Thought I'd start the discussion of BGI (Bridgeport Gun Implement) here, so as to not clutter up Al's thread on his fine Pacific Ballard.

Start with my last post over on that thread.


BGI seemed to have a niche market in supplying sights and loading tools to manufacturers, and those sales were likely much higher than direct to customers sales. Especially as it concerns sights, since not many people would be looking for the same sights as replacements if their gun came with those sights. 
I've seen and own loading tools marked BGI, and have the same exact tools marked MFAC for Marlin. No doubt that Marlin and Winchester had tools made for them by BGI as I've seen tools just like my MFAC marked tools with WFACo. markings on them also. BGI also sold tools to C Sharps, and probably sights too them also.
But unlike Marbles and Lyman, BGI didn't seem to mark their sights at all. My own opinion is the sights weren't marked because they almost exclusively went to gun makers, and any others that might be sold would just be a bother to put their own mark on.
Since Marcellus Hartley owned BGI they had a very close relationship with Remington. Hartley being the owner of Remington after bankruptcy had already been selling tools and sights to Remington through BGI prior to bankruptcy. I'd guess that with bankruptcy Remington left a debt owed to Hartley, and BGI, so buying Remington helped resolve the debt. 
Dick Chamberlain and Tom Quigley documented much of the relationship between BGI and the various gun makers in their fine book, "Cartridges, Reloading Tools of the Past". The two gentlemen had decades of research combined to make their book a great reference. Of course Dick had done a previous book titled, "Early Loading Tools and Molds" that was the basis of the 2nd book, and covers BGI also.
What I've always been puzzled by was Gerld Kelvar's lack of mention of BGI in his book, "Reloading Tools, Sights, and Telescopes for Single Shot Rifles". 
It's written as if the gun makers were responsible for making all their tools and sights. At least he gives no credit to BGI, and not even a chapter for BGI among all the other makers?

It seems that BGI and BPT Manu. CO were different entities

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BGI made a bullet whistle:
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Thank you, August West.  It also appears from your documents and examples that BGI and BH were also contemporary entities, if only for a few years in the early 1900s.

Still, as I also collect things that are not gun related, I know that both firms marketed at least some items under their imprint that they did not make, and I say "know" because in those cases I know who the real maker was. 

So I'm going to refine my question: Did BGI only job out some (non-key?) things (like the Forstner auger bits), or like Sears, Wards, and the like, did they job out very nearly everything?

Bill Lawrence

marlinguy wrote on Jan 16^th, 2019 at 7:49pm:
 

I've tried that, coming up only with one, 1882, in the collection of the Smithsonian, but not available on-line.

I have the Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting, V.4 No. 2, which has the BGI 1882 catalog reprinted.

The only sight they list is the No. 2500 Combination Black&White Sight, which looks like a couple of Sheard front sights that swivel on a longitudinal axle.  One has the white insert and one is solid.  $36 for a dozen, each packed in its own box.

There’s also a copy extant of the 1890 BGI catalog.  The preface to the CJAC article said that the catalog was too important to only print excerpts from both catalogs, so they would do the complete 1882 version.  They said that the Journal issue had to be expanded to print this one; perhaps they decided that the excess pages were too much expense to follow up with the 1890 version.

The preface said BGI was a manufacturer, and maintained an office in New York as well as the factory at Bridgeport.  Very little is known about them, except for mentions in the City Directory and advertisements for the tools.

A bunch of BGI employees volunteered to act as President Theodore Roosevelt’s bodyguard when he visited Bridgeport in 1902.

coljimmy wrote on Feb 21^st, 2019 at 12:06pm:


You sure are right there! I gave up looking for good BGI stuff on Ebay, just because of the bizillions of shotgun tools.