Free Republic

U.S.-based open-end mutual funds and exchange-traded funds reportedly own nearly a third of the stock in America’s two publicly traded gun companies, even as Main Street investors are avoiding such shares. The only two remaining gun-company stocks in the U.S. are Sturm Ruger (RGR) and American Outdoor Brands Corp. (AOBC), owner of gun maker Smith & Wesson. Funds hold about 30% of the two companies’ combined shares, according to data compiled in late October for the Wall Street Journal by fund tracker Morningstar Inc. There are some 201 funds invested in one or both of the companies, mostly small-cap funds,...

Georgia-based PolyCase to manufacture handgun, pistol bullets Sturm, Ruger & Co. is getting into the ammunition business for the first time, partnering with a Georgia company to produce what it calls a “revolutionary bullet” that “changes everything you know about ammo.” Ruger, which is headquartered in Connecticut but has a major facility in Newport, will be putting its brand on bullets produced by Savannah-based PolyCase Ammunition LLC for a .45-caliber handgun and .38-caliber pistol. PolyCase has a pending patent on its process, which injects a dense polymer copper matrix into a mold. The resulting bullet in the PolyCase Ruger ARX...