Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage red gun oil bottle question

What catalog did the Savage red gun oil bottle first show up in ?

The 1900 (reprint) catalog lists 'Three in One Gun Oil" and show a picture of the bottle. ADDED to clarify, this is not the "Red Gun Oil"

I don't have a 1901 - was there one?

1902 lists 'Savage Red Gun Oil' not pictured but lists 3oz bottle for 25 cents
1903 catalog it is pictured, size of bottle not listed but it is now 15 cents
1904 pocket catalog not pictured but listed at 15 cents, bottle size not listed
Catalog #15 ~1905~ 6 bottles in a box pictured @ 15 cents and a case of 12 for $1.80
Catalog #15 Canadian edition has it at 20 cents a bottle and a case of only 6 for $1.20
Catalog #16 ~early 1907~ Red Oil listed the same as in #15.
---- #16 two mostly blank pages with a note they are reserved for a "new Savage creation" " not ready for delivery until after Aug 1, 1907 (the 1907 pistol)
Catalog #17 pocket catalog circa 1907, no pistols, Red Oil the same
---no know catalogs between #17 & #24 ------
No longer listed in catalog #24 circa 1908~1909 ( first edition does not list the Model 1909, the second edition does)

Thanks Gene for a very thorough answer.

Yea that helps Gene.
~1900-1907 making it some of the oldest memorabilia.
I've read they were blown glass w/cork.
Anybody ever seen a full bottle?

Seems I remember Fug had one.

Just to clarify, I listed the 1900 catalog because it did not have the Red Gun Oil, it had 3 in 1 Oil listed and pictured, my next catalog is 1902 and it has it, so Red Gun Oil came out between 1900 & 1902.

Now instead of clarifying this will confuse things.

The 1902 catalog has the size listed, 3oz...the 1903 does not list a size and drops the price.. so was the oil just cheaper are were the bottles made smaller? Is there more than one size of bottle?

The catalogs that picture the bottles show what looks like a paper label, I've seen one bottle with a paper label still intact - I think it also had the molded in writing on the other side, but not sure... so, did all the bottles originally have a paper label? The label pictured in the 1903 catalog is different than the one in #15 ~1905~... were there different paper labels?

Attached are copies of the catalog pages, there is also some interesting information about the steel used in gun barrels in the 1900 & 1902 pages.

Couple of pictures of Fug's... One with a cork.

I tried to buy a bottle with a partial label but failed. I did later buy one with a full label. It is like the one from the 1905 catalog. (back and front photo attached) I've only seen the two.

I have a note on a no-label bottle from 2008 that sold for around $250 and another sold about a month ago for around $350.

Thanks for the pics Rick.

I guess I would not expect a paper label on an oil bottle to stand the test of time very well.

$350? That's crazy.

Does anyone have or has seen a tub of the .303 Grease as pictured in Gene's catalog pages?

How about the 3 in 1 oil bottle that should be more common.

Here is an interesting artical on the history of 3 in 1.

https://baybottles.com/2017/12/05/g-w-cole-co-three-in-one/

Just noticed the differences in the grease labels:
1897 it is .303 Grease, Savage Repeating Arms
1899 it is .303 Grease with the "Repeating" blanked out.
1900 it is .303 Grease with the "Repeating" blanked out.
1902 it is .303 Grease without the "Repeating blanked out.
1903 same tube drawing but now Red Gun Grease.
1905 appears the tube has been redesigned but can't make out the details.

I don't remember seeing any actual Savage brand grease from this time period.

Adding to the oil info:
1897 no oil listed
1899 states THE BEST OIL, 3 oz, $.25 (when I first read it I thought it was "the best oil..." but appears to be a name "The Best Oil...". I don't remember seeing this brand so something else to check into)

I mentioned I had seen only one bottle with the paper label intact, it was Rick's... so for those who thought there might be two know, it's really twice as rare as you may have thought!
I am starting to assume there wasn't a 1901 catalog?

I have not seen a 1901 catalog. Also, don't know if there is an 1896 or 1898 catalog.

I have one of the 3 in 1 bottles,no label but embossed on the sides.

I have two embossed G. W. Cole Co. on one side (no label). One is marked 3 Oz. which might be the one pictured in the Savage catalog. The other is smaller. Per the article the earliest marking would have been G.W.Cole & Co. but I have not seen one with that embossed on the bottle. That might have just been on the paper label...I don't know.

The “ red “ in the name refers to the addition of lead in the oil which greatly reduces friction , galling and wear .

If you are familiar with the gear cutting industry , they used “ red lead “ to visually see the contact area on worm / worm gears .

I’ve got a Savage Red oil bottle with no label but embossed glass .

Interesting thread .

"If you are familiar with the gear cutting industry ..." I'm not so is good info. Thanks!