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Merwin & Hulbert just sent me an invoice


Irish Red OToole, #48939

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Quite some time back, I ordered an M&H Pocket Army with an extra barrel and cylinder set. Well, today I received an invoice for the balance and a letter saying "please remith the balance as soon as possible". I hadn't heard anything about them shipping yet so you can imagine how hesitant I am to send money to a company if no product is ready to ship. Has anyone that ordered a gun from them received one yet?

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IROT - what were the terms for when the balance was to be paid? Maybe they are finally ready to ship some guns.

 

That's how it was with my C Sharps..

 

GG ~ :FlagAm:

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That's how it was with my C Sharps..

 

GG ~ :FlagAm:

 

Gunner! I didn't know that you have a C-Sharps! I would like to see it if you are up to bringing it to Rockford. You can wait until it is nicer out say like.... Umm May should be nice. :rolleyes:

 

KQ

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I have a close friend that has been very interested in the M&H project from the beginning. My friend has been a master gunsmith for close to 40 years and also a tool and die guy as well. He's merged both together for quite sometime. I've never seen a gun or a problem he can't figure out. Anyway he was at the M&H booth when they brought out the two frames they have completed. After inspecting them he told them they where not even close to start production. They were so rough that he has never seen anything produced on CNC come out that rough. The whole situation scared him away. I'd at least want to see a few finished guns before sendig them money.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sounds eerily similar to the Hartford Armory debacle from a few years back. I learned some valuable lessons, first hand, from that experience. The most important one was: Don't hand over the full purchase price because "they are getting close to production". Unless of course you want to treat it as a no interest, undefined terms and conditions business loan that the manufacturer can use to bankroll their operation, with the hope that they might someday actually produce something akin to what you wanted.

 

I sincerely hope that MH & Co. is successful and does start cranking out revolvers that reproduce the look, function and quality of the originals. I own an original MH "skull crusher" and would love to have a pair of modern reproductions that I could feel good about shooting on a regular basis. I'm just not going to get my hopes up or my wallet out until they are actually all finished and sitting on a shelf awaiting purchase and delivery.

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Quite some time back, I ordered an M&H Pocket Army with an extra barrel and cylinder set. Well, today I received an invoice for the balance and a letter saying "please remith the balance as soon as possible". I hadn't heard anything about them shipping yet so you can imagine how hesitant I am to send money to a company if no product is ready to ship. Has anyone that ordered a gun from them received one yet?

 

Okay IROT, it's been a while. What did you do? Did you call them? Send the gold? What? :huh:

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I lifted this from the Colt Forum-this was in the local paper, the Glenrock Bird Converse County Newspaper, last week. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pistol Maker to Locate on A-Square Grounds

 

 

GLENROCK—The Sharps Rifle Company, parent of A-Square Rifle Company, is planning to locate production operations for another subsidiary, Merwin, Hulbert and Co., on the grounds of the ASquare

facility in Glenrock sometime in the next quarter. Sharps CEO Michael Blank says the company will begin assembling outsourced components for its historical pistols and likely will be performing polishing and finishing operations on the ASquare grounds before June. Merwin Hulbert production

will be located in the older building there so as not to disrupt A-Square operations. He anticipates hiring three to five new employees to begin pistol-making operations here and says that number could

grow into the teens within the first three or four years. Blank says he conservatively anticipates production of up to 1,000 revolvers a year to start, each of which will sell for more than $1,200.

“That’s starting off with one model of a historical revolver,” Blank says. “As we go forward, we’re going to expand that to a few models, and then I’d like to see a modern revolver come in to the mix, so I would hope that our employment numbers there would creep to double digits by year two or three.

And, frankly, there’s no reason why I don’t think that we shouldn’t be able to sell a few thousand Merwin Hulberts of different styles very readily within three to five years, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see us employ in the mid-teens or better within three to four years. This is very, very, very

conservative.”

 

The first model of historical revolver the company plans to produce has been in the development and engineering stages for the past four years. The company bought the exclusive trademark “We’re having the raw components outsourced right now,” Blank says. “We’re going to do final assembly in

Glenrock and, as time goes on, we’ll bring more of those processes in house.” Merwin, Hulbert and Co. began operations in the 19th Century in Connecticut and produced a wide array of handguns that were popular around the world. Its intricate revolvers were widely used in the Old West. “It’s a revolver that was very popular, and the most advanced revolver in the 1800s,” he says. “We’re

bringing it back. We’re right about there with all of the componentry for a full production run. This has been a multiple-year process. We’ve spent the last 18 months doing heavy-duty reverse engineering on these guns.” Blank says the engineering work is being done at Sharps headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., but no employees from there will be moved to Glenrock. Instead, the assembly of the first models of the guns from pieces shipped in to Glenrock will be done by new local hires. “There is an internal clean area built into that building that we can use as production space,” he says. “It will be mostly a fitting and polishing operation in the beginning, but as time goes on, we’ll be bringing in more and more production equipment. The important thing is, as we transfer production technology, the mark will change as we move forward in the production run and they’ll read ‘Made in Glenrock,

Wyoming’ on the side of the revolver.” Blank says that he is hoping that the pending federal license to begin production of the revolvers may be processed as soon as possible. Until it does, work is continuing on the guns in St. Louis. “We would love to do an official debut at End of Trail, the Single Action Shooting Society’s big yearly shoot in June,” Blank says. The SASS End of Trail World Championship event is scheduled for June 20-26 in Founders Ranch, N.M. “The primary market for

these guns is the cowboy action shooting crowd,” he says. “A lot of people want to carry them as concealed weapons, and recreational shooters also want them. They were widely used out there in the

West; now they’re going to be made out there.”

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“A lot of people want to carry them as concealed weapons,
:blink::rolleyes:
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Why do people constantly call the grip a "Skull Crusher" when nowhere in their advertisements does it say that.

 

Merwin Hulbert has a "Skull Cracker" grip frame, I think it's cool looking and would order 2 of them when production starts.

 

Which would you rather have? Your skull cracked or your skull crushed? I know you guys are all rolling your eyes, but it's not what your calling them. Just sayin'

 

Big Jake

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Okay IROT, it's been a while. What did you do? Did you call them? Send the gold? What? :huh:

I got an e-mail from the president of the company basically reciting everything I'd already heard. Once he said they were still waiting on "certain components" to arrive from sub contractors, I sent them an e-mail telling them to contact me when they had product ready to ship. Until then, no gold sent. Don't feel inclined to provide $$ for vaporware.

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Why do people constantly call the grip a "Skull Crusher" when nowhere in there advertisements does it say that.

 

Merwin Hulbert has a "Skull Cracker" grip frame, I think it's cool looking and would order 2 of them when production starts.

 

Which would you rather have? Your skull cracked or your skull crushed? I know you guys are all rolling your eyes, but it's not what your calling them. Just sayin'

 

Big Jake

 

Why do people think the word "your" is an acceptable substitute for "you're" ??

 

People are gonna do whut they're (not their or there) gonna do. Give it up pard, it's a losing battle.

 

Just like there (not their or they're) ain't no such thing as an Old Model Vaquero. ALL Vaqueros are New Models. I finally just had to give it up...and let it go...

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Really don't understand the rough CNC machining. Machine will cut what you program it to cut, and generally you make a fine finish pass to make everything purty. Sounds like some rough machining called "CNC" work...

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Funding a folly? Hard to find skilled employees but not advertising? Buyer beware.

 

 

A-Square CEO Reacts to Charges

Jessica Giard/Sun (from the March 2, 2011, issue of the Sun)

 

A-Square CEO Michael Blank has called the felony charges against Art Alphin unfortunate.

 

“Art has assured us the charges are incorrect,” he said. Blank owns Sharps Rifle Company, which oversees a majority share of A-Square Company of Chamberlain and of Glenrock, WY, in addition to three other firearms-related companies between Missouri, Montana and South Dakota.

 

On February 15, A-Square founder and president Art Alphin was indicted in Converse County, WY, circuit court on charges of falsifying documents to secure a workforce training grant for his Glenrock firearms plant in 2007.

 

“It’s unfortunate at the very least,” said Blank of the charges. “It impacts all of us at the company.”

 

If convicted of the felony, Alphin would lose the rights to own firearms. Under indictment, he’s not allowed by federal law to receive firearms.

 

“For him, it’s world threatening,” Blank said. “I will say, the repercussions on Art, he’s immediately banned from the firearms business.”

 

Blank, based in St. Charles, MO, and his Sharps Rifle Company entered the picture with A-Square in early 2010.

 

“We signed a deal in January of last year,” said Blank. Following approval from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the deal was made final in June 2010 for both the Chamberlain and Glenrock plants. Blank announced the change in ownership in the Glenrock (WY) Independent in June.

 

In a combination of stock swap and cash, Sharps Rifle Company owns 80 percent of A-Square, giving its founder and president a 20 percent share. “(Alphin’s) primary role is as creative vision and product vision at both Wyoming and South Dakota,” Blank said.

 

Alphin has spent more time since the acquisition at the Glenrock plant handling day-to-day operations. “I’ve been doing more daily work in Chamberlain,” said Blank.

 

He said he visited with Alphin in the past about partnering in development. He saw A-Square as a good acquisition and recognized Alphin for his unique, proprietary work.

 

“There seemed to be a need for A-Square for a good company to partner,” said Blank.

 

A-Square Company’s relationship to the Chamberlain community began in 2007 when Alphin was looking for a new home for his firearms and ammunition manufacturing company. Alphin developed the company with a focus on the safari firearms and ammunition market.

 

The state Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), Lake Francis Case Development Corporation and the City of Chamberlain made public A-Square’s move to Chamberlain in November 2007.

 

The company was previously based in Bedford, KY. Alphin split the manufacturing with the firearms in Glenrock, WY, and the ammunition in Chamberlain.

 

In Chamberlain, A-Square leases a manufacturing building near Cedar Heights on Antelope Drive. They rent the facility from Lake Francis Case Development.

 

According to GOED, Lake Francis Case Development and A-Square have received $670,000 in loans from GOED and the non-profit South Dakota Development Corporation.

 

The announcement of the move in 2007 also brought with it Alphin’s public promise of 24 jobs with a $1 million pay roll within three years.

 

According to Chamberlain City Engineer Greg Powell, the city’s loan agreement with A-Square began officially on Jan. 5, 2009.

 

A-Square received an interest-free $150,000 advance that is forgiven after five and a half years if certain conditions are met. At three years, the company is required to have 11 full-time employees. Then, at five years – plus 180 days, A-Square is to have 24 full-time employees for the loan to be forgiven. The loan is funded through the city’s revolving loan fund.

 

However, if A-Square doesn’t meet the requirements, the company is to pay $6250 for the difference per employee. For example, if the company only employs 12 at the fifth year, then A-Square owes the city of Chamberlain $75,000.

 

Blank verified the Chamberlain facility currently has three employees - a number relatively unchanged from March 2010, when Alphin told the Sun he was looking to hire a fifth employee.

 

Blank said, “We’re way behind the curve as to where we should be.” But, he sees little reason why A-Square shouldn’t be able to create 20 jobs over the next two years.

 

While Alphin began officially moving in to the LFCDC-owned building in October 2008, manufacturing has never been at full capacity.

 

“The main struggle is getting the equipment running,“ said Blank. That’s the same challenge Alphin noted a year ago. With Alphin’s exclusive, proprietary ammunition design, setting the machines requires specific knowledge that has been hard to find, said Blank.

 

He sees a similar challenge in training employees to the specifics of the equipment. Blank was quick to note the interest in jobs from people in the community. “It’s a great testament to Chamberlain.”

 

At this point, however, the company isn’t openly taking applications. “Right now it’s working doing some word of mouth,” Blank said. He said the facility in Chamberlain is producing.

 

“We’ve been doing our damnedest to get production ramped up at the facility,” he said. “We have been making progress.”

 

Primarily, the company has been manufacturing and shipping proof ammunition, which are cartridges built over-pressured to test and proof a rifle.

 

Most recently, Blank said Sharps Rifle Company and Minnesota-based Federal Cartridge are partnering to produce a standardized .25-45 Sharps cartridge for the semi-automatic rifle (AR) market and a .50-70 Sharps auto cartridge. The .25-45 was approved by SAAMI in January and is going through ballistics testing, according to forum posts by Blank on AR-themed websites.

 

Overall, Blank sees that A-Square Co. was built on the large caliber, safari market that was Alphin’s focus.

 

“I think safari will be a good core business for A-Square,” said Blank. “We’ll definitely continue serving the safari market.”

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Why do people constantly call the grip a "Skull Crusher" when nowhere in there advertisements does it say that.

 

Merwin Hulbert has a "Skull Cracker" grip frame, I think it's cool looking and would order 2 of them when production starts.

 

Which would you rather have? Your skull cracked or your skull crushed? I know you guys are all rolling your eyes, but it's not what your calling them. Just sayin'

 

Big Jake

 

Maybe it is because the nickname "skull crusher" is the term that originated in the 19th century. The term "skull cracker" in the current company's materials just goes to show how little these folks really know about the original guns they are trying to copy.

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Don't know where you folks came up with the 'skull cracker' name from but while the Merwin Hulbert ad that appeared in The Cowboy Chronicle doesn't refer to the type of butt available, the MH website as well as their new catalog does indeed call the available butt type a skull crusher.

 

Perhaps MH dealers will have a better idea as to delivery dates. Here's a list with contact numbers.

 

ALABAMA

Mark’s Outdoors Sports, Birmingham 205-822-2010

ARIZONA

Cats Arms, Tucson, 520-396-3460

Old Pueblo Firearms, Tucson 520-886-7144

Southwest Cartridge Supply, Scottsdale 480) 451-0442

CALIFORNIA

Bay Area Gun Vault, Mountain View (650) 960-3006

Fort Courage Armory, Simi Valley 805-526-6563

Hoffmeyer’s Law Enforcement Sales, Cedar Ridge 530-477-6622 John’s 45 Shop, Mt. Shasta 530-859-0545

Lee’s Antique Gun Repair, Fresno muzzle.blast.5@gmail.com

Reed’s Indoor Range, Santa Clara 408-970-9870

Wild Bill’s Old West Trading Co. , Elk Grove 916-686-7699

COLORADO

Old West Bullet Moulds, Fruita 970-858-1449

FLORIDA

A&H Guns of SW Florida, Port Charlotte 941-889-7065

Patriots Gun Club of S. Florida, Homestead 786-246-5199

Sportrap Gun Shop, Port Charlotte 941-629-7775

GEORGIA

Thunderbolt Guns , Thunderbolt/Savannah 912-355-6555

IDAHO

Buffalo Arms, Ponderay, Idaho 208-263-6933

D&D Gun Shop, Caldwell Idaho 208-459-2725

IOWA

Davison Gun Shop, Braddyville 712-589-3535

G/W Mercantile, Cedar Falls 319-266-2457

River Junction Trading Company, McGregor 866-259-9172

ILLINOIS

Popovich Guns, Quincy 708-946-3300

INDIANA

The Back Room, Brook 219-275-442

KANSAS

Birk Outfitters, Lenexa 1-913-541-9412

Ricochet Arms, Winfield (620) 221-4947

KENTUCKY

Vintage Ordnance Co. ,Elizabethtown

Whittaker Guns, Owensboro 270-229-4825

MICHIGAN

Deryl Brunner Gunshop, Perrinton blderunner@aol.com

Wolverine Guns , Mattawan 269-375-5829

MINNESOTA

AA Guns , Grand Rapids 218-999-5200

MISSOURI

Carter Enterprises, Winona 573-226-3880

Swain Guns, Jackson 573-243-9898

NEVADA

Nevada Western Firearms, Stateline 775 588 5416

NEW MEXICO

Loeffler’s Guns, Grants 505-287-4003

NEW YORK

Daved’s Guns, Depew 716-942-4297

The Scheriff’s Gun Shop, Gilbertsville 607-783-2666

NORTH CAROLINA

Foothills Firearms, Old Fort 828-668-7750

Lyndon’s Riverview Sports, Taylorsville 828-632-7889

Tommy Wood Guns, Camden 252-202-8712

NORTH DAKOTA

Hardluck Harry’s Trading Post, Bowman, 701-523-3006

OREGON

Applegate’s Arsenal, Grants Pass 541-474-7281

Daniel M. Portwood Firearms & Access, The Dalles, 541-298-5794

PENNSYLVANNIA

L.B. Toney’s Alamo Gun SHop, DuBois, 814-375-9974

RHODE ISLAND

Bullseye Shooting Supplies, Woonsocket 401-766-4409

The Smith Shop/Bill English, Warwick 401-864-2348

TENNESSEE

Dry Valley Gun Shop, Maryville 865-681-3777

Lock Stock & Barrel, Franklin 615-591-1721

Loft’s Quality Arms, Millington 901-299-3128

TEXAS

3B Shooting Supply, Kaufman 214-801-4476

Dreadnaught Industries, Von Ormy wakal@hotmail.com

Gales Gunworks, Mesquite, 214-213-0463

WASHINGTON

44SPECIAL LLC, Dupont 253.882.9378

WEST VIRGINIA

Tactical Supply LLC, Parkersburg 304-863-3450

OUTSIDE THE USA DEALERS

MHW Maerklen Historic Weapons, Heilbronn, Germany Matthias.Maerklen@t-online.de

Trader Pete, Seedorf, Switzerland trapefire@bluewin.ch

DAVE Western Guns & Ammunition, Prague, Czech Republic thunderman@atlas.cz

Country Classics. Lethbridge, AB, Canada

countryclassics08 @xplornet.ca

Doc Rowland’s Guns of the Old West, Woodstock, NB, Canada 506-277-1128

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Don't know where you folks came up with the 'skull cracker' name from but while the Merwin Hulbert ad that appeared in The Cowboy Chronicle doesn't refer to the type of butt available, the MH website as well as their new catalog does indeed call the available butt type a skull crusher.

 

Perhaps MH dealers will have a better idea as to delivery dates. Here's a list with contact numbers...

 

 

CALIFORNIA

Bay Area Gun Vault, Mountain View (650) 960-3006

Fort Courage Armory, Simi Valley 805-526-6563...

 

 

Howdy Sunset -

 

Irish Red O'Toole (IROT) owns Fort Courage Armory ;)

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Don't know where you folks came up with the 'skull cracker' name from but while the Merwin Hulbert ad that appeared in The Cowboy Chronicle doesn't refer to the type of butt available, the MH website as well as their new catalog does indeed call the available butt type a skull crusher.

...

 

Actually, the MH company uses the term Skull Cracker MANY times on this page:

http://www.merwinhulbertco.com/history.php

 

Personally, I like skull crusher best :)

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Howdy right back to ya,

Uhh...Yeah guess I was aware of that. Didn't really look at the list just kinda threw it out there in case it may have been of some help. I've been told that finished pieces would be ready to ship in April and that from Al Jones at MH.

 

SS

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Thanks Abilene. Looks like either term is acceptable but if ordering either from the MH website or their spiffy new catalog, you will be ordering a skull crusher and I'm with you. I like skull crusher better myself.

 

SS

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Seems like it is just what you want to believe.....

 

http://www.glenrockind.com/atf.php?sid=4197&current_edition=2011-03-10#

 

 

Pistol manufacturer to open

 

 

By ALEX GUERRERO

Reporter

 

A new pistol factory is opening south of town on US-87 at the same property as the current A-Square rifle factory.

 

Responding to an increasing demand, Sharp's Rifle Company, a guns-manufacturing subsidiary of Merwin, Hulbert and Co. specializing in model pistols of the 1870s and 1880s, will start shipping manufactured gun parts to Glenrock no later then June, though no concrete timeline exists.

 

"Well, when dealing with the (Bureau of) Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, there is no such thing as a 'firm' timeline," Michael Blank, CEO of Sharps Rifle Company, said. "Paperwork to them should be completed this month. Then from there on out it's up to them. Could be as little as two to three weeks, could be as long as two to three months. So we'd hope by June we'll be up and running there. Until then we'll use Glenrock for testing."

 

While only two to three people will initially be hired for fit and finishing, Blank hopes to eventually hire 15 people working with contractor companies employing 15-20 more for "final assembly and making sure the parts fit together and the mechanisms are shined," he said.

 

"Folks are looking for traditional shooting. Revolvers are a more pleasurable experience. It's a different experience. It's the romance and mystique of the Old West.

 

"With the A-Square companies already in town and its long history as a firearms community, (Glenrock) is still a hub for outdoor hunting and shooting activities. We're very pleased with the town and people."

 

The company is privately owned, and no state or federal grants will be used to fund the project, he said.

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only two to three people will initially be hired for fit and finishing,
:blink:
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OK---OK I like Skull Crusher better too. Anyway I want 2 of them, just gotta wait till they start shipping before ordering.

 

Big(whats don't wants to be obstinate)Jake

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Let's see, the article in the paper posted two days ago said,

"So we'd hope by June we'll be up and running there. Until then we'll use Glenrock for testing. While only two to three people will initially be hired for fit and finishing, Blank hopes to eventually hire 15 people working with contractor companies employing 15-20 more for 'final assembly and making sure the parts fit together and the mechanisms are shined,' he said."

 

And they sent an invoice! Looks like their timely with hiring the billing person!

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