[Loaded]

And now you can buy ANY gun manufacturer you want. Who would you buy out and what changes would you make?

[WonderNine]

Hi-Point and Glock. I would then sell them to Dupont. :D

[Wanderer]

Smith and Wesson. Cut the internal lock crap, lower prices, and PAAAAAAARTY!!!!!!

[Zundfolge]

Hmm ... $350 Million isn't a lot of money ... what gun companies could be had for that little?


And what would be the problems with buying a foreign company (I'm thinking Glock has to be pretty profitable)?

Part of the decision would also rest on whether or not the AWB dies.



I wonder if Steyr could be had for that little.

Okay, this is fantasy :)

I'd buy Steyr and expand their handgun line in two directions.

I'd expand on the polymer pistols and in addition bring out a line CCW Lugers.

I wouldn't touch the rifle lineup much ... just add to it with a non bullpup style .223 rifle (to compeat with the HK SL8 ... and it would take AR mags) and of course find a way to build AUGs for civilians :).

[GunNut]

Ok, I'll play.

I'd go for one of the oldest and at one time most respected gun manufactures. That's right COLT.

I'd then fire 90% of the mis-guided management, and in their place put people who in believe that civilians matter. I believe that Colt has forgotten that it's the ordinary people who matter, not just military and police.

Most everyone wants a Colt of some kind be it a cowboy gun, 1911 or a AR15.

I'd introduce the entire line back to the civilian market, and implement a marketing plan announcing Colt's desire to be the peoples friend.

Then maybe work on something in DA/SA or DAO, and a smaller CCW version. Market this to both the law enforcement community and the civilian market. I believe alot of ordinary people buy what they see on police officers belts.

Who says the greatest name in firearms can't rise up once again?

Steve

[Wanderer]

I wouldn't touch the rifle lineup much ... just add to it with a non bullpup style .223 rifle (to compeat with the HK SL8 ... and it would take AR mags) and of course find a way to build AUGs for civilians .

SL8's over man, over. At least from what I hear...

[10-Ring]

$350 million?
I'd enter the race to be governor of CA since I still have time :D

As for which gun manufacturer I'd buy...none of them. I'd rather own samples from them than own the head aches associated w/ the firearms industry in CA :banghead:

[pignock]

I think I'd rather start a new company - never enough gun companies.

first two projects

1. become a licensed Daewoo rifle manuf.

2. make a SINGLE STACK polymer 1911

[45King]

If I won $350M, I wouldn't buy any gun company.

First order of business would be a new house, at the center of which would be the gun room, basically a super-sized bank vault with electronic keypad entry. The majority of that room would be for displaying firearms behind glass (armored, of course,) with lots of room for various trophy mounts. (I would definitely see a Cape buff and a couple of bears, not to mention deer, kudu, eland, wapiti, reindeeer, moose, lion, and somehow, a leopard in my future.) Small annexes to that room would be the shop area where I would do reloading and cleaning, as well as a kitchenette and a bathroom. A safe big enough to store most of the cash (I'd only keep $100K in the bank,) It would be a self sufficient room, with it's own (buried) diesel generator, water supply, air filtration system, etc. It would also have an underground escape route. I'd figure $5 to $10 M on the house. Then it would be time to go gun, car, airplane, bike, boat, and electronics shopping!

[4v50 Gary]

Barrett. M82s in every home and $20 a magazine. :)

[MicroBalrog]

Me? I'd bribe some INS guy for a Greencard.

Then, I'd buy Bushmaster.:evil:

[hops]

I'd build a Firearm's fantasy camp resort. Not sure where, but it would cater to the true firearms enthusiasts.

[Kaylee]

I'd use the $350M as capital to push up into the couple Billion range... Maybe in firearms, maybe (prolly) not.

I'd then use the cash to pay off a tinhorn dictactor in the South Pacific region or somewhere in Africa... maybe South America... I'd want some portion of the country COMPLETELY clear.. a place to start a new state.

Then I'd invite in industries with perpetual miniscule to zero tax rates, and do the same for every American or similarly-minded folk. Draft up a state of principles somewhat similar to the BOR (with teeth) and step down.

gun laws? what gun laws? taxes? hunh? :)

-K

failing that.. prolly what Gunnut said... Colt

Introduce that small singlestack polymer 1911 style CCW piece, and scrap the Colt Cowboy line. Replace 'em by buying lots of USFS Rodeos under the table, slapping a faux casehardened finish on 'em and stamping a little pony on the side. Voila.. cheap(er) SAA clone that the CAS folks would just eat up.

After that got the company consistently in the black, raise the bar again in infantry rifles... and make sure to sell it to Civvies.

After that.... start looking into exotics -- railguns, particle beams, and so forth, and at least get tooled up to go once the power and cooling problems are solvable.

-K

[DMK]

Springfield Armory. They make M1As, 1911s, Garands and some plastic pistol. What more could one want? ;)

OK once I owned them, we'd start making ARs also. Once we mastered the art of making them in .223, we'd start making them in lotsa different calibers. :cool:

[blades67]

I'd become a Class II manufacturer.:D

[DF357]

to buy off a bunch of weazally politicians and get some of our rights back? If it would help, that's where it would do the most good. The gun companies could then start to thrive.

Probably dreaming tho, because they'd keep comping back for more.

[clem]

I think I'd spend it on removing the ACLU.

[Moparmike]

Umm, lets see. I probably wouldnt buy a gun company. My answer would be closer to what 45king did. Anyone know what the going rate on 1000 acres in Alaska is? Maybe a nice 100 acre plot here in AR too. A chopper to get into town from my 1k acre plot. A couple of HMMWV's, just because I can go almost anywhere with it. A whole crapload of guns and ammo. (read basement and gun basement.) Ma Duces in strategicly located pill boxes that look like deer blinds. Etc.

A little rainy day fund (he he, little...).

[Glock Glockler]

Kaylee,

I like that idea about buying your own country, maybe someplce in Southern Africa with good land a lot of coast. There sure is going to be plenty of cheap real estate there in 20-30 years so this is actually doable:)

Or maybe we could really invest in the free state/region project and try to reconquer the USA, hmmmmmmm...

Once either one of those is accomplished I think the free market would do it's thing and we'd see some nifty stuff. I could hire Chris II, Badger Arms, and Boston T Party to build me some nifty stuff and I'd just handle the torture testing aspect of the business, with Skunk to handle the tactical marketing of it all. The only problem would be the name of the company, cause I probably couldn't call it "Glock Glockler, Inc.", something to do with copyrights and stuff.

[firestar]

I too would buy Colt, not because I like Colt guns that much but because they have a good name that people know and I think they could make some serious money if they would only try.

I would re-introduce all the oldies like the SAA and the 1911 but make them made in U.S.A. and affordable. I would try to sell to the people and make more new products. I would start with a good .22 pistol like the Woodsman and re-build from there like Ruger.

Then I would concentrate on CCWs. I would make a small single stack 9mm that is about the size of the Gov model .380 but it would be DA/SA with a decocker ala SIG and it would have night sights and a Titanium frame. Total weight would be under 15ozs and they would sell for less than $600 from the dealers (MSRP ?).

I would also sell some revolvers that would compeat with S&W for the folks that want a quality revolver but for some reason don't wish to buy from S&W. 1911s would be the corner stone for the near future until the fad passes and then I would start producing a gun like a Glock for the police and military. The gun would be cheap and reliable with plastic frame and coated metal parts. I produce them by the millions and sell to every nation I could. Mass produce and sell cheap until I got my hooks in and then raise prices until people were crying/:D

[Zedicus]

I'd buy a Smallish Island Somewhere and Declair it my Own Country and make my own Laws as I see fit! :D

[Meowhead]

Mateba.

Then it would be more experimentation, more marketing in the US, more weird freaky revolver designs.

[Bruce H]

I would go underground. Draw as little attention to myself as possible. Work through third, fourth and fifth levels of people. Reclaim this country the way it was started. Buy a nationwide floral outfit.

[George Hill]

I'd fly around the country to all the people that have pissed me off... and point and laught at them.

Kidding.

I'd buy a boat. A big one. And move on to it. Put some guns on board, a couple bikes and a couple jeeps. Sail around Pacific Northwest and then down around panama and up to Virginia... ride around visiting friends... cruise to Scotland... ride around visiting pubs and people... and then I'd have to come up with something productive to do.

Oh, the boat? It's a decomissioned Naval Minesweeper. Make for a nice house boat and costs only 195,000 dollars.

Crew? Some good friends. Maybe a little Privateering too while we are out there.

[HBK]

I would buy Walther and make them open US based factories and cancel that deal they made with S&W. Maybe buy H&K and make them sell all to civilians. Get the gun laws abolished.

edited for spelling

[Stevie-Ray]

I wouldn't buy a gun co. I'd buy enough land to have my own 1000 yd range. Then I'd buy more guns, concentrating on the long range weapons. Maybe put in a IHMSA silhouette range; always wanted one of those. Course I'd hafta find an XP-100 in .308 to go along with it, and a Dan Wesson revolver in .357 Maximum. Heck with the company. Guns and fun, that's the ticket.

[Erik]

I wouldn't speculate in the firearms market.

Though, for argument's sake, and assuming the funds were sufficient, if I did I would attempt to buy out control of Kimber.

I'd whittle the 1911 options down a bit while continuing to push the market forward, and continue their inroads into the longarm markets.

[George Hill]

No one mentioned buying Glock and have them make the fabled Glock Carbine.

:confused:

[jsalcedo]

I would make a true pro second amendment action/drama with top box office stars. (even if they are anti..hahah) It would also include technical supervision from all the top firearms schools. Directed by John Milius

It would be 50% documentary 50%entertainment. 100% factual.

Maybe shorts of actual self defense stories threaded together into a common plot.

The rest of the money would go to advertising and private distribution.

[erikm]

Hmm ... $350M ... I could retire on that :p

I would probably not buy a gunmaker. While an interesting idea it's probably more trouble than it's worth.

Seriously, first thing, I'd clear any and all debts.
Then I'd move, first within the Netherlands but in the end probably to north america. The climate over there seems better these days, in more ways than one. Where in north america to move to would be the subject of a lengthy investigation. Hell, maybe I'd end up being a modern road nomad, river rat or sea gypsy. Maybe even all three. :)

I'd probably sink quite a bit of the cash into some fairly speculative high-tech ventures. Hybrid ground vehicle propulsion and cheap commercial access to space come to mind. Gun rights would get some seed money for either a made-for-tv movie or an interesting ad campaign. Other issues organisations (tax reform, for example) would also get donations. The rest I'd invest conservatively. I've got to have an income after all, and 1% of $100M is still a considerable amount, even after the Infernal Robbers' Society comes calling.

Cheers,
ErikM :evil:

[Combat-wombat]

SIG. I'd have them make semi-auto SG-550 series rifles in the US. Not that it would do any good to me in the PRK, but hey, hopefully I'll move.

[Kharn]

I'd buy Glock. Then I would have them get into the $5000+ OU shotgun game, with lots of gold engraving and no tennifer except on the firing pins, and the safari rifle scene with true Mauser recievers in respectable, shoulder-kicking magnum calibers (the guys from Accurate Reloading, of .577 Tyranosaur video fame, would be my load and cartridge developers).

Then we'd look into expanding to the revolver market. :what:

Kharn

[ElToro]

"Hmm ... $350 Million isn't a lot of money ... what gun companies could be had for that little?"

i think S&W was sold for like 29 mil ? i read an article in 88 or 89 where Bill Ruger made an offer to buy S&W and was turned down for 150 Mil.

Otherwise i'd buy an island or most of Montana.. one or the other

[Jack19]

I'd wait until after the AWB expires in '04 and then make high quality aftermarket hi-cap mags, for all the popular models.

I don't think that, if it does expire, weapons manufacturers will be able to keep up with demand for quite a while. Who here will be caught without 50 hi-caps in the closet for every semi-auto weapon you own after 9/04?

Not me!!

[BowStreetRunner]

If i had to buy a gun company i would buy Smith and Wesson I think
i would publicly rescind their pact with Satan, i mean Clinton's White House, then start a lot of massive public relations work to convince joe and jane gunowner that s&w supported their right to bear arms
i would continue to develop high quality revolvers, and scrap the sigma line and come up with something totally new in the line of polymer pistols
i would make sure QC was great so as to take advantage of the Walther products that S&W makes
i would slim down the line of S&W double action autos....that number system is just too darn confusing.....!!!
AND i would aggreasively seek police contracts but only with places that support the rights of their citizens to bear arms
BSR

[Keeper]

Heck with buying one I would start my own. :)

[boogalou]

I'd buy the rights to Star and Astra, merge the two names and start making some of their nice modern handgun designs. Maybe make a run once in awhile of the Star model B & S series., or the Astra 300.

Then I'd try to put Llama out of business and/or buy them and use better QC/QA on their handgun line.

[seeker_two]

I'd buy Hastert & Frist... :evil:

[Futo Inu]

Ruger, and then spend hundreds of thousands of company money to make sure the homeland defense rifle ban sunsets, which Ruger was responsible for passing originally, to right the wrong, and make sure gun owners learned this fact. Then, all the money given to NRA to buy their silence in Ruger's past oppression of gun owners, would instead be given to GOA to stop anti-gun legislation. Then, get on with making more guns.