Krag1902
09-06-2018, 01:12 PM
There has been, over the years, some misinformation concerning Sam Squibb. Some believe he was a pseudonym some someone else, or didn't exist at all. For starters, he was real, and he wasn't from Akron.
Sam Squibb, along with his fellow members of the somewhat less-than-illustrious Cypress Hill Rifle and Revolver Assn., which was organized in 1906. Two years after that, the club took delivery of sixteen 1903 Springfield rifles. It was very quickly discovered that their short 200 yard Schuetzen range with its rocky backstop wouldn't safely contain the high speed jacketed bullets of the government issued ammunition.
Everyone was in agreement that hand loaded cartridges seemed to be the answer, and the low speed, virtually glance proof lead bullet was the necessary bullet.
In the main, Sam Squibb led the search for suitable bullets and suitable loads. He had material assistance form fellow members Leonard S. Miller and Charles Gebhard
Gebhard was a tool and die maker who was able to shape cherries and cut molds, but it is recorded that Squibb's first experimental mold for a 180 grain spitzer bullet was made for him by club member Mr. Haskell. Long story considerably shortened, Squibb's early efforts were frustrating and educational exercises in burning too much powder and looking at lead plated .30 caliber bores.
In 1920, the reloading tool trade was in a state of flux. The war had put Ideal's normal production on the back burner and it had yet to recover. Modern-Bond had just emerged with a quality line of tools backed by men of influence. The start-up Yankee Specialty Co.. seized the rare opportunity the tool shortage occasioned as did the fledgling firm organized by Warren S. Belding and Nate Mull. Started in 1916 as a mail order concern to supply the shooter trade, the pair sought to get their fair share of the new post-war market. They tooled up to produce a line that included bullet molds What they needed were bullet designers with a following to help lay a solid foundation. They solicited designs from Elmer Keith, Fred Ness of the NRA Dope Bag, and the triumvirate from the Cypress Hills R&R Club.
Gebhard turned out for them the perfected plain based 170 gr. pointed bullet. It shot best at 1,200-1,400 fps. For a time, it was very popular.
Squibb tried other bullet forms and shapes but leaned toward a spitzer point.
By and by, he arrived at what was the perfected design and the two hundred yard targets proved him right.
Leonard Miller and S. Squibb co-devised what he considered to be an improvement over the Pope taper base, multi-band target bullet later to be known as Lyman 308403.
In March of 1922, the 168 grain Squibb-Miller bullet squared off with the Pope bullet at the annual Indoor Rifle Tournament in Brooklyn. John Hession, twice winner of the Wimbledon Cup, shot the match with a Pope-Springfield against Miller and his version, and beat Hession in that important match by a single point. The Squibb-Miller bullet, aka Belding and Mull 311168, helped put the firm on the map.
Sam Squibb's bullet became best known, Lyman brought it out in 1925 as 311413, one of the most widely used .30 caliber bullets in the history of our hobby. Prior to this, B&M cataloged Squibb's bullet as 311169.
In certain small circles these lead bullet designs had gained a publicity and reputation and, just as importantly, some ink in the rifleman's press that made Belding and Mull a noteworthy name.
I recently acquired a highly modified Winchester mold with Sam Squibb's name stamped on the handles. The blocks are brass or bronze and are pinned on to the handles. The Winchester sprue plate is retained. The digit 2 on the plate leads me to believe that this was the second variation of the same bullet. A bullet cast from a B&M 311169 mold fit perfectly into this Winchester mold and vice versa. I can only conclude that this mold probably belonged to Mr. Sam Squibb close to a century ago.
This is my first time posting pictures. I hope they "take".
Sam Squibb, along with his fellow members of the somewhat less-than-illustrious Cypress Hill Rifle and Revolver Assn., which was organized in 1906. Two years after that, the club took delivery of sixteen 1903 Springfield rifles. It was very quickly discovered that their short 200 yard Schuetzen range with its rocky backstop wouldn't safely contain the high speed jacketed bullets of the government issued ammunition.
Everyone was in agreement that hand loaded cartridges seemed to be the answer, and the low speed, virtually glance proof lead bullet was the necessary bullet.
In the main, Sam Squibb led the search for suitable bullets and suitable loads. He had material assistance form fellow members Leonard S. Miller and Charles Gebhard
Gebhard was a tool and die maker who was able to shape cherries and cut molds, but it is recorded that Squibb's first experimental mold for a 180 grain spitzer bullet was made for him by club member Mr. Haskell. Long story considerably shortened, Squibb's early efforts were frustrating and educational exercises in burning too much powder and looking at lead plated .30 caliber bores.
In 1920, the reloading tool trade was in a state of flux. The war had put Ideal's normal production on the back burner and it had yet to recover. Modern-Bond had just emerged with a quality line of tools backed by men of influence. The start-up Yankee Specialty Co.. seized the rare opportunity the tool shortage occasioned as did the fledgling firm organized by Warren S. Belding and Nate Mull. Started in 1916 as a mail order concern to supply the shooter trade, the pair sought to get their fair share of the new post-war market. They tooled up to produce a line that included bullet molds What they needed were bullet designers with a following to help lay a solid foundation. They solicited designs from Elmer Keith, Fred Ness of the NRA Dope Bag, and the triumvirate from the Cypress Hills R&R Club.
Gebhard turned out for them the perfected plain based 170 gr. pointed bullet. It shot best at 1,200-1,400 fps. For a time, it was very popular.
Squibb tried other bullet forms and shapes but leaned toward a spitzer point.
By and by, he arrived at what was the perfected design and the two hundred yard targets proved him right.
Leonard Miller and S. Squibb co-devised what he considered to be an improvement over the Pope taper base, multi-band target bullet later to be known as Lyman 308403.
In March of 1922, the 168 grain Squibb-Miller bullet squared off with the Pope bullet at the annual Indoor Rifle Tournament in Brooklyn. John Hession, twice winner of the Wimbledon Cup, shot the match with a Pope-Springfield against Miller and his version, and beat Hession in that important match by a single point. The Squibb-Miller bullet, aka Belding and Mull 311168, helped put the firm on the map.
Sam Squibb's bullet became best known, Lyman brought it out in 1925 as 311413, one of the most widely used .30 caliber bullets in the history of our hobby. Prior to this, B&M cataloged Squibb's bullet as 311169.
In certain small circles these lead bullet designs had gained a publicity and reputation and, just as importantly, some ink in the rifleman's press that made Belding and Mull a noteworthy name.
I recently acquired a highly modified Winchester mold with Sam Squibb's name stamped on the handles. The blocks are brass or bronze and are pinned on to the handles. The Winchester sprue plate is retained. The digit 2 on the plate leads me to believe that this was the second variation of the same bullet. A bullet cast from a B&M 311169 mold fit perfectly into this Winchester mold and vice versa. I can only conclude that this mold probably belonged to Mr. Sam Squibb close to a century ago.
This is my first time posting pictures. I hope they "take".