Today, legacy firearm manufacturing companies are well-established in the market. Names like Colt, Smith & Wesson, and Beretta are easily recognizable and their products known for military use. However, during times of war, it’s not uncommon for companies that manufacture other goods to retool and produce military equipment in support of the war effort. Of course, this includes firearms. Here are seven companies that you may not have known made military firearms.
1. IBM – M1 Carbine
It may come as a surprise to many customers that the same company that today offers computing software, cloud data services, and even artificial intelligence started in the early 20th century with analog punch card and sorting machines. Moreover, IBM was once in the firearms business with a contract to produce the M1 Carbine. Between August 1943 and May 1944, IBM made 346,500 carbines; this accounts for just under 6% of the 6,121,309 built during WWII. As a result of the short production run and recognizability of the brand, IBM M1 carbines are highly sought after by collectors and demand a premium over models made by the Inland Division of General Motors which produced over 2.6 million M1s.
2. International Harvester – M1 Garand
When country star and Army veteran Craig Morgan sang about his International Harvester, he was undoubtedly referring to a tractor. In addition to farm equipment, International Harvester is also known for its work trucks and construction equipment. Surprisingly, the company also produced one of the most iconic military firearms of all time: the M1 Garand rifle. During WWII, over 4 million M1s were produced by Springfield Armory in Massachusetts and Winchester nearby in Connecticut. Looking to disperse production in case of a nuclear strike against the United States, the Ordnance Department awarded a contract to International Harvester to produce rifles in Indiana. However, the manufacturing of firearms was different enough from vehicles that International Harvester M1s had glitches and flaws. As a result, Springfield and Harrington & Richardson supplied their own M1 parts to International Harvester. Beginning in 1951, International Harvester accepted contracts for a total of 418,443 rifles. However, the sale of the Indiana plant in 1955 forced the company to buy out the remainder of their contract; 337,623 International Harvester M1 Garands were actually produced. For reference, approximately 5.4 million M1s were produced in total.
3. Lines Bros – Sten Mk III
Jumping across the pond, Lines Bros was a well-known British toy manufacturer. In 1947, the company claimed to be the largest producer of toys in the world. Beginning with wooden toys in the early 20th century, Lines Bros eventually transitioned to metal toys like cars and trains. During WWII, children’s toys were deemed non-essential. As a result, Lines Bros went from stamping metal toys to metal guns. The Sten Mk III submachine gun boasted a simple design with stamped metal components and minimal welding. This made it easy for companies like Lines Bros to produce. Stens were widely used by regular British forces and distributed extensively to resistance groups in occupied Europe. Lines Bros was the largest producer of the Mk III variant of the Sten with 876,886 made.
4. Whirlpool – Hi-Power
Whirlpool is a staple brand in the home appliance market, specifically products like washers, dryers, refrigerators, and washing machines. While you won’t find the Whirlpool name on a military-issued firearm, there is a connection that jumps from Europe back to North America. The Browning Hi-Power pistol design was started by John Moses Browning for FN Herstal. Following his death, the pistol was finished by Dieudonné Saive. While both Allied and Axis forces adopted the Hi-Power during WWII, the German occupation of Belgium restricted the supply of FN-produced pistols to the Allies. Before the FN plant fell into German hands, the Hi-Power design was brought to the UK and across the channel to Canada, where production was continued by John Inglis and Company in Toronto. In addition to the Hi-Power pistol, Inglis produced Bren machine guns and Polsten 20mm autocannons for British Commonwealth forces. After the war, Inglis returned to making home appliances and was eventually acquired by the Whirlpool Corporation in 1987. In 2001, Inglis was renamed to Whirlpool Canada, though the Inglis name lives on as a brand under the Whirlpool umbrella.
5. Singer – M1911A1
The Singer Corporation is undoubtedly best-known for its sewing machines. However, prior to WWII, the company was given a production study by the U.S. government to prepare for the production of M1911A1 pistols in the event of war. Although Singer produced 500 pistols, their production rate fell short of the 100 guns per day required by the Ordnance Department. Still, the Singer pistols were well-made and the tooling was transferred to Remington Rand and the Ithaca Gun Company. About 1.75 million M1911A1s were produced during WWII making the Singer pistols extremely rare; one sold in 2017 for $414,000. During WWII, Singer supported the war effort by producing fire control systems for anti-aircraft guns.
6. Remington Rand – M1911A1
Speaking of Remington Rand, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this isn’t an unusual company to produce firearms. After all, the Remington Model 700 rifle and 870 shotgun are two iconic military firearms from the company affectionately known as “Big Green.” However, Remington Rand is not the same company. Founded in 1816, E. Remington and Sons was the manufacturer of the first commercial typewriter. The company later made revolvers and rifles for the military in the mid 19th century. In the late 19th century, E. Remington and Sons was split into Remington Arms, which continued the company’s firearms line and later produced the aforementioned rifle and shotgun, and the Remington Typewriter Company. In 1927, the Remington Typewriter Company merged with the Rand Kardex Bureau to become Remington Rand. Known for making office equipment like typewriters, the company received a contract to produce the M1911A1 pistol during WWII. Remington Rand made 877,751 pistols during the war, exceeding the combined production of Colt and Ithaca. These pistols saw service through the 20th century and even into the Global War on Terror.
7. GM Hydramatic – M16A1
As previously mentioned, GM’s Inland Division produced M1 carbines. However, the Hydra-Matic Division is better connected to the automotive manufacturer with the first mass-produced, fully automatic transmission for passenger cars. Speaking of full-auto, Hydra-Matic was awarded a contract to produce the M16A1 rifle for the U.S. military during the Vietnam War to supplement production by Colt. The GM division previously manufactured M39 20mm cannons, but did not have experience with small arms. Still, Hydra-Matic rose to the challenge and shipped its 100,000th rifle to the government two months ahead of schedule. From 1968-1971 Hydra-Matic produced about 469,000 M16A1s.