Verney-Carron

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Verney-Carron S.A. is a French firearm manufacturing company based in Saint-Etienne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The company makes a wide range of hunting shotguns and rifles. In 2004, Verney-Carron purchased the traditional artisan gun making company Demas, forming the L'Atelier Verney-Carron brand of antique firearms. Although more well known in France than the rest of Europe or North America, export of their firearms to South America and parts of Europe is not uncommon. Verney-Carron also notably designs and produce the "Flash-ball" less lethal rubber bullet gun widely used by French riot control police forces since 2000. The company was founded in 1820 by gunmaker Claude Verney (1800–1870), who came from a family of prominent gunsmiths since 1650, and at the age of 20 won first prize in an armory competition (French: Concours d'Armurerie) held by the City of Saint-Etienne. He later in 1830 married Antoinette Carron, the daughter of another gunsmith family, and changed the name of his business to Verney-Carron. When Claude Verney died in 1870, his eldest son Jean (1839–1916) took over the business with his brothers, and the company was named Verney-Carron Frères (brothers) before restored to the old name by Jean's son Claude (1868–1941) in 1917 after Jean's death. At the end of the First World War, Verney-Carron assimilated the employees and equipment of another manufacturer Auguste Marze in 1926, creating the new Verney-Carron S.A. The great crash of 1929 and the economic depression that followed caused the company to gradually changeover from a direct sales operation into a manufacturing company selling through a network of firearms retailers. Starting in 1936, Verney-Carron diversified by adding fishing and tennis equipment distribution as well as bicycle manufacturing to its business portfolio, which helped the company to survive the difficult years of the Second World War.