Bushmaster Firearms International
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| Subsidiary | |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Headquarters | Madison, North Carolina, U.S. |
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Key people
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Jim Marcotuli (CEO) |
| Owner | Freedom Group |
| Website | http://bushmaster.com |
Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC, based in Madison, North Carolina, United States, is a manufacturer and distributor of firearms. The company's product line revolves around semi-automatic pistol and rifle variants of the M4 / AR-15 design.
Bushmaster Firearms was a company in Bangor, Maine, that went bankrupt and was purchased by Richard Dyke in 1976 and moved to Windham, Maine. According to a Maine newspaper, it was later sold by Dyke to Cerberus while Krause Publications says it was first acquired by Quality Products Company, in 1990. Dyke would sell the business in 2006 for 70 million dollars to Cerberus Capital Management. The company became part of the Freedom Group, owned by Cerberus Capital Management, in April 2006. In December 2010, Freedom Group announced that operations at the Windham, Maine, facility would cease as of March 2011.Windham Weaponry was founded by the former Bushmaster owners in 2011 in Windham, ME in order "to put Maine people back to work who lost their jobs" when Bushmaster moved out of state in March 2011.
In December 2012, Cerberus Capital Management announced its intention to sell Bushmaster's parent company, Freedom Group. In a press release, Cerberus stated that they would "retain a financial advisor to design and execute a process to sell [their] interests in Freedom Group" (Freedom includes the former Bushmaster company). Cerberus indicated that the decision to sell the company stemmed from publicity surrounding the use of a Bushmaster rifle in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. According to the company: "It is apparent that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level."
Cerberus announced in late 2013 that it had failed to deliver on its promise to divest itself of the Freedom Arms group and has come up with a plan to buy out some Cerberus investors. Those who chose to give up their profitable shares would get paid off by an unidentified lender.
Bushmaster's firearms, such as the XM-15 line, are typically offered in a 5.56 NATO chambering with forged aircraft-grade (7075-T6) aluminum receivers. Most Bushmaster barrels are 4150 steel, offered in 1:9 twist rate, and chrome-lined to increase durability. Some barrels are available with 1:7 rifling, on special order. Stainless steel or chrome molybdenum barrels are available on certain models. Their name is not related to the . Bushmaster Firearms originally produced their 'First Generation' rifle using an aluminum lower receiver paired to a stamped steel upper receiver. This first generation model used the AK-47 gas system and the recoil spring is located within the upper barrel gas system as compared to the AR-15/M-16, where the recoil spring is located within the butt stock. Originally marketed for police and the military, Bushmaster later changed its unique hybrid version AR-15/M-16 to the standard Colt/Armalite design. The First Generation rifles were chambered for the 5.56mm round. Bushmaster First Generation rifles are very rare and are collectibles.
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