Category Archives: Firearm Manufacturer

Kel-Tec

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Founded in 1991
in Cocoa, Florida

  • Founded by George Kellgren in Cocoa, Florida
  • 1995 P-11
  • 1999 P-32
  • 2001 SUB-2000
  • 2003 P-3AT
  • November 2005 PLR-16
  • 2006 PF-9
  • 2007  RFB  “Rifle, Forward-ejection, Bull-pup.”
  • 2011 PMR-30
  • 2011 KSG
  • 2015 RDB

Cooper Firearms of Montana

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founded in 1990
Stevensville, Montana

“Rifles should shoot as well as they look and vice versa”

 

  • 1990 founded  by Dan Cooper and two others in Stevensville, Montana
    – all former employees of Kimber of Oregon
    – over 50 years in combined experience
  • created to build affordable custom-quality accurate rifles
  • 2009 under new ownership

Cooper Firearms
3662 Hwy 93 North
Stevensville, Montana 59870

406-777-0373

cooperfirearms.com

STI International

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started in 1990
Georgetown, Texas

  • 1990 Tripp Research, Inc.
    – Virgil Tripp started building custom M1911s for competition
    – designed parts for 1911s
    – his parts were sold and marketed by Chip McCormick
  • 1993 Sandy Strayer joined Tripp Research, Inc.
  • changed name to STI (Strayer-Tripp International)
  • manufactures modular M1911 based in Georgetown, Texas
  • June 1994, Sandy Strayer left STI to start a new company called Strayer Voigt Inc
  • 1997 Dave and Shirley Skinner purchase of STI from Virgil Tripp
    – renamed the company to STI International, Inc
  • 1997 Virgil started Tripp Research, Inc
  • January 2005, Dave Skinner sold the company to the employees of STI
    – first employee-owned company in the firearms industry
  • 2010-2014 Tim Dillon was hired and made President and CEO
  • 2017 private Investor group purchased STI (Westwind Investors)

  • May 26, 2020, STI Firearms changed name to Staccato

STI International
Staccato
114 Halmar Cove
Georgetown, TX 78628

512.819.0656

Claridge Hi-Tech

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1990 – 1993
Northridge, California

  • 1990 Joe and Gail Claridge bought 50% of Goncz Armament, Inc
    – Gail Claridge an interior decorator
    – Joe an ex policeman
  • They rebramnded the guns
  • incorporated Claridge Hi-Tec, Inc. in Northridge, California
  • Changes to the Goncz design include:
    – adding the bolt hold back
    – included after market cheep magazines
    – pipe receiver with silver soldered plug to hold the barrel
    –
  • five models of the Hi-Tec pistols and three models of the Hi-Tec rifles
  • put out business by Lajos John Goncz

Lorcin Engineering

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established in 1989
Mira Loma, California

  • 1989 established by Jim Waldorf in Mira Loma, California
  • one of the “Ring of Fire” Manufacturers
  • 1993 the number one pistol manufacturer in the United States
    – produced 341,243 guns
  • 1996 filed for bankruptcy
    -18 pending product liability, personal injury, and wrongful death lawsuits
  • 1997 emerged from bankruptcy
  • 1998 closed
  • 1999 Waldorf started Standard Arms in Reno, Nevada

Lorcin Engineering

Grendel Inc

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founded in 1987
Rockledge, Florida

  • founded by George Kellgren after he left Interdynamic (Intratec)
  • reinforced Zytel designs
  • 1987 to 1994
  • 1988 the P10
    – no detachable magazine
  • 1990 the P30
  • 1991 the P12
  • 1995 formed Kel-Tec

 

Cobray

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part Cobra snake & part Moray Eel = Cobray

started in 1986

  • Gordon Ingram
  • invented the M-0 (.45acp) and M-11(.380)
  •  started Military Armament Corporation (MAC)
    Powder Springs, Georgia
    1970-1976
    the first company to manufacture the MAC Model 10 (MAC-10)
  • 1976 MAC declared bankruptcy
  • developer and manufacturer of submachine guns
  • counter terrorist training center
  • 1964 M-10
  • 1967 Mitchell WerBell III designed a silencer
  • 1970s the gun/suppresser combination was purchased by MAC (Military Armament Corporation) and became known as the MAC-10 and MAC-11
  • 1970s WerBell and Ingram left the company
  • 1977 MAC sold its tooling to RPB Industries
    – Cobray trademark stamped on RPB receivers is not encircled, and no name Cobray
  • 1982 BATF stepped in mid-1982 and halted the manufacture of open bolt semi’s because they were easily convertible to full-auto
  • 1983 RPB went out of business
  • 1983 SWD Incorporated by Wayne Daniels,from RPB Industries
    –  1872 Marietta Boulevard, Atlanta, Georgia
    SWD (Sylvia and Wayne Daniels)
  • 1986 Machinegun Ban
  • 1986 SWD became Cobray ?
    – Wayne Daniel and John Carpenter
  • 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, the Cobray M11/9 could no longer be made

Westhope,
North Dakota

Cobray Company LLC
PO Box 1796
Bismarck, ND 58502-1796

800-861-1323

cobray.com

Eagle Arms

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1986
Coal Valley Illinois

  • 1986 Karl Lewis and Jim Glazier formed Eagle Arms in Coal Valley Illinois
    – early Stoner patents had expired
    – marketed M16 and AR-15 type rifle parts
    –  took the retail business from Lewis’ company, Lewis Machine and Tool (LMT)
  • 1989 produced complete rifles
    –  LMT supplied parts
  • January 1994 Mark Westrom purchased Eagle Arms
  • November 1994 produced a .308 caliber AR-10 type rifle called the “M-10”
  • 1995 Westrom purchased the rights to the ArmaLite trademark
  • 1995 Eagle was reincorporated as ArmaLite
    – Eagle Arms reduced to a division of ArmaLite

Glock USA

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1963, 1986 in USA

  • 1963 Gaston Glock founded in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria
    – started out making knives
  • 1980 Glock 17
  • 1982 Austrian Armed Forces ordered 25,000 units – P80
  • over 400 employees
  • the original facility that was bought by Mr. Glock in the early 80’s
  • 1986, GLOCK opened its U.S. headquarters in Smyrna, Georgia
    – 1st Generation G17

GLOCK, Inc.
6000 Highlands Parkway SE
Smyrna, GA 30082

770-432-1202

us.glock.com