Diversity of product can be a real strength. A broad, diverse product selection makes you a versatile company that can sell to anyone.
Companies like Sig Sauer do it well. They produce rifles, handguns, suppressors, optics, and more than I will list.
But what about when gun companies stray from guns? Companies that swing wide and produce a consumer good without a connection to firearms, tactical gear, or EDC…
That’s what we are highlighting today. We are looking at five companies that produce or have produced some odd, non-gun items.
It’s an international affair, and we’ve got a little something for everyone, so keep reading!
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Benelli Motorcycles
Which came first, the shotgun or the motorcycle? Much like the chicken and the egg, it’s lost to time. Well, not really. The motorcycles came first.
You, me, and every other shotgun nerd know Benelli as a shotgun company…but that’s not how they started.
The Benelli boys and their mom, Teresa, began the Benelli motorcycle company in 1911, and it’s the second oldest Italian motorcycle company still in business.
Their rag-to-riches story starts at a garage where they repaired motorcycles and bicycles.
During World War I, they contributed to the Italian war effort by fixing various machines for the Italian military. By 1921, they produced their first motorcycle with their own engine. After that, it was on.
They became internationally known for their 4-stroke engine with a cascade distribution and overhead camshaft, built in 1927. Their motorcycles began winning races and even won on the international circuits.
Steve McQueen had a penchant for Benelli Motorcycles and became their U.S. ambassador. McQueen even suggested a different chassis, and Benelli built it.
Benelli, the shotgun company, came to be in 1967. By then, the shotgun business seemed more like a fun hobby in the face of their Motorcycle business.
The motorcycles varied over time — Scooters, Scramblers, Sports, Touring, and more throughout the years. A Chinese company currently owns Benelli and produces a ton of different motorcycles of various types.
In Pesaro, they maintain a motorcycle museum in case you get on a historical kick and want to see what Benelli did before their premium-grade shotguns.
Maybe you want a gas-powered Benelli motorcycle to match your gas-operated Benelli M4?
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Savage Arms Lawn Mowers
I’m a dad with a yard who likes guns. It can’t be that uncommon, and Savage Arms must have thought the same thing in the late 1940s.
America just got done mowing down Nazis in Europe, and those G.I.s would need to mow down the grass, right? Well, Savage Arms thought so and dived into the world of lawnmowers.
Those returning G.I.s bought homes, and the yard became a big deal. It was a smart piece of market to climb into in a post-war environment.
America entered into a time of prosperity. Most of the world was still putting itself back together after the Second World War. America remained untouched, and this allowed American industry to thrive.
Savage Arms became a name in lawnmowers and produced a variety of push mowers and, apparently, an early riding mower. The most popular model seemed to be what they called the “Yard Chief.”
This big push mower promised a 21-inch cut, smooth operation, and a 1.6 horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine. Alongside the Yard Chief sat the “Power Chief,” a seemingly smaller and more affordable model that offered start and stop control on a dime.
The riding mower went by the name “Yard Chief Rider” and had that atomic age charm. Savage purchased the Worcester Lawn Mower Company and would market mowers under both names until 1960.
These mowers seem robust and are collector’s items to this day. Plenty of people collect mowers, and the Savage models seem to have a hold over certain collectors. Savage Arms had an excellent ad company, too, and they put the same spirit behind their lawnmowers they did their firearms.
If you had $110 in the late 40s, you could be sitting on your Savage Yard Chief.
Smith & Wesson BBQ Grills
Smith & Wesson has been around since 1852 and, since that time, has produced high-quality firearms that have always been respected. They are probably most famous as a revolver company but have their hands in all manner of guns.
They have also expanded into other products, including handcuffs, and licensed their brand for knives, boots, and batons.
Those are the products you expect from a gun company. They are gun-adjacent if you will, but what about grills?
Smith and Wesson teamed up with Traeger to bring pellet smokers to the gun-owning, BBQ-loving Americans. They produced a variety of models ranging in size. The naming convention shouldn’t surprise anyone.
The pellet grills go from 22 Magnum up to 500 S&W in size. That’s their literal name, and this line includes the 22 Magnum, the 38 Special, the 357 Magnum, the 44 Magnum, and finally, the 500 S&W Magnum.
They varied widely in size. The 22 Magnum is a travel mode — which is a bit rare in the field of pellet grills — while the 500 S&W Magnum is this massive behemoth with wheels but is best left stationary.
I don’t know much about pellet grills, but these were simple designs with black and stainless steel. A big S&W label noted the relation and the model number.
I dig the portable 22 Magnum variant for camp BBQ, and the big 500 S&W model might cement my status among the other dads in the neighborhood. Well, it would have, but these things have been discontinued.
Remington Typewriters
Growing up, my sister’s hair straightener was marked Remington, so I’ve known they use that brand on things besides great shotguns and rifles.
Of all the things Big Green slapped, Remington on their typewriters seems to be the most famous.
Judging from their popularity, it might have been the most successful side hustle ever launched by a gun company.
The Remington typewriters came out of Ilion, New York, and were among the first typewriters.
The Brits had the first, but an American named Christopher Sholes had the second. He beat the tea-sippers to market by partnering with E. Remington and Sons to produce the thing. They hit the market in 1874 and conquered it.
In fact, over a century later, some of its original features remained in use with modern typewriters. Typewriters were a clerical revolution. They increased productivity, created standardization, and you didn’t have to try to read everyone’s handwriting.
Typewriters became a worldwide institution, and Remington led the way. The Remington typewriter found itself everywhere, including in the hands of famous authors. Mark Twain was the first author to have a manuscript typed.
Rudyard Kipling and Agatha Christie utilized Remington Noiseless models and Gone with the Wind was written on a Remington Portable No. 3. Frederick Douglas used a Remington typewriter!
Their Remington Model 2 featured the first shift key, allowing users to swap between capital and lowercase letters. Remington created the QWERTY layout we have to this day.
The company made fantastic typewriters, which are highly desirable for collectors these days.
Kalashnikov’s Electric Car
Kalashnikov Concern makes up about 95% of Russia’s weaponry and has been in business since 1807. However, it started originally as the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant and only became the ominous Kalashnikov Concern in 2013.
Predictably, they make AKs but also produce all manner of small arms, sporting arms, drones, boats, and vehicles. It’s an all-in-one company that does a little of everything. Again, it’s not too crazy for a gun company to be involved in the defense industry.
What’s odd is that a company called Kalashnikov Concern is entering the electric car business. However, the little arms company that could has produced two prototype electric cars. This is great because Kalashnikov doesn’t exactly turn a profit.
I don’t think Putin will compete with Elon Musk anytime soon, but the Kalashnikov CV-1 is a neat little car. The prototype, at least, is pretty cool and gives a very resto-mod look.
The body is based on the 1970s “Soviet large family car IZh 2125.” Also known as the Kombi. Its range is 350 KM, which is countries that have been to the moon measurements is about 217 miles.
The second prototype is a 4-door quadricycle design that appeals to the small taxi market. It’s a hair more modern and more utilitarian but with a fairly short range of 93 miles — which wouldn’t be too bad for a big city taxi, especially with proper infrastructure to support charging.
These were unveiled in 2018, and we haven’t seen much about them since then.
Final Thoughts
While most companies stick to what they know, some like to branch out and try their hands at other products.
A nice Remington typewriter would be neat, but how cool would a Kalash car be to drive? An old-school Benelli motorcycle would be the peak aesthetic for a shotgun nerd like me.
Do you know of gun companies who went out and produced some non-gun items? If so, share below! Looking to get weirder? Check out our list of the 9 Weird, Bizarre Guns You’ve Never Heard Of!
6 Leave a Reply
Remington also makes women's hair rollers - my wife got a set for Christmas!
Daewoo.
No mention of Glock and FN?
I knew about Remington typewriters, but I never made any connection with the gun or ammunition company.
That Kalishnikov car looks pretty cool. I wonder how much they cost?
Wow, no Singer sewing machines? Some of the best quality GI 1911s were made by Singer during WW2. Very pricey today.
Singer is better known as a sewing machine manufacturer, so it's the opposite situation - more like "Your favorite guns made by surprising companies". That happened a lot during WW2 due to companies like Singer converting to war work.