Firearms Friday: Pennsylvania Pride

Last week I came across a post on The Firearm Blog about a new handgun that was being introduced to the marketplace. Produced by Evans Machining, Nite Owl Firearms is only the most recent firearm to come out of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The new offering from my state joins a long list of manufactures that call Pennsylvania home. Here is a list of some of the companies that are producing high quality items:

Nite Owl Firearms / Evans Machining Services (Clairton): http://niteowlfirearms.com/

Evans Machining Service Inc. has over 35 years of experience in the manufacturing sector and a long history of producing key components and assemblies for all types of small weapon systems for the United States Department of Defense. With the launch of the consumer facing brand "Nite Owl Firearms", their vision is to be recognized as the most modern, reliable and customer friendly manufacturing company in the Outdoor & Personal Defense Industry.

IWI (Israel Weapon Industries) US Headquarters (Harrisburg): http://iwi.us/

IWI US, Inc. is a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd., which for many years has operated in the global Defense and Law Enforcement markets. IWI US, Inc. was established in 2012 in order to offer the highest quality and most advanced products available - as well as to provide a high level of service and support for American consumers. Located in Harrisburg, PA, IWI US has appointed a very experienced team of senior managers to oversee its operations in the US market. The IWI US line of products includes several configurations of the TAVOR® SAR, GALIL ACE®, UZI® PRO and Jericho® pistols.

Kahr Arms / Magnum Research / Thompson / Auto-Ordnance (Pike County): http://www.kahr.com/

 Kahr Arms, an innovative firearms manufacturer, was founded on fifteen years of manufacturing service in precision metalworking industries. Kahr incorporates the inherited professional, technical expertise into all of its operations. Kahr's parent company, established in 1981, has been a leading supplier of computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools and applications engineering. In 1986, the company expanded by forming a manufacturing division which provides quality contract machining, manufacturing and assembly services for diverse industries, including aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical equipment, scientific instrumentation and telecommunications. This division offers in-house engineering and precision tooling services, as well as, secondary operations that complement the machining and manufacturing capabilities.

Cabot Guns (Cabot): http://www.cabotguns.com/

Cabot Guns is collaboration between Cabot Guns and Penn United Technologies Inc., a world-leading precision manufacturer. Together they design, build, and market seven model 1911 handguns. Cabot Guns are machined from solid blocks of 4140 billet steel to within tolerances of 2/10,000th of an inch. Cabot believes our frames and slides are the most highly-engineered components ever made for a 1911. Penn United Technologies' proprietary technology allows the frame and slide of a Cabot 1911 to be completely interchangeable with other Cabot 1911 frames and slides. This is unheard of in our industry. Cabot Pistols exceed National Match Standards for accuracy right out of the box.

Geissele Automatics (North Wales): http://geissele.com/

Geissele Automatics was established in 2004 as a manufacturer of trigger mechanisms for the AR15 rifle. Our first trigger, the Hi-Speed National Match, was designed by our Founder, Bill Geissele, for CMP and NRA Hi-Power Rifle competition. Although designed for target shooting, the Geissele Hi-Speed trigger was found by the U.S. Military to have applications in semi-automatic sniper weapons. In 2005 Geissele Automatics received a request from the Department of Defense: "Can you build us a select-fire trigger that is as good as your Hi-Speed?" In response, Bill designed the Geissele Super Select-Fire trigger (SSF). After rigorous testing the SSF was adopted by entities in the U.S. Special Operations community and has become their trigger of choice for M4 carbine based weapons. A derivative of the SSF trigger was developed to meet the needs of law enforcement and civilians who do not need select-fire capability. This trigger, the Super Semi-Automatic (SSA,) combines stellar performance with the safety, reliability and forgiveness for which 2 stage triggers are known.

While Pennsylvania remains a second amendment friendly state and gun owners across the commonwealth are now able to legally defend their rights, it remains important that we hold fast to our tradition and continue to produce industry leading firearms and accessories. While we carry the northern stigma from those that surround us, we remain far different from our neighbors and embrace the rights that every citizen should have. We are dedicated to supporting individual rights and, despite recent political turnover, those rights will continue to flourish in this great commonwealth.