Eliphalet Remington, founded E. Remington and Sons in New York, 1816.   It said to be the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America.

It is the only US company which produces both firearms and ammunition domestically, and is the largest US producer of shotguns and rifles.

Remington does not currently produce handguns; its last handgun, the Model XP-100R, ceased production in 1998.   Its products are distributed in over 60 foreign countries, making its base wider than those of its competitors.

History
Remington was founded in 1816. Eliphalet Remington II believed he could build a better gun than he could buy.   Farming communities in the region were famous for their diverse skills and self-sufficiency, and the winter seasons were used for crafts that provided goods for self-use and also for sale.

Eliphalet's father sent him to a well-known barrel maker in a major city to purchase a barrel, with the mission of observing the barrel-making technique.   At the time, the method was to heat and wrap long flat bars of iron around a metal rod of the caliber desired.

By heating and hammering the coiled bars around the central rod, the barrel metal became fused into a solid cylinder, at which point the rod was pressed out.   After the young man returned home, his family added a successful barrel making operation to his father's forge, in Ilion Gorge, New York.

He began designing and building a flintlock rifle for himself.   In the fall of that year, he entered a shooting match; though he only finished second, his well-made gun impressed other shooters.   Before Eliphalet left the field that day, he had received so many orders from other competitors that he was now officially in the gun smithing business.

By 1828, the operation moved to nearby Ilion, New York, at the same site which is used by the modern Remington firearms plant.

In 1865, Remington incorporated into a stock company, and in 1873 began a new venture, producing Remington brand typewriters.   Remington sold the typewriter business in 1886.

The typewriter company eventually became Remington Rand, and the firearms business became Remington Arms Company.

In 1888, Remington was purchased by Marcus Hartley and Partners, a major sporting goods chain who also owned the Union Metallic Cartridge Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Bridgeport site became the home of Remington's ammunition plant.

In 1912, Remington and Union Metallic Cartridge were combined into a single entity, called Remington UMC. Even today, Remington produces U.M.C. brand ammunition. In 1915, the plant at Ilion was expanded, and with this expansion became basically the same plant as today.

When the U.S. entered the war, Remington became deeply involved in the war effort.   Notable contributions by Remington included development and production of the U.S. M1917 Enfield rifle, a simplified version of the British Pattern 1914, and development of the Pedersen device.

Late in the war, the collapse of the Imperial Russian government had a severe impact on Remington finances.   Russia had ordered enormous quantities of arms and ammunition, but ran short of money to pay for the orders.

During the Great Depression, Remington was purchased by the DuPont Corporation, which had made its fortune with improvements to gunpowder.   A year later, Remington purchased the Peters Cartridge Company; today, many of the Remington headstamps still have R-P on them for Remington-Peters.

In 1986, Remington closed its ammunition plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut, creating a brand-new facility in Lonoke, Arkansas.

In 1940 the U.S. Army became worried about its ammunition capacity, and asked Remington to collaborate in a plan for national expansion.   With the aid of DuPont, Remington built the Lake City Arsenal and Denver Ordnance ammunition plants, and three more plants later on.

Though the plants belonged to the U.S. government, Remington was asked to oversee their operation.   Among the weapons Remington manufactured for the government during World War II was the famous M1903A3 Springfield bolt-action rifle.

This site was chosen as the geographic center of the sporting ammunition market.   A year later, Remington built a new clay targets plant in Athens, Georgia.

In 1993, Remington was sold by DuPont to the investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R').

In June 2007, a private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, acquired Remington Arms for $370 million, including $252 million in assumed debt. This happened because Remington was millions of dollars in debt and did not report a profit during the years 2003-2005.

In December 2007, Remington Arms acquired rifle-maker Marlin Firearms.

In October 2009, Remington Military products Acquired Advanced Armament corporation.

This page is a tribute the Eliphalet Remington, 1816 and the iconic brand Remington which we knew even today.