What is the production history of the Winchester 10 Ga salute cannon?

Answer 1

The following is taken from "The Cannon Store" website:

History of Winchester Cannons:

The Winchester Years (1901-1958)

1901 - The 10 gauge breech loading Winchester Cannon, designed by Charles H. Griffith for the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven, Connecticut is granted patent 681,021 on August 20, 1901. The most unique feature of the Winchester Cannon is its breech loading system which makes the cannon very simple and safe to operate when compared to traditional muzzle loading black powder cannons. More on patent...

1902 - In November 1902, Charles H. Griffith received a patent for another signal cannon barrel. This cannon featured a breakaway breech loading design much like a shotgun. This second Griffith designed cannon was never produced or sold by Winchester. More on second Griffith cannon...

1903 - The Winchester cannon debuted for sale in Winchester catalog number 70 issued March 1903. The catalog purported the cannon as: "a low-priced breech-loading cannon possessing safety, simplicity of construction, and ease of manipulation... satisfactory for the Fourth of July and other celebrations, and for saluting." The Model 98 cannon was listed as part number G9801S and initially cost $7.00. More on 1903 catalog...

Original Winchester models had blued steel barrels and cast iron undercarriages & wheels finished with Japan enamel. All Winchester cannons had the following text roll marked or stamped onto the barrel: "Manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. New Haven, Conn. USA Patented August 20, 1901 10 GA". Prominently displayed on the top of the barrel was important safety message: "Not For Ball". More on roll marking...

1908 - Winchester changed the barrel design of the cannon by increasing the outside diameter of the muzzle from 1 inch to 1-1/4 inches. Cannons to this day are built to this 1908 specification.

1930 - Shortly after chromium plating first became commercially viable and also influenced by art deco designs of the period, Winchester introduced its signal cannon with chrome plating. The chrome plated Winchester Cannon, part number G9802S, also featured rubber tired wheels and debuted for $35.00 (at this time the standard model cost $18.00).

1952 - Winchester revised the barrel rollmarking blueprints and lettering specifications to include a six digit serial number. We are unsure if any Winchester produced cannons actually received these serial numbers prior to the end of production in 1958.

1955 - The rubber tires on the chrome cannon were changed from a balloon style (see photo above) to treaded Firestore 'lawnmower' tires.

1958 - Both the black and chrome cannons were discontinued in 1958. In total, approximately 18,400 cannons were manufactured in a production run lasting 55 years (minus any stoppage during World War II). Parts & repair services were available several years after production ceased. In a parts catalog dated June 1, 1960 black parts were still available along with a refinishing service for the black cannon - which cost $25.40.

Next: The Bellmore Johnson Years (1975-Present) >>

History of Winchester Cannons:

The Bellmore Johnson Years (1975-Present)

1975 - The Bellmore Johnson Tool Company (then) of Hamden, Connecticut, obtained licensing rights from the Winchester Division of the Olin Corporation to revive production of the Winchester signal cannon after an absence of 17 years. At the time the Bellmore Johnson Tool Company, which employed about 40, specialized in the design, engineering and prototyping of firearms. The reissuing of the Winchester Cannon was well received in the firearms community and was featured in two separate articles in the November 1976 issue of Gun Worldmagazine. More on Winchester Cannons for the Bicentennial...

Production of the cannon by the Bellmore Johnson Company remained virtually unchanged since the Winchester years except for the roll marking on the barrel which required changes due to the licensing agreement with Olin. These differences in the barrel roll marking make it easy to differentiate cannons that were manufactured by Winchester (from 1903-1958) and the Bellmore Johnson Company (1976-Present). This also is a benefit to collectors who seek original Winchester units.

1976 - Bellmore Johnson Tool Company unveils a new cannon to commemorate the Bicentennial. A Presentation Model featuring a solid brass barrel and undercarriage, rubber tired wheels and a mahogany storage box. More on presentation brass cannon...

2001 - Through a little experimentation the Bellmore Johnson Company assembles the Naval Edition cannon. With a combination of the black and brass parts, the Naval Edition cannon has become the second most popular cannon behind the standard black model.

2002 - The Bellmore Johnson Company changes ownership and management for the second time since restarting the production of the Winchester Cannon in 1975. This change in ownership culminates with the launch of two new websites: The Bellmore Johnson Company website and the Bellmore Johnson Companies' online store, The Cannon Store which sells a variety of signal cannons and accessories.

Present - The Bellmore Johnson Company is now entirely dedicated to the production of the Winchester Signal Cannons and has one full time employee - the master cannon builder who hand assembles over 300 cannons a year. The raw parts required for the cannon are now supplied by a variety of businesses in New England. More on modern production...

Over one hundred years after its design and introduction the Model 98 Cannon is still crafted with the same precision and quality that defined the Winchester Repeating Arms Company as an American industrial legend. The Bellmore Johnson Company plans to carry on the Winchester tradition with the production of the Model 98 Signal Cannon for well into the foreseeable future.

The following was taken from a forum (I can't remember which one):

The 10 gauge cannons manufactured by Winchester Repeating Arms Co. are found in four basic variations. The very first model, which appeared for sale about 1903 had a one inch O.D. muzzle diameter. It is estimated that there were less than a thousand units made with this dimension when it was changed to a 1 1/4 inch diameter (second major variation) for the rest of the production run, ending about 1957. Apparently there were early "market gunners" lashing these cannons to the bows of their punts or johnboats, paddling up to flocks of sitting ducks, and pulling the lanyard on live shotshells. The guns were only designed to shoot blackpowder blanks. The resulting failures prompted Winchester to strengthen the barrel wall. These two variations of the cannon had blued barrels and "japanned" carriages. "Japanned" is a somewhat out of use term for a type of black paint. The third variation was a chrome plated cannon with rubber tires. The first style tires were of the "baby buggy" type, small half round grooved tires like those seen on old style baby buggies (prams)in which most of us old guys rode in back during the dark ages. The fourth major variation is the chrome plated cannon with the large tires marked "FIRESTONE". These tires are similar to the ones you see as advertising items with the glass ashtrays in the center. The only other variations within the Winchester made guns are in markings on both the carriage and barrel.

The biggest misconception about these cannons is in regard to serial numbers. Winchester did not serial number the 10 gauge cannon. The only minor exception to this was on guns made for export which were required to have a serial number by the importing country. For obvious reasons, these are rarely encounted in the USA. All Winchester cannons will be found with a one, two, or three digit parts assembly number on both the barrel and the trunion collar. It was necessary to fit and matchmark the collar and barrel before the bluing process. They then had to be disassembled for finishing and reunited with the correct barrel/trunion collar so the breech would be at the proper degree in the carriage. Finishing the barrels with the collar installed would have caused severe rusting within the fine threads holding the collar on. All of the cannons made by Winchester will have a number from "1" to "999" on them, at which time the number went back to "1" again. In the mid-1970's Winchester licensed the Bellmore-Johnson tool company to produce the cannon with the Winchester trademark. There were production shortcuts on these guns, such as a black anodized finish on the barrel and elimination of the roller bearing on the foot of the hammer where it rides on the mainspring. These guns are still in production, along with some variations including brass and chrome models. The quickest way to tell an original from the replica series is to look at the top of the barrel. All original Winchester guns were plainly marked "NOT FOR BALL" on top of the bbl. in front of the trunion collar. The B-J series is marked "FOR BLANK USE ONLY" along with the Bellmore-Johnson name and address. Production estimates are said to be in the 17 to 19,000 range for the originals. The guns are difficult to date with the exception of the early small diameter muzzle. It is not believed that the one inch muzzle production reached over 999 units, thus it can be fairly safely assumed that the numbers on these guns, for all practical purposes, indicate order of production from circa 1903 to circa 1907.