When everyone shot with a muzzle-loader, loose powder, shot and wadding were available from many high-street shops, including grocers, ironmongers, whitesmiths and so on. Then, as cartridge breechloaders became more common, ammunition makers started to offer standardised cartridges for retail from gun dealers. True, many dealers still loaded specialist cartridges regulated to their clients’ guns but “off-the-peg” shotgun cartridges were becoming the norm.
By the 1880s, many ammunition retailers started to intensify their marketing by using catalogues, signs and, particularly, cartridge display boards. The theory was that they would create brand loyalty by offering a large range of reliable ammunition.
George Kynoch & Co of Birmingham was one of thsoe that did so. The founder, George Kynoch, was born on 22 August 1834 at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, the youngest son of…
