An Unsung Hero of Firearms Manufacturing

Following the American Civil War, large scale firearms manufacturing companies Winchester, Colt, Smith and Wesson, and Remington drove demand by creating niche audiences. This launched what was known as the golden age of firearms manufacturing. With the expansion of the firearms industry, gunsmiths like William Mason found their place in the industry. 

William Mason is not a widely known genius in popular history, yet his professional peers held him in high regard. Recognized as a humble man with exceptional skill, Mason possessed what many described as “unerring mechanical judgment,” an intuitive sense for design and engineering that set him apart in the industrial world. Though his name may not echo through history like some of his contemporaries, Mason’s influence remains in the industry.  

Early Life and Career Foundations  

William Mason was born on January 30, 1837, in Oswego, New York, to Ebenezer Mason and Electa P. Robinson. His father, Ebenezer Mason, worked as a tradesman, mastering the crafts of tanning and palming, though his abilities reached far beyond his profession. Like his son, Ebenezer possessed many talents—he played music skillfully and wrote with creativity and expression. Within his community, he earned respect as a teacher who generously shared his knowledge of both music and the written word. 

For much of William Mason’s early childhood, he lived with his uncle, William Mason Jr. in Palmer, Massachusetts. He attended public school until the age of ten, when he moved to Thorndike to reunite with his mother, Electa, who had since remarried a man named Shuball Chapman. From that point until he was fourteen, Mason worked on a farm, gaining the kind of practical, hands-on experience that would later serve him well in his mechanical pursuits. 

In 1851, at the age of fourteen, Mason left for Monson, Massachusetts, to study carpentry. After three years of improving his trade, he took a position in Ludlow, Massachusetts working as a mechanical designer for W.G. Floy Co. His talent quickly became apparent, and in 1854 he relocated with the company to West Warren, where he became involved with the Warren Cotton Mill. There, he contributed to the development of the well-regarded Knowles steam pump and a variety of advanced textile looms. Around the same time, Mason also collaborated with inventor L.E. Truesdell, lending his mechanical expertise to the design and construction of Truesdell’s Iron Bridge. 

Mason’s Rise in the Firearms Industry  

Mason began his career in the firearms manufacturing industry when he left his position in West Warren and took a job in Hartford, working at the Colt factory. There he spent a focused year working on steel gauges and precision tools used in the production of Springfield rifles, an essential component of Colt’s wartime manufacturing during the American Civil War. Though his initial stint at Colt was brief, it marked the beginning of a lifelong journey in arms innovation. 

Following his year at Colt, Mason joined Remington Arms Company, where his talents quickly earned him a reputation as both designer and superintendent. Stationed in Ilion, New York, Mason developed machinery for crafting gunstocks and various other firearm components. His responsibilities expanded when he secured a contract to build thirteen separate firearm parts; a project he labored over for four years. By the end of his tenure at Remington, Mason held the respected title of Master Mechanic. 

Mason then received an invitation to return to Colt’s factory, this time to take charge of the armory. Over the next sixteen years, he played an instrumental role in Colt’s operations, overseeing design, development, and mechanical innovation. During his tenure with the Colt Company, William Mason experienced significant milestones in his personal life. On April 18, 1863, he married his first wife, Mary E. Ward. Their marriage would last 33 years. Sadly, Mary passed away on September 12, 1896, leaving a deep void in Mason’s life. Two years later, Mason married his second wife, Mary E. Hastings, on January 11, 1898. 

His long-standing service at Colt ended when Winchester Repeating Arms Company recruited him and he spent the final years of his career there. 

A Colt Icon: Revolutionizing the Revolver

In 1871, William Mason began developing new commercial products for Colt, marking a significant evolution in the company’s firearm line. Among his earliest contributions was the design of Colt’s first metallic cartridge revolvers, beginning with the Colt Model 1871–72 “Open Top” revolver. This model became the third such pistol produced by Colt, following the .41 caliber House Pistol and the .22 caliber seven-shot Open Top. 

Mason’s .44 caliber Open Top was a groundbreaking design, created entirely from new specifications. Unlike earlier models, its parts were not interchangeable with previous pistols, signaling a shift in Colt’s manufacturing approach. Chambered for the .44 Henry cartridge, Mason submitted the revolver to the U.S. Army for evaluation. However, the Army rejected it, citing the need for a more powerful sidearm for military use. 

Undeterred, Mason went back to the drawing board. He redesigned the revolver frame, incorporating a top strap, an element inspired by Remington’s revolvers for added strength and durability. He also upgraded the caliber to .45, aligning with the Army’s request for a more powerful weapon. This redesign laid the groundwork for what would eventually become one of Colt’s most iconic firearms. 

The result of Mason and gunsmith Charles Brinckerhoff Richards work was a revolver that the  Army chose in 1872.  The 1873 Colt Single Action Army revolver, also known as the “Colt Peacemaker,” entered the market soon after. This revolver later gained recognition as one of Mason’s most famous designs. 

The Final Patents: Mason’s Later Years 

In 1882, Mason eventually stepped away from his long-held position at Colt to join Winchester Repeating Arms Company in New Haven, Connecticut. His move marked a pivotal chapter in his career—one that would further cement his legacy in firearms innovation. At Winchester, Mason became an essential figure in strengthening the company’s relationship with John Browning, one of the era’s most significant firearms designers. Mason remained with Winchester until his retirement, shaping both their products and their reputation for mechanical excellence. 

Just three years into his role at Winchester, Mason earned the title of Master Mechanic, a recognition of both his technical skills and inventive prowess. Known among his colleagues as intelligent, dependable, and remarkably innovative, Mason’s contributions proved essential to the company’s success. J.W. Roe described Mason as: 

“A modest, kindly man, little known outside his immediate associates but of singular fertility in invention and almost unerring in mechanical judgment.”  

Peers often praised that mechanical judgment—not just as instinct, but as a rare ability to evaluate a prototype and determine exactly what it needed to function and succeed commercially. This gift proved crucial during Winchester’s collaboration with Browning. While Mason had originally been hired to help the company compete with Colt’s revolver line, he quickly shifted focus to adapting and improving John Browning’s firearm prototypes. In fact, very few of Browning’s early designs made it to production without Mason’s refinement. His input not only helped streamline functionality, but also ensured manufacturability on a mass scale.  Winchester relied on Mason’s mechanical expertise and credited many of the company’s subsequent designs to his ingenuity. 

While working in New Haven, Mason also turned his attention toward improving the efficiency and capability of the factory itself. Drawing from years of hands-on experience, he introduced several mechanical upgrades, most notably a vertical-barrel drilling machine. This innovation significantly boosted production output and improved precision, especially in the processing of nickel steel—an important material for high-powered rifle barrels. So effective, the new drilling machine remained in use across the industry for more than 35 years after Mason’s original design. 

Mason impacted Winchester not only through the firearms he helped produce, but also by reshaping their construction process, setting new standards on the manufacturing line. In 1910, Mason retired from his longstanding career and three years later he passed away on July 17, 1913. His impact on the industry endures through the products he helped design and improve, as well as the machinery that drives manufacturing. While technology continues to evolve, Mason’s legacy remains rooted in the foundations he helped build.