What is up with DPMS?

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Kobun

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OK, I am coming out with this now, because I want to figure out what is going on.
I am sure the h not getting any answers from DPMS.

Here is my story:
I work as a firearms dealer and distributor in Norway, and I contacted DPMS in an effort that would benefit both our companies.
I was working on a BIG contract, but needed backing from the manufacturer, DPMS.
All I needed was a proforma invoice (a pice of paper) and some facts about the company.
The contract I was working on is a deal for 10-20,000 rifles! Maby 10 times as many!
I can see this slipping, as I have spent months, and countless phone calls to DPMS so they could send me the papers I needed.

The worst part is maby not loosing the tens of thousand $ in potential sales, but loosing the credibility I have in the market, by not beeing able to deliver a product I was sure I could get.


Is this how US gun manufacturers work these days?
-NOT returning phone calls.
-NOT sending the papers a customer needs.
-NOT telling the truth (?)
-SAYING that they have sent something, when they have in reality NOT done it... (Four weeks since they were supposed to have mailed AND faxed a letter!)

If they do not find me credible, or if they don't believe I am working on such a huge contract, then why don't they just tell me???

Please help me figure them out.

K.
 
Can't speak for DPMS's sales and service dept. but did you try Bushmaster? VERY good company to deal with.
 
Kobun, if it is for that many rifles, and DPMS isn't getting back to you, time to contact Bushmaster and Armalite. That is a lot of money and a lot of production. Let them fight for it.
 
Is this how US gun manufacturers work these days?
Click to expand...

Kobun, just because you've had a bad experience with one manufacturer doesn't mean all US manufacturers have the same poor business practices.

With the kinds of volumes you're talking about, you should be able to get very good response from other manufacturers. With those volumes Bushmaster, Colt and others would probably be very interested.
 
I hope I speak for everyone when I say it is not a US gun manufacturer problem, or even a US business problem.

In fact, it is a general US problem. You see, we are all lazy bastards who spend all our time on the internet when we should be returning the proactive calls of our European business partners who simply require


Oop! Gotta go, boss coming.
 
The problem is that Bushmaster and Colt have reps here.
They are not going for the contract. Go figure...
Guess I have better contacts than them. ;)

As for speaking about US manufacturers in general:
I probably shouldn't have put it like that, cause I import from others in the US and get grade 1 service!

It is just strange that a company can spend months on writing this:
AR-15 200 units
Barrels 50 units
Lower reciever 50 units
Upper reciever 50 units
Mic parts 1000

Actually, that is ALL I need!!!!

I told a Swiss company that I had an urgent order.
It took them 30minutes to send me a fax.
Now, that is service!

I just can't figure this one out...
 
I think it's pretty safe to say that DPMS never deals in contracts as large as the one mentioned in this thread. For that kind of production, you'll have to go to Bushmaster. (Colt could probably handle it, but I wouldn't do business with them myself.)
 
Maybe a better place to post this question is the DPMS forum over at ar15.com.

You mention Colt and Bushy are not "going for" the contract, maybe there is something wrong with the contract.

DPMS only made a total of 10k rifles or so last year, they are not the biggest AR shop by a large margin, and if the largest, Bushy and Colt, are passing, there is a reason.....

This just does not add up.....
 
I'm a DPMS fan and have never had a problem with the company myself. You might want to contact Bushmaster or Olympic Arms. These two companies have more capacity than DPMS to ramp-up production to the levels you quote. Bushmaster in particular has had experience with large contracts. I'd stay away from Colt. As often as they 'reorganize' and go on strike, you are likely to get caught up in their world. FN also makes AR-15's for government buyers IIRC. I know they had a US military contract for a while.
 
Kobun- I know someone that works there. If you want me to contact him, PM me.
 
I kind of agree with WalkerTexasRanger....something don't add up.....it's a small company, but, there has to be something wrong with your credentials or credit problem............not too many companies can put out 200,000 rifles fast like that.......I mean you did state 10-20,000 and maybe 10 times that many..........
 
there has to be something wrong with your credentials or credit problem............
Click to expand...
Then why don't they TELL me?
Or just send the proforma invoice? (A non binding piece of paper).
When they get the IIC (International Import Certificate) back from my gov., shouldn't that tell them something?
I have asked them about capasity, and they said they could handle what I talked with them about.

As for not Colt or Bushmaster "going for it".
No, there is nothing wrong with the contract. Maby exept that there hasn't been a publicly stated contract.
It has basically been a few people, figuring what rifles would be "cool"...
They had started the testing, but as they have another AR type, the handeling of different manufacturers, with the same specs is the same. What was important was to get a rifle in for the life cycle testing.

As for volume.
The contract would be filled in 2-3 years for the first 12-20,000.
The 10x is an estimate I have from someone who is in the know, but not a official number.
 
My experience when this happens is when they are secretly working on the same bid/deal with one of your competitors so they are purposely ignoring you or delaying their response to cut you out.

Only solution is to have many options.
 
If Bushmaster & Colt won't touch your contract, then I'd say the problem lies with YOU.

Nobody turns down $$, unless the problems outweigh the returns.
 
If Bushmaster & Colt won't touch your contract, then I'd say the problem lies with YOU.
Click to expand...
Please read AGAIN!
I have not contacted eighter of them, as they already have reps here...
It is up to them if they want to go for a contract or not.

I have been selling and building AR's with DPMS parts for a long time, and are known in Norway as top of the line products.

People in the SF comunity has asked me to provide them with DPMS parts and rifles, and I just can not get them what they need.
I am on my way to work right now, and the first thing that I will have to do, is to call some of the guys that was in Afghanistan along with the US troops, and tell them that no, DPMS is not interested in selling us anything.

It is not me, nor my credibility.
K.
 
Kobun, like I said, I have a contact in DPMS if you're serious about this contract.
 
Yeah... unless it's to be spread out over a few years, I wasn't under the impression that DPMS had the capability to build 20,000 rilfes a year, let along the possibility of it being '10 times that many'.

And unless things have changed in the last month, Bushmaster is being somewhat difficult to get parts and special orders from as they were on military hold a month ago. With the changing tides in Iraq, this very well might have changed.
 
Stopped exporting? That is just plain dumb...they're losing out on an extremely large business opportunity.
 
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