Navy Veteran Eugene Moore established what would become Bear Creek Arsenal in the 1970s. it originally machined parts for a variety of manufacturers, including Black & Decker. By 2000, however, many major companies began sourcing production offshore, and orders slowly dwindled for the next decade.
In 2013 Bear Creek Arsenal—named for the small-town Moore grew up in—officially launched in Sanford, N.C. It produced only barrels at first, but the next year the company’s first complete firearm hit the market. Business was brisk enough that the company quit making OEM and aftermarket parts completely by 2016.
Today is specialized in AR-15 and AR-10 parts and complete guns. It’s still located in Sanford, NC, with a plant that measures 340,000-square feet and employs roughly 500 people.