The only country home to more guns than people, the United States is the world’s largest consumer market for firearms. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, America’s arms and ammunition industry employs over 384,000 people both directly and indirectly, and generated $90.1 billion in economic output in 2023 — more than double the annual gross domestic product of the state of Vermont.
As of 2022, the latest year of available data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, there were more than 3,600 licensed gunmakers in the United States. Gun sales have surged in recent years, and collectively, these companies manufactured nearly 13.4 million firearms in 2022, the second-highest production volume of any year since at least the mid-1980s, and only about 412,000 fewer units than the multi-decade high reported in 2021. For context, U.S. gun companies made an average of 3.7 million firearms annually throughout the first decade of the 2000’s. (Here is a look at the top gunmaker in each state.)
But, as is the case in many other industries, gun manufacturing is dominated by a handful of companies. According to the ATF, America’s 25 largest gunmakers accounted for 87% of all domestically manufactured firearms in 2022.
Using data from the ATF, 24/7 Wall St. identified America’s 25 most popular gun companies. Gunmakers are ranked by total domestic firearm production volume in 2022. Among the companies on this list, 2022 production totals range from about 81,400 to more than 2.3 million.
Of all firearm classifications used by the ATF, pistols are the most popular. Nearly 6.2 million pistols — 45.9% of total production volume — were manufactured domestically in 2022. Rifles, meanwhile, accounted for 26.7% of all domestically manufactured guns, revolvers for 6.2%, shotguns for 4.9%, and miscellaneous — a category that covers all other gun types, including firearm frames and receivers — for 16.2%.
For eight of the 25 companies on this list, pistols made up over half of total manufacturing output in 2022, including three companies that only make pistols. New Hampshire based gunmaker Sig Sauer produced nearly 2.2 million pistols in 2022 alone, or more than one-in-every-three American-made pistols. (Here is a look at the top 25 American pistol companies.)
Among the remaining companies, seven are primarily rifle-makers, five mostly make miscellaneous firearms, two focus primarily on revolvers, and one makes more shotguns than any other firearm type. Meanwhile, Kel-Tec and Ruger are the only two companies on this list for which no firearm classification accounts for 50% or more of total gun production.
Why It Matters
Source: 2023 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Gun sales have hit all-time highs in the U.S. in recent years — and recent trends in consumer preferences are reflected in firearm manufacturing statistics. Americans are now more likely to own a gun for personal protection than for any other purpose. Partially as a result, pistols are now the best-selling firearm type in the United States, even as sales of other firearm types, particularly rifles, have also surged — and the companies meeting consumer demand are the backbone of the multi-billion dollar arms and ammunition industry.
25. Daniel Defense LLC
Source: Mitch Barrie / Wikimedia Commons
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 81,435 (0.6% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 24.0% pistols; 0% revolvers; 76.0% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): Delta 5, DD4 RIII, MK12
- Firearm production location(s): Georgia
24. Strassells Machine Inc. (High-Point)
Source: Jack Kingsman / Wikimedia Commons
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 87,800 (0.7% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 47.7% pistols; 0% revolvers; 52.3% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): 995, 1095, 4095, 3895
- Firearm production location(s): Ohio
23. Century Arms Inc.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 106,970 (0.8% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 9.4% pistols; 0% revolvers; 40.3% rifles; 0% shotguns; 50.2% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): VSKA, BFT-47
- Firearm production location(s): Vermont
22. SCCY Industries
Source: YvesHoebeke / Wikimedia Commons
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 113,159 (0.8% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 100% pistols; 0% revolvers; 0% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): DVG-1, CPX-1
- Firearm production location(s): Florida
21. Radical Firearms
Source: AFP Contributor / AFP via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 121,600 (0.9% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 13.3% pistols; 0% revolvers; 84.3% rifles; 0% shotguns; 2.4% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): RF-10
- Firearm production location(s): Texas
20. Diamondback Firearms LLC
Source: artas / iStock via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 123,025 (0.9% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 25.9% pistols; 10.1% revolvers; 63.4% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0.5% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): DB10, DB9R
- Firearm production location(s): Florida
19. FN America, LLC
Source: westtexasfish / iStock via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 138,595 (1.0% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 74.6% pistols; 0% revolvers; 25.4% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): 509, Reflex, FNX-9
- Firearm production location(s): South Carolina
18. RemArms
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 155,999 (1.2% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 0.0% pistols; 0% revolvers; 31.2% rifles; 53.7% shotguns; 15.1% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): 1100, 870, V3
- Firearm production location(s): Georgia and New York
17. Anderson Manufacturing
Source: artas / iStock via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 157,264 (1.2% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 2.2% pistols; 0% revolvers; 4.8% rifles; 0% shotguns; 93.0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s):
- Firearm production location(s): Kentucky
16. Colt’s Manufacturing
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 158,797 (1.2% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 21.9% pistols; 62.2% revolvers; 13.1% rifles; 0% shotguns; 2.8% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): Kodiak, Python, Anaconda, King Cobra
- Firearm production location(s): Connecticut
15. Beretta USA
Source: Beretta M9 semi automatic pistols by Sergeant Matt Hecht / CC0 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 180,447 (1.3% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 69.6% pistols; 0% revolvers; 0% rifles; 30.4% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): M9, 92FS, PX4
- Firearm production location(s): Tennessee
14. Kel Tec CNC Industries
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 196,118 (1.5% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 43.4% pistols; 0% revolvers; 35.6% rifles; 21.0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): P322
- Firearm production location(s): Florida
13. Aero Precision
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 202,265 (1.5% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 0.0% pistols; 0% revolvers; 1.1% rifles; 0% shotguns; 98.9% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s):
- Firearm production location(s): Washington
12. Kimber Inc.
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 230,325 (1.7% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 91.4% pistols; 6.9% revolvers; 1.8% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): LW Nightstar, Aegis Elite, Pro CDP, Micro 9 ESV
- Firearm production location(s): Alabama and New York
11. Taurus International Manufacturing, Inc.
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 287,650 (2.1% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 100% pistols; 0% revolvers; 0% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): G3, GX4, TS9
- Firearm production location(s): Georgia
10. Heritage Manufacturing
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 308,040 (2.3% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 0.0% pistols; 93.3% revolvers; 6.7% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): Barkeep, Rough Rider, Roscoe
- Firearm production location(s): Georgia
9. Henry Repeating Arms
Source: Picanox / Wikimedia Commons
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 365,867 (2.7% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 1.5% pistols; 0% revolvers; 91.5% rifles; 5.5% shotguns; 1.5% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): Frontier, Varmint Express, American Eagle, Golden Boy
- Firearm production location(s): New Jersey and Wisconsin
8. Glock
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 465,117 (3.5% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 100% pistols; 0% revolvers; 0% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): G17, G19, G26
- Firearm production location(s): Georgia
7. Palmetto State Armory, LLC
Source: Kristover / Wikimedia Commons
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 551,448 (4.1% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 24.9% pistols; 0% revolvers; 18.4% rifles; 0% shotguns; 56.8% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): Dagger
- Firearm production location(s): South Carolina
6. Springfield Inc.
Source: 2023 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 562,466 (4.2% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 45.9% pistols; 0% revolvers; 54.1% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): Saint AR-15, SA-16, M1A
- Firearm production location(s): Illinois
5. Savage Arms
Source: Cory Charlton / 500px via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 719,641 (5.4% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 1.2% pistols; 0% revolvers; 84.6% rifles; 14.2% shotguns; 0% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): AXIS, Mark II, 110, Hunter
- Firearm production location(s): Massachusetts
4. Smith & Wesson
Source: 2018 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 973,994 (7.3% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 64.3% pistols; 21.4% revolvers; 13.4% rifles; 0.8% shotguns; 0.1% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): M&P 9, SD9, Equalizer TS
- Firearm production location(s): Massachusetts and Missouri
3. Maverick Arms, Inc. (Mossberg)
Source: 2018 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 1,404,697 (10.5% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 0.4% pistols; 0% revolvers; 5.3% rifles; 19.0% shotguns; 75.4% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): 590, 940, Gold Reserve
- Firearm production location(s): Connecticut and Texas
2. Sturm, Ruger & Company
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 1,565,743 (11.7% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 44.2% pistols; 11.2% revolvers; 44.3% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0.2% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): 10/22, Security 9, SR22
- Firearm production location(s): Arizona, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and North Carolina
1. Sig Sauer
Source: 2023 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
- Firearms manufactured domestically in 2022: 2,346,752 (17.5% of all U.S.-made firearms)
- 2022 production by firearm type: 93.2% pistols; 0% revolvers; 6.2% rifles; 0% shotguns; 0.6% misc.
- Popular firearm model(s): P365, P320, P226
- Firearm production location(s): New Hampshire
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