AO Smith

[Steven B.]

Re: AO Smith

Maremont Corp, Midas mufflers, Cherry Bombs, Gabriel shocks, LeLand HD truck parts, Grizzly brakes and clutches, made M-16 components. I used many of their products, including an M-16. (Before I worked for them from '74-'76 they had a Corvette test car circa 1960.)

[Grant M.]

Re: AO Smith

There was an AO Smith plant in Stratford Ontario until a little while ago; don't know what they made--perhaps John H. knows?

On the matter of making military rifles, etc, go back to WWII weapons (check this out in a surplus store selling WWII rifles), and you'll find that the US M1 carbine (short-barrelled rifle carried by squad leaders) was manufactured by companies that included Rock-Ola, Wurlitzer and Seeburg. The same kind of stamping and machining tools needed to make juke-boxes was obviously adaptable to wartime small arms production.

Current Canadian Forces 9mm Browning automatic pistols were made under license by the John Inglis Company, better known for washers and dryers...