Black Hills Ammo: A Family Business

by
posted on August 16, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
wiley-clapp.jpg

During a recent trip to the range for gun evaluations, I fired several guns and among them was a 1911-style .45 automatic. Happily enough, this is not unusual for me. I fired the typical NRA protocol of five consecutive five-shot groups at 25 yards, using three different commercial loads. Black Hills 230-gr. JHP produced the best overall accuracy and that is not unusual for me, either. For decades, I have used Black Hills ammunition in virtually every handgun caliber they make and that includes such unusual ones as .38-40 and .45 Auto Rim. It is always high-quality ammunition and frequently the most accurate of the day. Part of the reason is simply that Black Hills ammo is a family business. 

Jeff Hoffman was a working cop in Rapid City, S.D., when he married his high school sweetheart, Kristi. They soon embarked on a new business—manufacturing handgun ammo. I well recall their first loads I ever fired. They came in small boxes with the description in felt tip pen on the end. From that humble beginning, Black Hills has grown to a million-dollar business. Throughout the 30-plus years of the company history they have had the same president (Jeff) and vice president (Kristi). The product line expanded wildly, as did the business volume, but this little ammo business proudly sells match ammo to our Armed Forces. Many of their employees have been with them for many years and the work ethic in that plant is one for the books.

These are great people—devotedly patriotic—who are worth the support of our entire industry. And their ammo shoots as good as anything made.

Usually a little better.

Latest

Beretta APX Ported 01
Beretta APX Ported 01

New For 2026: Beretta APX A1 Ported

Beretta first entered the polymer-frame, striker-fired pistol market in 2017 with its APX, and nearly 10 years later, the company has added the APX A1 Ported to the lineup.

CDC Restores Basic Armed Citizen Data

As of Aug. 24, 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s webpage is again providing defensive-gun-use data.

Rifleman Review: Taurus GX4 Strike Bravo

Since Taurus USA joined the micro-compact market with its GX4 in 2021, the company has expanded the line to include a number of different options, and the latest, the GX4 Strike Bravo, incorporates a unique chassis design.

Old (Un)reliable: Finding a Magazine that Works for Your 1911

There have been more than 100 manufacturers of 1911-style pistols and magazines, some more faithful to the original drawings than others.

3 New Shotgun Suppressors for 2026

Just because you're in the field hunting for upland game or busting clays at your local range doesn't mean you can't protect your hearing.

First Breach Begins Trading on NASDAQ Under "FBDT" Ticker Symbol

In August 2026, First Breach Defense Technologies, a producer of ammunition and unmanned aerial systems based in Hagerstown, Md., announced that its common stock had begun trading on the NASDAQ capital market under the ticker symbol "FBDT."

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.