founded in 1980
Eldridge, Iowa
- founded by Karl Lewis
- 1976 Karl worked for Springfield Armory
- left Springfield Armory and started to make Bolt Carriers for government contracts
- Providing US law enforcement and government agencies with military type weapons
- facility in Milan, Illinois
- manufacture M203 grenade launchers
- 2000 moved to larger building in Illinois
- 2000 Started making rifles
- 2009 L129A $30 million contract
- CSW 300
- 2019 moved 25 miles south to Eldridge, Iowa
– 80,000 sq ft
Lewis Machine & Tool Company
1600 E. Leonard Ct
Eldridge, IA 52748
309-787-7151
lmtdefense.com
About Lewis Machine and Tool Company
Lewis Machine and Tool Company, also known as LMT Defense, is an American maker of military-grade rifles and components. Karl Lewis founded the company in 1980 in Milan, Illinois, to supply firearm components to the U.S. military, law enforcement and government agencies. In 1986 LMT began building complete rifles, mainly for military and police buyers overseas, and it has long done original equipment work for other AR-15 and M4 manufacturers. Its parts reached U.S. special operations use through items such as the SOPMOD stock and the Ergo Grip. The company is now headquartered in Eldridge, Iowa.
LMT is best known among AR owners for its Monolithic Rail Platform (MRP), introduced in 2004, which machines the upper receiver and railed fore-end from a single aluminum forging and allows quick barrel changes. In 2009 the British Ministry of Defence ordered 440 of LMT’s 7.62mm LM308MWS rifles as the L129A1 sharpshooter rifle for Afghanistan, and by December 2014 more than 3,000 had been supplied to UK forces. In July 2019 Estonia signed for 16,000 LMT rifles in 5.56mm and 7.62mm, a contract reported at 22.7 million euros. New Zealand, Switzerland and Lebanon are also listed among users of LMT products.
Key Facts
- 1980: Karl Lewis founds LMT in Milan, Illinois
- 1986: Begins building complete rifles for overseas military and police buyers
- 2004: Monolithic Rail Platform (MRP) introduced
- 2009: UK orders 440 LM308MWS rifles as the L129A1 sharpshooter rifle
- July 2019: Estonia signs for 16,000 LMT rifles
- Headquarters: Eldridge, Iowa
Sources
- The Rifles of Karl Lewis (American Rifleman)
- L129A1 (Wikipedia)
- Defense Ministry Signs LMT Arms Contract in the US (ERR News)
- Lewis Machine and Tool Company (Wikipedia)
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