1951
Massachusetts
- 1951 founded by Wallace Judd & James Graham in Yankee Hill, Massachusetts
- 1960s government contract to design and produce cleaning rods for the M16
- 1980s son Jay took over
- 2000s began manufacturing suppressors
- 2008 YNH-15 first complete rifle
- 2013 Grandsons took over
Yankee Hill Machine
412 Main St.
Easthampton, Massachusetts
yhm.net
About Yankee Hill Machine
Yankee Hill Machine (YHM) is a family-owned Massachusetts manufacturer of suppressors, AR-15 parts and complete rifles. U.S. Army veteran James H. Graham and Wallace Judd founded it in 1951 in a garage in Northampton, naming it after the city’s Yankee Hill neighborhood, and it first made nuts, bolts and screws. Around 1964 it moved into a 19th-century brick mill, and around 1967 it produced its first M16 cleaning rods under contract for the U.S. National Armory. In 1990 YHM began making sights, muzzle devices and barrels for other firearms companies.
YHM made its first suppressors in 2005 and introduced its first YHM-branded firearm in 2008. Leadership has passed through three generations of the Graham family: James J. Graham took the lead in 1984, brothers Christopher and Kevin Graham became co-owners in 2013, and Christopher became sole president and owner in 2024. The company moved to a steel building complex in Easthampton in 2017. YHM is also a strong supporter of suppressor rights, contributing $100,000 to the American Suppressor Association in 2025, the same year it launched the VICTRA-12, its first shotgun suppressor. YHM is celebrating its 75th anniversary throughout 2026.
Key Facts
- 1951: Founded in Northampton, Massachusetts, by James H. Graham and Wallace Judd
- c. 1967: First M16 cleaning rods made for the U.S. National Armory
- 2005: First YHM suppressors produced
- 2008: First YHM-branded firearm introduced
- 2017: Moves to Easthampton, Massachusetts
- 2026: Company marks its 75th anniversary
Learn More
- Suppressor Buyers Guide.com covers suppressors and the laws that regulate them
Sources
- The Shooting Wire: Yankee Hill Machine Announces 2026 as 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee
- Soldier Systems: Yankee Hill Machine Makes $100,000 Contribution to American Suppressor Association
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