Watchtower Firearms, a Texas-based gun manufacturer known for its flashy marketing and high-end rifles, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy—just two years after opening its doors.
Founded in 2022 by veterans and former Raytheon executives, Watchtower made a hard push into the firearms market, promising premium products for civilian, military, and law enforcement customers. The company quickly grabbed attention after acquiring F-1 Firearms in 2023—a brand once visited by Donald Trump Jr. and his son, who reportedly built an AR-15 there.
Despite the buzz, Watchtower’s ambitious expansion and marketing tactics didn’t translate into strong sales. Their products, like the $4,199 Apache double-stack 9mm pistol, were priced at the top end of the market. While some in the gun community were intrigued, others questioned whether the hype could hold up in a cooling firearms market.
Gun sales have been dropping nationwide. Even Texas—long considered a gun-buying stronghold—has seen numbers nearly cut. And historically, gun sales tend to dip during Republican administrations when there’s less fear of new restrictions.
Watchtower leaned heavily on social media marketing, using “gunfluencers” and YouTubers to promote the brand. But not everyone in the gun community was sold. Critics on Reddit and gun forums said the brand was “all sizzle, no steak,” with some calling it a warning against relying too much on influencer clout.
At the time of the filing, Watchtower Firearms was reportedly $2.8 million in debt, with significant amounts owed to another firearms manufacturer, Alpha Foxtrot, and unpaid federal excise taxes.
Reports claim the company also found itself in a legal fight with the former owner of its building—who also happened to be the previous owner of F-1 Firearms. That lawsuit, paired with the slowdown in sales, may have been too much for the young company to survive.
Still, Watchtower is pushing forward with promotions for its latest release, The Bridger, a backcountry hunting rifle named after legendary American frontiersman Jim Bridger. Preorders are still open, although many in the gun world are urging caution when buying from a company undergoing bankruptcy reorganization.
For gun owners who appreciate quality, value, and proven reliability, Watchtower’s rise and fall serves as a reminder: slick branding and Instagram shout-outs don’t make a solid firearms company. The American gun community still expects performance, trust, and staying power—qualities that can’t be bought with likes.
What do you think—was Watchtower doomed from the start, or is there still a chance they pull through?
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My firearms are tools. Yeah, Snap-On makes really good tools, not necessarily the best, and I can buy other brands that perform just as well for far less money. The Snap-On warranty is great, but paying four times the price for every tool I have so that I can get a free replacement for the one or two percent of my tools that fail or wear out doesn’t make economic sense. I have a variety of firearms for the intro class. The people attending decide for themselves, but I look for reliability and durability before “State of the Art” when… Read more »
I’d never even heard of them.
I looked at F1 Firearms back in the day when Demo Ranch had his “signature” model. Not because I “was a fanboy that HAD to have one”. More just curious. They were cool, but too flashy for my tastes.
Then the company gets sold off to a “higher, faster, louder” company with shiny marketing. No one wants to buy a multi-thousand-dollar AR nowadays. I’m sure there are folks that do, but most don’t. In the end they all go bang when you press the trigger.
It’s always very sad to see a firearms company go down, but I was always suspicious of “gunfluencer” marketing. It doesn’t give a good look, in my opinion. Maybe I’m an outlier for gen z, but I like tried and true classics that have real-world credit, like Glock, Colt, S&W, DD (even though they still market more) and aren’t necessarily at the forefront of “marketing” or “innovation “. I’d take any SOCOM guys recommendation over Mr. 3million followers.