Let's move toward a new future

Investors advised by Rigeto have acquired 100% of the shares in the Lothar Walther Group. With the WX Group, Rigeto is launching an industrial platform for precision firearms components in Europe and the United States. Lothar Walther Feinwerkzeugbau GmbH, headquartered in Koenigsbronn (Baden-Württemberg, Germany), and Lothar Walther Precision Tools, Inc., based in Cumming, Georgia (USA), form the platform investment of the newly founded group.

Founded in 1925 and led in the third generation by Dr. Frank Walther and Gerd Walther, Lothar Walther ranks among the world’s leading manufacturers of high-precision gun barrels for hunting, sport shooting, and government agencies. With more than 250 calibers, the company offers one of the broadest product ranges on the market and supplies around 650 customers in more than 60 countries – from international firearms manufacturers and gunsmiths to dealers, ammunition manufacturers, and public authorities. As the only independent European barrel manufacturer to combine the two key technologies of button rifling and cold hammer forging under one roof, Lothar Walther covers both the most demanding precision requirements and high-volume applications. Fully integrated manufacturing – from blank to finished barrel – at two sites in Europe and the United States ensures short lead times and flexibility for customers.

The transaction is part of a structured succession solution: the previous managing shareholders, Dr. Frank Walther and Gerd Walther, are actively supporting the transition. Franz von Stauffenberg, who brings many years of leadership experience in the defense, hunting, and sporting arms industries, takes over the management of the WX Group. The management team is scheduled to be expanded by an additional managing director in early 2027.

Building a European Components Group

The WX Group consolidates medium-sized, owner-managed precision suppliers for firearms and airguns – from individual components to certified subsystems. The aim is a group that serves its customers as a system partner across the full range of components: “Component suppliers individually, system partner together.” The acquisition focus is on Germany, Switzerland, Northern Italy, and the United States. The companies retain their brand, their location, and their workforce, while gaining reach, sales power, pooled compliance and export expertise, and a secured succession through the group. Further information is available at www.wx-gruppe.com.

“With the Lothar Walther Group, we are gaining a company that has stood for the highest precision for more than 100 years. We thank the Walther family for their trust and, on this foundation, will build a group together with further specialized manufacturers that stands by its customers as a system partner across the full range of components,” said Dr. Richard Lenz, Managing Partner of Rigeto.

“We have led Lothar Walther in the third generation. For us it was clear: a succession should not only preserve the company but develop it further. That is exactly what convinced us about Rigeto – the idea of making Lothar Walther the platform of a growing group in which our brand opens doors to new customers and further specialists in the industry,” added Dr. Frank Walther and Gerd Walther, former shareholders of Lothar Walther.

“In an industrial environment undergoing change, integration into the WX Group creates new perspectives for sustainable development and strategic cooperation. The goal is to preserve the strengths and tradition of Lothar Walther while unlocking new potential,” said Franz von Stauffenberg, Managing Director of the WX Group.

About Lothar Walther

Lothar Walther is an independent manufacturer of precision barrels headquartered in Koenigsbronn, Germany. Founded in 1925, the family business is today led in the third generation and develops and manufactures barrels for hunting, sport shooting, and defense applications. The group operates fully integrated manufacturing in Germany and the United States and offers a broad range of products and calibers. The company holds long-standing customer qualifications and operates internationally under the Lothar Walther brand. Further information is available at www.lothar-walther.com.

About Rigeto

Rigeto invests the private wealth of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial families, pursuing a long-term investment approach aimed at developing and increasing the value of the companies it supports.

Rigeto focuses on established medium-sized companies in the DACH region with a sustainable business model and a track record of profitability. The most common investment occasions are business succession and growth financing. For companies in these situations, Rigeto is a highly experienced and reliable partner, contributing not only the necessary capital but, above all, experience in developing medium-sized businesses.

The Rigeto team builds trust, thinks entrepreneurially, decides quickly, and executes consistently – opening up prospects for an even more successful future. Further information is available at www.rigeto.de.

WX Group online