Massachusetts Arms Company
Encyclopedia
The Massachusetts Arms Company, of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts
was a manufacturer of firearms and firearm-related products from about 1849 into the early 20th century.
The Massachusetts Arms Company was incorporated March 5, 1850 and was founded by Arthur Savage along with Horace Smith
and Daniel Wesson
, who later founded Smith and Wesson. It was an outgrowth of the Wesson Rifle Company.
Christian Sharps
, who later founded the Sharps Rifle Company, transferred the manufacture of his first rifle to the company in 1849 or 1850.
The company also manufactured Wesson & Leavitt revolver
s between 1850 and 1851. These were said to be the first revolvers patented after Colt's.
In 1851, Samuel Colt
filed and won a historic patent infringement lawsuit against the Massachusetts Arms Company. The company then limited its revolver production to relatively unpopular designs by Edward Maynard
until 1857, when Colt's patent expired.
Maynard patented his revolutionary breechloading rifle
in 1851. It was actually manufactured by Massachusetts Arms, which had been using Maynard's system under contract for several years. In 1855 they produced 2,000 Greene Carbines, a Maynard system firearm, for a British government contract. These carbines were used in the Crimean War
.
Maynard's rifle was operated by a lever which when depressed raised the barrel to open the breech for loading. A brass cartridge, also developed by Maynard, was then inserted and the lever raised to close the breech. Once cocked the loaded rifle could then be primed by either placing a percussion cap directly on its nipple or by using Maynard's patented priming system to advance a primer to the nipple.
Also in 1857 the company received a contract to manufacture Adams revolvers under license for the U.S. government. Some 500 or so were produced and used in the U.S. Civil War.
The company also produced single- and double-barrel shotguns, including both box-locks and external central hammers. Later it manufactured a selection of 20- and 28-bore Maynard-action shotguns of 1865 and 1873 patterns.
With civil war looming some Southern states purchased Maynard rifles from the company for their state militias. Of close to 3000 sales, most were to Florida
, Georgia
, and Mississippi
. The First Model Maynard was designated an official Confederate
firearm.
The factory burned down in January 1861, halting production until the factory was rebuilt in 1863. The company then received an order for 20,000 of the simpler Second Model Maynard carbines. Deliveries of these guns began in June 1864 continuing through May 1865. As the war was then coming to an end few saw service. Some, however, are known to have been used by the 9th and 11th Indiana Cavalry and the 11th Tennessee Cavalry regiments.
In the late 19th century the company began producing revolvers on various Smith & Wesson patterns.
Production continued until the factory closed permanently during the Great Depression
.
The Massachusetts Arms Company is also the trade name used by J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company
for firearms produced for sale at the Blish, Mize and Silliman Hardware Company of Atchison
, Kansas
.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
was a manufacturer of firearms and firearm-related products from about 1849 into the early 20th century.
The Massachusetts Arms Company was incorporated March 5, 1850 and was founded by Arthur Savage along with Horace Smith
Horace Smith (inventor)
Horace Smith was a gunsmith, inventor, and businessman. He and his business partner Daniel B. Wesson formed two companies named Smith & Wesson, the first of which was financed in part by Oliver Winchester and was eventually reorganized into the Winchester Repeating Arms Company-Early career:Born...
and Daniel Wesson
Daniel B. Wesson
Daniel Baird Wesson was a firearms designer from the United States. He was responsible for helping develop several firearms that had a very large influence in the field.-Early years:...
, who later founded Smith and Wesson. It was an outgrowth of the Wesson Rifle Company.
Christian Sharps
Christian Sharps
Christian Sharps, the inventor of the first successful breech loading rifle, was born in Washington, New Jersey in 1810. He married Sarah Elizabeth Chadwick of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. The couple had two children, a daughter Satella and son Leon Stewart.Sharps was issued a patent for...
, who later founded the Sharps Rifle Company, transferred the manufacture of his first rifle to the company in 1849 or 1850.
The company also manufactured Wesson & Leavitt revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s between 1850 and 1851. These were said to be the first revolvers patented after Colt's.
In 1851, Samuel Colt
Samuel Colt
Samuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist. He was the founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company , and is widely credited with popularizing the revolver. Colt's innovative contributions to the weapons industry have been described by arms historian James E...
filed and won a historic patent infringement lawsuit against the Massachusetts Arms Company. The company then limited its revolver production to relatively unpopular designs by Edward Maynard
Edward Maynard
-External links:*...
until 1857, when Colt's patent expired.
Maynard patented his revolutionary breechloading rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
in 1851. It was actually manufactured by Massachusetts Arms, which had been using Maynard's system under contract for several years. In 1855 they produced 2,000 Greene Carbines, a Maynard system firearm, for a British government contract. These carbines were used in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
.
Maynard's rifle was operated by a lever which when depressed raised the barrel to open the breech for loading. A brass cartridge, also developed by Maynard, was then inserted and the lever raised to close the breech. Once cocked the loaded rifle could then be primed by either placing a percussion cap directly on its nipple or by using Maynard's patented priming system to advance a primer to the nipple.
Also in 1857 the company received a contract to manufacture Adams revolvers under license for the U.S. government. Some 500 or so were produced and used in the U.S. Civil War.
The company also produced single- and double-barrel shotguns, including both box-locks and external central hammers. Later it manufactured a selection of 20- and 28-bore Maynard-action shotguns of 1865 and 1873 patterns.
With civil war looming some Southern states purchased Maynard rifles from the company for their state militias. Of close to 3000 sales, most were to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. The First Model Maynard was designated an official Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
firearm.
The factory burned down in January 1861, halting production until the factory was rebuilt in 1863. The company then received an order for 20,000 of the simpler Second Model Maynard carbines. Deliveries of these guns began in June 1864 continuing through May 1865. As the war was then coming to an end few saw service. Some, however, are known to have been used by the 9th and 11th Indiana Cavalry and the 11th Tennessee Cavalry regiments.
In the late 19th century the company began producing revolvers on various Smith & Wesson patterns.
Production continued until the factory closed permanently during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
The Massachusetts Arms Company is also the trade name used by J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company
Stevens Arms
Stevens Arms was an American firearms manufacturer founded by Joshua Stevens in 1864. The company introduced the .22 Long Rifle round and made a number of rifle, shotgun, and target pistol designs before being bought by Savage Arms in 1920. After 1920, Stevens made training rifles and machineguns...
for firearms produced for sale at the Blish, Mize and Silliman Hardware Company of Atchison
Atchison, Kansas
Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.