founded in 2002
- 2002 founded by Marty Daniel
Savannah, Georgia - 2009 new facility in Black Creek, Georgia
- 2012 second facility in Ridgeland, South Carolina
– 90,000 square foot
About Daniel Defense
Daniel Defense is a privately held firearms manufacturer headquartered in Black Creek, Georgia, founded by Marty Daniel in Savannah in 2002. The company began by making rail systems for AR-pattern rifles, and in 2003 it won a roughly $20 million U.S. Special Operations Command contract for M4A1 carbine rails, beating established competitors. That military work built the reputation that carried the company into complete rifles.
Daniel Defense began building its own rifles and cold hammer forged barrels in 2009, producing 24 guns that year and about 10,000 the next. Its DDM4 AR-platform rifle became the flagship, sold in select-fire form to military and police and in semi-automatic form to civilians; the NRA named the DDM4 V7 its 2017 Gun of the Year. A $29 million, 300,000-square-foot Black Creek facility completed in late 2017 consolidated production after the South Carolina plant closed. In January 2024 the company launched the Daniel H9 pistol, based on designs acquired from Hudson Mfg. Marty Daniel leads the company as CEO, with Cindy Daniel as chief operating officer.
Key Facts
- 2002: Founded by Marty Daniel in Savannah, Georgia
- 2003: Wins about $20 million USSOCOM contract for M4A1 rails
- 2009: Begins manufacturing complete rifles and cold hammer forged barrels
- 2012: Opens 90,000-square-foot facility in Ridgeland, South Carolina (closed in 2016)
- 2017: NRA names the DDM4 V7 its Gun of the Year; new 300,000-square-foot Black Creek plant completed
- January 2024: Launches the Daniel H9 pistol
Sources
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