Del-Ton officially began operations in 1998 from a North Carolina garage, not far from the front gates of Fort Bragg and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School—just outside Fayetteville, N.C. At the time, it specialized in online offerings of AR-15 accessories, kits, upgrades, optics and a variety of aftermarket parts. By 2000, it had earned a solid reputation among modern sporting rifle enthusiasts, thanks to the quality of its products and dedication to customer service.
Business grew, and the company expanded into a 5,000-square-foot warehouse. It wasn’t enough to keep pace with orders, though, so another move followed—this time into a 26,000-square-foot facility. Today, the company is based in Elizabethtown, N.C., only an hour south of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces headquarters and primary training facility.
Orders increased significantly in 2004 when the so-called “Assault Weapons Ban” expired, and so did the number of people inquiring if the company was ever going to add complete rifles to its catalog. There’s no shortage of direct-gas-impingement experience in the region. It was obvious the company wisely harnessed that expertise when its first modern sporting rifle rolled out of the factory in 2007. It was a huge success, and it wasn’t long before Del-Ton expanded the line.
Today, it offers both AR-15s and AR-10s. Chamberings include 5.56 NATO, .223 Wylde, .308 Win. and 7.62x39 mm. It also produces a LIMA MLOK pistol in 5.56 NATO and much more, including modern sporting rifle/pistol kits.
The firm stands behind all its guns with a lifetime warranty for the original owner. All of the company’s firearms are produced here in the United States.
As for the reliability and performance, American Rifleman featured the Del-Ton Sierra 316L MLOK as a “Gun Of The Week” last year. The quality shows in the video review, which is well worth a look if you’re in the market for a new AR-15.
