Guns: jammed cylinder (an honest article versus BusinessWeek Garbage)

FT.com ^

[Red in Blue PA]

Don’t bet that the American gun rally is over just yet. This week gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson sharply lowered the sales outlook that it laid out just two months ago. Smith & Wesson and its listed peer Sturm, Ruger are down 15 and 30 per cent respectively since January. The simplistic explanation is that purchases of guns after the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre have abated as it became clear that tightened gun control would not be forthcoming. But that is only part of the reason for the pullback in the share prices. The rest can be explained by the vagaries of the firearm supply chain.

[RC one]

Nobody is buying guns anymore? I'm picking this up tomorrow:

Furthermore, I wonder how companies like Hornady, Lyman, Sierra, Hodgdon, Alliant, Lee, RCBS, Starline, etc are doing?

I think millions of Americans are having a great summer shooting the firearms they have purchased over the winter. Ammo and reloading components are both increasingly available. Americans are enjoying their passion just like every other summer and that means spending money on ammunition and reloading components.

The market is surely saturated with affordable 5.56 mm semi auto AR15 clones but that should just incentivize the manufacturers to bring new products to market that will bring potential buyers back into the market.

What kind of products? How about affordable .50 cals? How about reliable and affordable AR15s chambered for cartridges like .300 win mag, .243 win., 22-250, etc.

If colt wants to make a killing, all they have to do is start making legendary revolvers again.

Kel Tec and Utas need to bring out the semi-auto versions of their bullpup shotguns.

Jim Rowland needs to ramp up his .460 Rowland conversions development and production.

Bottom line: Americans have what they need so now the manufacturers need to offer them what they want.

[Spktyr]

Colt got their ass kicked in the last round of contract letting for the M4 and M16. They now are desperately trying to claw back the civvie market share they turned their nose up at for years.

You can get a Colt AR-15 at Walmart for that same $699 now.

[TurboZamboni]

http://www.meprolight.com/

[lrdg]

“Time to buy Ruger and S & W stock.

Too bad I spent all my money on guns and ammo lol.”

I bought some more S&W stock straight away.

I also bought some Burger King just because the lefties were whine so much.

[Spktyr]

That’s changing again - the steel cases all came from Russia and those are now banned from import. The reason steel had taken over the market was because brass and copper were expensive or unavailable in needed quantities. I’m expecting aluminum a la Blazer to make a comeback soon.

[Spktyr]

The older Eotech designs with the batteries parallel to the barrel have issues with recoil disconnecting the batteries and damaging the battery contacts. The newer ones have the battery perpendicular to the barrel and do not suffer from this issue.

[exit82]

Neat looking weapon.
What is it?

[Myrddin]

I really admire the S&W 929. It would be a fine addition. On the wish list when I get home. My 5 year exile to San Diego is nearly over.

[Spktyr]

Something that makes H&K very angry, but they can’t do anything about it. It’s a PTR-91 pistol, the PTR PDW. It’s a cut down H&K G3. http://ptr91.com/products/PTR%20PDW?id=22

After H&K bailed out of the US rifle market back in the 90s, what’s now PTR bought up the tooling, plans and rights for the H&K G3 from FM Portugal when that country decided it didn’t want to issue them to their military any more. H&K didn’t think PTR was going to be able to do much with the tooling and plans they bought. Now that PTR is making more G3s not to mention G3s in configurations H&K never imagined and fixing issues with the G3 that H&K refused to, H&K is pissed but can’t do anything about it. So basically they just sit in a corner sulking while occasionally issuing statements about ‘inferior clones’ and ‘unauthorized production’ instead of putting the G3 back in their product line and competing.

Meanwhile, PTR is selling more rifles than H&K ever did here - and they’re all now 100% US parts, if desired.

[farming pharmer]

'Colt got their ass kicked in the last round of contract letting for the M4 and M16. They now are desperately trying to claw back the civvie market share they turned their nose up at for years.'

Considering my Anaconda in 45 Colt still locks up tight like the first day I got it, I will buy Colt (or at least look at them) when they start producing revolvers again. My series 80 Model O still functions as good as the day I bought it also.

The only gun I have that beats Colt's quality is a Freedom Arms in 454 Casull. Mucho expensive.

[Spktyr]

Colt’s quality started tanking before the M1991... where they did such fun things as replacing the grip panels with cheap (not terribly durable) plastic. They also replaced the trigger pad and mainspring housing with cheap, not terribly sturdy nylon pieces. The finish on their AR-15s has also gone way downhill - the military (read: cheaply made) issue contract ones FN makes now have better finishes than the Colt Blue Labels of late.

Colt lost the contracts to FN (Colt no longer produces the military’s M4 or M16 at all) not because FN’s bids were cheaper but because the Army finally refused to put up with the sorry lame excuses Colt kept giving out for the low quality crap the Army was seeing. And Colt’s backup plan, use bought Senators and Representatives to block any change, didn’t work either.

[exit82]

Thanks for the info, FRiend!

[RC one]

That is a PTR PDW. It's a semi-auto pistol with an 8 1/8" barrel, based on the venerable HK91/G3 platform, and chambered in .308 win. it is made by PTR industries. I intend to turn it into a short barreled rifle once I have my NFA trust set up.

[RC one]

I am very happy with my S&W revolvers. I am particularly fond of my 327 nightguard though I don’t carry it much. It’s a sweet shooter though. I still carry my M&P340pd all the time however.

[SgtHooper]

Haven’t figgered that one myself, other than the possibility that they can profit more. If paying a buck or more a round, I do not want steel. I have mentally placed Hornady on the probationary list because of the cost and steel, and will not buy from them because of this. I think that steel is good for practice and CQ stuff, but not for precision shots. Some of the fine weapons vendors say that the weapon warranty will be voided by using steel (e.g., LMT). That may be a bit weak as well.

[SgtHooper]

Spotty in being sold out a lot. :-) Quality is excellent! I own several EOTechs, plus Mipros, and am looking at Primary Arms, too. Haven’t tried Aimpoint, but they are tops as well. I just need to remember where I lost it all in that boating accident!

[SgtHooper]

“Kel Tec and Utas need to bring out the semi-auto versions of their bullpup shotguns.”

OMG, now wouldn’t that be interesting.

Re powder, try find Hodgdon Varget and Alliant AR Comp online, anywhere. Difficult if not impossible. Yet, I go down to Fin, Feather, and Fur, the they have 8# containers of AR Comp all over the place. WTF!

[SgtHooper]

Got my trust setup and received my tag three days ago. :-)

[SgtHooper]

Are they actually banning the ammo itself? Or just the weapons? The AK ammo has been stable at about 210$/1000 even after the announcement. And aluminum cases? hmmm. Prolly single-use cases as well.

[Spktyr]

Both. The weapons and the ammo are banned by virtue of the fact that the companies that make them in Russia now being on the ban list. US citizens and company may no longer do business with them outside of the completion of existing orders and shipments pending.