What is the major difference between LLH & ACL? Was it that LLH was an exporter and if not LLH then who was the Belgian exporter for German born Henri Pieper? Was there one Belgian exporter for tubes in the rough?
Raimey,
The time frame is huge. There were multiple agents, firms and associations involved in the trade. They all were busy trying to make a living. LLH had their own barrel shop in Nessonvaux. They would have seen Pieper as a competitor. Having said that, there may well have been instances were they worked together on a specific order.
I once had Harry McGowen build a rifle for me. He showed me his entire operation. He had a stack of raw tube 4140 stock from US Steel. So, do I have a McGowen barrel or a US Steel barrel on my gun? Harry put his name on it. It was Harry who shaped the tube, bored it, rifled it and chambered it.
The Cockerill stamp does not mean that Cockerill was making barrels. I believe the same is true of Krupp and others. Like US Steel they supplied the raw stock.
Back to your question. LLH was not smelting steel into tubes, neither was Pieper or Clement or Cap or ... They were shaping and boring barrels from raw stock.
Rough tubes were the same proposition. The barrel maker purchased raw stock and made the barrel. The barrel had to be moved out of one country and into another country. Both transactions presented business opportunities.
Pete
