Hornady Ammunition Tour
Being invited to Hornady with a group of industry leaders was an honor for Dennis. Steve and Jason Hornady were our tour guides and opened our eyes to the extremely detailed manufacturing process of bullets and brass.
Jason’s grandfather founded the company in Grand Isle after the war and there has been no looking back. The standards they have set in a premium ammunition are second to none on the scale they produce.
Much of their manufacturing equipment has been custom developed to perfect their manufacturing process. In house they tool and re tool to constantly improve and innovate their product.
Hornady has retained their original building with their administrative department and walking through gives off the Winchester Mystery House vibe with decades of expansion and architectural style changes. True history and the walls are painted with generations of Hornady advertisements, trophy mounts, and just plain super cool stuff.
Two years ago, Hornady built a second state of the art location just outside of the city limits and it was impressive. A staff lounge and break area that rivals the best of fortune fifty companies and space to grow and perfect.
Meeting many of their staff members, Hornady has generations of employees that are truly dedicated to the company and their mission. They are proud to be a part of the team and one team member we spoke to stated that she had seven years under her belt and that she was considered a newbie. In todays world long term employees are a rare commodity.
As you walk through the new building there is a certain pace that everyone seems to be working at and a unique tempo. The calibers they were producing that day were orchestrated like a modern symphony with a grace and style.
The machine operators are like artist in their ammunition creations, specifications and standards are frequently tested as groups are shot in Hornady’s range and recorded to ensure the highest standards. Inspections are all done by hand and Hornady’s belief is that their ammunition should look like fine jewelry when you open a box. The hands-on approach continues to keep their ammunition leading the way in quality over quantity.
The demand for Hornady Premium ammunition has continued and production shifts run constantly as product ends of in their shipping area that is almost as large as their original building. Conveyers, computers and pallets galore line up to make it onto trucks destined to locations all around the world.
The visit and intimate tour were amazing and the family ran company showed the lighter side of business as father and son traded friendly jabs and you could feel the community and pride in their product and business accomplishments.
They are an industry leader and raise the bar daily. Spending a couple of days with Hornady was rewarding, educational and comforting in our great firearms industry.