New England Small Arms Corporation was a consortium of small manufacturers who coordinated their facilities for production of

M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) is a family of American automatic rifles and machine guns used by the United States and numerous other countries during the 20th century. The primary variant of the BAR series was the M1918, chambered for the . ...

s during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The company was an unusual variation of

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

conversion of small manufacturing plants from civilian goods to military armaments production. Other manufacturers of this size typically produced firearm components on a subcontract basis for larger prime contractors responsible for assembly and delivery. Boston Wire Stitcher Company of

East Greenwich, Rhode Island East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan st ...

, A.G.Spalding & Brothers of

Chicopee, Massachusetts Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in Western Massachusetts after Springfield. C ...

, Blake Manufacturing Company of

Clinton, Massachusetts Clinton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,428 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Clinton, please see the article Clinton (CDP), Massach ...

International Silver Company The International Silver Company (1898–1983, stopped making silver), also known as the ISC, was formed in Meriden, Connecticut as a corporation banding together many existing silver companies in the immediate area and beyond. Formation of ...

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.National Blank Book Company of

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

, and Elliot Addressing Machine Company of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

distributed tooling used for M1918 rifle production during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Winchester Repeating Arms The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American manufacturer of repeating firearms and ammunition. The firm was established in 1866 by Oliver Winchester and was located in New Haven, Connecticut. The firm went into receivership ...

and Marlin-Rockwell. Each company manufactured different rifle components and forwarded them for final assembly to a jointly operated facility converted to wartime arms production in

Crompton, Rhode Island Crompton is a community in West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States. It is named after Samuel Crompton, inventor of the spinning mule. The Crompton Mill was set up in 1807, on the east bank of the Pawtuxet River, and is thought to be the first st ...

. The corporation was created for M1918 rifle production and dissolved as members of the consortium returned to pre-war production when wartime procurement contracts were canceled. The firm produced 188,380 M1918 rifles, or 90% of the total wartime production of 208,380.

References

{{reflist Firearm manufacturers of the United States