Ruger Acquires Anderson Manufacturing: Evaluating The Impact
In Ruger’s most recent quarterly earnings report, April 30, 2025, Ruger President and CEO Todd Seyfert made a compelling statement to challenge the up-and-down nature so often displayed in our industry: “Although the firearms industry may be cyclical, Ruger does not have to be.”
Two months later, Ruger announced the purchase of Hebron, Ky-based Anderson Manufacturing — which has given the most prolific firearms manufacturer in the U.S. additional resources to deliver Seyfert’s objective.
This purchase, announced July 1, includes Anderson’s manufacturing facility and machinery, as well as its experienced work force. Each is primed to strengthen Ruger’s production capabilities and expand its product offerings even further.
“This acquisition is an incredible opportunity to advance our long-term strategy and expand Ruger’s capacity,” Seyfert said. “We’re excited to welcome members from the talented team at Anderson Manufacturing and leverage their knowledge and infrastructure to better serve our customers. This move reinforces Ruger’s position as a leader in the industry, and reiterates my focus on continued growth, even as others scale back.”
One of the immediate outcomes of the acquisition is Ruger’s decision to discontinue the Anderson Manufacturing brand, along with its line of budget-priced ARs, lower receivers and other firearms-related accessories.
Anderson Manufacturing thanked its customers for their support over nearly seven decades in a statement published on its website and social media. It read, in part:
“For nearly 70 years, Anderson Manufacturing proudly operated as a family-owned, Kentucky-based company built on excellence, integrity, and a deep commitment to our values—especially the protection of Second Amendment rights.
“After careful consideration, we made the difficult decision to sell the company and close this chapter of our story. With the sale now complete, the Anderson brand has been discontinued and Anderson products will no longer be offered. As a result, warranty services on Anderson firearms, parts, and accessories are no longer available.”
Looking At Recent Firearms Production
Since SI’s exclusive “U.S. Firearms Industry Today” report published earlier this month, we thought it would be interesting to examine Anderson Manufacturing’s recent firearms production figures — especially given its status as the most prolific misc. firearms producer since SI began tracking the category since 2017. Per ATF’s Annual Firearms Manufacturing & Export Report (AFMER), examples of misc. firearms include “pistol grip firearms, starter guns and firearm frames and receivers.”
Anderson Manufacturing was the chart topper six times from 2017–2023 (the most recent year available), producing 2,242,409 misc. firearms during that span.
With 1,586,534, O.F. Mossberg/Maverick Arms was the next-closest producer of misc. firearms. Its 2022 total of 1,058,459 was the largest annual total produced by a single manufacturer observed during this time period.
Rounding out the top four are Palmetto State Armory (1,468,379*) and Aero Precision (944,111*). (*Palmetto’s firearms production figures were not reported in 2021 AFMER, while Aero Precision’s were not featured in 2019 AFMER).
In comparison, Ruger’s misc. production during the same period totaled 41,558. Its 2023 total of 987 representing its lowest annual output across the years under examination.
When it comes to rifle production, of course, Ruger is a powerhouse. From 2017 to 2023, Ruger produced a category-leading 4,614,291 rifles — more than 2 million ahead of second-ranked Savage Arms (which did not report its production data in 2017 and 2020 AFMER), with 2,280,451.
Producing 2,027,232 rifles, Henry Repeating Arms was the third-most prolific rifle maker during this span, while Smith & Wesson ranked as the fourth-largest U.S. rifle producer with 1,916,600 rifles.
Anderson Manufacturing consistently ranked inside the top-50 of all U.S. rifle makers during the time period under evaluation, rising as high as 17th in 2023. From 2017–2023 it produced 109,457 rifles.
For Ruger, there is a clear upside to this acquisition of a prolific rifle and misc. firearms producer: it’s located in a gun-friendly state, has an experienced workforce in place and a facility designed to accommodate significant firearms production. It should go a long way toward strengthening Ruger’s position as a company seeking to grow its production capabilities and expand its product offerings to consumers.
For more info: ruger.com.
