https://lmtdefense.com/

Their plant is currently in Milan IL, but they're building a new facility 10 miles across the Mississippi River here in IA.

Article:

http://www.northscottpress.com...idge-gun-maker,60342

$25 million order for Eldridge gun maker
Estonia to buy 16,000 rifles from Lewis

Mark Ridolfi, NSP Assistant Editor
Weds, Jan 2, 9:20AM

Lewis Machine & Tool will arrive in Eldridge next year with a brand new, $25 million order from Estonia for 16,000 rifles that will be shipped in packages labeled, “Made in Eldridge, Iowa USA,” according to company and industry sources.

“It’s a big order. It’s a commitment we made to our NATO partners as we are NATO members still. It’s important to show support to our coalition,” Lewis sales and marketing director Matt Pruitt told The NSP.

Estonia borders Russia and is a former Soviet republic. It is the most northern of the three Baltic republics, with a population of 1.3 million, and land area one third the size of Iowa.

Industry publication Guns.com reported the $25 million order beat, “competitive designs submitted by Heckler & Koch, Sig Sauer, and Patriot Ordnance Factory.”

The publication quoted Col. Rauno Sirk, with the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments, saying the LMT weapons were chosen after shooting tests and analysis of “total life-cycle costs and the estimated lifespan of the firearms.”

“We are proud to be the selected winner for Estonian Defence Forces”, said LMT founder Karl Lewis.

“This shows our commitment to making high quality weapons for our NATO partners and worldwide allies.”

Pruitt said Lewis is aiming for an April or May opening of their new, 65,000 square foot Eldridge plant.

The company hosted an employee tour earlier this month of the building, followed by a Christmas party at the Eldridge Community Center.

He said the new building requires U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms approval.

“We’ve been hiring. We’re very happy to accept people out of Eldridge, so they can be closer. One of the things make company valuable is workforce. We’re lucky enough to make a small geographic change, but big change state to state. But it will have little change on where we draw our workforce,” Pruitt said. “We know Eldridge will be home for our facility for at least the next 50-plus years.”

The new plant includes sound resistant, inside fire range so LMT firearms can be tested around the clock. Pruitt expects the company to hold a community open house in the spring.

The state of Iowa is providing a forgivable $275,000 loan and a five-year interest free $275,000 loan.

The company also will receive a $75,000 sales tax rebate from the state, a $590,000 state tax abatement over 10 years and $40,000 in training grants from Eastern Iowa Community College. Those terms match state incentives announced in 2013 for the Davenport locations.

Eldridge council members agreed to property tax rebates totaling $130,000 over 10 years. The incentives require the company to pay at least $17.20 per hour for a third of the new jobs.

===========================================================================================

The official LMT press release is more focused on the company than the benefits to the city of Eldridge, which is home of the North Scott Press:

https://lmtdefense.com/lmt-awa...fence-rifle-contract

LMT AWARDED ESTONIA DEFENCE RIFLE CONTRACT

MILAN, ILLINOIS – December 4, 2018 – LMT Defense is pleased to announce the award of the firearms contract for Estonian Defence Forces.

Lewis Machine & Tool, LMT Defense, participated in a tender bid opportunity to replace all current weapons with Estonian Defence Forces. This tender is for an initial sale of rifles and ancillaries to be delivered by 2021 with the opportunity for additional rifles and ancillaries to be delivered through 2026. The weapons were tested to stringent standards that are used on today’s most advanced weapon systems.

“We are proud to be the selected winner for Estonian Defence Forces”, Said Karl Lewis, “This shows our commitment to making high quality weapons for our NATO partners and worldwide allies.”

LMT Defense has selected Milrem LCM, an Estonian defense systems lifecycle management provider as their local partner. Milrem LCM has been the partner of the Estonian Defence Forces since 2014 and has extensive knowledge with armored and combat vehicles. “We are glad to be able to provide our support to Lewis Machine & Tool in this project,” said Ingvar Pärnamae, Managing Director of Milrem LCM.

These weapons utilize the LMT Defense monolithic upper on the MARS rifle system. The MARS was developed in 2014 and was initially delivered under contract to New Zealand Defence Force. The MARS weapon platform is a completely ambidextrous rifle system including ambidextrous bolt catch, bolt release, safety selector, magazine release and charging handle.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sigmund,

outstanding

LMT makes a solid rifle. I own two of them.

-Tom

I'm liking LMT more and more lately. They haven't tried to become "Gucci Gear" like Noveske, Daniel Defense. Sadly Bravo Company is following the same marketing script it seems. This will make their already difficult M4 style rifles even harder to obtain.

My first AR after the ban was an LMT. I bought a standard lower for $330, a 16" upper for $450, a FA BCG for $130, and a charging handle for $25. All LMT. I shot the crap out of it (still have the lower).

I have used many names for builds and I have sold them all. The only two AR's I keep in my safe are Colt and LMT.

Top quality gear.

My first AR was an LE marked LMT Defender (still have it). I've also got another complete Defender lower waiting for an upper. I'm a fan of their product.

MAGA

LMT has not been relevant in the civilian market for several years.
I have two of their lowers which were bought years ago are great when they were affordable. Has not been the case for the better part of a decade now.

Not bashing them. Just say'in they have been making their money in places other than the civi market for a long time now.

If I could get another complete lower for $275, I would.

A few more details, and the link has an exterior photo of the new plant. Nowhere did I read ASSAULT RIFLE.

The article fails to mention the new Iowa facility will have an indoor range. They now test their rifles at the Milan Rifle Club, same place I shoot over in IL.

https://qctimes.com/news/local...ource=home-top-story

Gun maker moving to Eldridge is bringing huge contract for Estonia

Barb Ickes
bickes@qctimes.com
Jan 4, 2019 Updated 9 hrs ago

The gun-making group moving into the Eldridge Industrial Park this spring is bringing with it a $25 million contract to make rifles for a European military.

Lewis Machine & Tool, which is relocating from Milan to its new and much larger plant in Eldridge, is supplying the Estonian Defence Forces with 16,000 rifles, company officials announced.

Estonia borders Russia and the Baltic Sea in northern Europe.

"They'll all be made in Eldridge," LMT's director of sales and marketing, Matt Pruitt said of the 16,000 rifles that will be manufactured for Estonia's military.

The thousands of firearms represent the company's largest order, Pruitt said, but not its largest invoice. In 2009, he said, LMT landed a deal with the United Kingdom that carried a $30 million price tag.

The manufacturing of the arms will take considerable time, he said, but LMT will have no problem keeping up with whatever delivery schedule the country can handle. Big orders always are delivered in stages, such as the 10,000 rifles Lewis produced for New Zealand.

"This is our first time in Estonia," Pruitt said. "As a company, we are in 45 countries in the world."

Eldridge Mayor Marty O'Boyle said the success of the latest tenant to his city's industrial park is promising.

"That's a lot of work; no doubt about it," he said of the Estonia order. "For a small operation, that's a big deal. Hopefully they keep getting deals like that and can keep growing the plant."

James Martin, assistant city administrator, said LMT is committed under its development agreement with Eldridge to add to its workforce. The current 128 full-time employees are to be bolstered by 50 new positions by January of 2020, and that number is to remain stable until the TIF (tax increment financing) agreement expires at the end of 2031.

The company received about $1 million in state and local tax incentives when deciding to relocate to the industrial park, where it will have its own firearms testing range. About twice the size of its Milan facility, the Eldridge locale also will include a production plant, offices and a warehouse, totaling about 65,000 square feet.

Construction began in November 2017 and is expected to be finished in April.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sigmund,

I don't think LMT needs to be involved with the civilian market, but I sure am glad they are. I have 2, and they would be the last to go (after my '94 AI). Super robust rifles, I could care less if they cost more than other brands.

So they are moving out of Illinois, that is a smart move. Glad to see good things happening to our quality manufacturers.

Glad to see this after they departed the cesspool of Illinois.

I have come close to buying a LMT MWS multiple times, maybe one of these days I just need to up and do it.

So what rifle Estonia will be acquiring? DI M4 or piston/HK style?

Great news for LMT, they deserve it. LMT is at the very top, if not the top of current AR companies. Solid designs and built working guns.

quote:

Originally posted by saigonsmuggler:
So what rifle Estonia will be acquiring? DI M4 or piston/HK style?

Here's an article focusing on guns, but it does not specifically say what LMT is making for Estonia.

The link has two stills plus a 1:40 video about the MARS-L for New Zealand.

https://www.guns.com/news/2018...ary-of-estonia-video

LMT TO PROVIDE 16,000 RIFLES TO MILITARY OF ESTONIA (VIDEO)

12/5/18 6:30 AM | by Chris Eger

Milan, Illinois‎-based Lewis Machine & Tool Company has reportedly won a large contract to supply the Estonian Defence Forces with rifles.

LMT was selected as the winner of a $25 million tender to provide Estonia, a NATO member that shares a border with Russia, with 16,000 5.56mm and 7.62mm weapons, beating out competitive designs submitted by Heckler & Koch, Sig Sauer, and Patriot Ordnance Factory. Col. Rauno Sirk, with the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments, said the competition was decided after shooting tests, weighing the results alongside total life-cycle costs and the estimated lifespan of the firearms.

“The committee appraised in the first place the reliability and dependability of the weapons as well as the economic feasibility, ie the total cost of the project,” Sirk said. “It is our goal to buy an automatic firearm that is precise, handy and dependable in different weather and environmental conditions.”

The Estonian Army numbers some 6,000 active and 35,000 reservists, fielding two infantry brigades, an elite special operations task group, and a number of smaller units. The force is armed with a range of small arms to include 7.62mm Swedish-made AK4 rifles (licensed copies of the HK G3A3) and 5.56mm Israeli Galils alongside German HK G36s. The country also fields a large and organized unpaid militia independent from the government.


Estonia currently uses a mix of small arms to include Israeli Galils, Swedish Ak4s, and German HK36s, some of them provided to the country as decades-old military surplus. The new LMT rifles are slated to replace them by 2021. (Photos: Estonian Defense Forces)

LMT makes a wide range of Monolithic Rail Platform M4s as well as M203 grenade launchers and AR-10 style Monolithic Weapon Systems, the latter chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and up. LMT has also been working on a Confined Space Weapon and was one of the companies tapped by the U.S. Army for their recent Sub Compact Weapon contract.

The contract with Estonia, set to run through 2021, includes an option for the purchase of additional weapons through 2026.

The Estonian award is not the first large overseas small arms contract for LMT, as the company is fresh off supplying the New Zealand military with over 9,000 of that country’s new MARS-L rifles. The MARS, described as a “4th generation M16,” is based on LMT’s Monolithic Rail Platform guns.

LMT makes a wide range of Monolithic Rail Platform M4s as well as M203 grenade launchers and AR-10 style Monolithic Weapon Systems, the latter chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and up. LMT has also been working on a Confined Space Weapon and was one of the companies tapped by the U.S. Army for their recent Sub Compact Weapon contract.

The contract with Estonia, set to run through 2021, includes an option for the purchase of additional weapons through 2026.

The link has many photos of the rifle.

Yes, the article is a year old, a pal just sent it to me.

https://www.joint-forces.com/f...0-rahe-assault-rifle

NEW ESTONIAN LMT R20 RAHE ASSAULT RIFLE

21 May 2021

Almost exactly two years ago the Estonian Defence Forces ordered the LMT Defense 5.56mm MARS-L assault rifle, known as the R20 RAHE, reports Bob Morrison.

Yesterday, during the initial unit training phase of Exercise KEVADTORM (SPRING STORM) 21 on the Central Training Area near Tapa we were able to photograph the R20 RAHE (which translates as HAIL in English) being carried by conscripts tasked with providing security for a deployed headquarters.

The 5.56mm R20 is a version of the LMT Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System – Light, or MARS-L, produced specifically for Estonian military requirements and in due course it will replace the legacy stocks of 5.56mm IMI Galil and and 7.62mm G3 (Swedish Ak 4 version) assault rifles fielded primarily by 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades respectively. First examples were fielded last summer, but COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented either Carl or myself visiting Estonia last year so yesterday was our first opportunity to document the new rifle; incidentally, the New Zealand Defence Force has also re-equipped with an LMT MARS-L version.

According to the Iowa-based (Eldridge) manufacturer: “The LMT Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System MARS, is a true fully ambidextrous system – featuring a left and right sided safety selector, mag release button, bolt release, and bolt catch. All MARS rifles feature a robust Monolithic Rail Platform, MRP upper receiver.”

The company’s product sheet on the MARS-L states the firearm is milled from a single solid piece of aerospace aluminum [i.e. aluminium] forging and it utilises two locking bolts accessible from the side of the receiver to lock in the barrel extension. This patented technology engages the barrel extension for a full 360 degrees around the extension and makes the barrel removable within seconds with a return to zero of the same barrel. One receiver can utilise numerous barrels of varying length, material, and calibre. The upper receiver has 14.5″ of uninterrupted 1913 Picatinny rail on the 12 o’clock position and the remaining 7 sides provide M-LOK compatible attachment points. Monolithic rail platform barrels utilise a low profile gas block and straight gas tube. They possess proprietary coating and are cryogenically treated for long term durability. The MARS-L ambidextrous lower receiver features LMT ergonomic textured grip and SOPMOD stock, and the ambidextrous features include bolt catch, magazine catch, and safety selector.


Press Release, Eldridge, 16 May 2019: LMT Defense (formerly known as Lewis Machine & Tool) is pleased to announce the award of the firearms contract for Estonian Defence Forces.

After an extensive two year tender and testing process, the Estonian Defence Forces have selected LMT Defense. The original competition had 12 companies respond to the call for tenderers. This week LMT Defense was finally confirmed as the chosen winner. LMT Defense is honoured to be selected to supply complete small arms solutions to the Estonian Defence Forces, EDF. The rifle selected is the LMT MARS family of rifles, including the AR 15 and AR 10, in addition to 40mm Grenade Launchers.

The initial deliveries of rifles and accessories will commence in 2019 and is projected to be completed by 2021 with options for future modernisation over the next 20 years. “We are committed to making the best weapons in the world”, said Karl Lewis. “This long term partnership between LMT Defense and EDF reflects our commitment to support our NATO Partners and worldwide allies.”

To assist with providing the best AR 15 in the world, LMT Defense has partnered with Milrem LCM and Visible Assets. Milrem LCM is an Estonian Defense Lifecycle Management provider to help conduct in country logistical support. Milrem LCM has been a partner with EDF since 2014 and has developed extensive knowledge through support of EDF armoured combat vehicles. Visible Assets has created the latest technology of wireless shot counter and armoury electronics to support EDF logistical capabilities. RuBee technology uses magnetic fields that provide battlefield security but provide the armoury with automatic notifications of maintenance and security.

These weapons utilise the LMT Defense monolithic upper on the MARS rifle system. The MARS was developed in 2014 and was initially delivered under contract to New Zealand Defence Force. The MARS weapon platform is a completely ambidextrous rifle system including ambidextrous bolt catch, bolt release, safety selector, magazine release and charging handle.

Over the next week or so I hope to have the opportunity to photograph more Estonian troops out in the field during the main combat phase of KEVADTORM 21 which, although much reduced in size and scope from the 2017 and 2019 iterations which I had the chance to cover, should still be a very interesting exercise involving the NATO eFP (enhanced Forward Presence) Battle Group Estonia and a Danish contingent which deployed into theatre last week.

That explains why I can’t get a 6.5 Creedmore barrel for my current 7.62 rifle. I also have one in 5.56. Great shooters.

Good to hear that folks in our neighborhood have plenty of work to keep them busy.

I wonder if they always have the "help wanted" signs up,
Like a lot of business in our vicinity.

quote:

Originally posted by beltfed21:
That explains why I can’t get a 6.5 Creedmore barrel for my current 7.62 rifle. I also have one in 5.56. Great shooters.

Give it a little while.
"Over runs and Blems"

I picked up a New Zealand barrel (5.56) for a steal!
LMT gets a contract for a Country. Let's say 8000 rifles. They're going to make 8500, just in case.
Oops, there's a scratch on this lower- switch it out.
Oops, there's a small dent on this rail- switch it out.
Hey, we have 200 extra uppers now...

All that stuff gets sold!