Smith-Corona made guns?!

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There was a war on, we needed rifles more than typewriters.

Many firms switched from producing domestic consumer goods to war material. General Motors, Singer Sewing Machines, and Rockola Jukeboxes all made firearms at times.

In the case of the M1903A3, when Springfield Armory was unable to ramp up production of Garands fast enough at the beginning of WW2, they shipped their old tooling and parts to Remington to continue making M1903 rifles concurrently. When the tooling started to wear out, Remington retooled with a slightly simplified, yet improved in some ways, A3 model which was also made by Smith Corona.

In the end, few (if any) A3 models were used in combat by US troops, but millions were given to friendly armies like the Free French and Nationalist Chinese.

They are excellent rifles. Did you buy it?
 
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As a side note pertaining to how war and military technology can have lasting positive effects on everyone much later, Remington-Rand, also primarily a typewriter manufacturer, produced 1911s. They had such efficient and effective manufacturing processes that their model is still studied today. They were making 1911s faster, less expensively, and with fewer rejects than any other manufacturer including Colt.

As such, they produced more pistols than any other manufacturer.
 
There was a connection between L.C. Smith (prolific SxS shotgun manufacturer) and Smith of Smith Corona.
 
earlthegoat2 said:
As a side note pertaining to how war and military technology can have lasting positive effects on everyone much later, Remington-Rand, also primarily a typewriter manufacturer, produced 1911s. They had such efficient and effective manufacturing processes that their model is still studied today. They were making 1911s faster, less expensively, and with fewer rejects than any other manufacturer including Colt.

As such, they produced more pistols than any other manufacturer.
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Dad mentioned several times during his life that the 1911 issued to him was made by the Remington Typewriter Company. I have a picture of him in England holding it while wearing a FFI beret and armband. His group dropped arms and supplies to the resistance groups on the continent, so he was probably close to a few Remington made A3s as well even though they were packed in canisters.
 
Many firms switched from producing domestic consumer goods to war material. General Motors, Singer Sewing Machines, and Rockola Pinball Machines all made firearms at times.
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IBM made M1 Carbines. They made "business machines" before making computers.

Perhaps the dumbest thing I've ever done was to not buy the one I saw in a gun shop years ago, but I had just graduated and $300 was a lot of money for me back then and I was looking to get a handgun at the time.
 
As already noted, Singer Sewing Machine made guns for the war effort, including (and possibly limited to) the 45 caliber sub-machine gun, often referred to as the "grease gun" (I assume because of its appearance). One of my (late) uncles that served in the Pacific theater said that the gun was very inaccurate, but so simple that it was totally reliable. He claimed that even when it was literally mud filled in the jungles of Guadalcanal it still functioned just fine. Be a great gun to own for home defense I would guess.
 
vito said:
As already noted, Singer Sewing Machine made guns for the war effort, including (and possibly limited to) the 45 caliber sub-machine gun, often referred to as the "grease gun" (I assume because of its appearance). One of my (late) uncles that served in the Pacific theater said that the gun was very inaccurate, but so simple that it was totally reliable. He claimed that even when it was literally mud filled in the jungles of Guadalcanal it still functioned just fine. Be a great gun to own for home defense I would guess.
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M3s were assembled by GM Guide Lamp Div., Ithaca, and High Standard with some parts from other subcontractors, but not by Singer, AFAIK........

Singer produced a tiny quantity of M1911 pistols, usually quoted as 500.
 
Smith Corona made "Chicago Typewriters." :p

No, that's a joke, they didn't --- shoulda, but didn't. As others pointed out, it was wartime and companies made war products. Rock Ola made machines that played records selected by buttons. In WW2 they made M-1 carbines.
 
I had a R Rand 1911 issued by the USAF in 1965 along with a M3. After learning to shoot it, I loved it.

I shot so badly with it, my NCOIC went to the conex container gave me a box of ammo and said I had a permenent spot on the indoor firing line, along with the aircrew quals, in the morning and afternoon classes. Only problem, they shot .38 Combat Masterpieces or Airweights. They were on the left, I was on the far right. I shot the hell out of the upper and lower baffles til one instructor came over to help. I had never shot a pistol before, and I wouldn't recommend the 1911 as the one to start on.

Eventually shot expert, as required. Not long afterward, we turned in the M3's and 1911s for thr Combat Masterpiece and Matty Matel M-16s with open flash hiders.
 
huntsman said:
IIRC the Smith brothers sold the SXS business to the Hunter bros and one Smith bro went on to typewriters. The company later became SCM

I believe Smith Corona also made the 1911
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The Smith Brothers eventually dropped all their firearms businesses to concentrate on making cough drops. Kidding, just kidding.

Another typewriter company, Underwood, made my M-1 Carbine.
 
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