Where it all Began & a Few Little Known Facts
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Sig Shore and Bill
Edwards shared a common interest in military history and Civil War guns. As
we know today they made the Centaure “1960 NEW MODEL ARMY” a
reality: the modern made, quality re-issue of the time proven Civil War
warhorse Colt 1860 Army, ready before the Centennial of the war 1961 for the
American shooters and re-enactors!
They must have started
putting their heads together early during the second half of the 1950s, about
the time Val Forgett of Navy Arms toured Europe and
Italy to eventually team up with Vittorio Gregorelli and Aldo
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Uberti for the making of his Colt
Navy 1851 and Remington 1858 replicas. Interestingly, also this
enterprise was helped by Edwards.
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Shore saw the business
opportunity in the making of a Colt 1860 repro. He provided the financial funds
for this enterprise. Edwards was the technical expert with the manufacturing know how. He knew the right maker for this
C&B revolver.
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FAUL
sales man’s sample gun of fully functional DB C&B shotgun ½ scale (bottom) & Centaure
(top) for comparison |
It was Edwards who brought Belgium Fabriques d’Armes Unies de Liège (FAUL) into play.
He got to know them as reliable business partners with other US firms from
previous replica projects regarding single shot flint lock and percussion
rifles, shotguns and pistols.
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Through 3 letters
of credit Sigmund Shore funded the Centaure project
with close to 0.5 Mio $. FAUL needed this credit to tool up, make model guns,
purchase material, etc. The Belgians then shipped and invoiced the Centaures at a bit less than $ 40.00/piece to Mars.
Explains Field: “Shipments were usually
50 to 100 Centaures. Sometimes they came in by air.
Turn around time was quick, around 2 to 3 months at the most. Shipment and
invoicing was to Mars Equipment. Initially Mars sold the Centaures
to Centennial Arms Corp, another Shore company founded 1960 for the sole
purpose to function as a replica arms dealer. That was to be an arms length
arrangement because later Mars would sell to other US dealers as well.”
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1959
made “M“ stamped model gun. Barrel marking “1960 NEW
MODEL ARMY”.
Note brass loading rod usually found with later Pocket Armies |
Les Field was
involved with Mars from the beginning. Players at Mars were Sigmund Shore as
majority shareholder, and in addition to Mr. Field William B. Edwards, Robert Ruvell and Dr. Frank A. Torrey.
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Note
“M“ stamps on barrel lug, frame, trigger-guard… |
…breech
side of cylinder |
…butt
next to MADE IN BELGIUM |
Centennial Arms
consisted of Shore again as majority and Edwards and Field as minority
shareholders. Remembers Field: “I worked
fulltime with Mars and Centennial, but Edwards never surrendered his writing
and editing. From the early 1960s he worked most of the time with GUN MAGAZINE
which rewarded Centennial Arms with decent conditions for ads in return.”
About production: “A.L.
Roncarati, an Italian immigrant, was contracted (by
FAUL) to produce the barrels, cylinders, and frames made of tool steel for the
1860 Army in the white. First revolvers were rejected because barrels did not
line up with cylinders and frames. Early arbors were
made of low carbon steel and stretched when fired with normal black powder
loads used in the U.S. All calibrations of the early design were based on data
of Belgium proof loads which were much lighter that those used in the U.S. This
arbor later was changed to a harder steel.”
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“Roncarati did not
have modern heavy metal working machinery so most all work done on metal
parts fitted in the white was done by hand. Only one man was responsible for
the “S” curve (curve from bottom of barrel into barrel flat to frame) the
rear of the barrel where it fitted into the frame. This was done by hand with
metal cutting |
At
Roncarati’s: Civilian Model before case hardening
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hand tools and hand polishing.
Another individual removed all square edges with a metal cutting knife, again
by hand.”
“The stocks were all made in Ougree,
Belgium. They were produced by fitting rough brass hardware to a rough finished
wood stock and the whole unit then hand finished together. This accounts for
the very close fit of metal to stock. Also, the need for numbering of the
individual parts.”
Market coverage: “As Centennial Arms Corporation our
interest was the American market. If memory serves, however, there was a deal
involving Centaures to New Zealand, probably in
connection with a surplus arms shipment from Mars Equipment. Business
outside the Americas that was left to FAUL. For what it’s worth no sales
were made to Mexico.”
“During the early 1960s we were concerned about establishing the CENTENNIAL brand in the US market hence CENTENNIAL TRADE MARK was added at the Belgian factory, either
before or behind the original barrel marking
which read “1960 NEW MODEL ARMY” only. I do not remember, however, why we had CHICAGO
U.S.A. added
sometimes.”
“Mars Equipment and Centennial Arms Corporation were both terminated
1984…”
WDN/June 18, 2010
© 2007-10 Wolf D. Niederastroth
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