United States

Small American towns relied on gunmakers who could make every part, because local sales could not support a separate specialist for each operation.¹ The gunsmith forged metal, poured molten metal into moulds, shaped stocks and decorated wood and metal.² These workshops served civilian customers who needed guns for farm pests, hunting for meat and market hunting.³ Their small scale kept them from obtaining military contracts.³

In April 1794 Congress funded federal armories at Springfield, Massachusetts, and Harpers Ferry, Virginia.⁴ Springfield lay beside a major river, beyond the reach of ocean-going warships, and its tributaries supplied water power.⁵ The Connecticut River Valley already supported arms manufacture and invention, and the armory’s superintendents kept in touch with nearby inventors, including Eli Whitney.⁶ Machinery eased production and helped standardise parts.⁶

In 1816 Eliphalet Remington II began making rifle barrels at a forge in Ilion, south of the Mohawk River.⁷ In 1828 he moved beside the Erie Canal, which gave him inexpensive transport to materials and distant markets.⁷ By the Civil War, Springfield’s powered machinery, gauges and interchangeable parts let it produce large numbers of identical weapons.⁸ Private Connecticut firms also mastered machine production of intricate metal parts, drawing on capital, labour and an established firearms trade.⁹

Civil War contractors included established armories in New Haven and Middletown and firms that came to gunmaking from other industries.¹⁰ Parker Snow & Company of Meriden had made kitchen utensils and sewing machines, while other contractors had made wagon axles or worked in textiles.¹⁰ Peace brought a surplus of military guns, and many contractors withdrew from arms production.¹¹ Parker turned to commercial shotguns, while Colt, Whitney, Sharps and Henry adapted to self-contained metallic cartridges.¹¹ Henry’s business became Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1866.¹¹

Parker completed its first production hammerless shotgun in late 1888.¹² At the beginning of the twentieth century, hunting rifles and double-barrelled shotguns helped sustain Remington.¹³ In March 1902 FN obtained worldwide rights to make and sell John Browning’s autoloading shotgun.¹⁴ Winchester introduced its Model 1912 pump in 1912 and later renamed it the Model 12.¹⁵ In 1914 British, Belgian and Russian contracts doubled Winchester’s plant and brought new factory space for British Enfield rifles.¹⁶

Winchester introduced its Model 21 side-by-side in 1931, and Ithaca began making the Browning-designed Model 37 pump in 1937.^{17, 18} In December 1937 Remington transferred the Parker works from Meriden to Ilion.¹⁹ Regular Parker production and assembly ended in 1942, when its remaining workers moved to war production.¹⁹ Remington also made the Auto-5 from 1940 to 1946.²⁰

Remington introduced the Model 870 pump in 1950 and the Model 1100 semi-automatic in 1963.^{21, 22} Ruger launched the original Red Label in 1977.²³ Production of Winchester-branded firearms at New Haven ended in 2006.²⁴ RemArms closed the Ilion site in March 2024 and moved out in August 2025.²⁵

In 2023 the trade category covering shotguns and combination shotgun-rifles recorded 88,091 United States exports, of which Canada took 62,314.^{26, 27} Other destinations included Poland, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Thailand.²⁷ In December 2025 Ruger announced the Red Label III, built by Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company for upland hunting, skeet, sporting clays and waterfowling.^{28, 29, 30}