Merger makes history

Smith & Wesson acquires Savage Arms

When thinking of revolvers, Smith & Wesson surely must come to mind. Regarded as the ‘king’ in this category, its top performers include the Model 1 (1857), the .38 Military & Police (Model 10) and the Model 29 .44 Magnum, made famous by Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry.

The company’s recent $160 million acquisition of Savage Arms makes it now the USA’s largest commercial firearms manufacturer.

Savage Arms is best known for its bolt action rifles, which are both accurate and affordable. The Model 110 Bolt-Action, which was introduced in 1958, is America’s oldest continuously produced bolt action, with users most impressed by its ‘out-of-the-box’ precision. Its AccuTrigger revolutionised the firearms industry in 2002, allowing users to set light pull weights without accidental discharge.

The combination of these two companies carries a great deal of historical heft. Smith & Wesson was founded in Massachusetts in 1852 while Savage Arms was founded in New York in 1894. Between the two American firearm heavyweights, they have been supplying shooters throughout the world with quality handguns, revolvers, rifles, shotguns and suppressors for more than 300 years and are household names among firearms owners.

Savage will add nearly 500 skilled staff to Smith & Wesson’s workforce, which as of 2023 has its main manufacturing facility in Maryville, Tennessee.

Shooting Times quoted Mark Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Smith & Wesson, as saying: “The acquisition of Savage is transformative for Smith & Wesson and contributes to our objective of becoming the undisputed market leader in the firearm industry. With this transaction, we have significantly expanded our presence in the hunting category, particularly in bolt-action rifles, which will enable us to better serve our customers. We are excited to combine Savage’s expertise and scale in the hunting category with our proven capabilities in the handgun and semi-auto rifle markets. We believe our teams’ core competencies will complement one another, translating into a stronger combined business”.

Despite the increases in cost of living, sales and interest in this range of firearms remains strong in the USA.