Gunmaker scaling back

Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, GA) ^ | 1/30/06 | TONY ADAMS

[yarddog]

I am not up on the XM8. What caliber would it be in? Is it any good?

[oldenuff2no]

They are using the 308 and 300 Win Mags right now in Iraq. People seem to think that the only firearm our military has are M-16's in one version or another. There are also a lot of shotguns being used by our troops for clearing houses.
I'm a rifle smith, and the scuttlebutt I hear is that they are opting for a larger caliber in our next battle rifle. I'm hearing everything from 6.2MM to 8MM based on a shortened version of the old 32 Rem rimless case. This new standard, larger caliber, is something from the returning troops and would explain the delay and rethinking of things.

[MaDeuce]

Time to ramp up production of the M14 again. Still the best ... time to get the Springfield Armory up to speed making a few thousand a week.

[VOA]

The structure, formerly used by Cessna Aircraft, is the U.S. distribution
center for H&K's 80 models of weapons and accessories.

Interesting intersection of two industries that trial lawyers have
tried to drive from the face of the earth.

[pabianice]

I suspect this has more to do with the late acknowledgement that the .223 and 9mm rounds suck than anything directly attributable to H&K.

[El Laton Caliente]

Too late on the 91... The patent ran out long ago and JDL bought the H&K factory equipment from the Portugese Government and is producing the PTR91, a great rifle. It is on the market starting at about $800 and topping off at $1300 with the retractable stock & heavy barrel.

[El Laton Caliente]

You haven't priced the Century CETMEs lately...

Century ran out of CETME parts for the clones and the price has jumped to around $450 plus for NIB CETMEs.

[SJSAMPLE]

Soldiers who've fired it (MANY of them) have expressed an overwhelmingly positive attitude about the weapon. Lighter, agile, and very reliable.

However, the XM-8 was not sufficiently different (same caliber - although it could be rebarreled in 6.8mm, same basic functionality) to warrant a wholesale replacement of the M-16/M-4. Really, it's not that much different from the already excellent HK G-36 series.

The FN SCAR is coming out soon and will make civilian sales sometime this year (hopefuly). I'd get an XM-8 if they offered it (they'd have to make it here because of import restrictions).

[El Laton Caliente]

I've been contending for years a .25 cal. like the .243 would be a great compremise battle round...

[SJSAMPLE]

M-14s are pretty nice.
I sold my M1A to fund other rifles, though.

However, .308 rifles based on the M-16 platform (Armalite AR-10 and Stoner's SR-25) are receiving much more positive receptions. Similar ergonomics and more accurate than the M-14. Also tons more pricey. And don't get me started about Springfield's cast receivers. LRW makes the best new forged receiver, but it's a wait and $1400 minimum.

Too bad Bill Clinton exported THOUSANDS of M-14's to our "allies", and these rifles can never be reimported for civilian use.

[Little_shoe]

True. I remember hearing something about you can buy one in ga.

[Dead Corpse]

I thought HK didn't like selling to Civvies? "We civilians don't need that kind of firepower" type BS...

Screw 'em. Let 'em flounder until they figure it out.

[ßuddaßudd]

HK USP40 bump

[Fido969]

There also is the matter of the U.S. defense budget, which topped $400 million in 2005

Missed a decimal point there somewhere, I'd guess the US military spent over 400 million on copier supplies.

[Sender]

I remember back in the late 80's holding a brand new Belgian FNC with folding stock at my local gunstore and liking it a lot. They wanted maybe $800 for it, which I thought was excessive at the time. I'd wait until the price came down.

Boy was I stupid.

[Joe Brower]

"I thought HK didn't like selling to Civvies?"

They don't, which was my point. If they have a money problem, they need to re-think their position. If not, let the market decide their fate.

[Centurion2000]

Buy SWB stock!

Who ??

[brazzaville]

Good afternoon.
"I thought HK didn't like selling to Civvies?"

This is off topic, but does anyone remember a .223 semi auto rifle made by HK for the civilian market in the 1980s?

I could be wrong about the manufacturer but I remember it looking like a Gew-43. I can't find anything on it.

Michael Frazier

[yarddog]

I had an HK SL6 which was in .223. It had a wood stock but functioned just like the HK-93 except the operating handle was not on the left side of the barrel but was on the bolt.

Mine was uncommonly accurate, in fact more accurate than most bolt actions.

I sold it around 1987 while I was in grad school and needed the money. Wish I had it back although mine came with a five round clip and high capacity ones were hard to find.

[mwyounce]

I got in around $1.90 several years ago, and added to my position to get an average of around $1.35/share....

In March of last year, it hit 2.74, and then fell like a rock. When it hit $2, I sold off 90% of my stock, afraid I was going to lose all my profits....

So you have me to thank for the rebound it IMMEDIATELY did.... If I hadn't sold, it would've fallen to 4¢! ha ha.