Knight Rifles is an American manufacturer of modern

muzzleloading Muzzleloading is the shooting sport of firing muzzleloader, muzzleloading guns. Muzzleloading guns, both antique and reproduction, are used for target shooting, hunting, historical re-enactment and historical research. The sport originated in the ...

rifles and shotguns that pioneered the in-line muzzleloader in the mid-1980s. The company was founded in 1985 by Tony Knight, a

gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...

from rural Worthington, Missouri, and is now owned by PI, Inc. Originally, Tony built the guns by hand one at a time in his garage, and as demand increased, their first factory was built in 1987 in

Lancaster, Missouri Lancaster is a city in Schuyler County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 675. It is the county seat of Schuyler County. Lancaster is part of the Kirksville Micropolitan Statistical Area. History A post off ...

. Over the next few years, demand increased dramatically, and a new, larger factory was built in

Centerville, Iowa Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,412 in the 2020 census, a decline from 5,924 in 2000. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville's coal mining industry attracted ...

. The company was sold to father/son duo Dale and Bruce Watley in 1991, and then to Pradco in 1999. Under Pradco’s ownership, Knight Rifles sales decreased and in 2009, the Knight Rifles product line was closed. In 2011, Knight Rifles was purchased by Plastic Industries, Inc. and is now headquarters in Athens, Tennessee, although the warranty center remains in Centerville, IA.

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.muzzleloaders.com/ Gunsmiths Manufacturing companies established in 1985 1985 establishments in Tennessee