So anyway,
Three batches of Thompsons were made.
We're trying to decide which ones should be called "original" and which ones should be called a "replica".
The word "replica" means a copy of an artwork or an exact copy of an original item, especially if the copy is a smaller scale.
Unusually the word is used for copies of stuff that is valued due to a connection with history.
Like for example, they made a "replica" of the grand staircase of the Titanic so people could see what it looked like first hand.
I don't think it would be correct to call something a "copy" or "replica" unless it was made specifically as a copy of an original object.
If they stopped making Monopoly sets for a few years because they have too many, and then they start production again when they run short, that wouldn't be a "copy".
On the other hand, if they produced a special edition that looked exactly like the original 1920s set, then it would be a copy or replica.
Colt Thompsons obviously were not a copy, since they were the original product. So that one is easy.
Savages were not made for the purpose of being a copy of anything. They were made to supply an army with weapons.
AO tried to get Colt to resume production, but wouldn't do it, so AO got another major gunmaker to resume production with the original tooling and blueprints.
The Savages were not made to be a copy, they made no effort to copy anything. The 1928A1, M1 and M1A1 are copies of what gun?
The word "copy" is never applied to wartime production of guns like Remington M1903s or Remington 1911s. They weren't made to be a copy, so it doesn't occur to people to call them that.
West Hurleys, on the other hand, are replicas.
They were specifically made with a single purpose: as a copy of a historical gun for people who appreciate the historical properties of the original guns.
That is literally the dictionary definition of a replica.
If you have someone paint an exact copy of a Picasso painting, it is literally a replica.
Same thing if you have someone make an exact copy of an ancient clock or sundial.
How could any gun that was specifically manufactured as a copy of a iconic original gun also be called an original?
It makes no sense.
"Look at the exact copy I had made of a famous original Picasso painting, it's also an original."