Profiles of firearm, ammunition, optics and archery manufacturers: their history, where they began and the product families they make.
9 pages
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
Marlin Firearms is best known for American lever action rifles with side loading, side ejection and solid top receivers. Its story runs from John Mahlon Marlin’s New Haven shop through the Remington and Freedom Group years to Ruger’s 2020 purchase and the return of Ruger made Marlin rifles.
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
Savage Arms began in Utica, New York in 1894 and built its reputation around Arthur Savage’s hammerless lever action rifle work, especially the Model 1899 and Model 99. Its ownership has moved through several major periods, including Ronald Coburn’s private ownership, ATK, Vista Outdoor, a 2019 management led buyout, and Smith & Wesson Brands’ October 21, 2026 acquisition of the Savage Arms business.
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
Beretta is an Italian firearms company with historic roots tied to Bartolomeo Beretta’s 1526 sale of harquebus barrels to the Venice Arsenal. Today, the Beretta name is connected with Beretta Holding and with operations in Italy and the United States.
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
Sturm, Ruger & Company was founded in 1949 in Southport, Connecticut by William B. Ruger and Alexander M. Sturm. Today Ruger is a New York Stock Exchange public company with U.S. manufacturing facilities, Ruger, Marlin and Glenfield brands, and Marlin assets acquired in 2020.
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
Colt and CZ became part of the same corporate group in 2021, joining Samuel Colt’s Hartford legacy with Česká zbrojovka’s Uherský Brod lineage. This profile traces Colt’s Paterson and Hartford eras, key Colt and CZ models, CZ-USA, and the formation of Colt CZ Group.
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
Smith & Wesson traces its roots to Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson in 1852, with its enduring Springfield, Massachusetts identity taking shape in 1856. Today, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. is a Nasdaq listed firearms company headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, with manufacturing in Maryville, Springfield, and Houlton.
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
This article covers Glock’s origins in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, its transition from manufacturing company to pistol maker through the Austrian P80 program, and the development of Safe Action pistols. It also explains Glock generations and factory locations in Austria, Slovakia, and Smyrna, Georgia.
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
SIG Sauer is best understood as a company with a major U.S. corporate presence today and with Swiss and German roots. The Sauer side traces to Suhl, Germany, in 1751.
Article · Manufacturers and Brands
Winchester is both a historic firearms name and a modern ammunition brand. Today, Olin owns the Winchester trademark and makes Winchester ammunition, while Browning and FN Browning Group handle Winchester brand firearms under the licensed brand structure described by the companies.