All makers would have made almost anything that the customer was willing to pay for. Hammer guns made well after they went out of fashion had to have been made to order. Perhaps an older customer seeking to match his favorite older hammer gun or like some of my family a person who refused to be caught up in the latest new fashion.
I am sure that the expiration of any patents saved a few shillings but not enough to remain in the past without a customer with money in hand. Money and demand drove the bus.
