[James K]

There is no "story" on parts for those guns, because there are none to be had, except by purchasing an identical gun in worse condition and cannibalizing it. As for "drop in", forget it. All those pistols were hand fitted (labor was a lot cheaper than precision machines) and parts don't always interchange even among guns from the same maker. If you are handy with tools, you can make most parts, but with gunsmith/machinist services running close to $100 an hour, having them made will cost a lot more than the gun is ever going to be worth.

Of course, I recently said the same thing about another old gun and the owner informed me that he had acquired all the parts needed to restore it at almost no cost, so "never say never"! Another has made parts for an old revolver, but he is a skilled machinist who could never pay his own hourly rate if he did it for someone else.

FWIW, the Howard was made by Meriden and I THINK they made the identical gun under the Meriden name. (Meriden itself was set up by Sears, Roebuck to make guns for them, but they apparently made guns for others as well.)

Jim