Black Hills Ammunition
Black Hills Ammunition is a privately held precision ammunition manufacturer founded in 1981 in Rapid City, South Dakota, serving the U.S. Military, law enforcement agencies, firearms manufacturers, dealers, and serious civilian shooters with hand-inspected, lot-consistent centerfire ammunition across six product lines.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersRapid City, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Black Hills Ammunition does
Black Hills Ammunition is a privately held precision ammunition manufacturer founded in 1981 in Rapid City, South Dakota, and owned by Jeff and Kristi Hoffman. The company designs and manufactures centerfire pistol and rifle ammunition for the U.S. Military (all branches), law enforcement agencies, firearms manufacturers, dealers, and serious civilian shooters. Its product portfolio spans six lines: New Pistol (defensive and training handgun ammunition), New Rifle (precision rifle ammunition), HoneyBadger (solid copper, non-deforming defensive projectiles using a trademark licensed from Q, LLC), Black Hills Gold (premium handcrafted rifle ammunition), Authentic Cowboy Action (13 period-correct vintage calibers), and MK 262 MOD 1-C Mil Pack (a military-grade 5.56mm precision round originally developed at the request of the U.S. Navy in 1999 and the only round of its kind fielded by the U.S. military). Production is centered on lot-to-lot consistency, hand inspection of every round, and a manufacturing facility that meets DOD safety and security regulations without waivers.
Black Hills Ammunition firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Black Hills Ammunition
- Legal name
- Black Hills Ammunition
- Website
- https://black-hills.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Black Hills Ammunition is a privately held precision ammunition manufacturer founded in 1981 in Rapid City, South Dakota, serving the U.S. Military, law enforcement agencies, firearms manufacturers, dealers, and serious civilian shooters with hand-inspected, lot-consistent centerfire ammunition across six product lines.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Black Hills Ammunition industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ammunition Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing (332992)
- SIC
- Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ammunition Manufacturing (Small-, Medium- & Large-Caliber) (IMABAHAG)
Keywords
Where Black Hills Ammunition is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rapid City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Black Hills Ammunition business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ammunition Sales: Direct sales of precision ammunition to dealers, law enforcement agencies, government/military customers, and firearms manufacturers. The company sells to all branches of the US Military for match 5.56mm ammunition and provides specialty ammunition for specific military operations. Orders are taken via phone, fax, and mail with minimum one case orders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Dealer direct pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Black Hills Ammunition product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Black Hills Ammunition manufactures and sells precision-loaded ammunition for pistols, rifles, military, law enforcement, and cowboy action shooting applications. The company operates a hand-inspected, DOD-compliant manufacturing facility in Rapid City, South Dakota, supplying six distinct product lines (New Pistol, New Rifle, HoneyBadger, Black Hills Gold, Authentic Cowboy Action, and MK 262 MOD 1-C) directly to dealers, law enforcement agencies, military branches, firearms manufacturers, and through dealers to serious civilian shooters.
Product overview
Black Hills Ammunition is a precision ammunition manufacturer serving military, law enforcement, firearms manufacturers, dealers, and serious shooters. Founded in 1981, the company supplies all match 5.56 ammunition for the US Military's Service Rifle Teams and specialty ammunition for specific military operations. The product portfolio consists of six main offerings: New Pistol (defensive and training handgun ammunition), New Rifle (precision rifle ammunition), HoneyBadger™ (innovative solid-copper defense ammunition), Black Hills Gold (premium handcrafted rifle ammunition), Authentic Cowboy Action (period-correct vintage calibers), and MK 262 MOD 1-C (military-grade 5.56mm precision round). The company is known for round-to-round and lot-to-lot accuracy and consistency, with every round hand-inspected by quality control staff.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HoneyBadger™: Solid copper, non-deforming, non-fragmenting projectiles with wide, sharp flutes. Ballistic broadheads that cut through barriers. Trademark of Q, LLC, used under license.
- Black Hills Gold
- Authentic Cowboy Action
- MK 262 MOD 1-C, MIL PACK
Products and services
- New Pistol Ammunition Handcrafted pistol ammunition line serving defensive, training, and recreational use for serious civilian shooters, dealers, and law enforcement officers; offered in calibers such as 9mm Luger, .380 Automatic, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 Smith & Wesson, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, and .32 H&R Magnum.
- New Rifle Ammunition Rifle ammunition line developed for optimum performance and accuracy across calibers including .223 Remington, 5.56mm, .300 Blackout, .308 Winchester Match, .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Norma Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum; serves competition shooters, hunters, law enforcement, and military customers.
- HoneyBadger Ammunition Solid copper, non-deforming, non-fragmenting defense ammunition with wide sharp flutes acting as ballistic broadheads that cut through barriers where conventional hollowpoints fail; available in .380 Automatic, 9mm Luger, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, 10mm, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, and .45-70; intended for personal defense and law enforcement duty use.
- Black Hills Gold Ammunition Premium handcrafted precision rifle ammunition line using the finest components, hand-inspected and ballistics-tested; offered in precision long-range calibers including 6mm ARC, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .260 Remington, .270 Winchester, 7mm Remington Mag, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .300 Winchester Mag, 300 PRC, and .338 Lapua; targets competitive long-range shooters.
- Authentic Cowboy Action Ammunition Period-correct cowboy action shooting ammunition line offering thirteen calibers including .32 H&R, .32-20, .38 Long Colt, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .38-40, .44-40, .44 Russian, .44 Special, .45 Schofield, .45 Colt, .38-55, and .45-70; intended for cowboy action shooting sports competitors.
- MK 262 MOD 1-C, MIL PACK Ammunition Military-grade 5.56mm precision round originally developed at the request of the U.S. Navy in 1999 and now commercially available with the same construction and performance specifications as the fielded military round; each lot must demonstrate sub-2-inch group accuracy at 300 yards before shipping; intended for civilian precision shooters seeking military-spec ammunition.
Quantifiable outcome
- Sub 2 inch groups (.64 MOA maximum/10 shot groups) at 300 yards for MK 262 MOD 1-C lots before shipping
Companies that use Black Hills Ammunition
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Black Hills Ammunition technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Black Hills Ammunition partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Q, LLCcoreHoneyBadger trademark licensed from Q, LLC. Black Hills Ammunition produces the HoneyBadger line of solid copper, non-deforming ammunition using this licensed trademark. The HoneyBadger name and concept draws inspiration from the honey badger's qualities of fearlessness and perseverance.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Black Hills Ammunition competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hornady Manufacturing: Privately held U.S. manufacturer of precision and LE ammunition (Hornady TAP, Match, Custom). Closest comparable in product mix, quality positioning, and law-enforcement customer base.
- Federal Premium Ammunition: Major U.S. ammunition manufacturer (Vista Outdoor) producing precision, LE, and military loads. Competes head-to-head with Black Hills in match, duty, and tactical categories.
- Winchester Ammunition: Iconic U.S. ammunition brand producing military, LE, hunting, and sporting ammunition. Direct overlap with Black Hills across LE duty and military contracts.
- Remington Ammunition: Major U.S. ammunition manufacturer offering military, LE, hunting, and match-grade ammunition with broad caliber coverage. Direct competitor in U.S. ammunition retail and government channels.
- SIG Sauer (Elite Performance Ammunition): Vertically integrated ammunition and firearms manufacturer with growing LE/military and civilian ammunition lines. Comparable customer set and premium positioning.
- Nosler: Family-owned U.S. manufacturer of premium hunting, match, and defensive ammunition. Similar premium positioning, family-ownership structure, and precision-ammunition customer overlap.
- CCI (Cascade Cartridge Inc.): U.S. manufacturer of rimfire, centerfire, and mini-gun ammunition (Vista Outdoor). Overlaps with Black Hills in LE and sporting segments.
- Speer: U.S. manufacturer of LE duty and training ammunition (Gold Dot, Lawman). Sister brand to CCI under Vista Outdoor; directly competes with Black Hills in the LE duty segment.
- Magtech Ammunition: Brazilian-headquartered ammunition manufacturer with strong U.S. distribution. Competes in sporting, LE, and military training segments with similar caliber breadth.
- PMC Ammunition: South Korean ammunition manufacturer with significant U.S. market presence in military, LE, and civilian ranges. Competes on quality and price across overlapping calibers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Black Hills Ammunition social profiles
Digital presenceBlack Hills Ammunition financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Black Hills Ammunition leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Black Hills Ammunition funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Black Hills Ammunition M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Black Hills Ammunition
What does Black Hills Ammunition do?
Black Hills Ammunition manufactures and sells precision-loaded ammunition for pistols, rifles, military, law enforcement, and cowboy action shooting applications. The company operates a hand-inspected, DOD-compliant manufacturing facility in Rapid City, South Dakota, supplying six distinct product lines (New Pistol, New Rifle, HoneyBadger, Black Hills Gold, Authentic Cowboy Action, and MK 262 MOD 1-C) directly to dealers, law enforcement agencies, military branches, firearms manufacturers, and through dealers to serious civilian shooters.
Is Black Hills Ammunition a public or private company?
Black Hills Ammunition is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Black Hills Ammunition founded?
Black Hills Ammunition was founded in 1981. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Black Hills Ammunition based?
Black Hills Ammunition is headquartered in Rapid City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Black Hills Ammunition make money?
One revenue line is on record: ammunition Sales.
Who are Black Hills Ammunition's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hornady Manufacturing, Federal Premium Ammunition, Winchester Ammunition, Remington Ammunition, SIG Sauer (Elite Performance Ammunition), Nosler, CCI (Cascade Cartridge Inc.), Speer, Magtech Ammunition and PMC Ammunition.
Does Black Hills Ammunition have an API?
No public API is recorded for Black Hills Ammunition.
What industry is Black Hills Ammunition in?
Black Hills Ammunition's product category is Ammunition Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAHAG, Ammunition Manufacturing (Small-, Medium- & Large-Caliber). Its NAICS code is 332992 and its SIC code is 3480.