Findlay Works of Remington manufactured, supplied targets, traps to troops during WWII

 

 

Remington Arms Co., Inc, headquartered in Madison, North Carolina, designs, manufactures and sells sporting goods for hunting and shooting markets, and for military, government and law enforcement markets. RAC is one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the U.S. Founded in 1816 in upstate New York; it is the only firearm and ammo manufacturer, and one of the largest shotgun and rifle producers, in the country.

 

In August 1933, during the Great Depression, RAC purchased the Chamberlin Cartridge and Target Co. in Findlay, Ohio, and renamed it Findlay Works of Remington. Founded in 1883 by Frank Chamberlin of Cleveland, Ohio, Chamberlin Cartridge and Target relocated its headquarters to Findlay in 1900. The reasons for the relocation, Frank Chamberlin once said, were that there was an ample supply of clay in Findlay’s soil (which was essential to manufacturing targets), Blue Rock targets were increasing in popularity, and the gas boom made it possible for entrepreneurs to purchase land to build their businesses on at a reduced price.

 

RAC purchased Chamberlin Cartridge and Target to expand its product line and acquire a feeder line to sell its weapons and ammo. WWII, which began in 1939, changed the way aerial gunners were trained, and this lead to an increased need for targets and traps. Findlay Works of Remington was one of only a few clay target and trap manufacturers in the country. In addition, The U.S. Army and Navy recognized the value of skeet shooting principles (which involved using a “leading target”) to improve marksmanship in aerial gunnery, and skeet outfits were in urgent demand at aviation training fields. The importance of the skeet outfits to aircraft personnel marksmanship training for the Army and Navy increased at the start of the war.

 

In late 1940, the Army and Navy began ordering more targets and traps. The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941 forced the U.S. to enter the war, further increasing the demand for targets. In fact, the Army and Navy ordered more than 69 million targets between 1941 and the end of the war in 1945.

 

In the summer of 1943, the British adopted the U.S.’s methods of training their aerial gunners. As a result, the U.S. Army began exporting flying targets to British troops. It wasn’t long before the target manufacturing industry had trouble keeping up with the demand, however. The U.S. Army asked Findlay Works of Remington for help. On Aug. 14, 1943, FWR President Don Carpenter promised Army Lt. Col W. Mohun his company would supply licenses to other target manufacturing companies for patents. Almost two weeks later, on Aug. 25 and 26, representatives from 26 small target manufacturing firms around the country came to Findlay, at the Army’s request, to gather information about manufacturing clay targets.

 

The Army encountered its own problem with the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs (OPA). The OPA’s target selling price, which they froze in 1942, rose in 1943, due to a sharp increase in manufacturing and material costs, and workers’ wages. Forced to find other suppliers, the Army asked the OPA to waive their target-selling price. In September 1943, FWR told the Army that it was operating at a loss. The Army filed an appeal with the OPA and the matter was resolved; the appeal was granted and lasted until New Year’s Eve. In February 1944, the OPA asked FWR to withdrawal the appeal.

 

As the war dragged on, it was realized that a third target line would need to be installed to meet demand. Several conferences on where to put the line were held, and it was decided that the logical location would be in Findlay. The U.S. government supplied the equipment needed to install it, but FWR needed help finding workers. Meanwhile, A Bentley and Sons Co. in Toledo was hired as the contractors for the project on Dec. 20, 1944 for a fixed fee, after several firms declined to bid a lump sum on the construction.

 

It was hoped that construction would begin on Feb. 22, 1945, but equipment arrival delays pushed the project back a month. Six pieces of equipment, which the government agreed to supply, were ordered; two arrived in January, three in February, and another in March. Finally, on Mar. 14, 1945, the line was installed and trial production runs were started. FWR resumed target manufacturing on Mar. 16.

 

In 1939, prior to the start of the war, the highest annual production of clay targets in Findlay was 37,668,000. By 1944, FWR employees were working around the clock, with no additional facilities, to produce 73,438,000 targets annually. The number of employees at FWR peaked at 100 during the war. Since 1933, FWR had had a perfect “no lost time” accident record and was able to maintain a perfect safety record throughout the war, despite the increased production demands, number of shifts, and number of new and inexperienced workers. In August 1944, the Army and Navy gave FWR an “excellent” rating.

 

In late April 1945, the Army told FWR their production of targets would decrease from 7.5 million to six million beginning in May until the end of the war. On May 14, FWR eliminated its third shift, and on July 23, all target-manufacturing contracts were cancelled. A total of 204,000,000 targets and 6,700 traps had been manufactured to aid the war effort.