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Kynoch was a manufacturer of ammunition that was later incorporated into ICI, but remained as a brand for sporting cartridges.
In 1895 Kynoch built an explosives factory east of Shell Haven, Essex (now known as Coryton Refinery). This opened in 1897, with an estate for employees called Kynochtown. Products included cordite, guncotton, gunpowder, and cartridges.Henry W. Macrosty. (1907). The Trust Movement In British Industry. The Chemical Industries. (p. 166). Batoche Books. After World War I many of the United Kingdom ammunition and explosives manufacturers were brought together under Nobel Explosives to become Nobel Industries, which was a founding element of Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI) in 1926. Once Nobel Industries, including Kynoch Ltd, had merged to form ICI,The Metals Division of ICI, ICI, Birmingham, 1950 : p4 the original Kynoch factory in Witton became the head office and principal manufacturing base of the "ICI Metals Division". Kynoch, along with names such as Eley, became brands of subsidiaries.
Kynoch established a munitions factory on the north side of Arklow, Ireland. This factory employed several thousand workers during World War I, but closed shortly after it, all production being moved to South Africa. Seventeen workers were killed in an explosion there on 21 September 1917. It was believed that the plant was shelled by a German U-boat
During the 1950s, the sound of test firing of munitions still occasionally shattered the peace over Witton, but with the standardization of cartridges across the Western powers and a general downturn in ammunition requirements, the sidelines in sporting cartridges were discontinued by Imperial Metal Industries (IMI) in 1970. IMI became independent of ICI in 1977, still producing rimfire and shotgun cartridges for the sporting markets. The more economically viable production of shotgun and rimfire ammunition continued. The Ammunition Division was incorporated separately as Eley Brothers in 1983.
Kynamco, using the Kynoch trademark manufacture 51 of the more popular Kynoch calibres from 6.5x54 ms up to the .700 Nitro Express. They also produce various other types of ammunition for industrial, film and re-enactment use.
To date, Kynoch continues to manufacture in a smaller capacity.
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