Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Arms industry |
Founded | 1816 |
Founder | Eliphalet Remington |
Defunct | 2020[1] |
Fate | All assets sold off [2] |
Successor | RemArms LLC. |
Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Anthony Acitelli (CEO) |
Products | Firearms, ammunition, and accessories |
Revenue | US$950 million (2004) |
Parent | Remington Outdoor Company |
Website | www www |
Remington Arms Company, LLC was an American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition. It was formerly owned by the Remington Outdoor Company and broken into two companies, each bearing the Remington name. The firearms manufacturer is Remington Arms owned by RemArms LLC, and the ammunition business is Remington Ammunition owned by Vista Outdoor Inc.
Founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington (as E. Remington and Sons) in Ilion, New York, it was one of the oldest gun makers in the US and claimed to be the oldest factory in the US that still made its original product. [3] The company was the largest rifle manufacturer in North America according to 2015 ATF statistics. [4] [5] The company developed or adopted more cartridges than any other gun maker or ammunition manufacturer in the world.
The Remington company was founded in 1816. Eliphalet Remington II (1793–1861) believed he could build a better gun than he could buy. Remington began designing and building a flintlock rifle for himself. [6] At age 23 (in late 1816), he entered a shooting match; though he finished second, his well-made gun impressed other contestants. Before Remington left the field that day, he had received so many orders from other competitors that he had officially entered the gunsmithing business. By 1828, he moved his operation to nearby Ilion. The modern Remington firearms plant still uses this site.
On March 7, 1888, two years after spinning off the typewriter business which later became Remington Rand, the Remington family sold the ownership of E. Remington & Sons to new owners, Marcellus Hartley and Partners. This consisted of Hartley and Graham of New York, New York, a major sporting goods chain that also owned the Union Metallic Cartridge Company in Bridgeport and the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven, both in Connecticut. At this time, the company formally changed its name to the Remington Arms Company. [7]
When the US entered World War I, Remington became deeply involved in the war effort. [8] Remington was left with huge stocks of guns and ammunition and no prospects for payment. The US government purchased the firearms. [9]
During the Great Depression, Remington was purchased by DuPont, which had made its name 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. [10]
In 1940, the US Army became worried about its ammunition capacity and asked Remington to collaborate on a plan for national expansion. With the aid of DuPont, Remington built the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (named Lake City Arsenal initially) and Denver Ordnance ammunition plants, and three more plants later on, including the Lowell Ordnance Plant. Though the plants belonged to the US government, Remington was asked to oversee their operation. Among the weapons that Remington manufactured for the government during World War II was the famous M1903A3 Springfield bolt-action rifle.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Remington expanded into other products besides guns, with the purchase of Mall Tool Company in 1956. [11] [12] One of the products was chain saws. [13]
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 (the rifle, later renamed 700P, is very popular among law enforcement agencies) and the military M24 SWS, which was the United States Army standard sniper rifle between 1988 and 2010. Other armed forces worldwide still use it, such as the IDF. Other firearms companies designed and manufactured sniper rifles based on the reliable and accurate Remington Model 700 action.
In 1969, Remington broke ground on a new ammunition manufacturing plant in Lonoke, Arkansas. By 1970, centerfire ammunition in the Remington, UMC and Peter's brand names were being produced by the facility. The company's shotshell then rimfire ammunition production operations were subsequently moved to the Lonoke facility in the mid 1970s and early 1980s. [14]
In 1986, Remington closed its ammunition plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut, completely transferring operations to the facility in Lonoke, Arkansas. A year later, Remington built a new clay targets plant in Athens, Georgia. According to an article in The New York Times , in 1993, Remington's parent company—DuPont de Nemours & Company (DuPont)—sold Remington to the New York investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) for $300 million. [15] The Times, citing the National Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association said that "rifle and shotgun sales totaled $900 million" in 1992. Citing the National Shooting Sports Foundation president, the article said that since 1986, "interest in hunting" had "declined". The sale of long guns—which represented 75% of Remington sales had become "slack" by 1993, while the sale of handguns had become the "fastest-growing segment" of the gun industry. [15]
In June 2007, a private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, acquired Remington Arms for $370 million, including $252 million in assumed debt. It became part of Cerberus' Freedom Group. Remington was millions of dollars in debt and did not report a profit from 2003 to 2005. [16] In 2015, the Freedom Group was renamed Remington Outdoor Company.
In December 2007, Remington Arms acquired rifle-maker Marlin Firearms. [17] In 2009, ammunition sales continued to remain high despite the ongoing United States Ammunition Shortage during that time. Chief Executive Officer Ted Torbeck said that consumer concerns over future restrictions, and taxes on ammunition and firearms by the Obama administration, were creating a rise in demand. [18]
In October 2009, Remington Military products acquired suppressor manufacturer Advanced Armament Corporation. [19] In 2010, Remington introduced the fastest commercially available shotgun shell, Hypersonic Steel, with a patented wad technology that allows the shot to travel at 1,700 ft/s (520 m/s).
After a 12-year absence from the handgun market, Remington announced the Remington 1911 R1 in 2010. It had previously ceased production of its last handgun, the Model XP-100R in 1998. Later in 2010, 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 in (70 mm) target loads, 3 in (76 mm) hunting loads, and 3+1⁄2 in (89 mm) magnum hunting loads.
In 2012, Remington won a US Army contract to manufacture 24,000 M4A1 carbines at $673 per unit worth $16,163,252 total. [20]
In 2013, for the first time since 1928, Remington began to offer an air rifle, called the "Remington Express." [21]
In 2014, the company decided to move some manufacturing from Ilion, New York to Huntsville, Alabama. The president of United Mine Workers Local 717, which represented workers at Ilion, expressed fears about the future of the New York facility and blamed the NY SAFE Act for the company's decision to favor Alabama over New York. [22] Subsequently, about 100 Remington jobs were shifted from New York to Alabama. [23]
Beginning in late 2017, Remington began bankruptcy planning, having suffered declining sales and reputation; damage from an August 2017 exposé on the CBS news program 60 Minutes about X-Mark Pro trigger defects linked to several deaths, [24] and amassed some $950 million worth of debt. [25] [26] The low sales and debt were blamed on either a reduction in "panic-buying", or diminishing quality and reputation. [27] Remington filed for bankruptcy in March 2018, [28] and exited bankruptcy on May 17, 2018, less than two months later. The company's quick exit was due to a pre-approved restructuring plan supported by 97% of its creditors, which canceled all shares of common stock issued before the bankruptcy proceedings, and the issuance of new shares to convert over $775 million of company debt into equity. [29]
The families of nine victims and a teacher who were shot and survived the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting with a Remington Bushmaster rifle filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Connecticut state court seeking a jury trial to recover unspecified damages. The case was briefly moved to federal court before being referred back to the state court level. In 2016, the suit was initially dismissed by a Connecticut Superior Court citing the immunity provided to firearms manufacturers by the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) of 2005. Remington's bankruptcy delayed the suit. On March 14, 2019, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4–3 that the suit's wrongful marketing claim could proceed to trial under Connecticut's Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) which addressed marketing including "truly unethical and irresponsible marketing practices promoting criminal conduct" and was not preempted by the PLCAA. The US Supreme Court declined to hear the case. [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] On February 15, 2022, it was announced that a $73 million settlement had been reached between the Sandy Hook families and Remington. The cost of the settlement was borne by insurers. [39] [40]
On February 17, 2014, Remington announced a plan to build a new state-of-the-art plant in Huntsville, Alabama. Remington said it decided to move two production lines from the Ilion, New York plant as a result of the fallout from the NY SAFE Act, which restricted gun ownership in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. AR-15 style semi-automatic rifles from Bushmaster, DPMS, and Remington (R-15) and 1911 style R-1 pistols were produced in the plant. The plant was touted by Alabama's Department of Commerce Secretary and by Remington as a boon to Alabama's economy. [41]
On November 8, 2021, it was announced that Remington Firearms would relocate its global headquarters to LaGrange, Georgia. This location is planned to contain a new advanced manufacturing operation and a research and development center. [42]
On November 30, 2023, it was reported that Remington Arms operations in Ilion would end in March 2024. About 250 to 300 employees will be affected by the plant closure. [43] The plant's union representative United Mine Workers of America president Cecil Roberts later condemned the planned closure. [44]
On July 28, 2020, Remington filed again for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, [45] and its assets were divided up and sold to various buyers. [2] The Remington Arms business and the non-Marlin Firearms business was sold to Roundhill Group LLC, which now operates it through the holding company RemArms LLC. [46] The Remington brand name and the Lonoke ammunition factory was bought by Vista Outdoor, which uses it to market and manufacture several types of ammunition. [47] [48] Sturm, Ruger & Co. purchased the Marlin Firearms division. [49]
After the breakup, two companies now use the Remington brand name, Remington Arms (RemArms LLC) and Remington Ammunition (Vista Outdoor). [50] [51] RemArms LLC licenses the brand name from Vista Outdoor. [52]
The Bushmaster AR-15 style rifle and 1911 pattern R-1 lines from Ilion, New York, were produced at the plant constructed in 2014 in Huntsville, Alabama. DPMS Panther Arms moved from St. Cloud, Minnesota, to the new Alabama facility. [53] [54]
Remington's former ammunition factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was investigated by the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures in 2009. The site was eventually purchased by Peter DiNardo Enterprises Inc. and is scheduled for demolition. [55]
As of 2021, Vista Outdoor doubled the number of workers at its Lonoke ammunition factory purchased out of the Remington bankruptcy auction. The facility employs over 900 people. [56]
Based on a list from the Remington web site. [57]
John Moses Browning was an American firearm designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world. He made his first firearm at age 13 in his father's gun shop and was awarded the first of his 128 firearm patents on October 7, 1879, at the age of 24. He is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries and a pioneer of modern repeating, semi-automatic, and automatic firearms.
E. Remington and Sons (1816–1896) was a manufacturer of firearms and typewriters. Founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, on March 1, 1873, it became known for manufacturing the first commercial typewriter.
Eliphalet Remington was an American engineer who founded what would become known as Remington Arms. Originally the company was known as E. Remington followed by E. Remington & Son and then E. Remington and Sons.
Savage Arms is an American gunmaker based in Westfield, Massachusetts, with operations in Canada and China, PRC. Savage makes a variety of rimfire and centerfire rifles, as well as Stevens single-shot rifles and shotguns. The company is best known for the Model 99 lever-action rifle, no longer in production, and the .300 Savage. Savage was a subsidiary of Vista Outdoor until 2019 when it was spun off.
The Bushmaster XM-15 series is a line of AR-15 style semi-automatic rifles and carbines manufactured by Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC. Variants include the Bushmaster M4-type Carbine, Patrolman series, QRC series, Bushmaster XM15-E2S, and the Carbon 15 line.
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American manufacturer of repeating firearms and ammunition. The firm was established in 1866 by Oliver Winchester and was located in New Haven, Connecticut. The firm went into receivership in 1931 and was bought by the Western Cartridge Company, a forerunner of the Olin Corporation. The Winchester brand name is still owned by the Olin Corporation, which makes ammunition under that name. The Winchester name is also used under license for firearms produced by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group – FN Herstal of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Ogden, Utah.
Marlin Firearms is an American manufacturer of semi-automatic, lever-action and bolt-action rifles. In the past the company made shotguns, derringers, and revolvers. Marlin owned the firearm manufacturer H&R Firearms. In 2007, Remington Arms, part of the Remington Outdoor Company, acquired Marlin Firearms. Remington produced Marlin-brand firearms at its Kentucky and New York manufacturing facilities. In 2020, Sturm, Ruger & Co. bought the Marlin business from bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company.
The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) is a U.S law, passed in 2005, that protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products. Both arms manufacturers and dealers can still be held liable for damages resulting from defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct, and other actions for which they are directly responsible. However, they may be held liable for negligent entrustment if it is found that they had reason to believe a firearm was intended for use in a crime.
Harrington & Richardson is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased independent production February 27, 2015.
Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC, is an American firearm manufacturer and distributor. The company's product line revolves around semi-automatic pistol and rifle variants of the M4/AR-15 design. It is currently in full operation and is based in Carson City, Nevada. Bushmaster Firearms is unrelated to the Bushmaster autocannon.
Para USA (Para) was an American-owned firearms manufacturer. It was the successor to Para-Ordnance, founded in Canada in 1985. It specialized in making M1911-style semi-automatic pistols and components. The company was acquired by Remington Outdoor Company in 2012. In 2015, the Para brand ceased production and was folded into Remington.
DPMSPanther Arms is an American manufacturer headquartered in West Columbia, South Carolina, known for its wide range of military and civilian rifles and accessories.
The Remington-Beals Model Revolvers along with subsequent models and variations were percussion revolvers manufactured by Eliphalet Remington & Sons in .31 (Pocket) .36 (Navy) or .44 (Army) caliber, used during the American Civil War, and was the beginning of a successful line of medium and large frame pistols. They are commonly, though inaccurately, referred to as the Model 1858 due to the patent markings on its New Model barrels, "PATENTED SEPT. 14, 1858/E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, NEW YORK, U.S.A./NEW MODEL."; although wide scale production did not start until 1861.
The 5 mm Remington Rimfire Magnum or 5 mm RFM is a bottlenecked rimfire cartridge introduced by Remington Arms Company in 1969. Remington chambered it in a pair of bolt-action rifles, the Model 591 and Model 592, but this ammunition never became very popular, and the rifles were discontinued in 1974. About 52,000 rifles and 30,000 barrels for the T/C Contender pistol were sold during its brief production run. Remington discontinued the cartridge itself in 1982, leaving owners with no source of ammunition.
Remington Outdoor Company (ROC), formerly known as the Freedom Group, was an American firearms manufacturer and holding company. The company had notable brands under its umbrella, such as Bushmaster, DPMS, Remington and Marlin.
The 2008–2016 United States ammunition shortage was a shortage of civilian small arms ammunition in the United States that started in late 2008, and continued through most or all of 2010, with an additional shortage beginning in December 2012 and continuing throughout 2013.
The Union Metallic Cartridge Company (UMC) was an early manufacturer of cartridge ammunition for small arms. The company was founded in 1867 during the most rapid evolution of cartridge design to date. Following merger with Remington Arms in 1912, the company manufacturing complex in Bridgeport, Connecticut became a major arms supplier during World War I. The factory was Remington headquarters until 1984 and the source of sporting and police ammunition headstamped REM-UMC until 1970.
The Remington Model 572 Fieldmaster is a slide action, manually-operated .22 caliber (rimfire) repeating rifle manufactured by Remington Arms Company. First introduced to the commercial market in 1956, the 572 Fieldmaster rifle incorporates a tubular magazine capable of feeding .22 Short, .22 Long, or .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridges, a cross-bolt safety, and an aluminum receiver grooved for scope mounts. The original Fieldmaster used a 22.75-inch barrel. The Model 572 uses many of the design features first introduced on the Remington Model 870 shotgun, and replaced the Model 121 Fieldmaster as the company's slide-action rimfire repeater. The 572 was discontinued in 2020 following the bankruptcy of the parent company.
Vista Outdoor Inc. is an American designer, manufacturer, and marketer of outdoor sports and recreation products. It operates in two markets: shooting sports and outdoor products. It is a "house of brands" with more than 40 labels and subsidiaries. It trades under "VSTO" on the New York Stock Exchange.
The 2020–present United States ammunition shortage is the most recent of all the ammunition shortages in the United States. It arose out of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the 2020 United States presidential election, and the George Floyd protests. The lack of sufficient ammunition for consumers in the United States is to some extent ongoing.
© Remington Ammunition
A new era has begun. Remington Firearms and Ammunition are now separate new companies...© RemArms LLC.