50 Years - A Look Into Shiloh Rifle's Past and a Peek Into Its Current History -- Lucinda Bryan Terry

Winston Churchill was right when he stated: "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." I am here to share a little history.

Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing traces its roots back to Wolfgang Droege, who began his journey in the machining industry in 1951. Driven by a desire to improve and advance, Droege switched jobs frequently, striving for excellence. In 1953, he entered a partnership with Mr. Vogel, and together they established a machine shop called Drovel Tool. Their commitment to quality and precision opened doors to the aerospace industry, including collaborations with Grumman Aircraft Company and NASA. By 1972, their contract with Xerox was coming to an end.

With that in mind, we would like to introduce Len Mulé, who is currently residing in New Jersey. We had heard his name before at gun shows, very sporadic and yet vague, a name that came up occasionally over the years but without a face or story to match. That mystery was solved in 2006 when Mr Mulé contacted Kirk by phone and introduced himself. He spoke numerous times with Kirk and began mailing boxes full of cherished documents, original drawings, photos-and a part of Shiloh history that had been unknown to us all these years. Here is his story.

Len worked for a company called Remlin Products, a Company owned by his brother-in-law. Len designed and patented a varnish applicator and was then instructed to design a 4-cavity minnie ball hollow base bullet mould. Once the design was completed, he needed to find a machinist and was given the name Wolfgang Droege of Drovel Tool in Farmingdale, New York. They needed a name to market his new bullet mould, so Len started digging through a Civil War book where he had read about the Battle of Shiloh.

The name Shiloh and the 4-cavities of the mould was combined to form "Shiloh IV". In time, both Remlin Products and Shiloh IV came to an end due to financial problems. Len contacted Wolf and they agreed on a partnership. Len kept the name Shiloh which he had originated for the mould and the company Shiloh Products Inc. was born, a company incidentally, which was never a part of Drovel Tool. Driven by the fact that a new product was needed to generate a salary, Len Mulé designed and helped bring the Sharps to life.

Unfortunately, the partnership did not work and was dissolved. Even more unfortunate was the fact that Len and his contribution to the Sharps legacy fell into obscurity, a dream that was washed away in the hands of a dispute.

In 1973, Droege began producing black powder accessories such as moulds, melting pots, and mold handles under Shiloh Products, a division of Drovel Tool Company. Through marketing these products, he connected with many individuals in the black powder community.

Encouraged by one such acquaintance, Droege purchased several original Sharps rifles in 1974 and started blueprinting them. By 1975, two prototypes—a military carbine and a military rifle, both modeled after the 1863 Sharps—were ready and showcased at the National Sporting Goods convention in Chicago to gauge interest.

The positive response in 1976 confirmed demand for these rifles. Throughout 1976 and 1977, the 1874 action was phased in alongside the 1863 action. Wolfgang's son, Mark, joined the venture, helping to market the rifles at gun shows and sporting goods events. The rifles were distributed under the name C. Sharps Arms Company.

During one gun show, John Schoffstall, owner of "Hole in the Wall" gun shop in Richland, Washington, expressed enthusiasm for distributing the rifles. The Droege family accepted his offer, dividing the United States along the Mississippi River. C-Sharps West operated from Richland, Washington, while C-Sharps East operated from Long Island, New York, with the rifles stamped Shiloh Products and the barrels were stamped with Old Reliable.

For many years, rifles were distributed in this manner. Around 1980, Mark Droege decided to pursue other interests, relinquishing his share of the distribution. The rifles continued to be distributed under the C. Sharps Arms Company name.

Now to introduce you to another link in the story! Jim and Ginny Kilts visited the Shiloh showroom in the fall of 2025, again sharing additional history and documentation that we never had or knew. They had been offered employment by C-Sharps Arms (John Schoffestall) on July 9, 1979, to work in Shiloh’s Manufacturing facility in Farmingdale, New York, until mid-November 1979. Subsequently, they transitioned to working in the custom shop at Hole in the Wall (C-Sharps West), customizing Shiloh rifles using actions supplied by Shiloh. By around April of 1980, the custom shop work was starting to be noticed by gun writers.

Later in 1980, Mr. Schoffstall told them of his plan to move C-Sharps Arms and the custom shop to Big Timber where a friend of his (Ed Webber) lived.

Ed Webber had built the 1st Gemmer conversion of a Shiloh Sharps sometime prior to the custom shop started in Washington. The custom shop was set up in Ed Webbers’ old shop and the office in Mr. Webbers late mothers house which was located on the same property. Plans were in the works to have a factory built in Big Timber to house C-Sharps Arms and Shiloh.

In 1981, C. Sharps Arms Company sought to relocate from Richland, Washington to Big Timber, Montana. Wolfgang and his wife Eva also considered moving away from Long Island, New York due to high business costs. Both companies—C. Sharps Arms Company of Washington and Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing, moved to Big Timber, operating as separate entities within the same building. In the fall of 1983, Wolfgang and Eva arrived in Big Timber, but production slowed during the transition. The building’s completion delayed progress. They were able to have their grand opening of their new production and sales facility on May 17, 1984, celebrated in the "Livingston Enterprise Newspaper." The new plant manufactured replicas of the Sharps rifles and were then sold by C-Sharps Arms Company.

By the end of 1984, it became clear that sharing a building was not ideal for either company. Wolfgang began constructing a new manufacturing facility up the street. The Kilts knew the relationship between Mr. Schoffstall and Wolfgang was becoming strained and so they were unsure of their future, so they chose to leave in December 1984 as it was not a good environment to work in. In January 1986, Mark rejoined his father (Wolfgang), and manufacturing resumed. A backlog of orders made a distributor unnecessary, leading to all rifles being sold directly under the Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing name to individual dealers and retail customers.

In 1991, Robert Bryan visited Wolfgang to show him the elk he had harvested with a 45/70 rifle he had waited almost two years to receive. Wolfgang revealed his plans to complete remaining orders and close the business, which troubled Robert. After returning to Broadus Montana and discussing with his family, they decided to sell their ranch, machine shop, and concrete plant to purchase Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing.

On April 1, 1991, the sale was finalized. In 1996, Shiloh decided to build its own foundry, known as Boulder River Foundry, and by January 1997 began casting its own parts. Made in America doesn’t get any better and more real than right here at our Shiloh Rifle plant located in Big Timber, Montana. Shiloh takes pride in being a Veteran/Family-owned, 100% American-made product, who manufactures our own barrels down to the screws. We are the only company in the world whose parts will interchange with the originals. We have no imported parts. 

Over the past fifty years, the company has continued to grow and remain steady, and we will never sacrifice our quality over quantity. Each of our customers is special to us and we take great care
in custom building a rifle to their desired specs and needs. When you purchase a Shiloh Sharps, you will carry with you a piece of history and the finest long range, competition and hunting rifle in the world.

Our legacy continues because of our great family of Craftsman that work here and you, our customer. You not only are purchasing a legendary rifle, but you are also supporting the principals of a way of life Americans have fought and died for over generations – self reliance, pride and our FREEDOM.

"Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." – G. K. Chesterton.

Our Family...

Our Shop Family...

Our Extended Family...

Gone But Never Forgotten...