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DPMS Panther Arms, DPMS standing for Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services, is a firearm manufacturing company, based in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States, founded in 1985. The majority of DPMS production is focused on manufacturing military rifles and equipment, while its membership of the Freedom Group opening it up further in recent years to the civilian market.

History[]

In 1985 Randy Luth set up DPMS as a small scale, government backed, producer of rifle parts. DPMS fulfilled small size, but specialised, contracts from the US Armed Forces, designing and assembling modified military spec AR-15 parts. A change occurred four years later, with DPMS increasingly focusing on parts for M1911s (alongside their AR-15 parts). It was at this time that DPMS decided to buy a manufacturer of lower receivers, combining that with their move to manufacturing precission barrels to produce their own line of complete AR-15s.

This move has meant that, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, DPMS are the second largest producer of AR-15 rifles. DPMS has obtained four separate patents for their AR-15 developments, with many of their designs in use in the many countries around the globe.

In recent years DPMS formed Team DPMS, a group of shooters who have competed worldwide. This Team exclusively uses DPMS designed firearms, mainly competing in America. DPMS have also won awards from organisations in America, for example picking up the NRA (National Rifle Assosiation) publication Shooting Illustrated's 2005 Golden Bullseye Award for Rifle of the Year for the Panther LR-308 (an AR-10 derivative).

Resources[]

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