Ron Coburn Biography

Ron Coburn - Inventor, Chairman & CEO Savage Sports Corporation

Ron Coburn began his career as an apprentice toolmaker in London, but it was his skill and curiosity that quickly drew him into design and engineering. His early years can be measured by successful tenures running design firms in Munich, Singapore and Hong Kong. In 1979, Mr. Coburn was brought into the firearms industry, recruited to run Smith & Wesson's engineering.

Through the years he honed his business acumen to match his already prolific engineering skills. This combination proved highly effective as he left Smith & Wesson in 1982 to manage his first business turnaround, Case Knives. Within five years Case was profitable and attractive, so much so that it was purchased by Zippo Lighters.

The timing was right for Mr. Coburn to return to firearms, this time as V.P. Operations for Savage Arms. A year later he became CEO and never looked back.

The Snail System, designed out of the frustration to find an alternative to the smash plate method of stopping bullets - found at arms manufacturers and shooting ranges - was just the first of 25 patents that Mr. Coburn now holds.

In 1995, Mr. Coburn bought Savage Arms and has since built it to become the largest rifle manufacturer in the country. With the addition of the Stevens name for fine, value products, and Fox, the "Definition of Quality," for U.S. made shot guns, the Savage Sports Corporation is truly an American success story.

Not bad for an apprentice toolmaker... with vision.