I see that Remington Arms has been sold once again to an investment group/fund. We can only hope that the new group will be a little more responsive to the buying publics wants and concerns. The last group sure as hell was not.


My personal wish list is easy to fill.

Bring back the R16 wads as a standard reloading stock item.
Stop putting your name on every imported klunker.
Bring back the 3200 with a weight reduction of one pound.
If you put a gun in your catalog have them avaiable to buy.

After the sale is final, in June, I intend to write them a letter with several suggestions. Unless they want to end up like Winchester and Ithaca they need to start meeting the buyers needs. Not those of the bean counters within, because the bean counters have not bought a dozen gun in any year and I/we have.

No offense Jon, but much as I enjoyed my 3200s I don't believe the 3200 is a wise business path in todays marketplace. The big blocky actioned gun is primarily suitable for targets and has plenty of competition in that market. Those old used P & K guns can be pretty reasonable and remind me of the DC-8s and DC-9s we built. They just keep on working and therefore cut into new sales. And as a 3200 guy I'm sure you know about all the problems they had. Toss in the fact that they would be expensive to build and wouldn't compare to the P & K guns in quality, and I think the sales would be disappointing.

Now, a Miroku contract built Rem 1900 in modern metals and workmanship of good quality and various grades, and I'm in.

Jon,
They were bought by a very hairy private equity company that only cares about financial return (Cerberus). They are not gun people, but they do already own Bushmaster Arms...along with airlines, banks, car rental companies, GMAC, Formica, FILA, etc.

Include a biz plan with your suggestion letter.

Many of these private equity buy outs are for short term financial gain by selling off the parts, not for any long term improvement in the operations of the basic firm.
Stay tuned and don't be surprised if the "new Remington" drops many of it's more desireable, but less profitable lines, and sells products to the lowest common denominator.

It's over. Let's get over it. The auto industry was taken over by businessmen overseas who built what we wanted. Cars, pulpwood and guns are commodities and the only way to get more for them is to add value to the commodity. On the evidence, that's not going to happen with any Winchester or Olin.

Not to knock any of our gun writer members because I value their contributions to this board, I believe I've read more cogent and reasoned analysis here of the good and bad of the sporting firearms industry than anything published in our magazines for the past 60 years. Why we haven't read it is part of our problem.

Which takes us back to Jim Zumbo. His opinion should not have been more offensive than the many and varied strongly held opinions here about steel shot, .410s as a bore solely for experts, the NRA, RBLs, overseas makers, etc. His firing chilled any notions of columns of integrity and vitality.

Writing letters doesn't cut it. We have no tribunes, no voice. Walt Whitman said to have great poets requires great audiences. To have good leaders requires great followers, people who understand and contribute to a cause. We neutered ourselves by making censor-gods of advertizers and sponsors.

That's why I say a prayer every day for every member of this board. A prayer is a wish. I wish for a place of cut-and-thrust of debate that strengthens critical judgement about our interests without a covering dead hand from our sponsors. So that's my sermon for today. Bless all of you.

Yeti and Keith are are exactly right.

The sale of Remington is just another gasp out of the old horse about to kick the bucket. America is being sold off bit by bit and is disappearing fast. I hope everyone has plans on which country they will be sending their grandkids - in 50 years they won't be welcome here except as day labor.

"Which takes us back to Jim Zumbo. His opinion should not have been more offensive than the many and varied strongly held opinions here about steel shot, .410s as a bore solely for experts, the NRA, RBLs, overseas makers, etc. His firing chilled any notions of columns of integrity and vitality."

BS - steel shot, .410s etc are not ennumerated in our Bill of Rights, bought and kept with blood.

Zumbo associated a type of Firearm with Terrorism. The very Type of Firearm related to the Bill of Rights, and confused Sporting guns with 2nd Amendment Arms.

Remington still interested in selling these. Bit short on the barrels and stocks but what they do best:



jack

Postoak, the United States and Canada skirmish around the Bill and Charter every day and as hundreds of previous threads here have shown there's no end to feelings about application of those rights either way. I'll take your word that Jim Jumbo associated a firearm with terrorism but "association" is often loosey-goosey in the same way I'm connected with Sophia Loren in my mind and have only seen her on the screen.

But so what if he did? In civil society we grapple with these issues every day i.e. gay marriage rights, whether marriage commissioners can opt out of officiating gay weddings, conscientious objector status in Canada, etc and in the US: Ten Commandments in the court house, display of religious symbols, Intelligent Design and creationism in schools etc. None are being fired for what they think.

It would be a shame if they are. If I were his publisher or sponsor, I'd have opened his columns or space to provide opportunities for people like ourselves to challenge him. Better intelligent discourse than a man disappearing without comment like driven smoke. Regards, King

I know the chances of making any real improvement, in Remingtons' product line, is near zero. But those who do not bitch do not have the right to expect more. The days of a responsive gun makers are behind us. In fact they do not seem able to see the trees for the leaves. If they keep selling imported guns under their own name in the end they will be just that a importer and a empty name.

Still they need to be told information that they are not getting. I remember years ago when both the 257 Roberts and the 220 Swift were as dead as dead could be. Winchester was asked by one of the large wholesaler to make the Model 70 in both calibers. They refused and said both calibers would soon be out of their ammo line because no one shot them anymore. One maker made one special run of 1,000 rifles for each. The experts told them that they would be stuck with them for years. Both runs sold out almost before they had been made. In fact they sold out several times over they years. Lesson learned was that the experts were wrong. Shooters want what they want and those who will make it will sell more guns.

Maybe Remington will never learn, but maybe they will take on minor chance I we get one wad, or decent 16 hull like the old AA16, or one gun or one whatever back into production. Any improvement will be just that.

I think they bought it for it's brand equity. I kind of think they will "off shore" as much as they can of the high volume items and drop as much as they can of things with low margins..... or sell them as a unit.

Al