Arsenal of Innovation - Part II

Our previous article on the Rock Island Arsenal covered a portion of the goods produced by the industrious island.  I began writing it as a small summary piece, but it quickly blossomed as the full scope of the arsenal's production came to light.  What I started became the first installment and only covered up through the 19th century.  Thankfully, there's still a lot of fun stuff to cover as we look at the goods produced in the 20th century and beyond.

Documented Historic Brigadier General Issued Rock Island Arsenal M15 General Officer's Pistol with Paperwork, Display Case, General Officer's Belt, Holsters and Spare Magazine,
SOLD: $9,200

We ended the first article in 1885 when the arsenal had started up their jewelry department.  This turns out to be a remarkably appropriate place to break as it nearly marks the end of tenure for Lieutenant Colonel Daniel W. Flagler on the island.  To briefly recap, General Rodman, the "Father of the Arsenal," had planned the arsenal and begun to shape it when he passed away, in part to his long hours and tremendous work ethic, and the job passed to Flagler,  who completed Rodman's vision admirably.  Flagler's term ended on April of 1886 and the remarkable building and expansion that had taken place at the arsenal slowed to all but a halt with a few notable exceptions: a new concrete dam was built in 1896 and the conversion from Teledynamic power to hydroelectricity began in 1899.

With production for the Spanish-American War going full speed at that time, it's a wonder that the conversion was made at all, and it might not have been for several more years had the existing power house with its wooden frame not caught fire.  Knowing that teledynamic power had its limitations and "bugs" (jammed cables, broken cables, slacken cables, etc), the Army made the easy choice to move forward with the new power source.

Fine Pre-World War I U.S. Rock Island Arsenal Model 1903 Bolt Action Rifle with Sling
SOLD: $3,162

1898 - 1903, Spanish-American War Production

Humor me with a brief timeline.

March 9, 1898: Urgent telegram sent to Rock Island Arsenal from Chief of Ordnance that read, "work (should) be pushed (at RIA) on all existing orders as rapidly as possible, and extra shifts of workmen (should) be employed." 

March 26, 1898: RIA receives orders to produce 25,000 complete infantry kits.  Within a fort night, the commander at the arsenal was sent a message to, "press work on all field gun and siege gun carriages as rapidly as possible, employing extra shifts of men as far as economical."

April 21, 1898:  Rock Island Arsenal is ordered to increase infantry kits to 75,000 and begin manufacture of 10,000 units of horse equipment.

April 25, 1898:  U.S. declares war on Spain, but makes it retroactive to April 22.

You can imagine the rapid growth required to meet such a gargantuan increase in demand.  Departments began working day and night, new orders were coming in almost weekly, and eventually much work was contracted out to private companies.  Infantry kits, horse kits, carriages, and more were all produced at the Rock Island Arsenal.  Even as early as July of that year, there were 46 private contractors completing orders for RIA and 131 more producing the material needed to complete the orders such as cotton webbing, duck material, tin plate, brass wire and brass sheet, rope, leather, steel, iron, wood, and canvas.  Originally having only around 500 employees of men and boys, many of whom were temporary, employment boomed on the island and by its peak in August, RIA employed 2,900 and was turning out 6,000 infantry kits, completed 7,000 bayonet scabbards, and repaired 600 rifles per day.  One line from "An Illustrated History of the Rock Island Arsenal and Arsenal Island, Part II," (which this article depends on heavily for its thorough research) says it best, "The RIA literally equipped the American soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American War."

Perhaps even more impressive is the Arsenal had not even come close to tapping its potential.  Of the ten stone shops constructed on the island, only one and a half housed machines for manufacture.  It wouldn't be until the Great War that the full power of the Rock Island Arsenal would be unleashed.

Utensils and meat can produced by RIA.

From 1902 to 1910, RIA was the sole manufacturer of the Army's utensils.
Shown bottom right are a set of M1910 utensils

This canteen resembles the Sovereign's Orb of the United Kingdom.

1899, Small Arms Production

Rock Island Arsenal had been refurbishing arms for the U.S. Army since 1865, mostly Springfield Trapdoor rifles.  

Springfield Model 1862 rifled musket

Springfield Model 1873 Trapdoor Carbine

However, the superior performance of the island during the emergency production increase of the Spanish-American War earned it a new mission: build a new rifle to replace the outdated Krag-Jørgensen.  Due to the Army's delays in the testing and selection process, that mission would wait until December of 1904 when the arsenal would finally begin producing the Springfield M1903 bolt action rifle.  However, production of the classic bolt-action on the island would be ceased in 1913 due to government budget cuts.  When the need for these rifles rose again in 1917, the arsenal no longer had the necessary number of skilled workers required who still remembered how to make the rifle, so manufacture of the M1906 took priority at RIA while the M1903 was largely contracted out to private makers.

They even chose to display a rare M1903 with a rod bayonet

1903 - Present, Artillery and Carriages

As mentioned earlier, the Spanish-American War pushed RIA head first into mobile field artillery.  They were producing field carriages, limbers, caissons, battery wagons, and, carriages for siege guns.  Basically, if a large piece of firepower needed to be moved, RIA likely had a hand in its transportation.  Even after the Spanish-American War ended, the arsenal couldn't take a break.  Changing technologies, mainly from horse drawn to self-propelled vehicles, meant that new carriage designs were needed, and now that the war had shown the arsenal the kind of demand that could quickly arise, efforts were also taken to upgrade machinery and enhance automation.

Rock Island Arsenal Field Piece Manufacture, public domain.  Available from the United States Library of Congress

As mentioned in the first RIA article, carriages have always been a big deal for the arsenal and remain so to this day.  While none of the actual carriages or artillery pieces were on display at the Putnam, they did have many models showcasing the island's many products, which will be shown later in this article.

One of the more impressive things ever produced at the arsenal is the Mark VIII Tank.  Even after the November 11 Armistice, RIA received an order for 100 of the behemoths. Then the peak of technology, they could hold eight men and it only took the arsenal 286 days to complete once all the parts had been standardized properly.  The image below is the result of several photos of a single large panorama in the exhibit which reads, "Shipment of 34 Mark VIII Tanks from Rock Island Arsenal to Camp Meade, MD, May 21, 1920."

As time went on they would go on to produce any number of carriages and mobile artillery pieces, constantly evolving with the technology and the changing conflicts.  Here are some examples that were on display, though they are far from exhaustive on the topic.

M2 Tanks in production in Shop M, Building 220.  Note the tiny 37mm barrels.

The device shown in the photo above is reminiscent of the water rockets one would "launch" as a child, but this one enjoys a slightly larger effect.  What you see is the "Davy Crockett," the smallest nuclear weapons system ever built.  Devised prior to the peak of the Cold War this recoilless rifle was essentially a nuclear bazooka (or "ba-nuka" as I like to say) made to halt the Russians in the event they invaded West Germany.  Its M388 round held a W-54 warhead and was 11 inches in diameter, weighing 51 lbs; designed to be carried by a single soldier and roughly three times more powerful than the explosion of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City.  Range was a scant 2 - 2.5 miles, so firing into the wind was inadvisable at best.  Anything within a quarter mile of the explosion would almost certainly die, but the radioactivity created would also stay any advancing troops giving the U.S. and NATO forces a chance to act.  Fired in several tests, the 2,100 produced were never used in combat before being stockpiled and eventually decommissioned in 1971.  Only the non-nuclear components were manufactured at the RIA.  This "mini-nuke" was definitely King of the Wild Frontier.

Besides manufacture, RIA also has performed a lot of research and development for the Army, coming up with many innovative ideas along the way.  This "Soft Recoil 105mm Howitzer" was designed for fighting in Vietnam where the marshy ground could cause problems for traditional Howitzer carriages.  Photo is dated "30 June 65" in the bottom right corner.

Looking like a very angry tank, this concept of a self-propelled howitzer shows yet another way that RIA has kept up with technology and the ever-changing demands of the Army.  Photo is dated "15 Mar 66."

These are actual models of proposed weapons that were paired with conceptual drawings as a very real part of the weapons development process.  They may look like toys now, but they were once part of some deadly serious business.

More models designed at the arsenal.

1905, Arsenal Museum is Formed

This fact wasn't so much mentioned in the exhibit, but when you're surrounded with items from the Rock Island Arsenal Military Museum, it seems silly not to list it.  Founded appropriately on the 4th of July that year, it is the Army's second oldest museum, younger only than the one found at West Point Academy.  Please read more about their origin and ever increasing role to preserve the arsenal's history at their webpage.  The small arms collection there is nationally renowned.

This portion of the RIA small arms collection was NOT on display at the Putnam

Photo Credit to http://baseballbyways.blogspot.com

1918 - Present, John Deere

John Deere, headquartered in neighboring Moline, IL, has always been a valued contributor to the U.S. armed forces.  In WWI, over 1,000 of their employees served, and in WWII they added to the production effort, making military tractors, transmissions for tanks, ammunition, airplane parts, engine components, and even mobile laundry units.  Today, their contribution lies mostly in producing M-Gators, versions of their popular 6-wheeled "Gator" ATVs that have been converted to carrying the wounded.  The one shown in the exhibit is the first production model ever assembled, and of course, it was done at the nearby Rock Island Arsenal.

Current Production

The caption provided at the museum reads, "Today's Arsenal is characterized by public/private partnerships.  The Mandus Group, one of these partners, manufactures the Hawkeye Weapon System, a modular lightweight howitzer that can be mounted on a variety of vehicles, even a pick-up truck."

Unfortunately, I don't know if that means the item was designed or actually fabricated at RIA or Mandus.

The arsenal also takes on many projects revolving around HMMWVs (Humvees).  On display was an armored door they currently manufacture next to a non-armored door.  Shutting and knocking on these doors makes it instantly clear which door one would rather have in combat.

They also work with the National Guard to produce Humvee Ambulances to maximize storage capacity, increase interior door size, and also improve lighting and ventilation.  Signs in the museum indicate that these "new ambulances are being built in the exact same shop that put out the familiar Jeep ambulances of 50 years ago."

In addition to ambulances, RIA is also producing other specialized modifications for Humvees.  Soldiers aren't the only ones who might need attention in the field.  If a hydraulic system suffers a malfunction in the field, the Hydraulic System Test and Repair Unit (HSTRU) is certain to come in handy.  It's another co-venture with MandusGroup, who is also responsible for the image below.

Much in the same way that RIA built its own forges and made giant leaps ahead in self-sufficiency during the 1800s, the Arsenal is again embracing that same spirit in 3D printing. They are currently partnering with the Quad City Manufacturing Laboratory (QCML) to access cutting edge technology in order to more sucecssfully complete their mission.  Innovation comes much more quickly when parts for prototypes or repairs can be quickly printed on site... in metal.  General Rodman would have given up Quarters One for such advances.

This cube is a "demonstration component for a nuclear reactor" and is made from stainless steel
for a project with Lockheed-Martin.

This impeller is printed from titanium alloy.

I wish I could say, "that covers it," but these two articles on the Rock Island Arsenal in no way begin to cover the goods that have been produced on its 946 acres.  You'll notice that the products from the Great War and World War II were all but omitted.  Those goods tend to be a bit more well-known to collectors due to the massive scope of those conflicts.  The exhibit at the Putnam Museum chose instead to focus on goods that would be decidedly less familiar to enthusiasts of military history and the arsenal.  Besides, it's really hard to fit an M2 tank on the second story of a museum.

Thanks to both the Putnam Museum and the Rock Island Arsenal Museum for collaborating to put together such an informative, in-depth, and educational exhibit on this local and national treasure. There is no doubt RIA will continue its relevance, contributions and innovation in the centuries to come.

"M2A2 Terra Star 105mm Auxiliary Propelled Howitzer front quarter" by Jon.jeckell - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

On display at the outdoor RIA artillery collection, this M2A2 Terra Star, is known
to be the only surviving prototype.

-Written by Joel Kolander

SOURCES:

Lepore, Herbery P., "Rock Island Arsenal: An Arsenal for Democracy, 50th Anniversary of WWII"  Historical Office,

Slattery, Thomas J., "An Illustrated History of the Rock Island Arsenal Island, Part Two" Historical Office, U.S. Army Armament, 1989

Wallace, Lisa, "An Illustrated History of the Rock Island Arsenal and Arsenal Island, Part Three" History Office, U.S. Army Sustainment Command

Display information at "An Arsenal of Innovation," Putnam Museum, Davenport, IA

1911s of the First World War

U.S. military arms are popular with all levels of collectors.  Whether you want a M1 Garand to take out and shoot, a pristine M1 Thompson submachine gun for display only, or even a military rarity such as a Pedersen Device, the appeal is abundant.  Rock Island Auction Company has long offered military arms from many different nations, but our May 2014 Premiere Firearms Auction has provided us with a special opportunity: every military manufacturer of the M1911 and the M1911A1 will be represented.  This is in addition to the Von Norden Collection of German WWII Arms and Artifacts as well as hundreds of other U.S. military pieces such as Garands, Johnson rifles, trapdoors, trench shotguns, swords, M1903s, and even some Tommy guns.

In our previous article, "1911s of the Second World War," we saw examples and heard stories surrounding the five WWII manufacturers of the famed American sidearm.  This article will take a look at the companies that made pistols for the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I and does so as the world prepares to remember the Centennial of this unfathomable event.  The first World War began on July 28,1914 and lasted until the armistice on November 11, 1918.  After all the trench fighting, chemical warfare, aerial dogfights, and naval battles were over, 16 million were dead and over 21 million were wounded, making it one of the deadliest wars in human history.

Men of the 23rd Infantry on the Western Front in 1918.

Much of this death was courtesy of the numerous innovations taking place:  machine guns were developing rapidly past Maxim's original design and becoming much more reliable, airplanes fitted with these new machine guns and a synchronization gear (a.k.a. "interrupter") brought the battle to a new front, submarines had advanced well past their military infancy since the U.S. Civil War, chemical warfare was abundant despite the Hague Treaty of 1899, and the British invented the tank, which in turn resulted in many new anti-tank inventions by the Central Powers to destroy them.

Another new invention, in development for a least a decade before WWI, was the M1911 pistol.  John Moses Browning had been developing an "automatic pistol" for the military after they felt that their .38 caliber revolvers were under powered and could not fire nor reload quickly enough in combat.  The problem had been recognized over a decade prior because in 1900 the government placed an order for 1,000 Luger pistols from DWM for testing and evaluation.  Enter JMB and his M-1900.  It was not a perfect design, nor were several subsequent designs such as the M-1902, M-1903, or M-1905 (model designations are Browning's, not to be confused with the military designations).  However, as we all know the M-1911 performed best in the Army field trials, firing 6,000 rounds without a single malfunction, and became adopted as the M1911 by the Army in March 1911 and by the Navy & Marine Corps in 1913.

Upon our entry into the Great War the United States had slightly less than 75,000 of these pistols on-hand for just under 80,000 enlisted servicemen.  It's a rather dismal amount of pistols, but seems downright "prepared" in comparison to the amount of other tools of war that the U.S. possessed.  We had little artillery, barely anyone knowledgeable on how to effectively utilize it in modern warfare, and under 200 machineguns.  Read that again - under 200 machine guns of any type, brand, or manufacturer and most of those had only been purchased for testing of some sort.

Unlike many European nations who are quoted as saying that the war would be over quickly (6 months in some statements), by the time the United States was entering the battle in April 1917, the war had already been going on for almost three years.  We had no such illusions of a short conflict and began ordering enormous quantities of arms to arm a military force that was expected to approach one million men for an offensive that would have taken place in the Fall of 1919.


Colt

Highly Desirable Pre-World War I Colt U.S. Army Contract Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol

Obviously, all of this meant a boon of production for Colt.  Not only were a huge number of sidearms going to be required, but also a staggering number of machineguns.  Even for an experienced producer such as Colt, the demand was simply too great.  The War Department then stepped in and tried to fill the void.  In the government report on wartime manufacturing, "Arms of Industry," the Army was sending contracts out to numerous parties.  One passage regarding the M1911 reads as follows:

"In order to fill the enormously increased pistol requirements of the American Expeditionary Forces contracts for the Colt automatic were given to National Cash Register Company, at Dayton, Ohio; the North American Arms Company, Quebec; the Savage Arms Corporation, Utica, New York; Caron Brothers, Montreal; the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, Detroit, Michigan; the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, New Haven, Connecticut; the Lanston Monotype Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Savage Munitions Corporation, San Diego, California."

They were calling on everyone they could think of to manufacture arms for a war they clearly thought was going to be much longer.  In fact, in January of 1918 the War Department released a study stating that the military would need 2.5 MILLION pistols toward the end of 1919.  Needless to say, Colt was swamped.  They had already expanded once to ship pistols to England, but even with Springfield's help both manufacturers were way behind on the initial order of 142,000 pistols.  Two months into the war, June 1917, Colt received yet another contract for another 500,000 pistols!  Using Colt's production rate in 1900, that order would be the equivilant of six years' work.  They even increased production, along with Smith & Wesson, of the .45-caliber Model 1917 revolvers to satisfy a supplemental government contract for 100,000!  At this point they were just pumping out handguns as quickly as possible, and while the government would have obviously preferred the more advanced semi-autos they had to take what they could get.

All in all Colt produced 487,714 of these pistols during WWI, which includes 412,114 of the final contract for 500,000 before the war ended.



Springfield

U.S. Springfield Armory Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol

While Colt was drowning in contracts for pistols and machine guns, Springfield was struggling to keep up with the demand for M1903 bolt action rifles.  They would produce 265,620 M1903 rifles during the war in addition to M1917 Enfield rifles and M1911 pistols.

What did not help Springfield in the manufacturing process of the M1911 was Colt's "build-by-sample" process.  The idea from the Ordnance Department was a good one: ensure that M1911 pistols would have interchangeable parts regardless of what company manufactured them.  To do that, one must have specific measurements plus or minus a certain amount; these measurements are referred to as "tolerances."  These ensure that even a gun assembled with some parts that meet the maximum variances and some that meet the minimum variances will still function as designed.  The problem arose when Colt went to share their "measurements" with other companies - they didn't have accurate measurements.  Sure, there were some base-level numbers written down somewhere, but ultimately those numbers had been refined by the people making the guns and that's exactly who had that knowledge.  So when Colt sent sample guns to Springfield, Remington-UMC, and Winchester so they could copy them for war time manufacturing, all three companies experienced great difficulty in replicating the weapon and its specifics.  In fact, William Goddard states in his book, The Government Models: The Development of the Colt 1911 that, "Winchester's superintendent, whose production methods were the very model of documented and methodical organization, became practically apoplectic when his company tried to set up its contract production of the Model of 1911.  It took Winchester so long to figure out how to specify and build the 1911 that the war ended before they were able to complete any pistols."  Though Winchester should be given some leeway since they were cranking out M1917 rifles as fast as possible due to a government emphasized priority.  Thankfully, the other manufacturers did not suffer similar fates.  Springfield would manufacture 25,767 pistols and only discontinued production to focus on M1903 rifles.



Remington-UMC

U.S. Army Contract Remington-UMC Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol

In 1914 Remington was producing guns for several countries and went through several expansions to do so.  Czar Nicholas II had ordered one million M1891 Russian rifles and bayonets and also needed cartridges for them.  The French also needed ammo, but when the U.S. went to war all other contracts were put to rest.  Remington would manufacture M1911 pistols, Pedersen Devices, Browning machine guns, and Mark III flair pistols and despite the previously mentioned issues between manufacturers crafting interchangeable parts, Remington-UMC would have pistols rolling off the assembly line a mere 8 months after receiving their contract.  With a government contract for 500,000 pistols, Remington would only begin production in August of 1918 giving them almost 3 solid months of run time.  They would complete 13,000 pistols in that time, but were allowed to finish up with what parts they had remaining for a total of 21,676.  After WWI, the equipment used by Remington-UMC was shipped to Springfield for storage and later saw use again through various contractors during WWII.

Original Remington-UMC pistols are already rare, but a cutaway model for demonstrator purposes is truly a scarce find!  The contrast of "in the white" parts and the blued ones helps draw the eye  to it.

Other Contractors
Some of you may look at that list of only three manufacturers and wonder about that large list of companies and cities that received contracts from the U.S. Government to make M1911 pistols.  That's true, many companies did receive contracts to produce pistols since we were so radically behind in making them.  However, many of those contacts were rescinded upon the sudden armistice, leaving a lot of companies who were tooling up for production, or had already started, in the lurch.  Here's a short list of them.

North American Arms Co:  North American Arms had the same troubles that many other M1911 contractors did: they started late in the war, it took a while to receive the proper manufacturing machinery, they lacked individuals skilled in producing the M1911, and needed adequate drawings and specs.  To add to this, North American didn't have adequate facilities.  They had planned to produce the sidearms by leasing the factory of the bygone Ross Rifle Company, since in 1916 Ross rifles were withdrawn from service by Canadian troops (who would switch to the Lee-Enfield).  After all was said and done North American managed to produce approximately 104 uninspected, unissued, "toolroom" pistols.  That number makes them even more rare than the vaunted Singer M1911A1 pistols of World War II!  After the contract of 500,000 was cancelled, many of the remaining parts made by North American were used to complete commercial pistols.  North American is the only manufacturer in this section to have produced complete firearms even if none of them were actually delivered.

Extremely Rare North American Arms Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol

A.J. Savage Munitions Co:  Savage started producing parts before the war had ended especially slides and recoil springs.  Any pistol found with a Savage marked slide will likely have markings known to other pistol makers and is a "parts gun" or gun assembled from spare parts.  Savage never assembled a complete gun.  Some of these may even be "lunch box specials" by factory workers who would take single parts at a time to assemble a full gun at home.

No serial number or government markings appear on pistol, but it bears the "H" inspection mark, 3 line patent info, and the "S in flaming bomb" markings attributed to A.J. Savage Munitions Co.

The "S in flaming bomb" can be difficult to see, but appears immediately to the right of the patent information.

National Cash Register, Lanston Monotype, Caron Brothers, Savage Arms Corp, Burroughs Adding Machine Co, Winchester Repeating Arms Co:  These companies combined had contracts totaling 1,550,000 units, but not one would complete a pistol.  Although with Winchester's experienced firearms manufacturing capabilities it is reasonable to assume that all the necessary parts may have been ready upon contract termination, but subsequently shipped to Springfield for assembly.



It may be hard to believe, but this is a very abbreviated history of the manufacturers of the M1911.  Had American production been ramped up sooner, Colt had accurate documents on-hand, and America not been so late to enter World War I, there might be a much greater quanitiy of this revered pistol and from several different manufacturers.  Thankfully, the Great War ended when it did.  The French had lost 1.4 million men (+4% of population), the British has lost 900,000 men (+2%), the Russian Empire lost around 2 million men (2%), and the Germans lost over two million men (+3.5%).  Those figures only include military deaths and not civilian deaths caused by military action, disease, famine, etc.
















We're all grateful to the M1911 and the M1897 trench shotgun (another Browning invention) for their military provenance and proven ability to help clear the trenches in WWI.  The history of these manufacturers is also one that needs to be told - those companies that were willing to help a nation in its time of crisis.  But the time to remember these weapons and companies can wait.  In this Centennial Anniversary of the Great War, let us again remember the millions of young men around the world who left behind their families and fought for their country.  Over 110,000 Americans lost their lives in those short years.  Let us each find some way to honor their memory during this terrible anniversary.  We leave you with the words of Wilfred Owen.

Dulce Et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.

GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.--
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

-Written by Joel Kolander





SOURCES:

Clawson, Charles W. Colt .45 Service Pistols: Models of 1911 and 1911A1: Complete Military History, Development, and Production 1900 through 1945. Fort Wayne, IN: C.W. Clawson, 1991. Print.

http://www.coolgunsite.com/pistols/colt%20production.htm#Model of 1911 Production

http://www.nramuseum.org/the-museum/the-galleries/america-ascending/case-57-world-war-i-allies-the-world-at-war,-1914-1918/us-remington-umc-model-1911-semi-automatic-pistol.aspx

Goddard, William H. D. The Government Models: The Development of the Colt Model of 1911. Lincoln, RI, U.S.A.: A. Mowbray, 1988. Print.

Sweeney, Patrick. 1911: The First 100 Years. Iola, WI: Krause Pubns, 2010. Print.

The Unsung Trapdoor Rifle

Trapdoor Rifle Prices

Click here to see ALL the Trapdoor Rifles Available in our December 2013 Premiere Firearms Auction!

In terms of American military long arms very little attention is given to a predecessor of the much heralded M1903 and M1 Garand, the Springfield Trapdoor.  The Springfield Trapdoor was produced for over 20 years and would experience many changes throughout its life.  The rifle would take its place in history just after the Civil War, despite the justifiable hesitation of many military personnel who were all too aware about the superiority of repeaters and magazine fed rifles.  It would kill buffalo by the thousands as America expanded westward and would also play a role in the wars against the Native Americans.  Militarily it represents the watershed transition for U.S. forces from the musket to the rifle.  Today we find out a little bit more of this rifle, its origins, the question of its performance, and its role in history.

Lot 3507: Rare Early Springfield Armory Model 1873 Trapdoor Rifle with Rare Metcalfe Device

Origins
After the Civil War, the War Department wanted a breech-loading rifle.  To be specific, they wanted a breech-loading rifle that would chamber a self-primed, metallic cartridge.  This led to the formation of an Army Board who, in 1865, would host trials of different rifles by makers both foreign and domestic.  The idea of the Master Armorer at the U.S Armory at Springfield, Mr. Erskine S. Allin, was to take the existing Civil War muzzle-loaders, of which there were thousands, and convert them by adding the now well known "trap door" to the receiver.

Lot 3512: U.S. Springfield Model 1879 Trapdoor Rifle

This appealed to the Board for a number of reasons:

1. It used existing materials, thereby saving money and manufacturing time.
2. Money was even more important with the War Department's newly slashed budget.
3. Single shots were viewed as more reliable and rugged than repeaters or magazine rifles.
4. It looked like proven guns of the past, especially with its pronounced hammer.
5. Their priority on long range accuracy over rate of fire.
6. Single shot rifles were thought to force a more efficient use of ammunition

Lot 3101: Civil War U.S. Springfield Model 1861 Percussion Rifle-Musket with Bayonet

The Springfield Model 1861 percussion rifled musket was the most used rifle by the Union in the Civil War.  It is not difficult to see its relation to the Model 1873.

The Board adopted the National Armory's (a.k.a. the U.S. Armory at Springfield, later just "Springfield") design, now referred to as the "First Allin."  However, this "adoption" was more of a test drive than a final acceptance.  As reports came in from the field in subsequent years, the rifle would be adapted, redesigned, replaced in the field in small numbers.  This went on for about 5 years from National Armory's Model 1865 to their Model 1870, until on September 3, 1872, the Board of Army Officers held another trial.  This trial was designed to find a rifle with more in line with their preference toward range and power than the Model 1870 being "test driven" by soldiers in the field.  The Board, now known as the "Terry Board," was headed by Brigadier General A.H. Terry and requested roughly 100 different breech-loading rifles from various makers to put through trials.  They again received both foreign and domestic submissions from some of the most prominent firearms manufacturers of the day such as: Winchester, Remington, Springfield, Sharps, Spencer, Whitney, and others.  All but 21 were rejected almost immediately and only two of those were modifications of the current .50 caliber trap door

Lot 1476: Rare U.S. Springfield Armory Model 1875 Officer's Model Trapdoor Rifle, Late Type II

Breech from above of the Officer's Model 1875

At this point, a "sidebar" study was held by the Terry Board.  It was a separate, yet related, study to determine which combination of caliber, powder charge, and bullet weight would provide the best performance.  They tested .40, .42, and .45 caliber bullets, powder amounts from 65-80 grains, several rifling variations, and bullet weights from 350-450 grains.  Each variation had its own barrel and was tested with 20 shots at 6 targets 500 yards away.  The winner would be barrel #16 with the #58 ammunition, which would be the 45-70-405 cartridge.  We know it better as the .45-70 Government.  The round was deemed so effective that Colt would be making Gatling guns to utilize that round later that same year.  It is surprising that both government and private manufacturers took so long to realize that by increasing powder and lessening bullet weight, they could produce rifles with much greater range.  The development of this round and its subsequent rifle, literally made for each other, would mark the American shift from muskets to longer range rifles.

By the time the .45-70 was decided upon, the Terry Board had further narrowed the field of long arms to six possible candidates.  Each was altered to use this new cartridge and tested further.  In the end, their bias to an older style of warfare and rifle won out and the trap door action was selected.  The preference for a powerful rifle that would be accurate at long distances also implies interesting things about the state of American conflict at that time.  The Civil War having ended a short 7 years earlier, the thought was to again select a weapon that would perform nobly in a similar type of conflict.  The thought of fast-moving battles against Native Americans may have been a secondary priority at that time, hence the lack of urgency to adopt repeating and magazine based rifles.

Lot 1482: Extremely Rare Martially Inspected U.S. Springfield 1892 Dated
.30 Calibre Experimental Trapdoor Rifle Number "I"

Same rifle in full.

Use

It is known that trapdoor rifles were not developed until after the Civil War and through Springfield's manufacturing records one will find that the first 1,940 Model 1873 carbines and 2 rifles were not made until the final months of 1873 with an additional 6,521 weapons ready by March 31, 1874.  The Model 1873 was the fifth improvement of the Allin design.

The Spanish-American War would not start for another 24 years.  Until that time the Allin System longarms would be used in the American plains for two purposes: killing buffalo and fighting American Indians.  As a buffalo killer, the weapon was apt.  Its muzzle velocity of 1,350 feet/second would allow it to penetrate 17 inches of white pine at 100 yards, certainly enough to kill a buffalo.  This power when combined with its long range accuracy also made it an excellent hunting rifle for other large game of the prairie and coyotes.  The classic cowboy song "Home On the Range," was first published in 1873 with its now well-known lyrics of buffalo roaming while deer and antelope play.  Little could author Brewster M. Higley have known how much the Springfield, developed that same year, would affect those animals.

Lot 3515: Desirable Custer Era U.S. Springfield Model 1873 Trapdoor Carbine with Indian Markings

The Allin System's performance in the Indian Wars is much debated.  Often cited are the "large number" of empty cartridges found at the Battle of Little Big Horn which exhibited signs of malfunction.  Such examples were found, however, they are a small percentage (2.7 - 3.4% by some counts) of the thousands rounds that were fired in that conflict.  The  concern over jamming weapons in the Indian Wars is not a modern one.  Even at the time, it was a known concern among soldiers.  This was due in large part to the use of a copper alloy ("Bloomfield Gilding Metal") in the manufacture of the ammunition's case.  Copper was prone to expanding in the breech upon firing and could also prevent the extractor from properly functioning.  This often required the user to pry the cartridge from the breech or to push it out by using the ramrod.  Such a remedy was not an option on the carbine version which did not include that valuable tool.  This brought about the use of brass cases to reduce  expansion, a material still in use to this day.

The Springfield Model 1873 carbine was the standard issue longarm of all U.S. Cavalry units from 1874 to 1896, but the rifle would be switched out in 1886 for the improved Springfield Model 1884.  The Allin system would not be replaced as the standard U.S. rifle until the adoption of the Krag-Jørgensen (a.k.a. Springfield Model 1892-99) which would also be produced by the Springfield Armory from 1894 to 1904.  For those paying close attention to dates, this means that the Krag, using its smokeless ammunition, was the primary rifle used in both the Spanish-American War as well as the Philippine-American War, though the sheer number of available trap doors inevitably meant that the outdated black powder guns would still see use.

Lot 1488: Excellent U.S. Springfield Model 1884 Trapdoor Rifle

Previous gun's breech as seen from above

Variations
It's hard to see how any troops could complain about the Springfield trap door.  With a new variation out almost every year of its production, any issues could be dealt with rapidly and remedied in subsequent variations.  The only issue that could not be fixed was that of its relatively low rate of fire, a quality inherent to its loading method.  I will not cover the vast number of variations here.  For an exhaustive list of the changes and varieties in all their minutia, please consult what many consider to be the Bible of Springfield Trapdoors, Robert Frasca's The .45-70 Springfield.  With his list of all the parts that were altered from 1873-1894, it is difficult to imagine one piece remaining throughout all 20 years of production.


Not only did the Model 1873 miss the major conflicts of the 17th and 18th centuries, it was also vastly overshadowed by the iconic Winchester repeater and Colt revolver released that same year.  It was a rifle languishing in the past by a population in the throes of the Industrial Revolution and hungry to adopt the new technologies that accompanied it.  The Model 1873 was relegated to ill-chosen government contracts, slaughtering buffalo, and killing Native Americans. Outdated in its loading system before it was even adopted by the government and lacking the celebrity of a military conflict, the Springfield Trapdoor plays a quiet role in the story of U.S. military arms, yet remains a highly desirable collector's piece with its unique loading system, endless varieties to collect, and aesthetically pleasing components like the lockplate, hammer, and sweeping breech block.  Even a highly dedicated collector would stay busy for decades happily collecting this long arm of the American plains.

In fact, one collector did just that, Dr. Richard Branum.  Our upcoming December 2013 Premiere Firearms Auction will have over 50 trapdoor rifles at all levels of collecting!  Dr. Branum's collection represents a lifetime of collecting and has resulted in the most comprehensive and academic collection of trapdoors.  Represented will be rare, experimental variations, extremely high condition models, unusual calibers, accouterments, and many different years of production.  The collection possesses every caliber of manufacture: .58 rimfire, .50-70 government, .45.70 government, the rare .45-80 long range cartridge, and .30-40.  It also contains every barrel length and every variation of the ramrod bayonet.  It is a living history lesson to view all the chronological variations in this fantastic collection.

If early American militaria and rifles are your passion, the Springfield Trapdoors alone will be enough to get you champin' at the bit.  There will also be nearly 70 Civil War pieces that help make up the nearly 1,000 antiques available in this auction.  And we all know why antiques can be so nice.  Stay tuned each and every week for more fascinating and laudable firearms.

-Written by Joel Kolander





Note: This article incorrectly referred to the rifles in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "The Arsenal at Springfield" as trapdoor rifles.  We were notified by several readers that those arms would have pre-dated the trapdoor rifles and that trapdoor rifles would not have even fit correctly in those massive and impressive racks.  We regret the error and those references have since been omitted.





SOURCES:

Frasca, Albert J., and Charles R. Suydam. The .45-70 Springfield: Springfield Caliber .58, .50, .45 and .30 Breech Loaders in the U.S. Service, 1865-1893. Springfield, OH: Frasca Pub., 1997. Print.

Call of Duty

Hello everybody!  My name is Joel and I'm in charge of social media responsibilities here at Rock Island Auction Co.  Yes, that is as cool as it sounds.  I'm ridiculously excited to start a career here and to show you a glimpse of just some the amazing firearms we have here at RIAC.  Most will be upcoming auction items, some will be stuff that I find personally fascinating, and others will just have a significant and sometimes unique history behind them.  Let's jump right in shall we?

Today's post will be for something we can all get behind: Call of Duty.  Younger readers know this as a  video game series stretching all the way back to 2003.  It is a game that initially puts players in a World War II setting in the role of soldiers in the U.S., British, and Russian armies.  While those who don't play video games may not care too much about this, they should definitely appreciate the familiarity with firearms that these games are bestowing to a much younger audience.  All of a sudden, kids could tell you the differences between a MP40 and an MP44, or between a M1 Garand and an M1903 Springfield.

More recent versions of the game take place in modern times with updated combat weapons.  Instead of the former weapons of war, players are using modern combat tools.  This includes everything from Steyr Augs, FN P90s, Remington's MSR, to Javelin missle launchers.  While RIAC does not have any Javelins, we certainly have a variety of the new and old guns that have been capturing the interest of players.  I write about these guns not because they're trendy, but because new and experienced enthusiasts alike can both appreciate the active legislative climate for gun owners.  Whether it's the aficionado with a collection spanning several hundred pieces or the person with the tried and true, handed down rifle, all gun owners need to pay special attention to the debates and legislation taking place.  That's a Call of Duty that we should all heed.

To show what's at stake, I'm going to show some of the guns that appear in these video games.  Both new and old collectors would be lucky to include any of these guns in their collection, but in order to maintain the right to collect these fine pieces it's going to take both groups using their respective passions to move toward a common goal.  I promise that I'll try to keep the political pieces to a minimum and to keep the focus on exciting, unique firearms of all eras, but with all these great firearms that I've seen here in my first month and the current national debate, I really couldn't resist.  Now how about some pictures of some amazing weapons?  I'll start with some more of the historic pieces.


Colt Model 1921 "Thompson" Submachine Gun 
Who could deny the desire to collect this piece of Americana?  The "Tommy" Gun brings up visions of everything from World War II to Prohibition-era mobsters.  It has earned such nicknames as, The Chicago Typewriter, The Chicago Piano, The Trench Sweeper, The Trench Broom, The Chicago Organ Grinder, its prototype name The Annihilator, its more personable common name The Tommy Gun, and my personal favorite, The Chopper.  Their mingled history of sordid and noble deeds combined with their quality and reliability make these guns highly desirable collectors items. The model that we'll be selling in our April auction is described below.

Auction Description

Excellent Colt Model 1921 Full Automatic Class III "Thompson" Submachine Gun

"This is a beautiful example of an early production Model 1921 Thompson submachine gun as produced by the Colt Firearms Company circa 1921/22. This specific submachine gun remains in it's early original 1921 configuration. The Thompson SMG is probably one of the most famous and easily recognized SMGs ever produced and made infamous during the prohibition and gangland warfare era by both U.S. law enforcement agencies, the Mafia and again by the USMC in 1928 during their time in Nicaragua. These 1921 models had mediocre sales for the first few years with most being later upgraded to the 1928 configuration, however this example remains in it's original 1921 configuration...These were one of the best if not the best made SMG ever and if you ever have a chance to disassemble one of these weapons you will be amazed at how well they were manufactured, the parts just slide together like glass"

The full description and markings of this great weapon can be found by clicking here.

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Springfield Model 1903

Countless numbers of our fathers and grandfathers have held and used this weapon in a number of international wars.  While it saw its heyday in WWI, it continued as the standard infantry issue in WWII until adequate numbers of the M1 Garand could be manufactured.  Heck, it was so prized for its reliability and accuracy that it even saw service as a sniper rifle in WWII, Korea, and even early in Vietnam.  Besides its importance in combat, it also provided an ample template for experimentation as the U.S. attempted to develop a serviceable semi-automatic weapon for military use.  In fact, one of those experiments will be available at our upcoming Premiere Auction in April 2013.  I refer to the M1903 Mark I, which involved a hole on the left side of the receiver to accommodate a Pedersen Device, essentially converting the M1903 into a semi-automatic rifle capable of firing .30 caliber cartridges from a horizontally inserted magazine.  The Pedersen Device was discussed in-depth in a previous article. This type of unique item really makes history exciting!

Auction Description

Outstanding All Complete Model 1903 Mark I U.S. Springfield Bolt Rifle with Ultra Rare Original Pedersen Device with Metal Case Magazine Canvas Pouch and 1906 Dated Bayonet

Wow what a fantastic find! A complete 1919 dated U.S. Springfield Model 1903 Mark I rifle rig that is complete with an original "Remington-Bridgeport" 1918 Mark I Pedersen Device that is complete with the original Pedersen device metal carrying case, disassembly tool, two original stick magazines, canvas pouch for the magazines, and an original canvas pouch for the 1903 bolt when removed from the rifle. What a complete turn-key type set up... This super rare device is accompanied by an original, Model 1903 Mark I rifle.

The full description and markings of this great weapon can be found by clicking here.


StG 44
A continuation of the MP43 and MP44, the Sturmgewehr (StG) literally translated as "storm rifle" and was allegedly named such by Adolf Hitler himself for propaganda purposes.  It was largely developed to compensate for the shortcomings of other German rifles of the era.  German cartridges prior to 1942 were larger than necessary, so a less powerful and shorter ("Kurz") version of the standard German 7.92mm cartridge was developed.  This gave the Germans a weapon with less recoil, and a controllable, high rate of fire weapon good for mid range engagements.  It is largely credited as being the granddaddy to all modern assault rifles, even the quintessential AK47 and M16.  To say that this is an important part of firearms history is an understatement.

Auction Description

Sturmgewehr 44

This is an outstanding example of an extremely rare, all original and unaltered WWII Nazi STG44 (SturmGewehr 44) assault rifle with all matching numbers that is complete with one late war "MP44" marked magazine. The STG44 select fire rifle was a continuation of the MP44 series of weapons which was designed for mass production using several stamped sheet and welded steel parts. This series of assault rifle was developed to give the German soldier more fire power by using the shorter/lighter 7.92 X33 mm Kurz cartridge in a 30 round magazine, with select fire capability. The 7.92 X 33mm cartridge provides far more power and greater range than the standard 9 mm SMG round as used in the MP40 series of SMGs, and it allowed the German Infantryman to carry considerably more ammunition that the standard 8mm ammunition for the 98K rifles. The MP44/STG44 series of rifles is considered to be the father of the modern assault rifle concept/design and was the basis of the later Russian AK series of weapons.

Here's the link to this item's lot and more high resolution photos!

Modern Weapons

Now for some of the modern weapons.  If you're a collector that leans toward more "history based" weapons, these may not have the same high level of appeal.  However, if you like contemporary design, high rates of fire, and large advances of technology, then these weapons are definitely for you.

Steyr Aug

The Steyr Aug's distinct appearance has earned it appearances in video games dating back at least to the year 2000.  Despite its development in the early 1970's, the gun enjoys a modern design by incorporating a built-in optical sight/carrying handle, one-piece plastic stock to help prevent uniform snags, a translucent magazine, and bullpup design.  

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Auction Description

Steyr AUG

"Produced before 1994. Blade and notch sights on the integral scope/carry handle. Gun South import marks are present on the quick-detach barrel, with a bird-cage flash hider, 2-position gas port and folding front handle. Matching numbers are present on the barrel, receiver, and bolt carrier. Textured pistol grip stock, with Steyr-Mannlicher markings and a smooth rubberized buttplate. With one 9-round magazine and one 30-round magazine, along with a cardboard shipping box."

The auction listing for this weapon can be seen here.  We also have 3 other AUGs for auction and many magazines for them!


FN PS90
Better known to gamers as the P90, the PS90 is the semi-automatic carbine version of this originally fully automatic weapon.  It is completely ambidextrous with no modifications, and features a patented "top-mounted, longitudinal magazine."  It looks like it was designed 25 years in the future and is designed to fire the fast 5.7 x 28mm round.

Auction Description

Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal PS90

"This is the early version, introduced in 2005 as a semi-automatic, civilian legal carbine based off the P90 Personal Defense Weapon. Fitted with the green military style polymer stock, extended barrel with integral bird cage flash hider, ambidextrous safety and charging handles, adjustable optical sight, and 50-round top feed magazine. With factory box numbered to gun, cable lock and three extra magazines with boxes."

PS90 auction listing can be found here!

Barrett Model 82A1
This may be a gun that both new enthusiasts and collectors can both appreciate.  There are few better ways to reach out and touch something than with this visually intimidating and brutally accurate rifle.  It is used by armies, law enforcement, and tactical teams worldwide - a testament to its performance, reliability, power, and uncanny ability to throw .50 BMG rounds downrange with incredible precision.

Auction Description

Barrett Model 82A1 Semi-Automatic Rifle with Accessories

"This is an impressive semi-automatic 50 caliber anti-material/anti-personnel rifle and is the same type as used by the U.S. Military. This rifle has a rear flip up adjustable iron sight mounted on top of the receiver and a fold down front sight. There is a removable fold-down carrying handle on the top rail, a factory "arrowhead" shaped muzzle brake, a rear monopod, a fold down M60 style bipod, an M-16 style pistol grip and a solid rubber recoil pad. The top of the receiver has a long Picatinny rail for optics/accessories with a Barrett Optical Ranging System (BORS)(not tested) that has been attached to the Leupold Mark 4 4.5-14x50mm LRT scope in Barrett scope rings with Butler Creek flip up lens caps. Comes with original Pelican takedown case, 3 extra magazines, an Otis cleaning kit, software and cables for BORS equipped scope and 2 cases of Barrett 661 grain .50 BMG ammunition (159/160)."

We also have two other Barrets available in this auction!  You may click here and here to see them.


I hope that seeing some of these warfare weapons, both new and old, really got the old juices flowing! The best part is that these are only a fraction of the combat arms that we are going to feature.  Go ahead and run a search and see if we have your favorite firearms in our upcoming sale.  Thanks for checking out our great items and keep your eyes peeled for more.

FOR A FULL LISTING OF ALL OUR WEAPONS THAT HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN THE CALL OF DUTY SERIES, CLICK HERE!

SOURCES

Miller, D. (2005). The Illustrated Directory of Guns, A Collector's Guide to over 2000 Military, Sporting and Antique firearms. Colin Gower Enterprises Ltd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_P90

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1903_Springfield

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steyr_AUG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StG_44