started in 1943
Lewiston, Idaho
- 1943 Vernon Speer started building bullets
– reloaders couldn’t get components from ammo companies during World War II - initially focused on hunting rifle bullets
- he also built the first mass-produced jacketed handgun bullets for hunting and law enforcement
- 1960 Lawman line
- Speer Gold Dot
- Vista Outdoor
Speer
2299 Snake River Ave.
Lewiston, ID 83501
1-866-286-7436
speer.com
About Speer
Speer is an Idaho-based maker of bullets and loaded handgun ammunition whose history dates to 1943, when Vernon Speer began making bullets because handloaders could not obtain components from ammunition companies during World War II. He first concentrated on hunting rifle bullets and went on to build some of the first mass-produced jacketed handgun bullets for hunting and law enforcement. In the 1960s Speer began loading those bullets into factory ammunition under the Lawman name. Vernon’s brother, Dick Speer, founded CCI, and the two brands have long been closely linked in Lewiston, Idaho.
For gun owners, Speer is best known for Gold Dot, a bonded, copper-plated hollow point that Speer markets as duty ammunition for law enforcement and offers in the same loads to civilians for personal protection. Speer later became part of Vista Outdoor’s sporting products business. In 2024 that business was rebranded as The Kinetic Group and sold to the Czechoslovak Group (CSG), with the transaction completed in November 2024. Speer now sits within CSG’s small-caliber ammunition division alongside sister brands including CCI, and it continues to manufacture in Lewiston, Idaho.
Key Facts
- 1943: Vernon Speer begins making bullets for handloaders during World War II.
- 1960s: Speer introduces loaded ammunition under the Lawman line.
- 2015: Vista Outdoor, Speer’s later parent, is spun off from Alliant Techsystems.
- November 2024: Vista Outdoor completes the sale of The Kinetic Group, including Speer, to CSG.
Sources
- Speer (CSG)
- CCI Ammunition (Wikipedia)
- Vista Outdoor Announces Completion of CSG Transaction (Business Wire)
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