private industry defense founded 1973 founder ron smith sonja sommers headquarters tempe arizona united states products firearms weapons revenue owner ron smith sonja sommers number of employees 20 website www.smithenterprise.com smith enterprise inc. sei is a firearm and accessory manufacturing facility based in tempe arizona that is known for making flash suppressors 1 muzzle brakes sound suppressors m14 rifles 2 and accessories for m14 rifles . 1 smith enterprise played a key role in the m14 rifle modernization projects for the u.s. military in the early 21st century including the us navy s mark 14 mod 0 rifle . 3 contents 1 history 2 vortex flash hider 3 m14 rifles 4 sound suppressors 5 scope rings and scope mounts 6 other tools 7 trademarks and patents 8 references 9 bibliography 10 further reading 11 external links history edit smith enterprise was originally founded as western ordnance in 1979 by richard smith in mesa arizona and the company made numerous types of rifles but specialized in the m1 garand and m14 platforms . 4 in 1993 ron smith reformed the company as smith enterprise and relocated production to tempe . 5 in 2013 smith enterprise was identified as one of a group of firearms manufacturers who have taken a public stance against the gun control movement by publicly stating that they will not sell their products to any government agency in any state that severely restricts its citizens rights to own firearms . 6 smith enterprise has doubled its sales and production numbers during this same time period due to proposed legislation and its impact in social media . 7 vortex flash hider edit see also vortex flash hider vortex flash hider viewed from the front . the vortex flash hider is a flash suppressor made by smith enterprise and has been called the most effective flash hider available short of a sound suppressor by writer and gunsmith patrick sweeney when used on an ar 15 . 8 9 the vortex made for ar 15 type rifles weighs 3 ounces is 2.25 inches in length and does not require a lock washer for attachment to the barrel . 10 the vortex was developed in 1984 and a patent was secured in 1995 . 11 the vortex is somewhat reminiscent of the original three prong flash hider found on the original vietnam era m16 rifle . however the vortex is more robust and makes use of four solid tines which are closer together than those found on the original and are more closely proportioned . 8 the vortex is unique in that it is a helical flute design that breaks up the flash at multiple locations and angles . sei makes the vortex for m16s ar 15s m14s steyr augs and certain pistols such as the heckler & koch usp tactical model . 12 13 the vortex flash hider has been used on the us army s soccom m14 and was chosen because it reduces visible flash by 99 % . 14 in 2011 naval surface warfare center crane division adopted the vortex flash hider for use on 50 caliber machine guns and rifles after it was rated the number one suppressor in their test report . the testing performed by crane showed that the vortex maintained a 95 % flash reduction threshold through 10 000 rounds of machine gun fire and was proven to not adversely affect normal combat functions weapon firing or cycling or interfere with mechanical sights . 15 the vortex 50 caliber flash eliminator is assigned the nsn code of 1005 01 588 9516 pn 6021v . 16 m14 rifles edit since 1980 smith enterprise has built and rebuilt numerous m14 rifles for the us military and the militaries of columbia canada and other nations . 14 the united states department of defense has contracted smith enterprise to build and modify m14 rifles for use by soldiers marines and sailors in iraq and afghanistan . 3 smith enterprise was a major player in the m14 rifle modernization projects for various us military units which resulted in the development of the united states navy mark 14 enhanced battle rifle . 12 13 14 the company s history included originally making forged receivers for m14 rifles and briefly switching to investment casting . 4 smith stopped making receivers for a few years but reentered the market with receivers machined from bar stock in 2002 . 14 in 2003 smith enterprise inc. created its version of the m14 enhanced battle rifle known as the mk14 mod 0 type sei . the rifle used a medium heavy weight 18.0 barrel and was used as a basis to create the us navy s mark 14 mod 0 with springfield armory inc. being tasked to supply the necessary machinery in cooperation with the naval surface warfare center crane division . 14 sei builds an improved m14 gas cylinder as a component of their specialized rifles and a part for the military to upgrade older rifles . the gas cylinder is assigned the nato stock number nsn 5120 01 512 4959 . 17 the m21a5 designated marksman rifle used by the us military is built by smith enterprise inc. and is known commercially as the crazy horse rifle . the m21a5 s metal components are cryogenically treated prior to assembly which eliminates the need for bedding the stock with fiberglass . additional upgrades include a completely adjustable trigger system from 2.5 to 5 lbs and an extended bolt handle for use in extreme cold environments . 18 sound suppressors edit smith enterprise manufactures a sound suppressor that is made to install over vortex flash hiders in what the company refers to as a direct connect method . the current production model is called the wind talker sound suppressor and it is the current evolution of the m14 direct connect suppressor . 19 scope rings and scope mounts edit smith enterprise builds 30 mm scope rings and scope mounts primarily for use on ar 15 m16 m1a and m14 rifles . in 2005 smith was the only company in the united states to produce scope rings and mounts via wire cut electrical discharge machining edm . 20 all of these designs are currently used by the us military and are assigned a nato stock number . 30 mm heavy duty scope rings high 0.865 high for lenses up to 56 mm nsn 1005 01 535 4385 pn 7010 21 30 mm heavy duty scope rings low 0.264 high for lenses up to 44 mm nsn 1005 01 535 4374 pn 7008 22 30 mm heavy duty scope rings medium 0.50 high for lenses up to 50 mm nsn 1005 01 535 4423 pn 7018 23 30 mm heavy duty scope rings low 0.25 high for lenses up to 44 mm nsn 1005 01 535 4417 pn 7002 24 30 mm .50 cal bmg scope rings nsn 1005 01 535 4395 pn 7003 25 m14 scope mount assembly acog mil std 1913 nsn 1005 01 535 4430 pn 2005 26 m14 scope mount nsn 5855 01 506 5750 pn 2006 27 m14 extended scope mount nsn 1005 01 533 8160 pn 2008 28 m4 m16 carry handle mil std 1913 stanag nsn 1005 01 534 8696 pn 1037 29 other tools edit sei builds an m4 m16 armorers wrench which has been adopted by the united states marine corps to work on all of the m4 and m16 rifles in the corps inventory . the wrench is assigned the nato stock number nsn 5120 01 512 4959 . 30 trademarks and patents edit registered trademark trademark ko device trademark smith enterprise inc. 4014818 smith enterprise inc. canada tma838018 smith enterprise inc. wipo madrid protocol 1063056 smith enterprise inc. germany madrid protocol 1063056 smith enterprise inc. united kingdom madrid protocol 1063056 crazy horse 3144390 vortex united states 2903253 vortex canada tma742850 good iron 4170336 windtalker 44079944 united states patents number property 5596161 muzzle flash suppressor 13740991 firearm sound suppressor baffle references edit a b sweeney patrick 24 may 2012 . gun digest book of the ar 15 . iola wisconsin gun digest books . p. 179 . isbn 978 1 4402 2868 1 . retrieved 2 april 2013 . gottfredson jacob 2011 . smith enterprise s m 14sa . guns . fmg publications 96 98 . a b poyer 2006 pp. 37 38 a b thompson jim 2001 . the classic m1 garand an ongoing legacy for shooters and collectors . boulder colorado paladin press . p. 16 . isbn 9781581602609 . poyer 2006 p. 21 who are gun manufacturers refusing to do business with . the blaze . 13 february 2013 . retrieved 20 may 2013 . smith enterprise weapons manufacturer sees record growth in 2nd quarter 2013 press release . cbs news . 11 june 2013 . retrieved 24 june 2013 . a b sweeney patrick 23 march 2010 . gunsmithing the ar 15 . iola wisconsin gun digest books . p. 93 . isbn 978 1 4402 1457 8 . retrieved 2 april 2013 . sommers sonja 1997 01 21 . muzzle flash suppressor . us patent and trade office . google patents . retrieved 2013 04 04 . hansen denny 2005 . flash hiders is there a difference . swat . 24 2 28 32 . su rez gabriel 1999 . the tactical rifle the precision tool for urban police operations . boulder colorado paladin press . p. 222 . isbn 978 1 58160 049 0 . a b peterson phillip 30 november 2010 . gun digest buyer s guide to tactical rifles . iola wisconsin gun digest books . p. 75 . isbn 978 1 4402 1793 7 . retrieved 2 april 2013 . a b peterson phillip 28 february 2011 . gun digest buyer s guide to assault weapons . iola wisconsin f & w media . p. 118 . isbn 978 1 4402 2672 4 . retrieved 2 april 2013 . a b c d e cutshaw charles q 2006 . new era m14 alleviates reliability issues . jane s international defence review . jane s information group . 39 87 . issn 0020 6512 . smith 2011 02 14 . smith enterprise receives contract from special operations command for .50 cal . vortex r flash eliminator press release . tempe arizona reuters . retrieved 2013 04 11 . nsn 1005 01 588 9516 . retrieved 28 april 2013 . nsn 1005 00 790 8766 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . pushies fred 2009 . smith enterprise crazy horse m21a5 7.62 x51mm . special weapons for military & police . harris publishing . 20 4 . emerson lee 2013 . m 14 rifle history & development 5 ed . . las vegas nevada lulu press . pp. 326 328 . kokalis peter 2005 . m14 reborn crazy horse and the romanian option . shotgun news . 50 12 20 22 24 26 . nsn 1005 01 535 4385 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 1005 01 535 4374 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 1005 01 535 4423 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 1005 01 535 4417 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 1005 01 535 4395 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 1005 01 535 4430 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 5855 01 506 5750 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 1005 01 533 8160 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 1005 01 534 8696 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . nsn 5120 01 512 4959 . retrieved 29 april 2013 . bibliography edit poyer joe 2006 . the m14 type rifles a shooter s and collector s guide 3rd edition . tustin california north cape publications inc. isbn 978 188239142 4 . further reading edit jones richard d. ; ness leland 2009 . terry gander ed . jane s infantry weapons 2009 2010 35 ed . . london jane s information group . isbn 978 071062869 5 . external