Culture & History

Over 130 years of American craftsmanship. Precision-machined in Gladstone, Michigan.

Our Culture

Mission

We provide customer success by being the industry leader of American made precision firearm components.

Our Values

Customer Fanatics — #1 foam finger

Customer Fanatics

We exist to make our internal and external customers lives better. We build trusted relationships and deliver quality, reliability, and support to help them win.

Improve Forever — upward growth chart in a continuous-improvement cycle

Improve Forever

We act, learn, and get better every day. We embrace mistakes-based learning, turn challenges into opportunities, and innovate relentlessly, never letting perfect be the enemy of better.

Serve Humbly — one person helping another up a climb

Serve Humbly

We serve first with respect for people. We seek feedback, stay open-minded, and invest in fueling each other's growth. We lead by example, recognize potential in others, praise with Kudos, and step up when we see a need, no matter who is watching.

ACT as One — Michigan Upper Peninsula unified under one flag

ACT as One

We win together through Alignment, Cohesion, and Trust. United by purpose and shared goals, we collaborate, communicate openly, and do the right thing to achieve the best outcome for the whole.

Relentless Execution — paper plane climbing to a flag on the summit

Relentless Execution

We move forward with discipline: creating processes and flow, simplifying work, and delivering results. We take ownership, face challenges with courage, earn trust through consistent action, and execute with pride every day.

Purpose

We are dedicated to our customers, take pride in what we make, and are committed to growing ourselves and each other.

How We Operate

We run lean.

That means eliminating waste, standardizing work, and continuously improving. Not as a project, but as how we operate every day.

These principles guide how we set up machines, manage the floor, and hold ourselves accountable to each other and our customers.

Marble Arms Lean Principles

Company-Wide Survey

We asked. They answered.

We asked everyone at Marble Arms one open question: what do you like most about working here? Thirty people answered.

  1. 01 People come first
  2. 02 Everyone grows here
  3. 03 Meaningful work
  4. 04 Recognition and rewards
  5. 05 Flexibility
  6. 06 Empowering work environment

In Their Own Words

A Marble Arms machinist at a CNC control panel

“People come first. Feels more like working with a family, not coworkers. Learning even at the cost of a mistake is embraced.”

Jeremy
A Marble Arms purchasing lead entering orders on a laptop

“Marbles sees me as a person, not just a worker. When my life changed, they worked with me to adjust my schedule. They support you and your family’s wellbeing.”

Becky
Nick at the optical comparator

“Freedom to figure things out in my own way, as well as a great group of people to guide and support me.”

Nick

Work With Us

We’re always looking for great people to join the team.

Apply Now →
Our History

The Long Game

From a one-man operation in 1892 to a state of the art CNC facility, the commitment hasn't changed.

Marble Arms team outside the factory
1892

Founded in Gladstone, Michigan

Webster L. Marble manufactures the Universal Rifle Sight and incorporates as Gladstone Manufacturing Company, setting a new benchmark for iron sight precision from day one.

Webster L. Marble, founder
1898

The Patent That Built a Brand

Marble patents the Safety Pocket Axe and reincorporates as Marble Safety Axe Company. A product built to last becomes the foundation of a brand built to last even longer.

Marble's Safety Pocket Axe
1908

The Game Getter

Marble introduces the Game Getter, a folding combination gun pairing a .22 rifle barrel over a .44 shot barrel in one trail-ready package. One firearm for small game and big game backup alike, it becomes a legend among trappers, guides, and backcountry travelers.

Look up a Game Getter serial number
Marble's Game Getter combination gun
1909

Finest Factory in the World

A new 24,000 square foot factory is completed in Gladstone and immediately lauded as the "finest of its kind in the world." Marble Arms scales to meet national demand without leaving home.

Marble Arms factory workers outside the building
1913

Roosevelt's Choice

President Theodore Roosevelt carries Marble's compasses into the uncharted Brazilian wilderness on his scientific expedition. When the world's most famous adventurer trusts your gear with his life, the reputation speaks for itself.

Marble's compass carried by Theodore Roosevelt
1927

Across the Atlantic with Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh packs Marble's knife, compass, and matchbox into the Spirit of St. Louis for the first solo transatlantic flight. Marble Arms earns its place as gear trusted at the edge of human achievement.

Marble's knife carried by Charles Lindbergh
1998

A Classic Returns

The Peep Tang Sight is reintroduced with windage adjustment, bringing a beloved design back for a new generation of hunters and competitive shooters who know that the best ideas don't expire.

Early Marble Arms sight catalog illustration
2000

Fiber Optic Innovation

Marble Arms adds fiber optic front, rear, and shotgun sights to the product line, pairing over a century of iron sight expertise with modern aiming technology for today's shooters.

Fiber optic shotgun sight beads
2007

Improved Peep Tang Sight

The Improved Peep Tang Sight launches with interchangeable uprights, giving shooters a versatile, customizable precision sight, the latest chapter in a product line with more than a century of refinement behind it.

Improved Peep Tang Sight with interchangeable uprights
2010

Beginning Our Lean Journey

Marble Arms begins its lean manufacturing journey, building a culture of continuous improvement and operational discipline that carries forward to this day.

Lean manufacturing principles
2012

Move to Current Facility

Marble Arms relocates to its current Gladstone facility, setting the stage for the next chapter of growth and precision manufacturing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The Marble Arms team
Today

Precision for a New Generation

From iron sights to muzzle devices and precision components, Marble Arms supplies some of the most respected names in the firearms industry and the consumers who shoot them. American made, as it has always been.

Marble Arms shop floor today

Visit Us

Marble Arms Museum

See the full story up close. The Marble Arms Museum in Escanaba, Michigan houses original products, patents, tools, and artifacts spanning our entire history. Free to visit.

Escanaba, Michigan

Visit the Museum → ▶ Watch a Museum Tour