I'll begin by saying that we are all entitled to our opinions and you may be right on a couple of points. I tend to lean toward the theory that we collectors have come up with through the collecting and study of the companies and equipment they offered. Understanding how gun companies marketed their goods in those early years, is very helpful in knowing what accessories they actually manufactured in house or contracted out. Winchester was not tooled up for, nor were they in the business of making reloading tools and molds at the time the 1873 or 1876 Winchester's were introduced. It is probable that they did not manufacture such items in house and would not sell such items under their own name until they knew for sure they had a market for them. It was also a fact that the Sharps Rifle Company was making reloading kits and molds and had the equipment to do so. The Bridgeport Gun and Impliment Co., was also a major manufacturer of reloading equipment for various gun manufacturers of the period. Even today, all manufacturers know that it is cheaper and easier to have other companies make many of the small parts and accessories that go into the production of the overall product. As an example, most of the large gun companies did not make their own rifle sights in house. These pieces were manufactured to the company specs, by other contractors who had the equipment to specialize in these parts. Only in rare cases, did Winchester make their own sights in house and this is most likely true of their early tools and molds. When it was realized that these tools would be profitable they began to market them under the Winchester trade name. It's not at all surprising that an early mold offered in a Winchester caliber, would have a slightly different shape than those offered in the Sharps calibers, especially if they were made by the same company. Winchester didn't want anyone to think that the Sharps Rifle Co., made anything in a Winchester specific caliber, so it is most likely that they had their own style spru cutters, screws and handle shape, which would identify it as a Winchester offered product and not Sharps. Until more documentation comes to light, we may never know for sure what is correct and what isn't. The men who made these items are long gone. We study the artifacts they made and combine that with an understanding of the way gun companies manufactured and marketed their products. If you don't already have one, you should try to find a copy of a booklet written by Lew Yearout in 1982 titled simply "WINCHESTER RELOADING TOOLS". Lew was the worlds foremost authority on Winchester arms and asscssories. He was one hard man, but I've never met anyone in my entire life that knew more about all aspects of the Winchester company than he did. I first saw his collection in the mid 60's and at that time he had over 1500 early antique Winchesters, hundreds of boxes of ammunition and over 2000 Winchester tools and molds. This booklet is a must read for anyone who is interested in the variations and calibers of Winchester reloading implements I have always concidered myself a Winchester collector. In the past 50 years, I've been fortunate enough to own many fine early rifles and carbines, many of which I still have. I became interested in boxed Winchester and UMC ammunition after high school and since then have added several hundred pieces to the collection. Because I thought I had to have the reloading equipment to go with the guns and ammunition, I now have around 300 individual Winchester tools and molds and several boxed sets. I am still very involved in the collecting and study of Winchesters and accessories, but I learn something new everyday, so I'm no expert. If I still have the email Tom sent, I would be glad to send it along, but not without asking him first.
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Topic: Original bullet for the .45-75 (Read 27613 times)