I suspect you will find the outsourcing was dependent on many factors, with cost being the biggest. If a provincial maker had an order for a generic box lock that came in when his staff was tied up with higher profit goods he was producing, a call to Scott’s may have revealed they had several proofed, in the white actions, ready to go. It would have been more cost and time efficient to buy or trade from a larger make for entry level guns. The finishing would go much quicker in house.

Best,
Ted