In mid-June, Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp (R) announced Rideout Arsenal was investing $22 million to set up a new manufacturing facility in Thomasville, Ga. The relocation of operations will bring roughly 120 new jobs to The Peach State. When complete, the company will shutter operations in Virginia, where a political environment has turned hostile toward the Second Amendment.
“This relocation was not something we originally planned to pursue,” Travis and Kelsey Rideout—husband-and-wife founders of Rideout Arsenal—said in a joint press release with Gov. Kemp. “The reality is that recent anti-gun legislation in Virginia created a significant uncertainty for our company and ultimately forced us to look for a state where we could continue operating, investing and growing with confidence. We are excited to bring new jobs and manufacturing investment to Thomas County and are grateful for the warm welcome we have already received.”
While employed as a mechanical engineer for a defense industry contractor, Travis Rideout spent his spare time working on a pistol design. By 2016, his original Dragon was ready to be unveiled, and the company launched.
Jerimiah Knupp’s early look at the 9 mm-chambered pistol for American Rifleman explains the gun, “…places the center of the bore 0.13 inches below the line of the frame’s beavertail, meaning that the barrel and its recoil impulse is directly in line with the palm of your hand.” Faster follow-up shots are the result, a decided asset in many shooting competitions.
There’s more, however. “The Dragon’s innovations go beyond its bore axis,” Knupp explained. “The design uses a fixed barrel and a lever-delayed blowback action.”
“Today we welcome Rideout Arsenal to Thomasville,” said Thomasville Mayor Scott Chastain in the Governor’s press release. “This includes new highly skilled jobs, new partnerships, new careers and new momentum for our community. Most importantly, we welcome the Rideout family to our community.”
Georgia’s Rideout Arsenal facility will be located within the Thomasville’s Plantation Oak Industrial Park. Additional buildings are planned in the next few years and the company is hiring for production, engineering, administrative and management positions. Interested readers can learn more and contact the company through its website.
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