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To: Lurker

No, almost no other US domestic manufacturer meets the FULL MILSPEC requirements. They may look like it, but they DON’T.

Colt and FN both meet the current MILSPEC requirements for the rifle’s they’re making for the government. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be making the rifles.

Bushmaster doesn’t MP the barrel or parkerize certain surfaces.
Some manufacturers don’t shot-peen the bolt.
Some don’t air-gauge the barrels.
The list goes on and on.

This doesn’t mean they’re bad rifles.
I have a Colt, a Bushmaster and a Rock River.
My Colt is a civvy 6721 carbine, and even parts of that might not be MILSPEC.
The Bushy and RR definitely don’t meet all the MILSPEC requirements, but I don’t NEED my rifles to meet every requirement. The all function just fine, and I doubt I’d pay $1300-$1500 for a rifle that is, to me, the same as the $900 model.

That doesn’t mean they can’t change and meet the specs, but they currently don’t have the facilities to MP the barrel or perform other operations. Given that a standard govt. contract rifle will sell for almost half that of a civvy model, these companies may feel that it’s not worth it to tool up and buy the required equipment. Remember, a large contract may make it worth it for a manufacturer to add certain expensive processes, because the manufacturing cell and equipment can be spread across a large number of rifles.

However, future contracts won’t be 400,000+ units and Colt’s already got the equipment, the facilities and the process.

Sorry, but those are FACTS.


10 posted on 07/23/2009 11:32:45 AM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: SJSAMPLE
No, almost no other US domestic manufacturer meets the FULL MILSPEC requirements. They may look like it, but they DON’T.

You are right for the most part. But they don't fall short of MILSPEC because they can't. They just cut corners to save money. Who the heck needs a shotpeened bolt in the civilian market anyway? But don't count the other guys out. It is NOT that hard to up the specs. Most of them contract out the individual parts anyway and many of the manufacturing companies that make the parts are making them right along side Colt Milspec parts. ARs are built like Lego sets or personal computers, a few parts from here, a few from there.

Just because the logo says DELL, or ROCK RIVER does not mean most, or even any of the parts were made by that company In the case of computers they were made by some company we have never heard of in Taiwan and for the guns it is machine shop outfits with no brand recognition scattered all over the country. Many of those shops can up the specs of what they make to MIL standard. And if they can't there are other shops that can.
12 posted on 07/23/2009 11:46:13 AM PDT by TalonDJ
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