The Industry’s Recovery Efforts Continue

By Jade Moldae

On the surface, several metrics paint a less-than-rosy picture of the current market facing the U.S. firearms industry.

But, after years of unprecedented growth, the industry’s profile has likewise been enhanced significantly — attracting entirely new customer segments. Yes, the market correction of 2017 rocked the industry (with some companies unable to recover from the sudden plunge in demand) but there are certain hot spots in niche categories thriving today. Adaptable companies have recalibrated their approach, focusing on innovation and gaining business. It isn’t all “doom and gloom” …

Economic Growth Indicators

Countering the prevailing sentiment today, recent reports reveal the industry has continued to grow — despite the slowdown from peak years.

In April, NSSF published its 2019 Firearms and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report, showcasing the industry’s growth — incrementally rising to $52.1 billion in 2018 ($51.4 billion in 2017). Additionally, total jobs associated with the industry also climbed to nearly 312,000. Since 2008, the industry’s economic impact has risen by 171% ($19.1 billion to $52.1 billion).

Southwick Associates’ 2018 Retail Market Size Report further bolsters this case. According to the report, spending in the overall hunting and shooting sports grew 11% in 2018 — totaling $21.3 billion in retail sales. Southwick officials attribute the increase to consumers high-grading their purchases, rather than a surge in volume. The report publicized the average sale increased 20% in 2018 over 2017.

“The data shows what we suspected — the hunting and shooting markets are performing better than recent media coverage indicates,” said Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates. “Consumers are not as concerned about firearm restrictions and have shifted toward accessorizing previous years’ purchases and catching up on delayed equipment purchases. The overall market is still strong.”

Expansion Efforts Showcase Ambition

Further signifying a long-term drive, several firearms manufacturers are in the midst of expansion or relocation endeavors.

In April, CZ-USA announced a two-phase plan to invest $90 million to locate its North American headquarters at the Port of Little Rock, Ark. — the latest company to make a significant investment in a Southern state. CZ-USA’s new headquarters and manufacturing facility will create 565 jobs over the next six years, with the initial startup planned for March 2020.

Currently underway, Taurus USA’s relocation to Bainbridge, Ga., will bring all of its operations into one location. The 200,000-square-foot manufacturing center and corporate headquarters will create 300 new jobs.

Following its Jan. 2018 announcement to relocate operations from California to Wyoming, Weatherby Inc. established its Wyoming residency earlier this year and held a grand opening June 13 at its new Sheridan headquarters. This event attracted 5,000 attendees, according to company officials.

Earlier in 2019, Magnum Research reported the full USA production of all Desert Eagle pistols — concluding a decade-long effort to bring this to fruition.

Latest Ruger, AOBC Financials

Since Ruger and American Outdoor Brands Corp. (AOBC) are both publicly traded companies — along with their status as the two largest firearms manufacturers in the U.S. — their performance serves as an important indicator on the state of the U.S. firearms industry.

May 7, Ruger reported its Q1 2019 net sales totaled $114 million, down 13.1% from the corresponding 2018 quarter ($131.2 million).

During a May 8 earnings conference call, Ruger President and CEO Chris Killoy acknowledged the challenging market but provided some prospective on the industry’s progression from 1991 to 2017.

“Over the long term this market has demonstrated very solid growth,” he said. “But along the way, the ride hasn’t always been smooth. We’ve experienced numerous political changes at the federal, state and local levels throughout this period [1991–2017]. There have been 16 year-over-year up years and 10 year-over-year down years. So it’s not always smooth sailing.”

Sales of new products — including the Pistol Caliber Carbine, EC9s pistol, Security-9 pistol and Precision Rimfire Rifle — represented $20.9 million (20%) of Ruger’s firearm sales in Q1 2019. During the earnings call, Killoy shared the company had introduced 44 new products covering 60 different models since the start of 2018.

Being an early adopter of the new Winchester .350 Legend cartridge — with three rifles introduced in April — is illustrative of Ruger’s adaptability, according to Killoy.

“Another key strength of ours is speed to market,” he said. “We’re the first major firearms manufacturer to launch rifles in this new cartridge … again another key differentiator for our company as we navigate tough markets.”

June 19, AOBC announced its Q4 2019 and full year fiscal 2019 financial results. For Q4 2019, AOBC reported net sales of $175.7 million, compared to $172 million over the corresponding 2018 quarter — a 2.2% increase. Full year net sales were $638.3 million, up 5.2% over 2018 sales ($606.9 million).

“Fiscal 2019 was a year that presented challenges for the firearms industry, including changes in the political environment and reduced consumer demand for firearms and the accessories that are attached to them, such as lights, lasers and scopes. Despite that backdrop, we delivered year-over-year growth in revenue and gross margin, and we believe we gained market share,” said James Debney, AOBC president and CEO.

The company’s firearms segment sales grew 6.3% over the prior fiscal year — buoyed by 106 new firearm SKUs, including 32 “meaningful” new products and several line extensions. The S&W Shield achieved a noteworthy milestone during this period, according to Debney.

“Our Shield family of products has become a consumer favorite, and by the end of fiscal 2019 we had shipped over 3 million Shield pistols. We’re now approaching the $1 billion milestone for cumulative sales of the Shield family of handguns,” he said.

2017 U.S. Production Insights

Since 2004, total U.S. firearms production has posted a year-over-year (YOY) increase 10 times. Even in the midst of the Great Recession, the industry continued to thrive — being labeled a “golden era” for the firearms industry in Shooting Industry’s coverage of 2010 production numbers inside the July 2012 issue.

The drop-off from 2016’s unprecedented firearms production was inevitable after President Trump’s surprise victory and a Republican-controlled Congress. A near-decade of elevated fear-induced buying was replaced by an immediate “correction” in the market, with a surplus of products in the retail and wholesale channels ultimately leading to a turbulent business climate in 2017.

ATF’s 2017 Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export report — the latest data available — reveals a stark decrease in domestic firearms production hit every major firearms segment. U.S. firearms production totaled 7,569,158 in 2017, representing a 29% drop from a record 10,664,318 in 2016. The 29% YOY decrease in 2017 production also marked the most dramatic on record. (Not coincidental, the last time the industry faced a YOY contraction above 20% was in 2001 — the year after Republican George W. Bush was elected president [-22.6%].)

Correlating with the significant drop in U.S. firearms production, NSSF-adjusted NICS background checks likewise experienced a downward trend (falling 11%) in 2017.

Despite being the sixth-highest total on record, 2017’s production was the industry’s lowest since 2011 — when 6,351,479 firearms were produced (also before 2017, 2011 was the last time less than 8 million firearms were manufactured domestically).

Handgun production fell by 20.9%, from a record 5,576,366 to 4,411,927 total handguns. When compared to 2015 production (4,442,458), the third-most prolific year on record for handguns, the decrease is negligible (-0.7%).

The rifle category was the hardest-hit segment in 2017, with a dramatic 40.9% drop compared to 2016 when rifle production broke the 4-million barrier (4,239,335). The steep drop-off of more than 1.7 million rifles continues to affect manufacturers, wholesalers and dealers today. For a historical perspective, 2017’s rifle total of 2,504,092 was the lowest recorded since 2011 (2,318,088).

There were also fewer shotguns made in 2017, down 23% from 2016 (848,617 to 653,139). This marked the lowest shotgun total since 2008 (630,710).

New to this year’s report are the figures for U.S. production of miscellaneous firearms. Per the ATF: “Examples of misc. firearms include pistol grip firearms, starter guns and firearm frames and receivers.” Like other categories in 2017, misc. firearm production experienced a decline: 758,634 from 833,123 in 2016, down 8.9%. (While not factored in any other metrics in this report, the misc. firearms category provides one more barometer of the overall health of the industry.)

Top 5 Producers

Ruger produced 1,614,898 firearms in 2017, replacing Smith & Wesson as the largest firearms manufacturer in the U.S. (Ruger has been the U.S.’ largest firearms manufacturer in nine of the last 10 years recorded.) The company’s total YOY production fell 18.5% from 2016 (1,981,590). Ruger’s 661,155 rifles ensured it was the top rifle manufacturer in 2017 — a first for the company since 2009, when it produced 360,005 rifles. Ruger was also the second-largest handgun maker with 953,727 produced.

Smith & Wesson’s total output dropped 29% in 2017, from its company record 2,120,910 firearms in 2016 to 1,505,211. For the fourth year in a row, S&W was the most prolific handgun maker, which totaled 1,239,834 handguns.

The third-largest firearms manufacturer was Remington, which produced 777,485 firearms — a 37.3% decline from 2016 (1,240,665).

With 572,694 firearms in 2017, SIG SAUER was the fourth-largest U.S. firearms manufacturer. Its 2017 total represented a 9.6% drop from 2016 (633,533). However, the company’s 9mm production posted an increase over 2016 — rising 6.4% (from 346,347 to 368,386).

Rounding out the top five largest U.S. firearms manufacturers, O.F. Mossberg & Sons/Maverick Arms’ output reached 391,401 firearms in 2017 (-23%). The company’s mark of 302,830 shotguns secured its place as the largest shotgun producer in the U.S., a position it also held in 2015.

Bright Spots: Niche Markets

From this year’s top 25 U.S. manufacturers, it’s worth noting there were several companies that posted YOY increases in 2017.

Heritage Mfg. Inc.’s mark of 226,065 revolvers manufactured in 2017 (the only category it’s involved in) represented a noteworthy 13.1% jump over 2016 (199,905). The company was also the leading revolver producer in 2017, topping S&W’s mark of 207,384 — a first, according to our records. All but 914 of Heritage’s revolvers were in .22.

Even though overall revolver production decreased in 2017 (-15.8%), relative new entrants to the category (or making a return, in the case of Colt) experienced substantial increases. Kimber’s production soared from 2,981 to 21,349 revolvers (all in .357), while Colt’s expanded from 943 to 7,342.

Springfield Armory experienced a windfall in its total 2017 production numbers, manufacturing 150,729 firearms (+48.2%) domestically. The company had robust growth in pistol and rifle categories, achieving increases of 13% and 133.4%, respectively.

Multiplying its firearms production by 55.1% in 2017, Kel-Tec’s mark of 150,630 firearms was driven by a sixfold increase in its rifle production (10,003 to 66,235).

International companies continue to make significant investment in their U.S. operations, evidenced by other increases in 2017. Beretta USA’s domestic pistol production expanded by 33.5% (from 43,002 to 57,411), while Walther Arms’ ballooned from 2,119 (all in .380) in 2016 to 43,248 (multiple calibers) in 2017.

Although it didn’t experience a YOY increase in 2017 (-4.4%), Henry remains in a strong position — rising from the ninth to sixth largest manufacturer in 2017. Henry also entered a new market in 2017: producing 6,146 shotguns.

U.S. Exports Continue to Climb

In contrast to domestic production, the industry’s international business posted several notable increases in 2017. Total U.S. exports surged 31.8% over 2017, increasing from 368,707 to 485,968 firearms. Pistol exports, in particular, powered this upward trajectory — jumping 59.8% (172,408 to 275,424 handguns) in 2017.

Both long-gun categories also posted increases in 2017, with rifle and shotgun exports rising 8% and 21.6%, respectively (Rifles: 147,044 to 158,871; Shotguns: 24,668 to 29,997). U.S. revolver exports represented the only category to experience a downturn in 2017, dropping 11.8% from 2016 (24,587 to 21,676).

For the second consecutive year, SIG SAUER was the top U.S. exporter and was a significant contributor to the increase in U.S. exports — with its 179,172 pistol and rifle exports constituting more than a third (36.9%) of the overall total. SIG’s pistol exports have risen dramatically since 2015, experiencing YOY increases of 135.8% in 2016 (31,486 to 74,256), and 138.9% in 2017 (74,256 to 177,414).

After several years with little movement, Remington’s firearms exports rebounded in impressive fashion in 2017. Remington exports totaled 83,605, making it the second-largest U.S. exporter — its highest ranking since 2006. This significant jump in production was aided by the company’s fully operational Southaven, Miss., worldwide distribution center that opened July 2016.

Other top U.S. exporters in 2017 and their percentage of change from 2016 include: Ruger (54,077 [-4.3%]), Smith & Wesson (50,505 [+25%]) and GLOCK (47,861 [-19.5%]).

See page 33 for charts of U.S. firearm exports of pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns.

U.S. Imports Drop

Using the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau Economic Indicators Division, U.S. import numbers from 2018 are available. Compared to 2017’s total of 4,153,805 imported firearms, U.S. companies imported 4,022,364 during 2018 — a 3.2% drop. While handgun imports decreased by 9.4% in 2018, both rifles and shotguns recorded increases, rising 17.5% and 18.9%, respectively. For the first time since 2013, the U.S. imported more than 500,000 shotguns.

For the fourth year running, Austria was the top importing country — with the U.S. importing 931,941 firearms (-22.5%). Brazil returned as the second-largest importing country, with 861,791 firearms (+13.4%), a position it has held since 2015.

Other top importing countries include: Turkey (368,322 [+15.6%]), Germany (344,986 [-2%]) and Italy (308,622 [+0.24%]). According to our records, 2018 marked the first time Turkey appeared in the top three importing countries.

Grinding Out Results In 2019

The industry has endured a difficult ride from the unprecedented heights of 2016. However, savvy companies are taking this opportunity to get more efficient, innovative and perceptive to meet the needs of the market — therefore winning sales. With the 2020 election cycle gathering momentum (the first Democratic presidential primary debate was held in Miami just days after press time), firearms sales will likely be impacted once again as the campaign trail rhetoric heats up.

In the meantime, though, the industry will continue to grind out results in 2019. The rising tide of this past decade ensures the industry will enter this next era with sights set on establishing further growth.

NSSF-ADJUSTED: NICS BACKGROUND CHECKS JAN. 2015 — MAY 2019

YEAR	JAN.	FEB	MARCH	APRIL	MAY	JUNE
2015	1,052,441	1,280,825	1,187,823	987,698	918,707	886,825
2016	1,362,847	1,487,871	1,297,275	1,130,238	928,532	1,140,088
2017	1,038,365	1,298,208	1,356,929	1,111,596	988,473	1,016,213
2018	955,466	1,271,942	1,503,967	1,065,927	904,834	892,479
2019	988,160	1,109,087	1,317,114	992,642	910,910	N/A

YEAR	JULY	AUG.	SEPT.	OCT.	NOV.	DEC.	TOTALS
2015	946,528	1,031,959	1,071,945	1,211,478	1,432,451	2,235,560	14,244,240
2016	1,210,731	1,151,679	1,156,961	1,353,299	1,662,338	1,845,847	15,700,471
2017	907,348	1,021,227	1,019,037	1,132,065	1,457,103	1,621,261	13,967,825
2018	821,260	966,809	919,979	1,005,062	1,314,193	1,494,087	13,116,005
2019	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	5,317,913

NSSF removes NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states for CCW permit application checks and other purposes. The removal of this data provides a more accurate report of background checks conducted for the purchase of firearms. Visit www.nssf.org/research.

Total U.S. Firearm Production By Type 1998 — 2017

Year	Handguns	Rifles	Shotguns	Total
1998	1,284,755	1,535,690	868,696	3,689,084
1999	1,331,230	1,569,685	1,106,995	4,007,910
2000	1,281,861	1,583,042	898,442	3,763,345
2001	946,979	1,284,554	679,813	2,911,346
2002	1,088,584	1,515,286	741,325	3,345,195
2003	1,121,024	1,430,324	726,078	3,277,426
2004	1,022,610	1,325,138	731,769	3,079,517
2005	1,077,630	1,431,372	709,313	3,218,315
2006	1,406,329	1,496,505	714,618	3,614,452
2007	1,610,998	1,610,923	645,231	3,867,152
2008	2,041,134	1,734,536	630,710	4,195,873
2009	2,415,453	2,248,851	752,699	5,417,003
2010	2,817,377	1,830,556	743,378	5,391,311
2011	3,170,990	2,318,088	862,401	6,351,479
2012	4,155,240	3,168,206	949,010	8,269,456
2013	5,167,008	3,979,570	1,203,072	10,349,650
2014	4,377,501	3,379,549	935,411	8,692,461
2015	4,442,458	3,691,799	777,273	8,911,530
2016	5,576,366	4,239,335	848,617	0,664,318
2017	4,411,927	2,504,092	653,139	7,569,158
Total	50,747,454	43,877,101	16,177,933	110,585,981

Top 25 U.S. Manufacturers 2017

MANUFACTURER	PISTOLS	REVOLVERS	RIFLES	SHOTGUNS	TOTAL
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.	781,623	172,104	661,155	16	1,614,898
Smith & Wesson Corp.	1,032,450	207,384	265,356	21	1,505,211
Remington Arms Co.	59,581		448,513	269,391	777,485
SIG SAUER Inc.	536,774		35,920		572,694
O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc./Maverick Arms			88,571	302,830	391,401
Henry RAC Holding Corp.			267,214	6,146	273,360
Heritage Mfg. Inc.		226,065			226,065
Kimber Mfg. Inc.	183,858	21,349	11,378		216,585
GLOCK Inc.	175,696				175,696
Springfield Inc.	81,377		69,352		150,729
SCCY Industries	150,647				150,647
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc.	58,982		66,235	25,413	150,630
Radical Firearms	2,775		88,430		91,205
Strassell’s Machine Inc. (Hi-Point)	46,015		40,511		86,526
Beretta USA Corp.	57,411		2,778	17,025	77,214
FN America	61,510		15,614		77,124
Taurus Mfg. Inc.	69,123		103		69,226
Colt’s Mfg. Co.	31,987	7,342	13,942		53,271
Browning Arms Co.	50,331		668	453	51,452
Diamondback Firearms	24,270		26,960		51,230
North American Arms Inc.	809	46,138			46,947
Walther Arms	43,248		1		43,249
Daniel Defense Inc.	513		34,098		34,611
Outdoor Colors	1,712		11,946	19,776	33,434
Saeilo Inc.	23,646		8,615		32,261

Total includes all U.S. manufacturers.

Handgun Production By U.S. Manufacturers 2017

MANUFACTURER	PISTOLS	REVOLVERS	TOTAL
Smith & Wesson Corp.	1,032,450	207,384	1,239,834
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.	781,623	172,104	953,727
SIG SAUER Inc.	536,774		536,774
Heritage Mfg. Inc.		226,065	226,065
Kimber Mfg. Inc.	183,858	21,349	205,207
GLOCK Inc.	175,696		175,696
SCCY Industries	150,647		150,647
Springfield Inc.	81,377		81,377
Taurus International Mfg. Inc.	69,123		69,123
FN America	61,510		61,510
Remington Arms Co.	59,581		59,581
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc.	58,982		58,982
Beretta USA Corp.	57,411		57,411
Browning Arms Co.	50,331		50,331
North American Arms Inc.	809	46,138	46,947
Strassell’s Machine Inc. (Hi-Point)	46,015		46,015
Walther Arms	43,248		43,248
Colt’s Mfg. Co.	31,987	7,342	39,329
Cobra Enterprises Of Utah Inc.	27,905		27,905
Jimenez Arms Inc.	26,499		26,499
Charter Arms		24,310	24,310
Diamondback Firearms	24,270		24,270
Saeilo Inc.	23,646		23,646
Phoenix Arms	20,650		20,650
Bond Arms Inc.	13,333		13,333
Haskell Mfg. Inc.	10,900		10,900
Magnum Research Inc.	8,367	959	9,326
Century Arms Inc.	9,321		9,321
CZ-USA Inc.	8,261	600	8,861
Valley Steel Stamp Inc.		7,890	7,890
Iberia Firearms Inc.	7,800		7,800
FMK Firearms Inc.	7,000		7,000
STI International	6,416		6,416
Frank Roth Co. Inc.		5,742	5,742
Wilson Combat	5,203		5,203
American Tactical Inc.	5,005		5,005
SilencerCo	4,850		4,850
Alphatech Inc.	3,450		3,450
Palmetto State Armory	3,326		3,326
KRISS USA Inc.	3,254		3,254
VLH Inc.	3,037		3,037
Radical Firearms	2,775		2,775
Trailblazer Firearms	2,723		2,723
Freedom Ordnance Mfg. Inc.	2,552		2,552
MasterPiece Arms Holding Co.	2,336		2,336
Honor Defense	2,327		2,327
Nighthawk Custom	2,299		2,299
Outdoor Colors	1,712		1,712
Whalley Precision Inc.	1,706		1,706
V Custom Inc.	1,474		1,474
Anderson Mfg.	1,448		1,448
Les Baer Custom Inc.	1,382		1,382
Coonan Inc.	1,345		1,345
Cobray Firearms Of Tennessee	987		987
Extar	950		950
CMMG Inc.	844		844
Ed Brown Products Inc.	827		827
Hudson Mfg.	770		770
Bravo Co. Mfg. Inc.	593		593
Full Conceal Inc.	542		542
Freedom Arms Inc.	20		498
Daniel Defense Inc.	513		513
LWRC International	492		492
U.S. Armament Corp.	441		441
Podunk Inc.	436		436
Del-Ton Inc.	433		433
Foster Industries Inc.	405		405
Cabot Gun Co.	404		404
Heizer Defense	400		400
Pacific Trading Group	277	122	399
Modern Outfitters	399		399
Keystone Sporting Arms	395		395
Westside Armory Ltd.	373	15	388
Island View Enterprises Inc.	303	34	337
Primary Weapons Systems Inc.	329		329
Windham Weaponry Inc.	311		311
Rock River Arms Inc.	301		301
Black Rifle Customs	295		295
Velocity	293		293
Top Notch Accessories Inc.	277		277
Visionary Fabrication	217	46	263
Barrett Firearms Mfg. Inc.	244		244
Standard Mfg. Co.	231		231
Excel Industries Inc.	221		221
Angstadt Arms	214		214
Hardened Arms	210		210
Christensen Arms	207		207
ARES Defense Systems Inc.	200		200
ANTTACTICAL	198		198
Luxus Arms	193		193
Strayer Voigt Inc.	193		193
Meggitt Training Systems Inc.	185	2	187
Atlas Gunworks Inc	171		171
Ptr Industries Inc.	164		164
Alex Pro Firearms	160		160
Black Rain Ordnance Inc.	160		160
Dsktb Group	146		155
Heckler & Koch Inc.	140		140
Good Time Outdoors Inc.	139		139
TNW Firearms Inc.	138		138
Partisan Enterprises	116		116
Custom Designed Computers	109		109
American Derringer Corp.	104		104
Alien Armory Tactical	103		103
Total	3,691,010	720,917	4,411,927

Totals include all U.S. handgun manufacturers.

U.S. Pistol Production 2017

Manufacturer	TO .22	TO .25	TO .32	TO .380	TO 9mm	TO .50	Total
Smith & Wesson Corp.	61,997	3	78	113,246	606,732	250,394	1,032,450
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.	196,582			376,304	163,887	44,850	781,623
SIG SAUER Inc.	2,229	396	495	66,588	368,386	98,680	536,774
Kimber	37			27,608	98,385	57,828	183,858
GLOCK Inc.				73,646	94,665	7,385	175,696
SCCY Industries				412	150,235		150,647
Springfield					23,918	57,459	81,377
Taurus Mfg.	8,948	3		60,172			69,123
FN America					45,384	16,126	61,510
Remington		35		15,178	25,781	18,587	59,581
Kel-Tec CNC Industries	46,696		315	3,680	8,291		58,982
Beretta USA Corp	5,432		184	20,810	30,741	244	57,411
Browning Arms Co.	30,859			19,472			50,331
Strassell’s Machine Inc. (Hi-Point)				14,805	31,210		46,015
Walther Arms	10,856			13,604	17,688	1,100	43,248
Colt	1			1,613	4,396	25,977	31,987
Cobra Enterprises Of Utah Inc.	3,485	11	2	11,475	12,852	80	27,905
Jimenez Arms Inc.	5,063	435	299	11,586	9,116		26,499
Diamondback Firearms	4,706		777	4,115	14,672		24,270
Saeilo Inc.		100	3	5,360	10,075	8,108	23,646
Phonenix Arms	16,762	3,888					20,650
Bond Arms Inc.	143		8	1,916	1,637	9,629	13,333
Haskell Mfg. Inc.						10,900	10,900
Century Arms Inc.						9,321	9,321
Magnum Research INc.	1		5	501	643	7,217	8,367
CZ-USA Unc					2,727	5,534	8,261
Ibeeria Firearms Inc.						7,800	7,800
FMK FIrearms Inc.					7,000		7,000
STI Firearms				4,890	1,526		6,416
Wilson Combat					3,346	1,857	5,203
American Tactical Inc.					833	4,172	5,005
SilencerCo					4,850		4,850
Alphatech Inc.	3,450						3,450
Palmetto Stage Armory		1,410	624		381	911	3,326
KRISS USA Inc.					1,413	1,841	3,254
VLH Inc.					925	2,112	3,037
Radical Firearms	1,398		1,326			51	2,775
Trailblazer Firearms	2,723						2,723
Freedom Ordnance Mfg.					2,552		2,552
MasterPiece Arms Holding					2,282	54	2,336
Honor Defense					2,327		2,327
Nighthawk Custom					766	1,533	2,299
Outdoor Colors	1,712						1,712
Whalley Precision Inc.		86	1,035	525			1,706
V Custom Inc.	1,474						1,474
Anderson Mfg.	1,445		3				1.448
Les Baer Custom Inc.					171	1,211	1,382
Coonan Inc.						1,345	1,345
Cobray Firearms Of Tenn.					499	488	987
Extar		950					950
CMMG. Inc		27	105		283	429	844
Ed Brown Products Inc.					103	724	827
North American Arms Inc.		50	440	319			809
Hudson Mfg.					770		770
Bravo Co. Mfg. Inc.		593					593
Full Conceal Inc.					542		542
Daniel Defense Inc.		362	151				513
LWRC International		471	21				492
U.S. Armament Corp.			441				441
Podunk Inc.		245			56	135	436
Del-Ton Inc.		433					433
Foster Industries Inc.						405	405
Cabot Gun Co.					65	339	404
Heizer Defense						400	400
Total	408,705	11,135	8,152	848,425	1,756,618	657,618	3,691,010

Total includes all U.S. manufacturers.

Revolver Production By U.S. Manufacturers 2017

MANUFACTURER	TO .22	TO .32	TO .357	TO .38	TO .44	TO .50	TOTAL
Heritage Mfg. Inc.	225,151		470			444	226,065
Smith & Wesson Corp.	7,123		43,263	116,823	15,973	24,202	207,384
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.	34,483	967	64,711	29,817	23,585	18,541	172,104
North American Arms Inc.	46,138						46,138
Charter Arms	4,935	589	3,388	12,149	2,197	1,052	24,310
Kimber Mfg. Inc.			21,349				21,349
Valley Steel Stamp Inc.				7,890			7,890
Colt’s Mfg. Co.	1	14	50	6,785	55	457	7,342
Frank Roth Co. Inc.	1,388			4,354			5,742
Magnum Research Inc.		112			59	788	959
CZ-USA Inc.			600				600
Freedom Arms Inc.	57	26	75		124	216	498
Pacific Trading Group	23	1	28	35	35		122
Harpers Ferry Armory			58	23			81
Visionary Fabrication	9	1	9	20	6	1	46
Island View Enterprises	5		9	19	1		34
BC Engineering	20						20
Arrowhead Sporting						19	19
Voight, John Basil		4	6	4	4		18
TAC 47 Industries	3		8	4	2		17
Gemini Customs			8		7		15
Westside Armory Ltd.			4	8		3	15
Wild West Guns						13	13
Fiddler’s Green						10	10
Crosshair Customs	4			3		2	9
Total	319,364	1,715	134,053	177,956	42,062	45,767	720,917

Total includes all U.S. manufacturers.

Long-Gun Production By U.S. Manufacturers 2017

MANUFACTURER	RIFLES	SHOTGUNS	TOTAL
Remington Arms Co.	448,513	269,391	717,904
Sturm, Ruger & Co.	661,155	16	661,171
O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc./ Maverick Arms	88,571	302,830	391,401
Henry Rac Holding Corp.	267,214	6,146	273,360
Smith & Wesson Corp.	265,356	21	265,377
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc.	66,235	25,413	91,648
Radical Firearms	88,430		88,430
Springfield Inc.	69,352		69,352
Strassell’s Machine Inc. (Hi-Point)	40,511		40,511
SIG SAUER Inc.	64,715		35,920
Daniel Defense Inc.	34,098		34,098
Outdoor Colors	11,946	19,776	31,722
RP Abrasives & Machine Inc.	28,982		28,982
Palmetto State Armory	28,562		28,562
Diamondback Firearms	26,960		26,960
Del-Ton Inc.	24,829		49,159
American Tactical Inc.	20,898	1,432	22,330
Century Arms Inc.	19,888		19,888
Beretta USA Corp.	2,778	17,025	19,803
FN America	15,614		15,614
IWI U.S. Inc.	14,133		14,133
Colt’s Mfg. Co.	13,942		13,942
LWRC International	12,413	3	12,416
Kimber Mfg. Inc.	11,378		11,378
Stag Arms	10,932		10,932
Windham Weaponry Inc.	9,484		9,484
Christensen Arms	8,992		8,992
Strategic Armory Corp.	8,835		8,835
Saeilo Inc.	12,768		8,615
IO Inc.	7,460		7,460
Rock River Arms Inc.	6,667		6,667
Bravo Co. Mfg. Inc.	6,467		6,467
Patriot Ordnance Factory Inc.	5,079		5,079
Barrett Firearms Mfg. Inc.	4,749	293	5,042
Weatherby Inc.	3,937		3,937
KRISS USA Inc.	3,660		3,660
Areotek Industries	3,587		3,587
Standard Mfg. Co.	160	3,131	3,291
Tactical Solutions Inc.	3,247		3,247
Bear Creek Arsenal	3,023		3,023
FIME Group	2,190	579	2,769
Troy Industries Inc.	2,688		2,688
Freedom Ordnance Mfg. Inc.	2,498		2,498
Just Right Carbines	2,444		2,444
CMMG Inc.	2,369		2,369
UTAS-USA Ltd.		2,358	2,358
Wilson Combat	2,095	253	2,348
Adams Arms	2,342		2,342
FMK Firearms Inc.	2,316		2,316
Anderson Mfg.	2,295		2,295
Black Rain Ordnance Inc.	2,291		2,291
Alex Pro Firearms	2,232		2,232
Seekins Precision	2,227		2,227
James River Armory	2,149		2,149
Cooper Firearms Of Montana Inc.	1,915		1,915
Noveske Rifleworks	1,696		1,696
V Custom Inc.	1,667		1,667
JP Enterprises Inc.	1,614		1,614
Good Time Outdoors Inc.	1,575		1,575
Arsenal Inc.	1,521		1,521
Austin Precision Products Inc.	1,498		1,498
Aero Precision	1,490		1,490
Fierce Firearms	1,486		1,486
Magnum Research Inc.	1,483		1,483
BP Firearms Co.	1,445		1,445
Montana Rifle Co.	1,396		1,396
Steyr Arms Inc.	1,360		1,360
Lewis Machine & Tool Co.	1,358		1,358
Modern Outfitters	1,288		1,288
PTR Industries Inc.	1,277		1,277
Pneu-Dart Inc.	1,248		1,248
2A Armament	1,238		1,467
TNW Firearms Inc.	1,197		1,197
Kidd Innovative Design	1,182		1,182
Browning Arms Co.	668	453	1,121
Riley Defense Inc.	1,079		1,079
Nosler Inc.	1,078		1,078
Luxus Arms	1,026		1,026
Primary Weapons Systems Inc.	1,017		1,017
Xli Corp.	1,000		1,000
MasterPiece Arms Co.	991		991
Dark Storm Industries	980		980
Fire For Effect Inc.	977		977
Velocity	957		957
Falkor, Sid Inc.	942	1	943
RWC Group		839	839
Ithaca Gun Co.	4	812	816
Wilson Precision Arms Inc.	813		813
Knights Mfg. Co	819		802
Alexander Industries Inc.	789		789
Ashbury Intl. Group Inc.	788		788
Gunwerks	782		782
F-1 Firearms	761		761
G A Precision	678		678
Desert Tech	630		630
DoubleStar Corp.	615		615
Good, William J.		565	637
American Defense Mfg.	532		532
Hyperion Arms And Ammo	522		522
ARES Defense Systems Inc.	514		514
Total	2,504,092	653,139	3,157,231

Total includes all U.S. manufacturers.

U.S. Misc. Firearms Production 2017

Manufacturer	Total
Anderson Mfg.	211,382
Palmetto State Armory	128,529
O.F. Mossberg/Maverick Arms Inc.	115,995
Aero Precision	78,033
Remington Arms Co.	33,936
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.	16,654
Century Arms Inc.	16,163
Noreen Firearms	15,005
3rd Gen Machine Inc.	10,360
New Frontier Armory	7,070
Joe Bob Outfitters	6,375
Colt’s Mfg. Co.	6,320
FosTecH Mfg.	6,028
Tennessee Arms Co.	4,892
Black Rain Ordnance Inc.	4,699
American Tactical Inc.	4,445
CMMG Inc.	3,938
SOTA Arms Inc.	3,804
Mega Arms	3,439
SMOS ARMS Inc.	3,352
F-1 Firearms	3,308
Seekins Precision	3,136
E3 Arms	2,941
Defiance Machine Inc.	2,911
Stillers Precision Firearms	2,378
Childers Guns	2,316
KE Arms	2,282
Alexandria Pro Fab Co. Inc.	2,158
Ghost Firearms	2,132
Lewis Machine & Tool Co.	2,017
Strategic Armory Corps	2,013
ZEV Technologies Inc.	1,956
Lone Wolf R&D	1,747
The Cutting Edge Precision Machining Scvs.	1,721
EDC-Tactical	1,490
Quarter Circle 10	1,474
Dark Storm Industries	1,455
BCI Defense	1,445
Podunk Inc.	1,160
Bear Creek Arsenal	1,145
Tactical Solutions Inc.	1,127
Windham Weaponry Inc.	1,096
Tegra Arms Inc.	1,078
Smith & Wesson Corp.	1,045
Knights Mfg. Co.	1,030
Precision Machined Parts Inc.	1,023
Kelbly’s Rifle Range Inc.	1,008
Brownells Inc.	931
Zermatt Arms Inc.	791
James River Armory	786
Cross Machine Tool Co. Inc.	774
Tactical Superiority Inc.	758
Lillard Mfg. Inc.	731
Ares Defense Systems Inc.	698
Bat Machine Co. Inc.	687
Juggernaut Tactical Inc.	622
McKee Inc.	614
NoDak Spud	610
San Tan Tactical	560
Trinity Forge Inc.	530
Patriot Ordnance Factory Inc.	522
LWRC International	517
The Range Tool Co.	471
Aqua Graphix	461
Quentin Laser	457
Falkor, Sid Inc.	441
McKay Enterprises	388
LANTAC USA	361
Country Boy Enterprises Inc.	348
Tactical Innovations Inc.	343
Troy Industries Inc.	337
Matrix Aerospace Corporation	337
The Tactical Edge	323
Black Creek Precision	320
Top Notch Accessories Inc.	308
Total	758,634

Total includes all U.S. misc. firearm manufacturers. Per ATF: “Examples of miscellaneous firearms include pistol grip firearms, starter guns and firearm frames and receivers.”

Exports Pistols 2017

MANUFACTURER	EXPORTS
SIG SAUER Inc.	177,414
GLOCK Inc.	47,861
Smith & Wesson Corp.	22,440
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.	10,534
Beretta USA Corp.	4,750
Remington Arms Co.	3,022
Kimber Mfg. Inc.	2,605
Colt’s Mfg. Co.	1,870
Magnum Research Inc.	1,002
FN America	636
Les Baer Custom Inc.	492
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc.	351
Taurus International Manufacturing Inc.	275
Saeilo Inc.	271
SCCY Industries	270
FMK Firearms Inc.	214
Rainier Arms	166
Nighthawk Custom	162
Strayer Voigt Inc.	159
Springfield Inc.	152
Kriss USA Inc.	119
Wilsons Gun Shop Inc.	111
Angstadt Arms	111
Bixler, Christopher A	95
JV Industries	63
North American Arms Inc.	58
Engage Armament	50
Cabot Gun Co.	37
AmChar Wholesale Inc.	36
Meggitt Training Systems Inc.	15
V Custom Inc.	12
Worldwide Aeros Corp	10
Strategic Armory Corps	10
Pioneer Gun Works Inc.	10
Ramm. Karl Joseph	10
Ed Brown Products Inc.	9
Interfor USA Group Inc.	8
Patriot Ordnance Factory Inc.	6
Jacobs, Gregory Scott	2
Christensen Arms	2
2A Tactical	1
DTCC Inc.	1
Lone Wolf R&D	1
Wilson Precision Arms Inc.	1
Total Exports	275,424

Exports Revolvers 2017

MANUFACTURER	EXPORTS
Smith & Wesson Corp.	16,230
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.	3,992
North American Arms Inc.	705
Kimber Mfg. Inc.	334
Colt’s Mfg. Co.	158
Charter Arms Inc.	122
Magnum Research Inc.	112
AmChar Wholesale Inc.	10
Bixler, Christopher A.	9
JV Industries	2
Heritage Mfg. Inc.	2
Total Exports	21,676

Exports Shotguns 2017

MANUFACTURER	EXPORTS
Remington Arms Co.	18,238
O.F. Mossberg/Maverick Arms Inc.	10,559
Beretta USA Corp.	667
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc.	514
Peetz, Robert Eugene	5
Interfor USA Group Inc.	3
Bixler, Christopher A.	3
Wilson Combat	2
R & R Racing Inc.	2
JV Industries	2
Nighthawk Custom	1
Sizemore, Estel David	1
Total Exports	29,997

Exports Rifles 2017

MANUFACTURER	EXPORTS
Remington Arms Co.	62,345
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc.	39,551
Smith & Wesson Corp.	11,835
O.F. Mossberg/Maverick Arms Inc.	11,180
Henry Rac Holding Corp.	10,533
Bear Creek Arsenal	2,999
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc.	2,659
Colt’s Mfg. Co.	2,097
STI Firearms	1,959
SIG SAUER Inc.	1,758
Troy Industries Inc.	1,411
KRISS USA Inc.	1,077
Just Right Carbines	990
Daniel Defense Inc.	918
Kimber Mfg. Inc.	859
Barrett Firearms Mfg. Inc.	696
TNW Firearms Inc.	613
Weatherby Inc.	568
Desert Tech	420
Strategic Armory Corps	357
Patriot Ordnance Factory Inc.	331
Christensen Arms	331
Stag Arms	324
FN America	261
Springfield Armory	243
Rainier Arms	207
Windham Weaponry Inc.	174
Anderson Mfg.	167
Pneu Dart Inc.	167
Kelbly’s Rifle Range Inc.	155
V Custom Inc.	118
Fierce Firearms	105
Lewis Machine & Tool Co.	102
Riverman	101
Wilson Precision Arms Inc.	96
Alexander Industries Inc.	94
Tippmann Arms Co.	90
Magnum Research Inc.	84
Meggitt Training Systems Inc.	56
Lancer Systems	53
Sarco Inc.	50
Defense Research & Development	47
Primary Weapons Systems Inc.	37
Nordic Components Inc.	34
F-1 Firearms	31
Jacc Procurement	30
Thureon Holdings	29
Powder River Rifle Co. Inc.	25
Montana Rifle Co.	24
Beretta USA Corp.	24
Serbu Firearms Inc.	21
Sage Creek Enterprises Inc.	21
Interfor USA Group Inc.	21
Wilson Combat	20
Davco Services	20
Skyarms	20
Saeilo Inc.	19
Gunwerks	19
PROOF Research Inc.	18
Bixler, Christopher A	17
CBE Inc.	17
McAlister, Kenneth	15
Knights Mfg. Co.	14
Noreen Firearms	14
Austin Precision Products Inc.	14
Thor Global Defense Group Inc.	13
Nosler Inc.	13
Ramm, Karl Joseph	12
Creed Monarch Inc.	11
Worldwide Aeros Corp.	10
ARES Defense Systems Inc.	10
AmChar Wholesale Inc.	10
Ohio Ordnance Works Inc.	10
Total Exports	158,871

Totals include all U.S. manufacturers.

Imports — Handguns By Country 2017 & 2018

COUNTRY	2017	2018
Argentina	33,676	39,969
Austria	1,198,719	927,181
Belgium	21,453	25,394
Brazil	703,728	664,763
Bulgaria	324	1,293
Canada	5	1
Columbia		10
Croatia	326,653	295,107
Czech Republic	140,576	180,084
Denmark	77
Finland	3	174
France	519	261
Germany	340,821	327,297
Hungary	258	883
Israel	15,133	11,910
Italy	173,394	154,276
Norway		24
Pakistan	400
Philippines	87,161	123,470
Poland	14	5,426
Portugal	230
Romania	9,911	23,562
Russia	17
Serbia	16,470	5,575
Slovakia	2,196	1,996
Slovenia	6,014	3,232
South Africa		18
South Korea		70
Spain	24,129	18,026
Sweden	4	41
Switzerland	6,992	10,660
Taiwan	750
Turkey	80,090	68,921
U.K.	300
U.K.	7	111
Total	3,190,024	2,889,735

Import data is provided by the U.S Census Bureau, Economic Indicators Division.

Imports — Rifles By Country 2017 & 2018

COUNTRY	Semi- Auto	Semi- Auto	Bolt	Bolt	NESOI	NESOI	Rimfire	Rimfire	Total	Total
	2017	2018	2017	2018	2017	2018	2017	2018	2017	2018
Australia						2		818		820
Austria	2,739	4,302	180	137	80	71	28		3,027	4,510
Belgium	21,891	15,975	17,692	13,614	680	62	5		40,268	29,651
Brazil					19,237	28,196	80	110,735	19,317	138,931
Bulgaria	1,816	3,000							1,816	3,000
Canada			1,567	1,666		2	200,437	170,510	202,004	172,178
Czech Rep.			8,314	7,938	15	11	18,751	19,928	27,080	27,877
Denmark	79								79
Finland			35,264	34,771	4	7		1	35,268	35,268
France		3	724	17	13	524			737	544
Germany	108	1,885	4,293	9,019	188	203	4,748	3,227	9,337	14,334
Hungary		350								350
Ireland
Israel	4,463	2,736	2		2,147	943	3		6,615	3,679
Italy	2,338	565	150	1,288	5,372	4,839	5,371	10,261	13,231	16,953
Japan			53,746	48,182	15,608	10,831	7,322	8,827	76,676	67,840
Netherlands	1					1			1	1
Peru			4						4
Philippines							3,725	7,430	3,725	7,430
Poland	778	1,815		761					778	2,576
Portugal	1,932	2,918	5,035	2,565	1,070				8,037	5,483
Romania	5,735	6,300				500		253	5,735	7,053
Russia	8,430								8,430
Serbia	8,324		70	19					8,394	19
South Africa				10	2				2	10
Spain			149	1	37,708	56,181			37,857	56,182
Sweden			188	42	109	33			297	75
Switzerland	54	4	244	883	204	541	17	206	519	1,634
Turkey	160		170				1,000	2,020	1,330	2,020
Ukraine						2,100				2,100
U.K.		3	2,777	2,103	1,895	3,336	63	654	4,735	5,496
Total	58,848	39,856	130,569	123,016	84,332	108,383	241,550	334,270	515,299	605,525

*NESOI: “Not Elsewhere Specified Or Included” — Economic Indicators Division, U.S. Bureau of Census

Imports — Shotguns & Combination Guns By Country 2017 & 2018

COUNTRY	SEMI- AUTO	SEMI- AUTO	Over/ Under	Over/ Under	NESOI	NESOI	Total	Total	Comb– ination	Comb– ination
	2017	2018	2017	2018	2017	2018	2017	2018	2017	2018
Australia						2		2
Austria				2		248		250	19	1,014
Belgium	32	3,711	47	31	41	26	120	3,768
Brazil			9,857	14,285	26,895	43,812	36,752	58,097	70	2,180
China	7,610	5,921			25,270	14,337	32,880	20,258
Cyprus				2				2
Czech Rep.				43	15		15	43
Finland
France	69	28	8	25	35	26	112	79	4
Germany		1,609	1,376	1,311	421	435	1,797	3,355	486	247
Ireland			7			2	7	2
Italy	92,372	105,779	22,877	30,147	935	1,467	116,184	137,393	771	1,892
Japan			790	913	3	13	733	926
Pakistan					250		250
Philippines	100				3,000		3,100
Portugal	10	33					10	33
Russia	7,410					16	7,410	16
Serbia				18				18
Spain		714	7	31	4,184	805	4,191	1,550
Sweden					91	27	91	27
Taiwan								47
Turkey	97,916	157,937	71,755	53,892	67,517	85,552	237,188	297,381		710
U.K.			1,537	2,945	968	912	2,505	3,857	342	3
Total	205,519	275,732	108,201	103,692	129,625	147,680	443,345	527,104	1,692	6,046