After 50 years with their current owners, and 70 years in business, Sierra Bullets has been sold.
If you’ve reloaded for any length of time at all, you’ve gleaned some knowledge of Sierra Bullets, based out of Sedalia, MO. Great projectiles, fine quality, and trusted pistol and rifle bullets, all sold here at Midsouth Shooters Supply. With our shameless plug out of the way, here’s some more history on Sierra:
What started at a few guys in a Quonset hut in California making rivets for aircraft, front sight ramps, and fishing rod guides, has spun up into one of the top projectile manufacturers in the country, and
it’s all thanks in-part to WWII, and competitive shooting becoming a popular post war sport. Demand was high, and Sierra formed to fill the need for match projectiles. In fact, they still sell the #1400 53 grain MatchKing bullet to this day. You can get yours here!
Flash forward some 20 years to 1969, and Sierra is purchased by BHH Management group. Keep standards high, and developing several new offerings to the reloading community, BHH led Sierra to become a household name in the shooting world. In 1990, when Sierra moved to Sedalia, MO they built a test range, which has led to more advancements like the Tipped MatchKing line of bullets.
Now, with 140 employees, and $30,000,000 per year in stated revenue, BHH has decided to sell to the Clarus Corp. formerly, Black Diamond Group. So, what does the price tag look like? $79,000,000 “subject to a post-closing working capital adjustment”. Clarus is no stranger to the “outdoor” world either. SafariLand, among a few other outdoor retail brands, plus the odd communications and common diversification companies round out their portfolio.
According to StreetInsider.com “The transaction is expected to be immediately lucrative to Clarus’ earnings per share. For the unaudited 12 months ended June 30, 2017, Sierra’s total revenues were approximately $32 million with EBITDA of approximately $12.5 million, representing a purchase price multiple of approximately 6.3x EBITDA. Sierra has a strong cash flow profile, generating free cash flow conversion of approximately 95% with limited ongoing capex requirements.”
“The team at Sierra has continued building on a 70-year legacy dedicated to the highest-level of precision in design, world-class manufacturing and quality control,” said Warren B. Kanders, executive chairman of Clarus. “These attributes have cultivated a diverse customer base of enthusiasts and industry OEMs that drive high recurring revenue and strong cash flow, which we expect to maximize through the utilization of our net operating loss carry forwards.”
Sierra’s President Pat Daly commented: “Our team takes great pride in developing and manufacturing the most precise and accurate bullets in the world. This is supported by our deep institutional knowledge of highly-specialized manufacturing processes that have produced leading products and created a significant competitive advantage. As the only pure-play bullet brand, it was important for us to partner with a team that shares our values and commitment to excellence, and we are excited to join the Clarus family. I look forward to staying on to continue driving our brand growth.” All senior management are expected to remain with Sierra under Clarus’ ownership.
Sierra was kind enough to post to their own blog the answers to a few frequently asked questions since the announcement of the sale.
- Will Sierra Bullets be moving?No – Clarus has committed to keeping Sedalia, MO home for all 140 Sierra employees and their families. Unfortunately, our dreams of moving the plant to a private tropical island were quickly squashed.
- Will I will be able to get the same great bullets I have come to love?Yes! There are no planned changes to the existing product line, but watch for exciting new additions in the future! Perhaps our dream of making a self-propelled gravity defying gold core titanium bullet will finally be fulfilled!
- Are there any changes to the staff?Nope – you are still stuck with all of us from the President on down.
- Can I invest in the company that now owns Sierra Bullets?Yes – Clarus Corporation is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol “CLAR”. Or you can continue investing in Sierra Bullets one little green box at a time!
We wish our friends at Sierra the best, and a smooth transition!
What questions do you have about the Sierra Sale? Are you a Sierra reloader? What’s your favorite Sierra bullet?
I started reloading in 1962 and Sierra was at that time the only bullet as far as I was concerned and still is when accuracy is the main topic. I will always load these great bullets . My favorites are the 150 Sierra match, the 168 in 30 caliber, 53 and 52 BT in 22 cal. Keep up the good work Clarus!
Now how about a new up to date reloading manual.
We did see where Sierra commented on a social media post where they’re working on a new manual, and it’s supposed to be a few months out from publishing the new material. Fingers crossed!
EXACTLY!!!
Lots of profit,now bring the prices down so all people can afford to use these great bullets.
I feel that the past history is just that history and should be respected and protected not put in some hedrn place like it or not it is or history respect it !!
I have a serious question, does anyone in Black Diamond Holding Company/Clarus reload? Do they even shoot?
We have seen what happens when Remington Arms and such was bought by a holding/investment company, crappy triggers and a 40-year denial that their triggers were dangerous, followed by a settlement where they only fix two of the eight guns that trigger came in; plus what happened to DPMS after Remington Outdoors bought them; oh, and people buying new Marlins are complaining about quality (I was booted from their FB page because I mentioned Remington ownership and the recalls).
So, has Sierra Bullets been sold to someone who is more concerned with the dollar than quality?
According to Sierra, the previous holding company, BHH, sought out a like-minded company when they were selling Sierra. As of right now, Clarus plans to change nothing. No staffing changes, from the top, down. No location changes. Hope they keep their word.