South Dakota’s growing firearms cluster offers opportunities for collaboration and industry connections that you just don’t find in other states. Just ask Brandon Maddox, owner of Dakota Silencer and FFL123.com.
Not only is Maddox’s Sioux Falls-based Dakota Silencer founded in South Dakota, but through a partnership with Mack Brothers of Sturgis, the highly popular Class 3 firearm is manufactured in South Dakota as well.
“When I started Dakota Silencer in 2008, we were initially manufacturing our suppressors at a facility in Georgia,” said Maddox. “But then, I met up with the Mack Brothers at an event in Rapid City, S.D. I was working on a new design, and they were able to take the plans and quickly produce a high-quality prototype.”
And, Maddox was impressed.
“I like to shoot prairie dogs, and hunting is so much easier with a silencer because they don’t know where the shot is coming from,” Maddox said. “As a result, a hunter can get a lot more shots in.”
Soon after, Mack Brothers, which was founded in 1997 to meet the CNC manufacturing needs of businesses in the firearms community, began producing all Dakota Silencer product and the businesses continued to grow.
Today, Dakota Silencer has six stores in six states – South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming. Because the process for consumers to purchase a suppressor can be confusing, Dakota Silencer has streamlined and simplified the process and helps manage 100 percent of its customers’ paperwork.
“It is our job to make the purchase process easy,” said Maddox. “Improper paperwork can cause a delay in the purchase, so we have a streamlined process in place that our customers find highly beneficial.”
Maddox noted that suppressors and silencers are the fastest-growing firearm on the market right now, and he expects sales only to increase as more customers realize they are 100 percent legal and have many benefits for the hunter and shooter.
“When it comes to firearms, suppressors are going to take off at an even faster rate, just like scopes have in the past,” Maddox says.
“We feel very fortunate to have started our business in South Dakota – the state consistently ranks as one of the top locations in America to start and run a business,” said Maddox, who moved to South Dakota from Florida. “The residents of South Dakota are strong Second Amendment supporters and so are the local and state governments. We are excited and proud to be based in South Dakota.”
For more information on the firearm industry in South Dakota, visit sdreadytowork.com/Key-Industries/SHOT.
