The interior of the new factory is very large and has rows of plastic injection molding machines.

The Molding Center of Excellence, ATK's new injection molding factory, had their grand opening this week. The Mayor of Manhattan, Mont. - the location of the new factory - was there and spoke as did the Governor of Montana. It was a remarkable turnout considering the ca. 1,400 population of the Gallatin County town. Injection molded holsters are made here, as are buttstocks, shooting accessories - even primer trays and cartridge box dividers. The 80,000 square foot facility is home to a hundred full time employees and about 40 part time. In terms of holsters, the product is started at concept and design. The new factory begins with designing a new holster, prototyping the product, examine it for approval, and, after changes, make the tools to make the final design. A group of outdoors media were taken on a tour of the cavernous new factory. The incredible number of injection molding machines - up from the four or so that Blackhawk had - should help cut down the wait on injection molded holsters and components. ATK, with its far reach, brought the new factory online to consolidate some similar operations. We saw manufacture of shotgun swabbing mops and cleaning patches, repair of a mold for creation of a component of the Knoxx stock and creation of the little trays primers ship in and cartridge box dividers. A crew was assembling cleaning kits for a rush order. The fact that somewhere over the next few months, Blackhawk will have shipped four million SERPA holsters helped drive the decision to open this new factory. Made since 2004, the SERPA has been a best seller and is still in heavy demand.

Police Officer John Thomas Grohn fires the Remington 870 fitted with the Spec Ops II stock

Nylon products are still stitched in Idaho (all but three SKU families are made in the U.S.A.) and metal machining operations are conducted at Oroville, Calif. Ammo is still made at Lewistown, Idaho and Anoka, Minn. Alongside new products nearing launch from Blackhawk, we saw Knoxx Stocks, new Weaver optics (including the re-introduction of the Grand Slam) and on-gun accessories. We got some range time with the new gear, under the watchful eye of pro shooter Todd Jarrett. Using Federal ammunition - full power buckshot in a pistol-grip shotgun and a shotgun with the Spec Ops II stock, .300 Winchester Magnum and .30-06 in the bolt guns with Knoxx stocks - we got the best demonstration of their efficiency in recoil reduction. We got to shoot from prototype holsters - about which we'll reveal more in Friday's Shooting Wire and got pointers on shooting the AR15 from Todd Jarrett. ATK pulled out all stops in the grand opening festivities for their new factory and their coming product line. -- Rich Grassi