Gunsmiths, Rifles, Warriors, Salvation: The Brownells Story
Gun Talk
Gun Talk Media
4.6 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 27 June 2024
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Two firearms industry legends meet, as Gun Talk’s Tom Gresham sits down with Pete Brownell, CEO of Brownells, to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the heralded family-owned firearms supply company.
The conversation covers the company's history, starting with Pete's grandfather, Bob Brownell, who founded it in 1939. Initially a home gunsmith and NRA writer, Bob responded to a growing demand for firearm parts and tools, significantly impacting the industry with his "Encyclopedia of Modern Firearms."
Brownells has grown from its humble beginnings to become a global leader, adhering to values of quality, customer service, and a deep understanding of gunsmithing needs. Pete emphasizes the company's culture of collaboration and personal relationships, reflecting their customer-first philosophy. Initiatives like "Back to the Lodge" foster a supportive community among employees.
Celebrate 85 years of with 15% Off all Brownells products: https://snp.link/644feaa5
Pete also shares his own journey, working in the construction industry and Silicon Valley before joining Brownells. His experiences taught him leadership and modern business practices, which he brought back to the family business. He also talks about his passion for mountain climbing and an upcoming expedition to Kilimanjaro with veterans, aiming to inspire resilience and recovery.
Brownells has expanded into selling complete firearms, with a focus on their acclaimed BRN line. Looking ahead, Pete and his company plan to enhance the customer experience with better information and to explore new markets like preparedness and survival gear.Throughout the interview, Pete's respect for his family's legacy and commitment to innovation and customer service are evident. The conversation highlights Brownells' evolution while maintaining its foundational values, ensuring its continued success and relevance in the firearms industry.
Learn more about Brownells here: https://snp.link/9fc0ef7a
Tom Gresham is the host of Gun Talk Radio, the original national radio show about guns and gun-related topics, and is celebrating its 29th year. Gun Talk runs on nearly 300 stations weekly across the U.S. and is also available as a podcast - accessible wherever you find your podcasts.
Learn more about Gun Talk Radio here: https://www.guntalk.com/gun-talk-radio
Follow Tom Gresham on X here: https://x.com/guntalk
For more content, subscribe to Gun Talk at guntalktv.com, on Gun Talk's Roku, Apple TV, iOS app, Android app, or find Gun Talk on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and guntalk.com. Listen to all Gun Talk Podcasts with Spreaker, iHeart, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find podcasts.
Copyright ©2024 Freefire Media, LLC
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gun-talk--6185159/support.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Amazing! there's up to 50% off the most popular brands of prescription glasses and |
| 0:13.8 | sunglasses there's even up to 50% off hearing aids up to 50% off in the |
| 0:18.7 | optical center sale don't wait bring the whole family and make the most of it. |
| 0:26.0 | Sale offers can't be combined with other current offers. |
| 0:28.0 | See in store for T's and C's. It's a name known throughout the firearms fraternity. |
| 0:37.0 | Whether a professional gunsmith or an amateur tinkerer, |
| 0:40.0 | when you need tools or parts to work on or build your gun, you probably turn to Brownells, |
| 0:47.0 | the family-owned Iowa business, which is supplied pretty much everything we need for more than eight decades. |
| 0:55.0 | Pete Brown L, the CEO of the company and the third generation to run the outfit, |
| 1:00.0 | dropped in to visit with us and share a few stories about this |
| 1:05.0 | legendary company. Well, we can never run you down anywhere. You're always going |
| 1:09.1 | somewhere. She's. Yeah. Oh man. So Pete Brownell, CEO of Brownells. Yeah, you guys been around for 85 years now? That's right. This is our 85th anniversary is in June, so it's it's coming right now |
| 1:25.4 | And it's also my father's 85th birthday, so I kind of correlated |
| 1:30.3 | Is that right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. How are doing? Well, you're third generation. I am third. Yeah, my grandfather started this whole thing back in 39. |
| 1:39.0 | He was a tinkerer. I mean, he was like doing home gunsmithing for himself right he was so back in the |
| 1:44.2 | gosh he was born early early 1900s and been kind of a jack of all trades actually |
| 1:50.4 | wrote for the NRA for a while so So he was just like you, man. |
| 1:54.0 | Did not know that. |
| 1:55.0 | So he wrote for the NRA on a how-to articles back in the early early days, 1920s. |
| 2:00.0 | He got this great idea from his audience and from people at the NRA to start writing correspondence |
| 2:07.0 | and to gun stores or those customers out there and say what do you want what do you need out |
| 2:13.6 | okay and then what the customers basically said where hey we need parts we need |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Gun Talk Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Gun Talk Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.