Fullerton-based Berger Bullets has been sold on undisclosed terms to Nammo Group in Raufoss, Norway.
Nammo is an aerospace and defense maker jointly owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and the Finnish Defense and Aerospace Group Patria Oyj. The company makes ammunition, hand grenades, mortars, rocket fired systems, aerospace propulsion and demilitarization services.
Nammo plans for Berger Bullets to retain its name, the services of founder Walt Berger and ballistics specialist Bryan Litz, and the rest of Berger Bullets’ dozens of employees after the deal closes.
“Our immediate goal [of the acquisition] is to significantly improve the availability of Berger products,” said Eric Stecker, president of Berger Bullets, in an online statement to customers, as demand for bullets has been greater than Berger’s production for “the last few decades.”
“Nammo will support us in many areas including production capability expansion, advanced engineering, innovative product development, and the opportunity to share technology between all of these top-quality brands,” he said.
The deal increases Nammo’s presence in the U.S. commercial ammunition market.
Berger Bullets, meanwhile, complements Nammo’s other ammunition-component makers: Vihtavuori Power; Lapua bullets and cases; and SK Rimfire Ammunition, according to Morten Brandtzæg, Nammo Group’s president and chief executive.
Independent Operations
Nammo plans for the four ammunition makers to operate independently, he said, but occasionally work together to produce high-performance products for specialist shooters.
“The addition of Berger Bullets to Nammo unifies four brands that all share one common goal, which is producing the ultimate in precision performance,” Brandtzæg said.
Ammunition is generally comprised of five components: gunpowder, a metal jacket that surrounds a lead projectile, a small explosive primer and a case that holds the items together.
Berger makes the jacketed projectiles for the military, hunters and sport shooters.
The recent sale marks the third time the company has changed owners in the past 61 years.
Walt Berger founded Berger Bullets in 1955 in Phoenix, Ariz. He continued to grow the company, which made all of its bullets by hand—up to 8 million a year—until 1997. The company decided to use machines to increase production in late 1997.
Berger sold the company to Spiveco Inc. in Fullerton in 2000 with plans of matching his bullets with Spiveco’s jackets to produce high-quality bullets for marksmen and shooting sports enthusiasts.
Spiveco made ammunition for small-caliber weapons.
Spiveco also planned to expand Berger Bullets operations in Arizona, but it decided to close operations in 2002 and sold Berger Bullets to the Sheeks family in Fullerton, which sold the company to Nammo this month.
Caran
Berger Bullets and the Sheeks’ metal stamping company, Caran Precision Engineering and Manufacturing Corp., shared headquarters at 4275 N. Palm St. in Fullerton for 14 years.
Caran Precision produces components for the automotive, medical and aerospace industries.
Stecker assured customers that Berger Bullets will retain its high standard for precision products.
Bryan Litz plans to continue developing new products, and local technicians “will still be answering” email inquiries and phone calls, Stecker said.
