The Union Metallic Cartridge Company (UMC) was an early manufacturer of cartridge ammunition for small arms. The company was founded in 1867 during the most rapid evolution of cartridge design to date. Following merger with Remington Arms in 1912, the company manufacturing complex in Bridgeport, Connecticut became a major arms supplier during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The factory was Remington headquarters until 1984 and the source of sporting and police ammunition

headstamp A headstamp is the markings on the bottom of a cartridge case designed for a firearm. It usually tells who manufactured the case. If it is a civilian case it often also tells the caliber: if it is military, the year of manufacture is often added ...

ed REM-UMC until 1970.

Independent history

The New York sporting goods firm of Schuyler, Hartley & Graham purchased two small

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

cartridge manufacturers in 1866. Machinery from the Crittenden & Tibbals Manufacturing Company of South

Coventry, Connecticut Coventry ( ) is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 12,235 at the 2020 census. The birthplace of Captain Nathan Hale, Coventry is home to the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is now a museum open to the public. Coventry was i ...

, and from C.D. Leet of Springfield, Massachusetts, was moved to Bridgeport where ammunition production began as the Union Metallic Cartridge & Cap Company until the operation was incorporated as Union Metallic Cartridge Company in September 1867. Works of the Union Metallic Cartridge Company, Bridgeport

Works of the Union Metallic Cartridge Company, Bridgeport

A powder magazine on Success Hill was destroyed by explosion of 16 tons of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

on 14 May 1906. There were no deaths, but damage was reported as far away as Long Island. In February 1909 UMC completed a

shot tower A shot tower is a tower designed for the production of small-diameter shot balls by free fall of molten lead, which is then caught in a water basin. The shot is primarily used for projectiles in shotguns, and for ballast, radiation shielding, ...

which was the tallest building in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

for many years. The red brick shot tower functioned by dropping molten lead from a height of into vats of cold water deep. Pinfire Cartridge Boxes by Union Metallic Cartridge Company

Pinfire Cartridge Boxes by Union Metallic Cartridge Company

Merger with Remington

Schuyler, Hartley & Graham had purchased the firearms manufacturing firm of

E. Remington and Sons E. Remington and Sons (1816–1896) was a manufacturer of firearms and typewriters. Founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, on March 1, 1873, it became known for manufacturing the first commercial typewriter. History The r ...

in 1888 and formed Remington Arms as the firearms manufacturing arm of their sporting goods business. Remington merged with UMC in 1912 and Bridgeport became Remington-UMC corporate headquarters while firearms production stayed in Ilion, New York. Manufacture of ammunition continued at Bridgeport until 1970. Remington corporate headquarters moved to

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

in 1984, and Remington had completely vacated the Bridgeport factory complex by 1988.

References

{{Authority control Ammunition manufacturers Shot towers Remington Arms