Crosman history

By 1928, Herbert William Mapstone had acquired ownership.

Following World War II, Crosman introduced a new line of air pistols, and as their sales took off it entered a period of rapid growth, with employment reaching 150 by 1952.

The firm was based in Fairport, New York, a suburb of Rochester (from the print on the bottom of free vintage targets available as a pdf on the company's website). In 1960 it was acquired by Bangor Punta Corp.

In 1970, the company moved to a small town in the finger lakes region, East Bloomfield.

Sale to Coleman in 1971

The year 1972 brought production of the one millionth Model 760 rifle, which the company presented to the National Rifle Association.

In 1977, the Benjamin Air Rifle Company purchased Sheridan Products in Racine, Wisconsin.

Herbert continued as president of Crosman Seed Company for 52 years until his death in 1979.

The year 1984 saw the recognition of air rifle shooting as an Olympic sport, and Crosman became the first American company to produce rifles that met Olympic specifications.

In 1989, MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings of New York acquired Coleman and sold Crosman to Worldwide Sports and Recreation.

1990: Crosman is acquired by Worldwide Sports and Recreation.

In July of 1991, Crosman acquired Visible Impact Target Company, founded in Victor, New York, by Steve Lamboy, which made targets for gun enthusiasts.

Crosman Premier Pellets, a new, highly accurate line of pellet gun ammunition, was introduced during 1992 as well.

In 1994, the company closed Benjamin Sheridan's plant in Racine, Wisconsin, and moved its operations to the firm's facility in East Bloomfield.

They year 1996 saw Crosman introduce the Copperhead line of entry-level, spring-air guns.

In 1997, an investment group headed by Leonard Pickett purchased the company.

During 1999, Crosman introduced a new line of bolt action guns and opened a stock manufacturing facility in Stover, Missouri.

Pickett was named CEO and held that position until his death in 2000.

During 2001, the firm also formed Diablo Marketing in partnership with Procaps to sell paintball products to mass merchandisers and upgraded its Web site to better facilitate online orders.

In 2002, Crosman began distributing Umarex and Walther products in North America, as well as the Gameface Paintball line.

2003: Deals are signed to make Remington air rifles and distribute Colt, Logan, Beretta airguns.

By 2015, Benjamin was positioned as Crosman Corporation's adult hunting and high performance line and Sheridan had its name on one model: the Cowboy, a youth-oriented lever action.