The two-hundred-year history of Sellier & Bellot (S&B) is characterised by constant technological progress in manufacturing processes, ammunition components and the product portfolio. Since 2009, S&B has been part of the CBC Global Ammunition Group from Brazil, known under the brand name Magtech. With regard to the corporate/economic orientation, there was a drastic change at the end of 2023, as S&B is now part of the powerful Colt CZ Group SE, which is on an expansion course with companies such as Ceská Zbrojovka (CZ), Colt, Colt Canada, 4M Systems and Spuhr.
A brilliant start: the history of ammunition manufacturer Sellier & Bellot
The founders Pierre Daniel Louis Sellier and Jean Maria Nicolas Bellot, both from France, gave their name to the ammunition manufacturer, which is known worldwide today. As early as 1823, Bellot and his partner in Paris received an official manufacturing licence for percussion caps and were also silent partners in the Parisian company Tardy & Blancher, which also manufactured percussion caps. Bellot, who researched chlorate and mercury fulminates from 1819 onwards, is often cited as the inventor of the primer, but this cannot be clearly proven due to the large amount of development work going on at the same time. The primer dealer Sellier, in co-operation with the chemical factory A. Richter, began primer production in a former monastery in Prague in order to conquer the Austrian market. The problems that arose in the production process were solved by Bellot. This resulted in the founding of a joint company with production facilities in a Prague suburb in 1825, which is generally regarded as the birth of Sellier & Bellot.
Difficulties with authorisation procedures and ownership rights for foreigners were resolved three years later when Bellot acquired Austrian citizenship. Sellier & Bellot's percussion caps were seen as a major advance by public authorities and private users. The company was heavily subsidised by the public sector in particular, as it was also in the interests of the Austro-Hungarian and Prussian military. A primer factory was set up in Schönebeck in Prussia in 1829. In 1835, Sellier & Bellot achieved an annual production of around 150 million percussion caps. The company registered numerous ammunition patents and traded as "Zündhütchen- und Patronenfabrik vorm. Sellier & Bellot, Prag" in the 20th century until the Second World War. During WW1, production was massively ramped up in order to be able to supply the quantities of ammunition required by the military. With this upswing, the company also became globally relevant as an ammunition supplier. In 1936, part of the production was relocated to a new factory in Vlašim, which is still the primary headquarters of S&B today. Production capacities continued to grow during WW2. After the war, S&B was nationalised by Czechoslovakia, and in the early 1990s the company was transformed from a state-owned enterprise into a joint stock company.
Sellier & Bellot: Modern ammunition manufacturing
S&B is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a new logo
To honour this historic milestone in the company's history, the long-established Czech ammunition manufacturer presented its new corporate identity and logo for the first time at IWA 2025. With the redesigned logo, those responsible at Sellier & Bellot attached great importance to ensuring that the successful and ongoing development of the company continues to be reflected in the same way as its deep-rooted heritage. A heritage of quality and innovation that has always committed S&B to excellence and will continue to do so. The fact that the company attaches great importance to its tradition becomes clear when you compare the previous logos with the new one: apart from the fact that a sans serif, contemporary font is now used and the ampersand between the names of the two company founders has been replaced by the stylised emblem of both letters that used to stand at the end of the company's name, nothing has changed here, so that the recognition value is retained in any case.
Sellier & Bellot today: a look at the current S&B portfolio
The ammunition manufacturer in Vlašim in the Czech Republic makes cartridges in 43 rifle and 23 handgun calibres, with the range also including many shotgun cartridges in all common gauges as well as rimfire ammunition.
Unfortunately, S&B did not want to disclose any production figures, although it is clear that several million cartridges are made every day, especially in standard calibres used by the military and law enforcement, such as 9mm Luger or .223 Remington/5.56x45mm NATO. As with competitors, the focus in the civilian sector today is on lead-free bullets. A prime example of this is the modern eXergy Edge hunting bullet with which S&B will soon be manufacturing cartridges in 8x57 IS and 8x57 IRS, soon to be commercially available.
Lead-free alternatives are also manufactures within the handgun and shotgun ammunition ranges. The XRG Defence bullet, for example, is a modern solid copper hollow-point bullet with high residual weight retention, which is even available in calibres such as .460 S&W Magnum. S&B is known for its heavy metal-free Nontox ammunition range, which is ideal for intensive training in indoor shooting ranges. It goes without saying that the factory carries out quality controls and extensive long-term tests with handguns and long guns using state-of-the-art equipment. For example, two CZ 600 bolt-action rifles in .308 Win. were each fired 2,000 rounds with the S&B SPCE partial jacket bullet and the monolithic S&B TRGX bullet to document barrel wear. The results of such tests and much more practical information can also be found in the current S&B catalog. You can browse through it online here on the manufacturer's website. S&B owns a museum in Vlašim Castle too, and the company continues to supply the Czech armed forces. S&B exports around 90% of the ammunition it produces to over 80 countries worldwide.
Basic text: Stefan Perey and Tino Schmidt
