Remington Arms
Remington Arms is a major American manufacturer of
rifles,
shotguns, other
firearms, and
ammunition. They also license the Remington name to hunting apparel, Arctic Cat ATV's, and other hunting and shooting products manufactured by other companies. It was founded in 1816 by
Eliphalet Remington in
Ilion, New York, as
E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in
North America. It is the only US company which produces both firearms and ammunition domestically, and is the largest US producer of shotguns and rifles. Its products are distributed in over 60 foreign countries, making its base wider than those of its competitors.
Remington began its long history in 1816, when young
Eliphalet Remington II believed he could build a better gun than he could buy. At his father's
forge, in Ilion Gorge, New York, he began designing and building a
flintlock rifle. In the fall of that year, he entered a shooting match; though he only finished second, his home-made gun impressed other shooters. Before Eliphalet 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 would move to nearby Ilion, New York, at the same site which is used by the modern Remington firearms plant.
In 1865, Remington incorporated into a stock company, and began a new venture in 1873, producing Remington brand typewriters. Remington would sell the typewriter business in 1886; the typewriter company eventually became
Remington Rand, and the firearms business became
Remington Arms Company. In 1888, Remington was purchased by
Marcus Hartley and Partners, a major sporting goods chain who also owned the
Union Metallic Cartridge Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Bridgeport site would become the home of Remington's ammunition plant.
A few years later, in 1912, Remington and Union Metallic Cartridge were combined into a single entity, called
Remington UMC. Even today, Remington produces a
U.M.C. brand of ammunition. In 1915, the plant at Ilion was expanded, and this expansion is basically the same plant which currently exists at the site.
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, you may notice that many of the Remington headstamps still have
R-P on them, for Remington-Peters.
In 1940 the military 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, as well as three more later. Though the plants belonged to the U.S. government, Remington was asked to oversee their production.
In 1970, 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 an investment firm called
Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice, or
CD&R.
Remington is minority owned by
Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice.
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. A new, state-of-the-art firearms facility was recently built in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Ammunition and Components Plant: All of Remington's ammunition is developed at the 35-year old plant in Lonoke, Arkansas. This plant also is home to Remington's
Powdered Metal Products Division,
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.
Target Plants: Two target plants exist for Remington: in Findlay, Ohio and in Ada, Oklahoma.
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Remington's Website*
Remington Law Enforcement & Federal Agencies*
Remington Military Products Division
