Hi, Dahermit,
"I guess you never heard of Eli Whitney and his introduction of mass production relative to firearms."
Yes, we have, but the fact is that there was still a lot of hand fitting involved in production. The most usual system was what was called "selective fitting." The factory made parts, say sears, which were put in a bin. The assembler took a part and tried it in the gun he was working on; if it didn't fit, he tried another one until one was found to fit properly. A skilled assembler could often tell by feel if a part was "right" even without trying it. Critical points, called "pads", were often made slightly oversize so they could be filed or stoned for the best fit. Examples are the cylinder stop on S&W's and the rebound lever cam on Colt DA's.
That basic system was used not only for small parts, but for major parts as well. The "assembly numbers" on S&W revolvers were put on before the crane was fitted to the frame and ensured that the fitted parts would be put back together after finishing. Grips were often polished down with the frame for a close fit and then also removed for final finishing; for that reason, grips were also numbered. (If an S&W of that era is examined, it will be seen that the grips are a just a bit larger than the frame; there is a tiny but distinct "edge" because the frame was given its final polish and blue after the grips were fitted.)
Winchester, in the 1960's, had a skilled worker, called the "receiver fitter/filer", whose job was making sure the receiver of the Model 70 was shaped properly and fit the stock and the magazine; he also fitted the trigger guard and the floorplate. The cost and time involved in such work was the major reason for the 1964 design changes by Winchester.
So, yes, Whitney and others did make guns with interchangeable parts in terms of the rather crude locks of the early nineteenth century. But there was still quite a bit of hand fitting required for the more precise guns of later years.
Jim
"I guess you never heard of Eli Whitney and his introduction of mass production relative to firearms."
Yes, we have, but the fact is that there was still a lot of hand fitting involved in production. The most usual system was what was called "selective fitting." The factory made parts, say sears, which were put in a bin. The assembler took a part and tried it in the gun he was working on; if it didn't fit, he tried another one until one was found to fit properly. A skilled assembler could often tell by feel if a part was "right" even without trying it. Critical points, called "pads", were often made slightly oversize so they could be filed or stoned for the best fit. Examples are the cylinder stop on S&W's and the rebound lever cam on Colt DA's.
That basic system was used not only for small parts, but for major parts as well. The "assembly numbers" on S&W revolvers were put on before the crane was fitted to the frame and ensured that the fitted parts would be put back together after finishing. Grips were often polished down with the frame for a close fit and then also removed for final finishing; for that reason, grips were also numbered. (If an S&W of that era is examined, it will be seen that the grips are a just a bit larger than the frame; there is a tiny but distinct "edge" because the frame was given its final polish and blue after the grips were fitted.)
Winchester, in the 1960's, had a skilled worker, called the "receiver fitter/filer", whose job was making sure the receiver of the Model 70 was shaped properly and fit the stock and the magazine; he also fitted the trigger guard and the floorplate. The cost and time involved in such work was the major reason for the 1964 design changes by Winchester.
So, yes, Whitney and others did make guns with interchangeable parts in terms of the rather crude locks of the early nineteenth century. But there was still quite a bit of hand fitting required for the more precise guns of later years.
Jim