Sellier & Bellot is a

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other we ...

manufacturer situated in

Vlašim Vlašim (; german: Wlaschim) is a town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. Vlašim is known for its castle and English style park. Administrative parts Villages of Bolina, ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It is a subsidiary of the Brazilian company CBC.

Foundation

Sellier & Bellot was founded on August 5, 1825 by a German businessman of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

origins called Louis Sellier. His family had been royalists who had fled France during the French Revolution. Louis Sellier began manufacturing percussion caps for infantry firearms in a factory in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

on the request of

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

, the Emperor of Austria. Sellier was soon joined by his countryman Jean Maria Nicolaus Bellot, who led the company to quickly gain momentum. Sellier & Bellot products soon established themselves on both European and overseas markets. As early as 1830 the manufacture of

percussion caps The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise ...

was in excess of 60 million and peaked later in 1837 at the enormous quantity of 156 million caps.

Subsequent development

;1829 A subsidiary plant in

Schönebeck Schönebeck (), officially Schönebeck (Elbe), is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe, approx. southeast of Magdeburg. For much of the twentieth century it was note ...

(

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

) is founded. ;1870 Cartridge production starts. Together with Flobert's rimfire and Lefaucheux's pin-primer cartridges, the first centrefire cartridges appear in the production program. In just a few years, the annual output grows to 10 million cartridges. Louis Sellier died and his heirs acquired his share. ;1872 Heirs of Louis Sellier convince Jean Bellot to give up management of the company and sell it. The factory brings in Czech entrepreneur Martin Hála, who soon transforms the company into a joint-stock company ( cs, a.s.; german: GmbH). ;1884 Another subsidiary plant is established in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...

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(then part of

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) and this soon covers demand for percussion caps in the whole of Russia and

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. ;1893 The first trademark of Sellier & Bellot is listed in Prague. ;1895 Hunting cartridge cases, quickly followed by hunting cartridges, are brought into the production program. This program is extended by copper primers for blasting works and ammunition manufacture in Škoda Pilsen. ;1914–1918 During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the production of commercial ammunition is curbed and total capacity used to manufacture rifle and handgun cartridges for the army. The

Steyr Steyr (; Central Bavarian: ''Steia'') is a statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3r ...

9 mm cartridge is developed and introduced to serial production during this period. After the independent state of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

is founded in October 1918, the company becomes the dominant supplier of handgun ammunition for the

Czechoslovak Army The Czechoslovak Army ( Czech and Slovak: Československá armáda) was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In the f ...

and police. The production of commercial ammunition for competition shooting and hunting purposes is further extended. The company expands into the Asian and South American markets where Sellier & Bellot's infantry cartridges meet with a great success. Based on the invention of its managing director František Blechta, the company became the only manufacturer of

silver azide Silver azide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a silver(I) salt of hydrazoic acid. It forms a colorless crystals. It is a well-known explosive. Structure and chemistry Silver azide can be prepared by treating an aqueous solution ...

in the world. Owing to this, the production of industrial detonators increased significantly. ;1936 The company's move from Prague to

leads to further growth. ;1945 Sellier & Bellot is nationalized as part of the new Czechoslovak government's introduction of a state monopoly for the manufacture of both military and commercial ammunition. The range of commercial ammunition is extended to forty rifle calibre types, ten pistol and twenty revolver types. Shot shell manufacture ranges from .410 caliber to 12 gauge. Total output soon increases fivefold. Approximately 70% of the output is for export. Original 7.62×45, 7.62×39 and 7.62×54R cartridges are successfully introduced into production to cover the demands of the Czechoslovak Army. ;1964 Company starts to produce antifriction bearings. ;1965 Production of packaging machines, now concentrated in the subsidiary company Sellier & Bellot, stroje Ltd. begins. ;1972 Manufacture of cartridges according to valid C.I.P. standards begins. ;1992 Transformation of the state-owned company to a joint-stock company – Sellier & Bellot a.s. (JSC). The company's shareholders are Czech natural and legal persons; a part of the equity is held by the company's employees. Almost 70% of production volume is exported through the daughter company – Sellier & Bellot Trade a.s. The company's products are exported to over seventy countries. ;1998 The company is granted

ISO 9001 The ISO 9000 family is a set of five quality management systems (QMS) standards that help organizations ensure they meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. ISO ...

certification. ;1999 Sellier & Bellot earns the bronze medal in ''Deutsches Waffen Journal'' readers' vote in the category of Ammunition. ;2005 Sellier & Bellot JSC celebrates its 180th anniversary. It is not only one of the oldest engineering companies in the Czech Republic, but also one of the oldest companies in the world. It has been manufacturing products bearing its trademark uninterrupted since 1825. ;2009 Sellier & Bellot is acquired by CBC of Brazil.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sellier and Bellot Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos Ammunition manufacturers Companies of Czechoslovakia Manufacturing companies established in 1825