GUNS Magazine December 1958 - Jeffersonian

'- --. .- .. '-'-'- '-'- '-"-'-"'--'-'-'-"'''''''''''''Ramrodding Colt's by astute manage.ment is Fred Roff, .Jr., sales VP (right),shown with Gov. Freeman of Minn.M1855 sporting rifle (top) was also made as militaryarm used by Sharpshooters. Lever rifle was model 1883.rifle before. But from that tour, plus the rico chets fromthe rumor "Colt's is making rifles," emerged the Colt 57sporter in .30-06 and .270 caliber.The 57 is a good, solid, American-style sporting riflebuilt on the imp orted FN Mauser action. At the moment,Roff wanted to get guns into the market, giving shootersa well-built, safe, accurate rifle of standard pattern, andthe basic Mauser action , copied at the time in modi fiedform by other leading U.S. riflemakers, was available.Using the Mau ser, Colt' s acquired barrels of the exclusivepoly-groove d system developed by Harry Sefried, leadingU.S. arms engineer. Toda y, Sefried is pr oducing the Colt57 und er the supervision of Colt inspectors .Man ufa cturing the barrels in Sefried's shop is not a newthing with the Colt rifle program. Back in Paterson dayswhen the first revolving rifles appeared, the barrels wereU.:;. 'arms engineer. Toda y, Sefr ied is pr oducing the Colt57 und er the supervision of Colt inspectors .Manufacturing the barrels in Sefried's shop is not a newthing with the Colt rifle program. Back in Paterson dayswhen the first revolving rifles appeared, the barrels werebought "from the barrel maker in Litchfield" (Conn.] , andfitted to the Paterson guns under Sam Colt's supervision.And in 1861 Colt's obtained tho usands of barrels fromEnglish and Belgian gunmakers : barrels that had to passthe strict Colt fac tory and U.S. ordnance inspection beforebeing accepted on the Colt U.S. Rifled Musket, in its daythe finest militar y muzzle-load ing rifle mad e.At the same time, though the Colt 57 topped $100 inpri ce, Colt's prepared a single shot bolt gun, Colteer .22,to sell for a ridiculously low pr ice. Tho ugh the little rifle isplainly finished , it has an excellently proportioned stock.The action design suggests strongly that it is an improvementon the ru gged small-bore Mauser rifles, long famousfor precision quali ty. Thou gh the Colteer is a mass-marketrifle, when I first saw it I suggested Colt's tr y a matchrifle based on a beefed up, costlier version of the Colteeraction. Basically, it has the stuff to make a pr emium gun.Exponents of a complete package for the shooter, Colt'sannounced the two with matching scopes, both stronglycompetitive with other arm s.Further re finement to the rifle program resulted thefollowin g year, early in 1958, in settling on three imp rovedbig-bore rifles to replace the Colt 57. First were the ColtsmanStandard big bore rifle and the better Deluxe. TheColtsman takes the fine Colt scopes, or appropriate ironsights. The action is the big Swedish improved Mauser,with slick side safety and low bolt handle. On the premiergrade Custom, the stock is finished slick as glass, withh........ 'I 'If-~.t nllu ............:....... .... ..1 ..... ~~.J __ .J &. __ ~ .. ~__ 1 .1 t(now obsolete) , Coltsman , Deluxe, and Custom Coltthefron t sights are of a unique design. The ramp ismoulded with a serrated face toward the eye, with wideblad e foresight. The almost universal use of a scope inthis field- higher power for accuracy at long range or lowpower for maximum hunter safety in the woods-has madethe Colt and scope ensemble very popular.With all of these rifles, Colt's has a prob lem. It is onenot easily solved, but it is one with which Roff has beenpersonally concern ed for a long time. Perhaps the easiestway to state the problem is by analogy- the Pea cemaker"looks like a Colt," and the Official Police "looks likeaColt" and the Woodsma n "looks like a Colt." In SamColt's day , the revolving cylinder plus the peculiarly highquality of finish (equalled but not surpassed with thenewest Custom Colt) , marked the rifle as " a Colt," also." looks like a Colt," and the Othcial Police " looks like iaColt" and the Woodsma n "looks like a Colt." In SamColt's day , the revolving cylinder plus the peculiarly highquality of finish (equalled but not surpassed with thenewest Custom Colt) , marked the rifle as " a Colt," also.Today, some distinguishing ma rk should set the Colt rifleapa rt fr om all others . One step forward is Sefried's specialfr ont sight ; another is the use of the contrasting woodtips in the premier quality Custom grade.Yet a look at the rifles which precede these recent reoentries in the shoulder arm field show a combination of" distinctively Colt" characteristics. A study of their successmight lead toward the right answer toda y. The Colt rifleprogram is now a success. But the ri fles are distin ctivewithout being ind ividu alistic, and ru mor hath it that studyis going on now to make Colt shoulder guns say " It's aColt" as unmistaka bly as do the Colt revolvers and pistols.Novelty in the rifle field is old hat at Colt's. When Sam'sfirst successful shoulder guns were built up by Baltimoregunsmith John Pear son, the rotat ing chambered breechwas the distinctive feature. Two patent suits mad e Sam'spath rocky, but both Adam Humbarge r and MighillNutting, revolving rifle inventors, have faded into thepast. The first Colt factory failed and, regr ettably, therevolving rifle prog ram was something less than a success.Colt turned his manifold inventive talents to solving thedifficulties, but iron ically he took the wro ng tr ack. When,later with his Hartford factor y, he foun d the answer,difficulties with earlier guns damaged the sportsman'sconfidence in his improved revolving rifles.Pre-Paterson experimental guns were subject to thehazard of two or more chambers setting off at once. Therecoil and noise was prodigious, and the cylinder itself~ __1_ L 1 . .... .4. 1 _1 _.1 1 ...." TT.