Chief: Nice sites. Check this one out, noting dates, etc. I suspect these guys were all working on some of the same things, sometimes at the same times. Eli Whitney Sr., who worked and made muskets from 1798 to 1825, gave Jr. a head start. He learned from things from John Hall, at Springfield, and did some other things before Hall. He also hired knowledgeable people. He started making 1841 rifles in 1842, and in the late '40s made a 1000 Walker Colts for Sam Colt in six months. He had planned on retiring in the '60s, but the WTBS changed his plans. He worked until 1888. My dad was a tool and die maker, so some of this stuff interests me. I replaced the hammer, hand and bolt on a Colt 1860 Army once, and case hardened the parts myself. Remember Herter's? They used to supply stuff to do it with. Stan