I found this of interest. The top ten gun manufacturers in America in 2022, using the most recent data: Top 10 Gunmakers—Anderson Manufacturing Returns To The List
Figures below reflect total volume produced in 2023, followed by the company’s change from its 2022 position in the ranking.
- Ruger—1,305,615—0
- SIG Sauer—1,020,755—0
- Smith & Wesson—991,847—0
- Savage Arms—725,644—0
- Palmetto State Armory—581,742—+1
- Henry Repeating Arms—411,786—+3
- Mossberg—397,922—+1
- Glock Inc.—345,119—-1
- Anderson Manufacturing—337,658—+8
- Springfield Armory—308,040—-5
Anderson Manufacturing is the only company on the list—compiled by Orchid Advisors—that did not rank in the top 10 the year before. It is, however, familiar terrain for the firm. In 2021, it was No. 6, a year in which 505,635 guns rolled out of its Kentucky factory.
Interestingly, Anderson more than doubled its production in 2023—337,658 compared to 157,264 firearms in 2022—when most of the industry cautiously scaled back. “In 2023, U.S. firearm production declined by 13% to 9.8 million units, down from 11.2 million units in 2022,” the Orchid Advisors report explains. “Production declined for the second consecutive year following the peak of 13.8 million in 2021, driven by COVID and social unrest.”
Aero Precision, which ranked No. 11 in 2023, also increased the number of firearms it made—up from 2022’s total of 202,265 to 228,937. Four companies entered the top 30 ranks in 2023. They were Wilson Combat, Staccato, North American Arms and Browning Arms.
Overall, the total number of pistols produced in 2023 was 3,939,518. The revolver total came in at 805,054. Rifle and shotgun totals were 3,119,376 and 602,782, respectively.
The top ten manufacturers alone produced over 6.4 million firearms in a single year. I was pretty surprised to see Henry Repeating Arms coming in at number 6 ahead of Mossberg, Glock and Springfield as well as Anderson. Henry is best known as a maker of pretty nice lever action rifles, a cool line-up to be sure but we are talking the 2020s, not the 1860s.
I expect to see Palmetto State continue to climb as they expand their product mix seemingly by the month and Anderson certainly cranks out a lot of firearms, I assume this counts only complete firearms and not stripped lowers but I could be wrong. The list is only for domestic manufacturing which explains why Glock is so low as most of their handguns are made in Austria and that also explains why Beretta doesn’t appear on the top ten list.
If you get into the original list, there are more interesting names. Staccato broke into the top 30 in 2022 as their 2011 double-stack 9mm pistols that are ungodly expensive are the hot gun for guys with too much money. Browning is way down in the list at 27 but they don’t really make “tactical guns” like AR-15s or even a 9mm pistol. They are more for hunters and clay shooters. Remington is also pretty far down the list at 18 thanks to their bankruptcy, just behind Beretta who made 139,710 firearms domestically to go along with their overseas manufacturing.
At the pace we have seen so far in the 2020s, thanks to the insane numbers from 2020 and 2021 especially, it isn’t farfetched to think that U.S. manufacturers will make in excess of 100 million firearms this decade if they keep up the pace of around 10 million or more firearms per year. That doesn’t even count the firearms imported, this is from the ATF and only goes to 2020 but it gives you an idea….
Almost 7 million firearms imported just in 2020. Unknown is how many 3D printed receivers and 80% lowers completed into firearms are out there, probably not that many but it is a not insignificant figure.
This isn’t a huge surprise to people in the know but it is still interesting, at least to me. It also should tell you a few things about the futility of gun control.
One, if the availability of guns was the root cause of gun violence, that the mere presence of guns causes shootings….we would all be dead already. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of half a billion guns in civilian hands in America. Simply having guns isn’t the problem.
Two, there is no way any gun ban of any kind will have any meaningful impact on gun ownership. Most gun crimes are committed by people who are already prohibited from having guns and most gun owners are unlikely to hand over their guns even if ordered to. In most states like mine, while you have to submit to a background check, the NICS system is run by the FBI, not the ATF, and while you are required to fill out a 4473, those forms that specify what firearm you purchased stay with your FFL unless they go out of business. Given how many people buy and sell used guns, the churn of firearm ownership means that a huge percentage of firearms have been purchased or inherited without anyone doing any paperwork at all.
There is a reason that significant gun control rarely gets any traction and why in many respects gun rights are ascendent in areas like permitless concealed carry and in Supreme Court cases. With suppressors potentially being removed from the NFA, that will mean far more people getting into that market.
Enjoy this golden era of gun buying while you can, with everything in stock and ready to buy, because it can end overnight but for now Americans are still buying going gangbusters making, selling and buying guns.
Buying a new gun is more fun even than buying a new pair of high tops was back in the early 80’s.
I love buying guns but I haven’t in a while, which makes me want to buy one even more.
Truth.
Buying one from a private party is even more fun because then you don’t have to hassle with the paperwork…
Last 5 guns I had bought were from private owners and one was still new in the box.
Nobody else’s business what I will own.
fuk-em-ded
I have an Anderson AR-15. I like it, well made, shoots great. Would buy another vs. a PSA clone.
It’s not the same fit and quality as the Sig M400 version of the AR I also have. But for a budget AR, I’d buy Anderson all day long.
Anderson and PSA aren’t my first choice but they are perfectly functional and honestly I am not a good enough shooter for a higher end AR to make that much difference
Built a rifle on an Anderson lower, a Bravo Company lower parts kit and grip (try it, you’ll like it), a 1/7 full length pencil barrel from Brownells on a C7 upper receiver and an M16A2 buttstock. Cave man simple, the parts are solid, and it does what it is supposed to do with various 5.56 bullet weights.
Recommend a solid set of AR15 armorer tools- makes the job easy and fun.
Relevant to the above I herein repost an interesting mathematical excursion into a potential mass gun confiscation in FUSA.
This one is worth a second read!
https://survivalblog.com/2018/05/15/mathematics-countering-tyranny/
There’ll be fewer when they leave my corpse on the porch…. Promise. If I don’t visit THEIR homes first, when it starts.
I don’t see a lot of local cops signing up to kick down doors when they know they are getting shot at
That is an excellent article, I will find some way to work that into a future post
Great to know, AS. I’d love to read your take on it!
That’s one of the best, well-reasoned Essays about the Futility of ‘Gun Confiscation’ ever written. Everyone should Read and Understand the principles laid out therein, and be ready to Carry them Out, appropriate to their AO.
And for shits-n-giggles, it’s a Good One to E-Mail to any politician or random libtard that you know.
I haven’t bought a new gun in a few years but I really need to get all the ammo that I’ve bought in order, it’s everywhere. Stacked up like dirty clothes.
You and me both, I am terribly unorganized ammo-wise
Did you see this article
https://www.commanderzero.com/?p=12179&unapproved=142439&moderation-hash=73e41d85b9902306a2793e4ca027c07e#comment-142439
Ammo cans, metal or plastic, and a white paint marker for date/caliber/ct. They are stackable and have made it easy for us to keep track of calibers and quantities.
A stripped lower is a firearm if it has been completely machined. Still requires a 4473. Just have to make sure when you buy one stripped, claim it on the 4473 as a handgun. That way you can build either a handgun or a rifle. But you can’t go from a rifle lower to a handgun. So call it a handgun to save some headache,.
Two nice bolt guns this year, a Howa and a Bergara
MOAR!
How inflated are Sig’s numbers based upon their big bribes, I mean contracts with US government?
That’s a fact.
The homicide rate of White Americans is actually a bit lower than some vaunted European countries with no 2A. Obviously, it’s not the presence of firearms that is the source of the US having a much higher overall homicide and violent crime rate.
It’s good that firearms sales are so high, the more the merrier. The matches that I have attended this year have also had very high attendance, so people are coming out to shoot not just sticking stuff in the closet. It’s good to see. Contrary to the popular belief of just a few years ago, the tradition is strong and growing.
what’s missing is “Ghost Guns”. i’m guessing the GG purchases and builds are significant numbers.
The nano second Uncle Sugar told the world that Ghosts Guns Bad,,,,, WE we’re on it, fuck uncle sugar, i’m told the GGs up and down my street are mostly built with very high end pieces parts.
we use a mill to do the cutting. not to mention some of the factories are marketing what in my opinion are very high quality lowers, the one piece trigger guard is a significant upgrade, as is the “ set screw” utilized on the mag hold back pin.
far better then driving a roll pin to secure the paddle to the lower.
a drop in straight Gisselle trigger and a quality lower kit. our circle are purchasing Noveske or Gisselle uppers. also Bravo company to complete projects.
sights are all over the place, stocks are magpul mostly, have seen Daniel Defence also
Dirk