Remington’s ammunition plant in Lonoke, AR, continues to produce top-quality rimfire, centerfire and shotgun ammo.
There was a time between 2018 and late 2022 when the future of Remington ammunition was questionable. At least for now, it looks like the manufacturer has been saved, and the company is forging forward. It harkens back to the good old days when ammunition in a box with Remington on it was trusted, not just by hunters, but by sport shooters, military personnel, law enforcement and those of us who carry a firearm for personal protection. Americans have been shooting Remington ammunition for more than a century, and hopefully they’ll keep doing so for another 100 years.
Remington was founded in Ilion, NY, in 1816. It is the oldest, and at times was the largest, gunmaker in the United States. Remington also has a long history of ammunition production, too, but it did not start until 1912, when it was consolidated with the Union Metallic Cartridge (UMC) company. Then, about 20 years later, Remington purchased the Peters Cartridge Company.
In 1969, it opened a state-of-the-art ammunition-manufacturing facility in Lonoke, AR. That plant is still in operation and covers nearly two square miles of real estate. As Remington began to turn a profit, the company also became desirable to investors, and in 1980, DuPont took complete control of Remington. About 13 years later, Remington was sold to RAIC Acquisitions, which later sold the company to Cerberus Capital Management in 2007. Three years later Remington was made a part of the Freedom Group of companies, and that was, as they say, the beginning of the end.
In 2018, Remington Outdoor Company filed for bankruptcy protection. It reorganized, but continued to struggle, and its aging ammunition factory in Lonoke was no longer cutting edge. Finally, in 2020 the axe fell, and Remington entered Chapter 11. Vista Outdoor, which also owned Federal, Speer and CCI, acquired all Remington ammunition assets, as well as the Remington brand and trademarks. (Vista Outdoor did not purchase the firearms division of Remington, which is now a separate company known as RemArms.) But, that’s not the end of the selling. Just last year, Vista Outdoor announced the sale of all its ammunition companies to the Czechoslovak Group (CSG)—a privately held company based in Czechia. This sale is still in the process of being finalized at the time of this writing.
If you’re wondering where this leaves Remington, in truth we can only speculate. However, I recently spent a week in Africa with Joel Hodgdon who—in addition to being part of the Hodgdon gunpowder family—is the director of Marketing for Remington Ammunition.
Hodgdon impressed two things upon me during our safari: First was that the future of Remington Ammunition is bright, and second was that there are no plans for Remington to play a second fiddle to Federal, CCI or Speer (or any other ammo company for that matter) in terms of quality or consumer trust. Hodgdon told me “Remington is a brand most of us grew up with. It’s our responsibility to be caretakers for the company so that the next generation can also grow up shooting Core-Lokt, 22 Golden Bullet and all the rest of our ammo.”
Hodgdon also stressed that Remington Ammunition will share technology with Federal, Speer and CCI when it benefits hunters and shooters, and that all the companies will work together to support the safety and quality of their ammo. However, Remington is driving its own bus. The company is improving the factory at Lonoke, enhancing manufacturing processes and is actively involved in introducing new and exciting munitions.
A perfect example of Remington’s independence in crafting ammunition in which consumers are interested is the 360 Buckhammer cartridge. Remington recently developed this .358-caliber straight-wall cartridge, and NRA’s American Hunter magazine awarded it the prestigious 2024 Golden Bullseye Award for Ammunition Product of the Year. Remington is also currently releasing other, newer products.
Another new Remington Ammunition offering, one I’m really excited about, is the Ranch Hand rimfire load for the .22 LR. Remington has drastically overhauled its production process for rimfire ammunition, so it can offer more reliable and more accurate options. The Ranch Hand line is one of the results of Remington’s enhanced engineering. There are two loads: a 38-grain round-nose and a 38-grain hollowpoint, both with an advertised velocity of 1,265 fps. But, the best news about the new Ranch Hand loads is that Remington has configured them to work—feed, function and shoot—in any .22 LR handgun or rifle. This ammo should be an exceptional general-purpose rimfire load, and it has a suggested retail price of $11.99 for a 100-round box.
Also new from “Big Green” is the UMC Leadless. Remember the 1912 consolidation between Remington and the Union Metallic Cartridge (UMC) company? Well, Remington UMC ammunition still honors that consolidation, and Remington will initially offer UMC Leadless ammo for the .223 Rem. with a 55-grain bullet at 3,190 fps ($27.99 for a 20-round box), and for the 9 mm with a 100-grain bullet at 1,240 fps ($31.99 for a 50-round box). By combining a lead- free, copper-and-iron core with a copper jacket and a Catalyst lead-free primer, these loads are ideal for shooters who are required or choose to shoot lead-free ammo. Remington claims you can expect the same reliability and performance out of its Leadless loads that you’d expect with conventional UMC ammunition.
Though I’m sworn to secrecy, there are some other exciting ammunition products in the works, like a lever-action-optimized line of Remington’s popular new Core-Lokt Tipped ammo. (I might not have been supposed to let that out, but I’ve got what you might describe as a covert operative inside Remington.) From the information I’ve managed to secure, there will also be other new loads that should appeal to hunters, target shooters, those who trust a gun for personal protection and to all of us who enjoy shooting.
Though I can’t say I’m giddy about the prospect of an iconic American brand like Remington potentially being owned by a foreign company (which might not be a bad thing, but it stings a bit), I will say that I’m genuinely excited for Remington right now. I think you will be too as you start seeing what they have in store for us.
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