Hornady

Hornady Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of ammunition and handloading components, based in Grand Island, Nebraska.

History

The company was founded by Joyce Hornady who started in the munitions business in the early 1940s when he teamed up with Vernon Speer to make bullet jackets from spent brass rimfire cases. After World War II, Hornady began buying up surplus manufacturing equipment from the US government—such as Waterbury-Farrell transfer presses, which are still in use by the company today. In 1964, Hornady began manufacturing rifle and pistol ammunition. The company is currently run by Joyce Hornady's son, Steve Hornady, who took over after his father's death in a plane crash in 1981.

Pacific Tool Company

Steve Hornady worked for Pacific Tool Company from 1960 to 1971, from the time the company moved from California to Nebraska until Pacific Tool was bought by Hornady. Pacific's DL-366 was their final progressive press and Hornady's first, and it is still manufactured by Hornady as the 366 Auto.