The current issue of National Review’s print magazine is centered around this piece by Charles C.W. Cooke – Remington, USA.
I’m actually still reading it, but it’s quite interesting so far. For example, I didn’t realize this tidbit of history:
It is thus fitting that the longest continuously operating manufacturer in North America is a gun maker. The Remington Arms Co., which has been in business for just shy of two centuries now, is also the oldest company in the United States that is still making its original product.
I guess now I’m curious about what the oldest company in the US is that isn’t making their original product anymore.
The second page of the article is basically a showcase of how Remington is exactly the kind of manufacturing set up that Democrats say they want – long-time loyal union employees who are largely promoted from within without much outsourcing. Yet, for some odd reason, they keep trying to hurt the industry that is supporting these jobs. Funny how that logic works – or, rather, doesn’t work.
As I said, I’m still reading. So far, it’s a very interesting profile in a magazine that’s not normally big on covering the nitty gritty of the gun issue. Check it out.
UPDATE: Okay, so this section may be the best part and makes it worth reading the entire article:
“Do you want to go full auto?†he asks me, with a grin. Of course I do. … After firing a couple of test shots, I flick the switch to automatic and empty the magazine into a nearby target. I laugh: “I can see why these are so popular!†“Fun, huh?!†asks Paul Merz, watching from the next room. You’re damn right it is.
I’m not sure the assertion that Remington is the oldest company still in it’s original business is accurate. I know Colgate has been around since 1806 and they’ve always done soap and the like. That’s just one I know off the top of my head, there could be others…
But do they still make the actual original product they initially made? I think that’s the distinction in this case. I did a quick wiki-walk through a list of oldest American companies, and of the samples I looked at that manufactured something at some point, I found several had changed their products in some way. For example, one was actually an importer rather than a producer. Now they produce, but they actually didn’t when they were founded. I’m not saying it’s absolutely correct since it kind of caught my attention, too. I was just surprised when I looked at several that they had actually done some kind of transition even when none was expected.
That’s a good question and one I don’t know the answer to. It’s probably one of those questions that you can come up with a different answer depending on exactly how you frame it…
P&G — 1836, still making soap.
Remington pre-dates that by 20 years.
Yuengling is up there, started making beer in 1829 and still doing it in the same location since 1831. Also, it’s still a family owned business.
I should add, Jim Beam to the list. 1795 they started making whiskey.
I was going to suggest Jim Beam as well. I think that tidbit is wrong. Lorillard Tobacco is still in the tobacco business, too, and they’ve been around since the mid 18th century.
I’ll add that guns, tobacco, and whiskey are all long time American loves unlikely to see a permanent decline anytime soon. :)
If only DuPont still made gunpowder, they’d be ahead of Remington. However, they sold their IMR line of smokeless powder to Hodgdon in 2003 and I’m not sure who bought their line of black powder.
Ames started off in 1774 making shovels. They now make all kinds of stuff, but their shovels are hand shovels. Still counts. :)
Jim Beam? They stopped making their product for a while in the 20s
Seems like the writer thinks that new production selective fire rifles are readily available for private citizens to purchase. . .
“I guess now I’m curious about what the oldest company in the US is that isn’t making their original product anymore.”
The U.S. Government, and liberty?
That there’s a thread winner.
Government doesn’t make anything, especially liberty, they only take it away.