Paul "fitz" Jones

[Cousin Daniel]

This name keeps popping up the more I research and buy star products.

He claimed to have been a star reconditioning center and he received items directly from star.

Any truth to this and does anyone know anything about him?

[varmintpopper]

I think He is/was a moderator on the cast Boolit forum.

www.castboolits.gunloads.com
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?members/paul-fitz-jones.1219/

[Humbo]

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136390

[Cousin Daniel]

I am aware at one point he was on multiple forums making these claims.

I own two ch auto champion presses, the "blue book" he wrote, and a star progressive which came from his organization based on the paper work and catalogs I received with the lot I bought.

I have been reading over other members post whom were employees of star and they clearly stated star did not employ sales people as many people like Paul Jones claimed to have been.

I would like to find out the truth about Paul and his claim, was he an actual star affiliated representative or was he just a guy that bought parts and told everyone he fixed them?

[NYKenn]

Cannot shed much light on Paul's claims, but possibly will depend on what one considers a "salesman".

Reason I say this, is that Gil Hebard of Gil Hebard Guns fame, at one time, inventoried, sold and marketed Star reloaders and Lubrisizers in his catalogs.


 

[rbwillnj]

The attached letter is from Willis "Bill" Brenizer to Bill Cunningham.   Bill Brenizer and Elard Mock were the co-owners of Star Machine Works.   I knew I had this, just took a while to find it.

Bill Cunningham was quite upset with Paul Jones'* claims and the many disparaging remarks he had for Bill Cunninham.   He wrote to Bill Brenizer posing a series of questions about the claims Paul Jones made.   Bill Breniser's response is attached.   Bill was at least in his late 80's at the time so the writing is a bit hard to read.

*Paul Jones also went by the name John Paul Jones and Paul Fitz Jones.

Bruce Williams

[NYKenn]

Bruce

Very Interesting letter! Does shed some light on the issue.
It does make me wonder what other great historical times you [no e-mail]@ locked away in your files.

Regards

Kenn.

[Kenneth L. Walters]

I remember him.  For a short time he made a lot of claims about being connected to Star BUT he never was.

[Green Frog]

It would appear that Fitz Jones was an entrepreneur, not above a little self promotion (or a lot!)  He seems to have sold a rather extensive line of cheap plastic grips for revolvers and semi-autos.  They were  very popular in about the mid-fifties.  He also sold, during that same time, some higher quality wood grips, at least for revolvers.  I communicated with him briefly around 1996 or '97 when I first got my Star Progressive, but IIRC, I never really was able to get anything much from him but promises, even then he was "out of" whatever it was i needed at the time. 

He was listed on the High Road Forum as being 83 in 2009, so if he is still living would be 100 years old... I doubt he is very actively involved in the industry today.

Froggie