Henry Repeating Arms is moving all of its manufacturing out of Bayonne, N.J., and into Rice Lake and Ladysmith.

The gun maker announced the move Tuesday. Bayonne production will shift to Henry’s newly expanded headquarters in Rice Lake and to two plants in Ladysmith. The company expects to close on a third Ladysmith building in mid-summer.

“We are putting all of our eggs in one basket, the Wisconsin basket, because it makes us more efficient, more productive, and allows for more collaboration amongst our design and engineering teams, all while sustaining and enhancing Henry’s solid reputation for quality,” said Anthony Imperato, Henry’s founder and CEO.

When the move is done, Henry will have about 400,000 square feet of manufacturing space in four buildings “within minutes of each other,” Imperato said.

“Our Wisconsin operations have been essential to our success for a long time, and now it is the cornerstone of our bright future,” said Andrew Wickstrom, the company’s president.

The Ladysmith Buildings

Henry already runs a plant at 800 Gustafson Road in Ladysmith, a building it bought from the city in 2021, the Ladysmith News reported. On March 6 the company bought the former Beechworth Windows building at 1100 Barnett Road for $1.75 million.

The third building, the city-owned property at 1506 Barnett Road, is expected to close by the end of July. The city agreed last October to sell it for $2.5 million: $1.5 million at closing, plus $1 million more if Henry or its tenant does not reach 175 full-time employees in the city within 24 months and keep them through month 30.

The Jobs

Henry says it employs more than 800 people. The Ladysmith News reported 417 workers at the Rice Lake factory and 143 in Ladysmith. Henry added a 15,000-square-foot addition to the Rice Lake plant last year, valued at about $3.5 million.

The Ladysmith plant makes barrels, sights, bolts, levers and other parts that had been made in Rice Lake.

Every gun in Henry’s catalog of more than 200 rifles, shotguns and revolvers, including the Golden Boy, will now carry a “Made in Rice Lake, WI” barrel stamp, the company said.

Local Reaction

“These investments will create good jobs for the Rice Lake and Ladysmith areas and further develop Wisconsin’s industrial base,” said state Rep. Rob Summerfield, R-Bloomer.

State Rep. Dave Armstrong, R-Rice Lake, who is also Barron County’s economic development director, called it “great news.”

Henry was founded in 1996 in Brooklyn, N.Y. The company is named for Benjamin Tyler Henry, who patented the Henry lever-action rifle in 1860. Its motto is “Made in America, Or Not Made At All.”