Founded in 1947 in California , Sierra Bullets is an American manufacturer of bullets intended for firearms. Based in Sedalia , Missouri since 1990, Sierra manufactures a very wide range of bullets for both rifles and pistols . Sierra bullets are used for precision target shooting , hunting and defense purposes. Available calibers range from .204 (suitable for the .204 Ruger ) through to .500 (suitable for the .500 S&W Magnum ).
34-616: The Small Arms Ammunition Factories ( SAAF ) were ammunition manufacturing plants run by the Australian government. Nearly all of their production was for domestic use by their military, the police forces, and government-appointed agents. In 1888 the Colonial Ammunition Company of New Zealand founded an ammunition factory in Footscray , a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria . During World War One from 1915 to 1918
68-687: A Category I Historic Place . The company built a rare steel-frame shot tower with a 30-metre drop in 1914 for the creation of lead pellets . Used in the shotgun shells of New Zealand hunters, they had previously been imported, mainly from the United Kingdom. The tower was erected by local blacksmiths W. Wilson and Company, and initially operated by Mr. Lylie with his two daughters (who had previously been supplying CAC with limited quantities of shot from Nelson ). The tower could produce up to of 1,000 tons of shot per year. It remained in profitable operation until after World War II, when it allowed
102-732: A competitive shooter and a part-time Sheriff's deputy, began manufacturing match rifle bullets. Before long, they were selling a 53 grain match bullet to the Hollywood Gun Shop. That bullet is now known as the Sierra #1400 53 grain MatchKing. Before long, the company outgrew that facility and rented a large Quonset hut in Rivera, California. They outgrew that facility and built a larger facility in Whittier, California . They also changed
136-779: A daily basis. The company also employs three full-time range personnel. In 2012, Sierra added 20,000 square foot for manufacturing and warehouse space. In September 2020, the company bought the Barnes ammunitions business from bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company . All Sierra bullet jackets are made from gilding metal . Depending on requirements, bullet cores are manufactured using one of four different lead alloys: Sierra makes bullets for rifles and handguns. The rifle bullets fall into five categories, based on bullet construction. Varminter bullets are designed for varmint hunting . As such, they are normally smaller calibers, and are designed for rapid expansion, and need to be accurate to hit
170-422: A more modern and efficient factory was built nearby. To differentiate between them, in 1940 the old factory briefly received the designation of Munitions Factory No.1 (MF1) and the new factory was designated Munitions Factory No.2 (MF2). Demand forced the old factory (later redesignated SAAF No.1) to remain open until the war's end. The new factory (now designated SAAF No. 2) would be the only one to remain open after
204-534: A privately held corporation. In 1988, the Leisure Group reorganized and Sierra Bullets became a limited partnership owned by BHH Management, Inc. (managing partner) and Lumber Management, Inc. (limited partner). In 1995, the company again reorganized to a limited liability company with the same ownership. In the early 70s, Lee Jurras , of Super Vel and AutoMag fame, approached Sierra about making handgun bullets capable of being driven at higher velocities than
238-580: A site on Dey Street, production commenced in June 1942. The facility was closed after the end of the war and equipment and production were transferred back to Mount Eden. This factory was built in 1888 in Australia at Footscray, Victoria , a suburb of Melbourne . It was founded by Captain John Whitney of CAC New Zealand in a joint venture with several of English partners and was a separate entity from
272-501: Is in 5.56mm NATO F1A1 Ball and 7.62mm NATO F4 Ball. The civilian cartridges use Sierra- and Swift-brand match and hunting bullets with a special high-temperature-tolerant propellant. Colonial Ammunition Company The Colonial Ammunition Company ( CAC ) was an ammunition manufacturer in Auckland , New Zealand. Its predecessor, Whitney & Sons, was established by John Whitney with government encouragement in 1885 during
306-846: The Russian Scare . Whitney later recruited investors to expand his factory in 1888. The other shareholders were Messrs Greenwood and Batley, of Leeds (owners of the Greenwood & Batley cartridge company); T. Hall, Esq., of Mount Morgan ; J. D' Arcey, Esq.; Captain de Lusada, R.N.; J. Clarke, Esq.; and T.Y. Cartwright of Notts . They formed the Colonial Ammunition Company, the first ordnance manufacturer in Australasia . Components were made in New Zealand and Australia, shipped to England, and then assembled at
340-488: The F1A1 ammo has a green meplat tip and the headstamp has dimples at the 3 and 9 o'clock position (a peculiarity of the electric bunter used by the new cartridge-making machinery). 5.56mm NATO F3 Blank production began in 1998 and is produced in batches every three years. Production of .50 BMG M33 Ball began in 1999 and 7.62mm NATO F4 Ball began in 2008. Since they now only produce Ball ammunition, headstamps since 1995 only include
374-533: The Greenwood & Batley plant in Leeds. The finished cartridges were then shipped back to Australia and New Zealand for sale. It later expanded in other business directions from 1925 on. In the Second World War, it was New Zealand's only industrial manufacturer of ammunition (having temporarily increased its workforce from 230 to 900), with production in countries like Australia having long since overtaken
SECTION 10
#1732794049290408-543: The Harris Machine Shop in Whittier, California to produce precision rivets for the aircraft industry, along with fishing rod guides and rifle front sight ramps. They were having financial difficulties, so Clint Harris invested about $ 500 and became a 25% owner in the company. He was basically a non-active owner, while the other 3 actually ran the company. Right after World War II, there was a shortage of bullets, especially quality rifle bullets, and so Frank Snow,
442-415: The Leisure Group hired Robert Hayden as president to run Sierra. Hayden was a mechanical engineer who was working for Remington Arms at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant at the time. He remained the president of Sierra for 42 years, retiring in 2012 when Pat Daly became president. In about 1972, the Leisure Group began divesting some of its companies. In 1986, it changed from a publicly owned corporation to
476-628: The Manager of Operations/President of Sierra since 1969, had been born and raised in Missouri and often returned to the Lake of the Ozarks near Sedalia, Missouri on his vacations. On one trip, he came up with the idea of moving the plant to Sedalia and approached the owners with the suggestion. After consideration of the benefits of moving to a more centrally located, industry-friendly, lower-tax location,
510-547: The commercial New Zealand company. The Australian government leased the facility from CAC on 1 January 1921 and bought the facility outright in 1927 and renamed it the Small Arms Ammunition Factory No.1 . Five other facilities were briefly opened during World War 2: a new factory at Footscray (SAAF No. 2), two more built at Hendon (SAAF No. 3 & No. 4), one built at Rocklea (SAAF No. 5), and one built at Welshpool (SAAF No. 6). The SAAF No. 1 facility
544-468: The company name to Sierra Bullets. During that time, they bought out Clint Harris. The bullet business continued to grow. About 1963, Sierra moved to a new plant in Santa Fe Springs, California . This plant was about 25 to 30,000 square feet with a 200-yard range built under the plant. In 1968, the Leisure Group bought Sierra Bullets. The Leisure Group was a publicly held corporation traded over
578-480: The company to keep production levels high after military ammunition requirements had dropped off. The tower was the only 20th-century shot tower in Australasia, and the only remaining shot tower in New Zealand. The CAC vacated the premises in the early 1980s, but the tower was saved from destruction after popular protests. In 1983, it was classified as a Category I heritage building by Heritage New Zealand . It
612-517: The contractor code at 12 o'clock and the two-digit production year at 6 o'clock. It also produces 20mm autocannon rounds and will possibly begin production of 81mm mortar shells as part of a 5-year reorganization plan. Since 2014 Australian Munitions produces civilian market ammunition under the Australian Outback brand. Civilian ammunition is in .223 Remington , .243 Winchester , .300 Blackout , and .308 Winchester and military surplus
646-499: The counter. The name Leisure Group derived from acquiring small companies in the leisure time industry. Other companies owned by the Leisure Group were Lyman Reloading, High Standard Manufacturing Company , Yard Man, Ben Pearson, Thompson Sprinkler Systems, Flexible Flyer Sleds, Dodge Trophies (Which made the Oscar and Rose Bowl Game trophies ) and several other companies, including one that made gym sets. Soon after purchasing Sierra,
680-412: The designation of SAAF No. 6. In 1940 the workforce at Footscray grew from a few hundred men to 6,000 men and women at its peak. Employees worked 12-hour shifts for six days a week. A women's hostel was opened across the street to house the female workforce and ensure continuous operation of the production lines. The Maribyrnong complex employed 20,000 men and women at its peak, with women making up 52% of
714-507: The letters flanking a vertical arrowhead) during 1924 to 1925, "↑F" (vertical arrowhead to the left of the F) from 1925 to 1926, and MF (for "Military Factory") from 1926 to 1945. In August 1939, a plan was created to expand native ordnance production in case a war cut Australia off from the rest of the Commonwealth. The antiquated ammunition plant at Footscray was to be abandoned as soon as
SECTION 20
#1732794049290748-412: The normal bullets available at that time. While Sierra had only been manufacturing rifle bullets up until then, they started making a .38 caliber 110-grain hollow cavity bullet for Super Vel with several other calibers to follow soon after. In the late 1980s, California was beginning to be unfriendly to the manufacturing business with new strict regulations and higher taxes. Robert Hayden, who had been
782-566: The owners decided to move the company to Sedalia, Missouri . The land was purchased and a 300-meter underground test range was built with a 45,000 square foot manufacturing plant on top of it. Seven key people made the move from California to Missouri . Sierra still remains at that location, where they manufacture over 175 different bullets (as of Jan. 1, 2014) for their green box sales and several proprietary bullets for other companies. They employ about 160 people with 5 full-time Ballistic Technicians answering reloading and firearms questions on
816-495: The plant made over 2 million rounds of rifle ammunition a year. It was purchased by the Australian government in 1927. The Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong opened in 1908. A factory annexe was built in 1912 to supply Footscray with domestically-produced cordite. It also had an ordnance annexe that produced artillery pieces, mortars, and shells. During World War One, the phrase "Made in Maribyrnong" referred to how central
850-468: The small size of the New Zealand market for ammunition. The company operated extensive facilities in Mount Eden , a central suburb of Auckland (originally on the outskirts of the city). The area is now mostly taken up by commercial redevelopment. The only remaining original facility is the compact but massive bluestone building now used as a bar / restaurant, registered by Heritage New Zealand as
884-465: The town and its industries were to the Australian war effort. The Footscray plant's headstamp was originally CAC from 1888 to 1918 and ->CAC<- (the letters between two horizontal "Government Property" arrowheads) from 1918 to 1920. The headstamp was changed to ->SAAF<- (for "Small Arms Ammunition Factory") from 1921 to 1923 and one lot in March 1924, A ↑ F ("AF" for "Ammunition Factory",
918-507: The typically small targets. The GameKing is line of bullets designed for hunting. They are a boat tail bullet to reduce drag and wind drift. They are designed more heavily than the varmint bullets for better penetration and expansion on larger game than varmints, such as deer and boar . MatchKing is Sierra's line of competition bullets. They have a design that gives a high ballistic coefficient and good accuracy. They have been used by many competitors to set world records. The Pro-Hunter
952-552: The war. The plans to make one factory at Hendon northwest of Adelaide was expanded to two factories (designated SAAFs No. 3 & No. 4) that were built only a few hundred metres apart. Conversely, the original plans to make two small factories at Rocklea south of Brisbane (originally designated SAAFs No. 5 & No. 6) was abandoned and one large facility was made instead (SAAF No. 5). The sixth and last factory at Welshpool in Perth (originally to be designated SAAF No. 7) received
986-474: The workforce. Headstamp is the facility's code letters at 10 o'clock, the two-digit year of production at 2 o'clock, and the type and mark of cartridge at 6 o'clock. The small arms ammunition factories were fed by specialised facilities designed to supply their components. In 1945, the facilities at Hendon (MH & MJ), Rocklea (MQ), and Welshpool (MW) were closed, followed by the original old Footscray ammunition factory (MF). The second Footscray facility (MG)
1020-468: Was demolished in 2023 after concerns it would collapse due to Cyclone Gabrielle . Following the entry of the Japanese Empire into the Second World War, there was concern that the site at Mount Eden would be too exposed to a coastal attack. In light of this, the production of munitions was transferred to Hamilton . After the equipment was relocated and buildings constructed and manufacturing at
1054-512: Was finally closed in 1945 and was replaced by the nearby SAAF No.2 facility. The facility is now more commonly known as Ammunition Factory Footscray (AFF). [REDACTED] Media related to Colonial Ammunition Company at Wikimedia Commons 36°52′07″S 174°45′48″E / 36.868665°S 174.763421°E / -36.868665; 174.763421 Sierra Bullets In the late 1940s, three aircraft machinists, Frank Snow, Jim Spivey and Loren Harbor, rented space from Clint Harris in
Small Arms Ammunition Factory - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-473: Was later redesignated to MF in 1949. In 1986 Albion Explosives Factory was closed due to suburban encroachment. Production was moved to Mulwala Explosives Factory (MEF), New South Wales in 1988. Mulwala Explosives Factory was privatised in 2011 and then bought out by Thales Australia Ltd. In 1989 the Australian government nationalised munitions manufacture under a government-owned company called Australian Defence Industries (Ltd.) . Its first round of business
1122-554: Was renamed Thales Australia Ltd. In 2012 Thales Australia spun off its factories at Benalla and Mulwala to form the Australian Munitions group. It is also responsible for managing any Australian military logistical functions involving munitions. Benalla still uses the ADI headstamp from 1994 to as recently as 2014. Production of 5.56mm NATO F1 Ball resumed in 1995 and F1A1 Ball began in c.2010. Both cartridges are similar, but
1156-411: Was to consolidate and regulate ordnance production. The Explosives Factory Maribyrnong complex was closed during restructuring later that year. Production at Ammunition Factory Footscray (AFF) was slowly wound down beginning in 1991 until it was closed in 1994. A new factory run by Australian Defence Industries was opened elsewhere at Benalla , Victoria . When ADI was bought out by Thales in 2006, ADI
#289710