In a surprise announcement at the 2018 SHOT Show, gunmaker Weatherby revealed that they will be leaving the state of California, where they have been based since their founding in 1945. The company’s new home will be Sheridan, Wyoming, the sixth largest city in the state, nestled beside the Bighorn Mountains, and close to the border with Montana. The move was announced with little notice on the floor during the afternoon of the show on Monday, with the Wyoming Business Council in attendance. Adam Weatherby, founder Roy Weatherby’s grandson, cited strong economic incentives from the Wyoming Business Council, as well as more freedom to develop new products without onerous legal restrictions as reasons for leaving California.

Adam Weatherby announces the move at the 2018 SHOT Show.

As part of the announcement, Weatherby unveiled a concept for their new facility in Sheridan, which is expected to create numerous jobs in the city with salaries of $60,000/year or more. To attract Weatherby to make the move, The Wyoming Business Council voted unanimously on a comprehensive incentives package, that according to Adam Weatherby, “meant there was no going back”. The Governor of Wyoming, Matt Mead, said that bringing Weatherby to Wyoming was part of “not just making Wyoming a gun state, but The Gun State.” As recognition of Mead’s efforts, Ed Weatherby (son of Roy Weatherby, and father of Adam Weatherby) presented the Governor with one of two 70th Anniversary Mark V rifles that were held in the Weatherby collection.

Ed Weatherby (right) presents Wyoming Governor Matt Mead (left) with a rare 70th Anniversary Mark V.

Weatherby began with gunsmith Roy Weatherby, who became a major influence on the sporting and hunting rifle market. Weatherby’s developments in high velocity magnum cartridges with a high ratio of propellant to bore diameter set a trend in the industry that continues today. His .300 Weatherby Magum endures today as a factory round, and rounds like the .300 Winchester Magnum and 7mm Remington Magnum prove the popularity of his original concept. Today, the company he founded makes a line of premium hunting bolt actions and precision rifles that carry on the name.

A concept of Weatherby’s new headquarters in Sheridan, WY, displayed on the floor of the 2018 SHOT Show.