The story
Molot was established in 1940, and was originally based in Zagorsk, Moscow Oblast. It was the main manufacturer of the PPSh-41 submachine gun. In 1941 the plant was evacuated to Vyatskiye Polyany with its workers, including G. S. Shpagin and N. F. Makarov, designer of the eponymous Makarov pistol. In the 1950s the plant manufactured the Vyatka motor scooter.
In the 1990s the company diversified by launching a line of sports and hunting weapons. Rifles manufactured in the Molot plant are exported to the United States under the VEPR brand.
The company entered bankruptcy proceedings in 2012; as of 2017 it is being controlled by a bankruptcy managing company.
From Wikipedia’s article on Vyatskiye Polyany Machine-Building Plant, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3