When it comes to turning vision into reality, few stories are as uniquely inspiring as that of Silver Creek Firearms, a company rooted right here in West Michigan. Born out of the desire to bring a custom, in-house product to life from the talented team at Erdman Machine, Silver Creek Firearms has grown into a respected firearm manufacturer—and one that proudly produces 100% of its revolvers right here in Michigan.
In a recent interview, Scott Erdman of Silver Creek Firearms, shared the story of how the company came to be.
“All along, I’d wanted to have something for Erdman Machine that was truly our own product,” Scott said. “We do a lot of value-added machining for customers, but it wasn’t ours. I thought it would be great to have something that helped fill the downtime and kept people busy—something we made ourselves.”
While the idea of producing firearms was initially met with hesitation by his business partner and wife, the concept came back around years later—this time with support from employees who were skilled and passionate about guns. That was the spark that led to their first creation: a .357 Magnum revolver.
Why that particular model?
“When I was in eighth grade, my gym teacher told me he used to hunt with my dad. Every year, my dad got a deer with a .357 Magnum revolver, while the others with rifles didn’t have as much luck,” Scott shared. “It stuck with me. And since my dad had been a Montague police officer and carried a .357, it felt right to start there.”
With engineering input from the team, Silver Creek designed a 7-shot, single/double action revolver. The result was both powerful and beautifully crafted—machined from 17-4 PH stainless steel, a hardening alloy the team was already familiar with from working on high-performance jet engine parts.
The path from prototype to production wasn’t without its hurdles. Licensing through the ATF brought a mountain of paperwork, background checks, and inspections. But the ATF agents were impressed—not only by the quality of the firearm but by the fact that Silver Creek Firearms is the only manufacturer in Michigan that produces its firearms entirely in-state.
“Most companies assemble imported parts,” Scott explained. “We make almost everything in-house—just a few small springs and screws are purchased. Everything else is ours.”
That dedication has paid off. Their first revolver was auctioned at an NRA national convention for over $5,000. More recently, Silver Creek brought a prototype of their upcoming model to SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the world’s largest industry-only firearms event.
Their flagship revolver, now available and continues to gain recognition for its quality and craftsmanship.
When asked what advice he’d give to someone looking to enter the firearms industry or join his team, Scott was candid: “Do your research. The government requirements are strict, and the paperwork is intense. Luckily for us, it was just a lateral move because we were already used to that kind of work.”
Looking ahead, Silver Creek Firearms has more innovations on the way—and they have inventory ready now for customers looking to own a precision-engineered, locally made revolver.
Learn more or order online at silvercreekfirearms.com.
