High Standard Barrel Production

 

Excerpted from E-mail correspondence from Alan Aronstein.

I thought that I should Post the FIRST HAND information that I learned over the Years about the Connecticut barrels. One day I mentioned to Bob Shea that we had received a Victor 5.5" Barrel that was SMOOTH BORE. Bob immediately said "well there are at least 2 more out there. " He told me that all barrels were run in a blank length that would produce 3 barrels. I assume that he was referring to 5.5" barrels but, he could have meant ALL barrels and their lengths.  He told me that ALL of the blanks went thru the same processes and that was the reason that Sport Kings and Dura-Matics and Revolvers would shoot good groups. I confirmed that with Wilson Jr., and Art Murther.  Bob had given me his special gauges for the 10-X barrel selection. The only other bore gauges that I found were the Go and No Go gauges to check the diameter after reaming. Gus Swebelius hired George Wilson Sr. away from Remington in the 1920s(??). George had been an Engineer in the Remington Barrel plant during WW I (??) George Wilson Jr. followed in his fathers footsteps at HS and served in the Engineering Dept and Barrel Plant. In 1954, Jr. retired and started Wilson Arms which is a large barrel plant. George Wilson Jr. visited us at least 2 times at the Texas Plant. I hope that the pictures that we took during his visits are some where in the plant. I will post them on our web site in the HS Vintage Section. Art Murther had been the Government inspector at HS during WW II. After the war, he became VP at HS. He also signed the settlement that ended the Olympic Committee law suit against HS in 1950. HS Prevailed in the use of Olympic because they had been using it prior to the Exclusivity that was granted to the Olympic Committee by Congress. I met Art while working on various projects at Iver Johnson. My meeting ended up as a VERY fortunate thing for HS. The Olympic Committee came after HS in TX. Gordon Elliott had a copy of the agreement. We listed Art as a witness and stated that we wanted to take the deposition of their witnesses. They had NO witnesses and the action ended as we agreed to NOT sub-license the Name to any 3rd party. George Wilson III ran the family business until he sold it 10years ago (+/-).  I recall that they can produce 150,000 barrels per month if the orders exist. What ALL of this means is that I was able to learn ALL of the Processes and the "Black Art" of the barrel production !!!!!  As an aside, I just found a letter that was written to me by Larry Larson. It described that he had worked on the T-48, FAL, and M79 Projects at HS. I never knew that HS worked on those weapons. I did receive some M1 Carbine Barrels from Bob Shea that had been modified in a Silencer Program after WW II for the newly formed CIA. I am sure that John might have some more info on this. - Alan Aronstein