S & S Firearms

[Bill Edick]

Has anyone dealt with S & S Firearms in NY? They have some fair prices on civil war uniforms but I have never ordered from them before. I would think most items are made overseas by the prices. Thanks

 

[Cpt Flint]

I have. 2 or 3 years ago and I have no complaints.

 

[RjSixgun]

Phil is a good guy, long time member of the N-SSA

 

[hawkeye2]

I have never had any problems dealing with them. They have been a fixture at the N-SSA Nationals for as long as I can remember and always bring an extensive inventory. I called them one time and had them bring an officer's saber belt which they usually don't have on hand in their booth. I was concerned about the quality at the price and wanted to see it before I bought it. They brought it along and I ended up buying it.

 

[OLUT]

Has anyone dealt with S & S Firearms in NY? They have some fair prices on civil war uniforms but I have never ordered from them before. I would think most items are made overseas by the prices. Thanks

I've sold them a bunch of original civil war era and flintlock parts. They are professional and know their stuff, and know how to get their best deals.

 

[Artificer]

Has anyone dealt with S & S Firearms in NY? They have some fair prices on civil war uniforms but I have never ordered from them before. I would think most items are made overseas by the prices. Thanks

Can't remember if I purchased anything from them in 1974-76, but since 1980 I've bought many, many items from them and always looked forward to seeing them set up at NSSA Spring and Fall National Championships. Though I never bought uniform items from them in those many years, I've never heard a complaint from anyone who did. (There were always local Sutlers who made uniform items for me.)

Gus

 

[nkbj]

Dealt with S&S three times and got nothing but good to say about them.

 

[Peter Stines]

Good guys to deal with. Bought from them since the 80's. When you buy from them they send a new catalog every year. Good website too.

 

[smoothshooter]

Has anyone dealt with S & S Firearms in NY? They have some fair prices on civil war uniforms but I have never ordered from them before. I would think most items are made overseas by the prices. Thanks

I have dealt with them a few times over the years. Always worked out fine.
IIRC, at least in the past they have carried two grades of leather cartridge boxes, belts, and holsters. The cheaper ones for customers who may be re-enactors only that do not subject their equipment to heavy use like competitive shooters do, and do not want to spend any more money than they have to.

Have never understood how the S & S owners put up with having a business location in Manhattan, Long Island, or wherever it is with all the taxes, anti-gun sentiment, etc., though.

 

[Artificer]

I have dealt with them a few times over the years. Always worked out fine.
IIRC, at least in the past they have carried two grades of leather cartridge boxes, belts, and holsters. The cheaper ones for customers who may be re-enactors only that do not subject their equipment to heavy use like competitive shooters do, and do not want to spend any more money than they have to.

Have never understood how the S & S owners put up with having a business location in Manhattan, Long Island, or wherever it is with all the taxes, anti-gun sentiment, etc., though.

Though I wasn't around at the first National Shoot of the North South Skirmish Association at Fort Shenandoah, VA in 1963; the folks who had been were my mentors when I first came to the Spring Nationals in 1974. I was invited to come learn to work on UnCivil War period guns, as I was undergoing a long apprenticeship to work NM and Sniper guns in the Corps and already had a strong interest in BP shooting and hunting. Back then, a large percentage of the NSSA shooters were shooting original guns and using original leather cap boxes, cartridge boxes and some other original leather goods. This because they were available then at not terribly expensive prices and because the only repro leather goods at first, were the "lower grade" leather goods you mentioned above. However, even then the prices on the original leather goods was rising fast, so many new NSSA shooters started out with the lower grade leather goods. BTW, the most often seen "Uniforms" of the shooters back then were either Gray or Blue "Gas Station" work clothes. There were, however, a small cadre of the shooters who did everything they could to have authentic uniforms made.

In the mid/late 1970's and early 1980's, it was actually re-enactors who supplied a large enough market for the higher grade replica leather goods and replica uniforms to begun being made in quantity so the prices were reasonable. One of the first major makers of those higher quality products was an NSSA Shooter who ran "The Cavalry Shoppe" in Richmond. Though he passed some time ago, I can still see him with a good cigar that was almost always in his mouth, though I can't remember his name right now. Another then new and major Sutler, C&D Jarnigan had perhaps just a tiny bit more authentic copies of leather goods, though the leather goods from both were well regarded by re-enactors and NSSA Shooters alike. By this time, the lower quality leather goods sold by Dixie Gun Works and others were pretty much relegated to those who just did parades or for less authentic "theatre" work.

I began re-enacting UnCivil War in 1980 and it was what we then called "authentic" or IOW pretty strict standards on uniforms, arms and equipment. This even though I still loved coming to the Spring and Fall Nationals to work guns at the NSSA Nationals.

I hope Hawkeyes2 can help me with this, but I can give you some idea why S&S started out in New York and stayed there for many years. Bannerman's Island had been closed for many years, but there was a company the older NSSA shooters often referred to as "White's or White's Surplus" that bought out much of the stock left when Bannerman's closed and continued to operate a "Bannerman Type" collector/surplus store in New York. This was at least until (if I remember correctly) the 1940's or maybe the early 1950's before they went out of business. The way I heard it, S&S either bought some of the inventory from "White's" or maybe the original owner of S&S worked there, when he began his business. S&S wound up doing so well, they remained in New York.

BTW, I had very good friends who as late as the 1980's, were buying the annual rights to salvage everything they could take off Bannerman's Island, though "the pickings" were thin in those days and got much thinner after they tried to empty the place for a few years. Grin.

Gus

 

[griffiga]

Has anyone dealt with S & S Firearms in NY? They have some fair prices on civil war uniforms but I have never ordered from them before. I would think most items are made overseas by the prices. Thanks

Yes, I’ve bought gun parts, miscellaneous screws and the like for years for some of my older, original guns. About the only place I can find stuff. Nice people to deal with. In fact, I just received an order from them a week ago. Their prices are good and I’ve never had an issue with them.

 

[TNGhost]

Deal with them regularly, and if fact have an order on its way from them now. Great folks to so business with.

 

[hawkeye2]

S&S was begun just after Bannernan's closed and while Val Forget was disposing of the "junk" stored on the island. I expect a lot of their inventory came from Bannerman's store where you could buy military equipment and parts by the pound. Jack Rawls (co-founder of the N-SSA) was working or stationed, I don't remember which, in the area in the early 50s and he used to go to Bannerman's and park his jeep (the same one we all remember from the Fort) and an M100 trailer out back and go in and buy gun parts by the pound. He loaded them in the trailer and assembled muskets, swords and who knows what else including Confederate muskets and sold and traded for years. After a few trips he would bring a bottle and they would load his trailer and I don't believe he was even paying by then. The store was a disaster area, failing and nobody was really concerned. "Those were the days my friend" (Mary Hopkin, 1968)