ABSTRACT
Virtually every man to whom people spoke named Smith & Wesson firearms as a masculine brand. Those men people interviewed living in the South eastern region of the county also named Remington and Winchester rifles as masculine brands. The difference in response patterns between the two regions is due to the fact that hunting is a very common part of the male experience in the Southeast. Boys are typically taught by their fathers to use firearms and go hunting; thus, guns are seen as a normal part of the male environment. Remington's core competency was the development of mass-produced interchangeable parts, which enabled spare and repair parts to be made available for all rifles they manufactured. This turned out to be a remarkable boon for the Remington brand, as after the war, discharged soldiers on both sides carried their Remington's westward with the country's expansion into new territories. The availability of spare parts kept these firearms in operation for decades.
