Griffin & Howe

Griffin & Howe, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Arms Industry Gunsmith Clothing retailing
Founded	1923 New York, New York
Founder	Seymour Griffin James V. Howe
Headquarters	Andover, New Jersey, USA
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Guy Bignell, CEO
Products	Bolt-action rifles Side-by-side shotguns Over-and-under shotguns
Services	Gunsmithing Shooting Instruction Storage
Number of employees	24
Website	www.griffinhowe.com

Griffin & Howe, Inc. is an American firearms manufacturer headquartered in Andover, New Jersey. Founded in 1923 by Seymour Griffin, a New York City cabinetmaker, and James V. Howe, foreman of the machine shop at the Frankford Arsenal in Pennsylvania.

Griffin was employed as the in-house carpenter and cabinetmaker at the Hotel Bretton Hall in Manhattan at 2346 Broadway. In 1910 Griffin, having read of the African safari of Theodore Roosevelt and his use of a sporterized Springfield 30-06, decided to turn his own Springfield rifle into a sporter. He purchased a French walnut blank from Von Lengerke & Detmold. In his spare time at the woodwork shop of Bretton Hall, Griffin continued to produce restocked Springfield rifles.

Colonel Townsend Whelen who was then in command of the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. played a large role in the inception of the company. In April 1923 Col. Whelen told Griffin about the talents of the head of the machine shop at the arsenal, James Virgil Howe, and suggested that they combine their skills to produce custom rifles. Also assisting, and providing the necessary startup capital, were James M. Holsworth, and James L. Gerry. On June 1, 1923 Griffin & Howe opened its doors and built rifles out of a New York City loft.

In 1927 the Griffin & Howe Sidemount scopemount was introduced. This mount allowed for a mounted and sighted scope to be removed and replaced without the zero being affected.

Griffin & Howe was bought by Abercrombie & Fitch in 1930. Griffin & Howe became the main firearm and gunroom of the outfitter for the next 45 years. From the 1930s to the 1960s, G&H supplied sporting rifles to customers including Ernest Hemingway, Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Robert C. Ruark.