smokeywolf
Well-Known Member
THIS ^^^^^^^^^^
Winchester and a couple of others were notorious for oddball threads. They wanted people taking their firearms to gunsmiths and those gunsmiths buying replacement screws from the company.
A historical thread curiosity
- Thread starter Snakeoil
- Start date
Winchester and a couple of others were notorious for oddball threads. They wanted people taking their firearms to gunsmiths and those gunsmiths buying replacement screws from the company.
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
While it’s clear that Winchester made oddball screws, the reasoning for that practice is speculative.
I think Winchester was in the business of selling rifles and not in the business of selling screws. There is a possibility that the machinery Winchester had on hand in the 1880’s wasn’t “standard”. Oliver Winchester had purchased the assets of the failed Volcanic Repeating Arms company and may have inherited machinery in that acquisition. It’s one thing to observe that Winchester rifles of that era utilized an oddball thread. It is something entirely different to speculate as to why those threads do not match later standards.
Some businesses do operate on a “Blade & Razor” model where the device is sold relatively cheaply, and the real money is made selling the proprietary supplies for that device. Kodak was a classic example of practically giving cameras away and the real money was in film and film processing. A modern example is ink jet printers where the profit is in the ink cartridges. Winchester was very successful, but they seem to have made their money selling firearms and not by selling proprietary replacement parts. The parts may have been unique, but I don’t see evidence that was part of an intentional business model. However, there’s no one around from Winchester’s 1870’s management to ask! So, my guess isn’t worth much.
The reasoning for the oddball size may simply be lost to history. It could have been intentional for some unknown reason. Or, it could have been some manufacturing oddity that occurred and wasn’t part of a larger scheme.
I think Winchester was in the business of selling rifles and not in the business of selling screws. There is a possibility that the machinery Winchester had on hand in the 1880’s wasn’t “standard”. Oliver Winchester had purchased the assets of the failed Volcanic Repeating Arms company and may have inherited machinery in that acquisition. It’s one thing to observe that Winchester rifles of that era utilized an oddball thread. It is something entirely different to speculate as to why those threads do not match later standards.
Some businesses do operate on a “Blade & Razor” model where the device is sold relatively cheaply, and the real money is made selling the proprietary supplies for that device. Kodak was a classic example of practically giving cameras away and the real money was in film and film processing. A modern example is ink jet printers where the profit is in the ink cartridges. Winchester was very successful, but they seem to have made their money selling firearms and not by selling proprietary replacement parts. The parts may have been unique, but I don’t see evidence that was part of an intentional business model. However, there’s no one around from Winchester’s 1870’s management to ask! So, my guess isn’t worth much.
The reasoning for the oddball size may simply be lost to history. It could have been intentional for some unknown reason. Or, it could have been some manufacturing oddity that occurred and wasn’t part of a larger scheme.
smokeywolf
Well-Known Member
Not sure if Volcanic used proprietary threads. I had a Volcanic carbine for a while. Never had occasion to disassemble it, so don't know if it had oddball threads. A pretty good indicator might be, if the Henry or Model '66 had oddball threads. The Henry and Volcanic were basically the same gun. Both made of "gunmetal", aka red brass or bronze, both loaded the same way, both rim fire; the Henry taking a metallic cartridge, the Volcanic taking the "Rocket Ball". If my father was still around he could answer the question. During his gunsmithing days, he worked on a couple of Henrys and one or two Volcanics.
Given that Volcanic produced comparatively small numbers of firearms per month in the 1850s and by the 1870s Winchester was producing thousands, I doubt that much, if any of the tooling from the Volcanic days was still being utilized.
Given that Volcanic produced comparatively small numbers of firearms per month in the 1850s and by the 1870s Winchester was producing thousands, I doubt that much, if any of the tooling from the Volcanic days was still being utilized.