changed.
Now back to the "Wedding Bands" seen on the barrels of these guns and on some other firearms of better quality.
Today it seems what we think is the norm or standard location of the "bands" on the barrels really isn't true. I searched the old records and microfiche available and couldn't find a set standard when looking at both our government and proofing house contracts. These bands were located in a number of configurations - they run all over the place when looking at dozens of different guns built.
If you use the entry hole on the forearm for the ramrod as your line for viewing the wedding band location on the barrel, you'll see how the bands go different directions (no set standards).
Thank you for the time.
Every time the subject of the NW Trade Gun comes up you'll find everyone is an expert and when questioned about the parts that make up one of these guns most don't have a clue as to what was really correct. Most of the "in-the-know" talkers are just repeating what was passed down from another with his knowledge coming from another and so on.
This has always been a sore point for me and the so called living history groups. With a little research (now available on-line), how easy is that? You don't have to go to a library and spent hours just getting to the subject matter of your searching for.
Those that are dedicated to such areas just grit their teeth with some remarks or written statements that are not even close to the subject in question.
The NW Trade Gun is a good example for posting this topic. There are a few so called experts telling everyone on the Internet about "correctness" for the "wedding bands" seen on these modern gun barrels. They really need to do a little research before making statements showing they hadn't even tried to be close to being correct.
We have heard issues with the modern barrels being offered for NW guns today making me do a little search on the Internet about the location of the "wedding bands" to be sure I gave the correct information.
It's interesting how the different barrel maker families produced their products for the cottage industry in Europe back in the day. Yes this was where the term "cottage industry" started, not the 60's hippies as most think. From the 1600's through the 1800's families in Europe and North America worked in this manner. One family group where suppliers of wood blanks, another family sawed out the stock blanks, another group supplied barrels, locks, misc. hardware and so on. Then those pieces would go to those different firms to assemble the firearm, such was the case for the NW Trade Gun. These firms in the early days didn't have time to build every little piece, the reason for the cottage industry idea as they were producing these guns in the tens of thousands offered over the whole world. Cheaply made, easy to assemble, no frills, just a plain working gun for everyone no matter what color the skin. It wasn't until H.E. Leman and others got into the game with their modern day assembly methods for producing everything needed that the industry changed.
Now back to the "Wedding Bands" seen on the barrels of these guns and on some other firearms of better quality.
Today it seems what we think is the norm or standard location of the "bands" on the barrels really isn't true. I searched the old records and microfiche available and couldn't find a set standard when looking at both our government and proofing house contracts. These bands were located in a number of configurations - they run all over the place when looking at dozens of different guns built.
If you use the entry hole on the forearm for the ramrod as your line for viewing the wedding band location on the barrel, you'll see how the bands go different directions (no set standards).
Thank you for the time.