Remington Arms Company, LLC is an American manufacturer of firearms and
ammunition in the United States. It was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington
in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. Remington is America's oldest gun
maker and "It's America's oldest factory that still makes its original
product-guns." It is the only U.S. company which produces both firearms and
ammunition domestically and is the largest U.S. producer of shotguns and
rifles. Remington has also developed or adopted more cartridges than any other
gun maker or ammunition manufacturer in the world. Additionally its products are
distributed in over 60 foreign countries, making its distribution base
and availability wider than those of its competitors.
Since 2007, Remington Arms is part of the Remington Outdoors Group, which is
owned by Cerberus Capital Management. Remington built a new plant in
Huntsville, Alabama which is now building Modern Sporting Rifles and
Remington 1911 R1 pistols. History
= 19th century origin = The Remington company was founded in
1816. Eliphalet Remington II believed he could build a better gun than he could
buy. Farming communities in the region were famous for their diverse skills and
self-sufficiency, and the winter seasons were used for crafts that provided goods
for self-use and also for sale. Remington's father was a blacksmith, and
wanted to expand his business into rifle barrel production. Local residents often
built their own rifles to save on costs, but purchased the barrel. Remington's
father sent him to a well-known barrel maker in a major city to purchase a
barrel, with the mission of observing the barrel-making technique. At the
time, the method was to heat and wrap long flat bars of iron around a metal
rod of the caliber desired. By heating and hammering the coiled bars around the
central rod, the barrel metal became fused into a solid cylinder, at which
point the rod was pressed out. After the young man returned home, his family
added a successful barrel making operation to his father's forge, in
Ilion Gorge, New York. Remington began designing and building a
flintlock rifle for himself. In the fall of that year, he entered a shooting
match; though he only finished second, his well-made gun impressed other
shooters. Before Remington left the field that day, he had received so many
orders from other competitors that he was now officially in the gunsmithing
business. By 1828, the operation moved to nearby Ilion, New York, at the same
site which is used by the modern Remington firearms plant.
On March 7, 1888, ownership of E. Remington & Sons left possession of the
Remington family and was sold to new owners, Marcellus Hartley and Partners.
This consisted of Hartley and Graham of New York, New York, a major sporting
goods chain who also owned the Union Metallic Cartridge Company in
Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New
Haven, Connecticut. At this time the name was formally changed to the
Remington Arms Company. The Bridgeport site became the home of Remington's
ammunition plant. = 20th century =
In 1912, Remington and Union Metallic Cartridge Company were combined into a
single entity, called Remington UMC. Even today, Remington produces U.M.C.
brand ammunition. In 1915, the plant at Ilion was expanded, and with this
expansion became basically the same plant as today.
During World War I, Remington produced arms under contract for several Allied
powers. Remington produced M1907-15 Berthier rifles for France, Pattern 1914
Enfield rifles for Britain, and Model 1891 Mosin–Nagant rifles for Imperial
Russia. As the war intensified, Remington production grew ever greater.
When the U.S. entered the war, Remington became deeply involved in the war
effort. Notable contributions by Remington included development and
production of the U.S. M1917 Enfield rifle, a simplified version of the
British Pattern 1914, and development of the Pedersen device.
Late in the war, the collapse of the Imperial Russian government had a severe
impact on Remington finances. Russia had ordered enormous quantities of arms and
ammunition, but ran short of money to pay for the orders. They delayed
payment, pointing to alleged defects in Remington products. When the Bolsheviks
took power in the Russian Revolution, they repudiated the contract entirely.
Remington was left with huge stocks of guns and ammunition, and no prospects
for payment. The U.S. government stepped up to purchase the firearms thereby
preventing Remington from absolute loss. Noting the explosive growth of business
at the beginning of the war, and the precipitous decline at the end of the
war, Remington made the conscious decision to promote and emphasize their
line of sporting products. They viewed hunting products as a more stable
business which might help them to survive future ups and downs.
During the Great Depression, Remington was purchased by the DuPont Corporation,
which had made its fortune with improvements to gunpowder. A year later,
Remington purchased the Peters Cartridge Company; today, many of the Remington
headstamps still have R-P on them for Remington-Peters.
In 1940, the U.S. Army became worried about its ammunition capacity, and asked
Remington to collaborate in a plan for national expansion. With the aid of
DuPont, Remington built the Lake City Arsenal and Denver Ordnance ammunition
plants, and three more plants later on, including the Lowell Ordnance Plant.
Though the plants belonged to the U.S. government, Remington was asked to
oversee their operation. Among the weapons Remington manufactured for the
government during World War II was the famous M1903A3 Springfield bolt-action
rifle. During the 1950s and 1960s, Remington
branched out into other products besides guns, with the purchase of Mall Tool
Company in 1956. One of the products was chain saws.
In 1962 Remington introduced the Model 700 bolt-action rifle. The rifle became
one of Remington's most successful firearms, and quickly lent itself to
developments of many sub-variants, including the Remington 700 BDL,
Remington 700PSS for police and law enforcement agencies and the military
M24 SWS which was the USA Army standard sniper rifle between 1988–2010 and still
serves among other armed forces around the world, such as the IDF. Other
firearms companies designed and manufactured sniper rifles based on the
reliable and accurate Remington Model 700 action.
In 1986, Remington closed its ammunition plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut,
creating a brand-new facility in Lonoke, Arkansas. This site was chosen as the
geographic center of the sporting ammunition market. A year later,
Remington built a new clay targets plant in Athens, Georgia.
In 1993, Remington was sold by DuPont to the investment firm Clayton, Dubilier &
Rice. = 21st century =
In June 2007, a private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, acquired
Remington Arms for $370 million, including $252 million in assumed debt.
This happened because Remington was millions of dollars in debt and did not
report a profit during the years 2003–2005.
In December 2007, Remington Arms acquired rifle-maker Marlin Firearms.
As of 2009, ammunition sales continued to remain high during the ongoing United
States Ammunition Shortage. Chief Executive Officer Ted Torbeck said that
consumer concerns over future restrictions and taxes on ammunition and
firearms by the Obama administrations were creating a rise in demand.
In October 2009, Remington Military products acquired suppressor
manufacturer Advanced Armament Corporation.
In 2010, Remington introduced the fastest commercially available shotgun
shell, Hypersonic Steel, with a patented wad technology that allows the shot to
travel at 1700 FPS. After a 12-year absence in the handgun
market, Remington announced the Model 1911 R1. The last handgun produced by
Remington Arms, the Model XP-100R, ceased production in 1998. Later that
year, Remington introduced the Versa Max auto-loading shotgun. Its patented Versa
Port system self-regulates gas pressure based on the length of the cartridge
used, enabling the shotgun to shoot light 2 3/4" target loads, 3" hunting
loads, and 3 1/2" magnum hunting loads. In 2012, Remington won the U.S. Army
contract to manufacture 24,000 M4A1 carbines at $673 per unit worth
$16,163,252 total. In 2013, Remington introduced the Model
783 bolt-action rifle. The engineering team started from scratch and designed
advanced, accuracy-enhancing features to create an all-new platform.
In 2013, for the first time since 1928, Remington began to offer an air rifle,
called the "Remington Express". Relocation of production plants
Remington announced a plan for a new state of the art plant in Huntsville,
Alabama on 17 February 2014. Remington moved two production lines from the
Ilion, New York as a result of the fallout from the New York Safe Act which
restricted gun ownership. Huntsville is now building the AR platform Modern
Sporting Rifle from Bushmaster, DPMS and Remington Remington R-15 and 1911 style
R-1 pistols in the new AL plant which is an $87 million boon for Alabama's
economy. The new plant consolidates Remington's production to promote
efficiency and lower production costs. Experts in the gun industry believe that
it is only a matter of time before Remington completely abandons its New
York roots for states that are more gun friendly and pro business.
Production sites Remington has several production
facilities today. Corporate Headquarters: The corporate
headquarters for Remington Arms is located at Madison, North Carolina.
Firearms Plants: Remington owns two firearms plants. The larger plant is
located in Ilion, New York, at the historic site. This plant also is home
to Remington's Powdered Metal Products Division. A new, state-of-the-art
firearms facility was recently built in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Ammunition and Components Plant: All of Remington's ammunition is now made at
the 35-year-old plant in Lonoke, Arkansas. This plant also is home to
Remington's Industrial Products Division, and Ammunition Product
Services. Custom Plant: Custom firearms are
hand-crafted by professional gunsmiths at the Ilion, New York facility.
Technical Center: The technical and research center for Remington is located
in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Huntsville, Alabama Facility This new
facility will employ 2,000 people and has plans for future expansion. The
Bushmaster AR MSR and 1911 pattern R-1 lines from Ilion, New York, are now
produced here. DPMS Panther Arms is moving from St. Cloud, MN to the new
Alabama facility. Remington's former ammunition factory in
Bridgeport, Connecticut, was investigated by the Travel Channels,
Ghost Adventures in 2009. The site was eventually purchased by Peter DiNardo
Enterprises Inc. and is scheduled for demolition.
In national symbolism Remington rifles are incorporated into
the flag and the national emblem of Guatemala.
Remington firearms Based on a list from the Remington web
site. NOTE: Remington has produced many weapons over the years. This list is NOT
a complete list. = Rifles =
Bolt-action Pump-action
Model Six Remington Model 12
Model 14 Model 121 Fieldmaster
Model 141 Model 572 Fieldmaster
Model 760 Model 7600
Semi-automatic Model Four
Model 8 Model 11
Model 522 Model 552
Model 597 Model 740
Model 742 Model 750
Model 7400 Model R-15
Model R-25 RSASS
Single-shot Remington Rolling Block rifle
Automatic R4
Adaptive Combat Rifle R5 RGP
= Shotguns = Pump-action
Model 10 Model 17
Model 29 Model 31
Model 870 Model 887
Semi-automatic Sportsman(improved version of Model 11)
Sportsman 58 Model 878 Automaster
Model 1100 Model 11-48
Sportsman 48 Model 11-87
Model SP-10 SPR 453
Versa max sportsman Break-action
SPR 100 SPR 310
Model 32 Model 3200
Model 332 = Handguns =
Semi-automatic 1911 R1
Remington Model 51 Remington R51
Derringer Remington Rider Single Shot Pistol
Remington Zig-Zag Derringer Model 95
Revolvers Remington Revolver Model 1858, Remington
New Model Army Model 1875
Model 1890 Other
XP-100 a bolt-action pistol that can fire many rifle cartridges.
Express Air Rifle References
External links Official website
Remington Law Enforcement & Federal Agencies
Remington Military Products Division