U.S. Fire Arms Manufacturing Co
1993 – 2013
Hartford, Connecticut
- founded by Doug Donnelly
- company offices were in the “Old Armory Custom Shop”
– built by Sam Colt - made custom Peacemaker revolvers to order
- Replica Colt lightning rifles
- 2011 USFA abandoned their production of Colt revolver replicas
– sold the tooling to fund the ZIP project
– ZiPFactory - 2011 introduced the ZIP .22
– only a few hundred were produced - 2013 showcased at SHOT Show
U.S. Fire Arms Manufacturing Co
55 Van Dyke Ave
Hartford, Connecticut 06106
877-227-6901
About U.S. Fire Arms Manufacturing Company
U.S. Fire Arms Manufacturing Company (USFA) was a Hartford, Connecticut gunmaker best known for high-quality replicas of the Colt Single Action Army revolver. Douglas Donnelly founded the company in 1993 and served as its CEO and owner. USFA worked out of the East Armory building of the historic Colt Armory complex, the blue-domed factory Samuel Colt built, which gave its revolvers a direct link to the birthplace of the Peacemaker. Along with Single Action Army style revolvers, the company produced Colt M1911-based pistols and rifles patterned on the Colt Lightning.
Collectors and cowboy action shooters prized USFA revolvers for their fit and finish, and they remain sought after on the used market. In 2011 the company stopped making Colt replicas, rebranded as ZiPFactory, and turned to a single product, the low-cost ZiP .22 pistol. The ZiP did not catch on with buyers, and the company, by then Hartford’s last remaining gunmaker, wound down. It formally dissolved in January 2017 as the last firearms maker in the Colt Armory complex, which is now part of Coltsville National Historical Park.
Key Facts
- 1993: founded in Hartford, Connecticut by Douglas Donnelly
- 1990s to 2011: builds Single Action Army style revolvers in the Colt East Armory
- 2011: ends Colt replica production and rebrands as ZiPFactory to make the ZiP .22
- January 2017: company formally dissolves
Sources
Profiles on Minuteman University.com are editorial content compiled from public sources. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of, sponsorship by, or affiliation with this site or the Gun Websites Firearms Network. Corrections and removal requests are welcome through Contact Us.