Minnesota-based Vista Outdoor has made an agreement to sell its expansive ammo brands to the Czechoslovak Group. 

The $1.9 billion all-cash deal, announced Monday, will see Vista divest a number of classic American ammunition brands including CCI, Federal, Hevi, Remington, and Speer – some of which date back over a century. These are made across four factories in Minnesota and Arkansas and employ approximately 4,000 people. 

Not included with the sale is gunmaker Rem Arms, an unrelated standalone company based in New York and Georgia. 

CSG, a Prague-based holding company formerly known as the Excalibur Group, owns a number of Czech military armament firms, including Tatra, Atrak, and Retia, as well as a majority stake in Fiocchi ammunition, whose own brands include Baschieri & Pellagri and Lyalvale Express. Between its facilities in Europe and America, CSG has over 10,000 employees prior to the planned acquisition of Vista's ammo lines. 

Once the deal is approved and closed next year, Jason Vanderbrink, who currently leads the ammo brands for Vista, will remain CEO of CSG's Sporting Products business, and its U.S. headquarters will remain in Anoka, Minnesota. 

"We are confident that CSG is a great home for our leading ammunition brands," said Vanderbrink. "The company is fully committed to our iconic American brands and expanding our legacy of U.S. manufacturing, support for military and law enforcement customers, and investments in conservation and our hunting and shooting heritage. We are excited to work closely with the CSG team as we enter this next phase and position our brands for long-term success."

This is not the first time a Czech company has picked up iconic American firearms industry brands. In 2021, the CZ Group acquired Colt’s Manufacturing Company as well as its Canadian subsidiary, the Colt Canada Corporation. That sale reportedly involved $220 million cash up-front and the issue of just over 1 million shares of common stock. 

As for the future of Vista, the company plans to spin off its remaining 40 assorted sporting and outdoor product brands including Fox, Bell, CamelBak, Bushnell, Hoppe's, Tasco, Uncle Mikes, Gun Mate, Simmons, Weaver, Butler Creek, Outers, Blackhawk, and RCBS into a new operation named Revelyst, which will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "GEAR." Revelyst will employ 2,900 people across multiple locations.