The firearms industry is in a mess just learned colt is filing.for bankruptcy next Monday First Remington ,marlin ,bushmaster and a bunch of its buy offs We may.lose tons of guns without any laws passed .Hunting is in.danger and only 13.5 million people hunt.In this country any.more .I.have told And told people most important part of hunting is teaching and taking kids to hunt .It's all disappearing before out eyes now another school.shooting.for gun.control .If you have not joined the NRA join and take kids and teach them.safety and hunting.it's disappearing before our eyes !

They filed chapter eleven in 2015

I wonder how many times in the past 25 years that Colt has filed. Seems like about every 5 or 6 years!

seems like colt does this 1 second after minimum period, for the last 30 years

quote:

Originally posted by dgr416:
The firearms industry is in a mess just learned colt is filing.for bankruptcy next Monday First Remington ,marlin ,bushmaster and a bunch of its buy offs We may.lose tons of guns without any laws passed .Hunting is in.danger and only 13.5 million people hunt.In this country any.more .I.have told And told people most important part of hunting is teaching and taking kids to hunt .It's all disappearing before out eyes now another school.shooting.for gun.control .If you have not joined the NRA join and take kids and teach them.safety and hunting.it's disappearing before our eyes !

not being a jerk here .. did you type this on a smartphone, as i put in lots of "." rather than spaces on my note


i expect 1/2 of that 13.5 M hunters are in texas

Seems to me Colts biggest problem is that it concentrates on large millitary contracts and not the civilian market. If they were making 1873's, pythons and other civilian targeted guns, they would be making koney if the quality was there. They have never been the low price option in the civilian market and rightly so. On the black gun, 1911 market, there are lots of competitors with a like product. Little profit here.

I bet Winchester is not far behind .I never see their guns for sale anywhere except cdnnsports when they are discontinued .I can tell the quality of guns over all had gone way down over all .There are recalls all the time .I have been getting as many of the well built older guns as I can while the market is down .We refinanced of losing our guns and hunting before our eyes .The future of hunting is teaching kids and taking them not trophies on the wall .The kids today don't care about old Winchesters ,old Colts or any old guns. THEY know glocks and ar15 that's about it. A friend have his grand kids A ton of guns they ran to the pawn shop bad traded them for games They were nice rifles too !

A few personal anecdotes...

In the generation behind me, there are 15 kids (my own kids plus nieces and nephews). They all grew up exposed to guns and hunting. My guess at this point in time is that only one of the bunch is ever likely to purchase a gun on their own.

I’m holding three pistols in my safe for friends whose wives don’t want handguns in their homes.

Of a dozen close friends who are my hunting buddies, I can only think off hand of two or three of their combined kids who show any serious interest in guns or hunting.

In my current hunting club, there are 17 members. Two of these members are under age 35. Each year only 3 or 4 of their kids show up to hunt with their dads.

I have four good friends under the age of 35 who like quality guns, hunting, fishing, cigars and good country music. I’ve decided I’ll probably leave most of my guns and gear to them.

The world is changing fast.

I think every state requires some amount of hunter education to be eligible to purchase a hunting license. So how many devote any time to the program in your respective states?

There seems to be a number of factors that are to blame.

For one thing, every year it gets more difficult to find places to hunt.

The overall cost of shooting and hunting has risen in recent years.

There is a lot of pressure from the general public to reign in gun ownership

As less and less parents are hunters and shooters less and less of their children will be exposed to guns and hunting.

Gun violence, school shootings, etc.

the growth of Other pastimes

The large number of guns already in circulation

.

ForrestB, Can I be your good friend too if you are leaving guns to friends ?

On a serious note, in Germany you have to obtain a national hunting license. The courses and schools are booked out a year up front. Just registered our 18 year old for Jagdschule 2019!

In RSA there are more kids hunting than you can imagine. Country life. But then again less TV, fewer computer games, more outdoor sports and events. Go figure.

Charlie

.

"just learned colt is filing.for bankruptcy next Monday"

What is your source for this information?

It was on my Gunsamerica news up date .They keep up with firearms news pretty well so I always read it .
The average age of deer hunters here in Georgia is over 60 that's terrible and only 3-percent of overpopulation hunts .Yet even worse that that the fish and game here caters to the other 97 percent they are converting hunting wma areas into bike trails and horse riding places .They quit planting food plots for the deer .They love out money but care nothing about hunters .Kids are furture of hunting trophy hunting will cause hunting to turn into like it is in Europe like Germany very high dollar .I take every kid I.can take .I quit archery hunting and take kids on youth hunts .I took and taught 15 to hunt on.Alaska they still all hunt and are awesome at it !

I have been teaching Hunter Education here in Utah for 23 years. I live in southeastern Utah, away from the Wasatch Front (where 80% or more of Utahans live), so I get lots of students. My classes are usually full. There are other instructors here in town also. Hunting is still popular here with lots of kids hunting. I don't know if the percentage of hunters is going up or down, but the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is working to get more kids into hunting. I also work as a volunteer at the annual Youth Hunter Education Challenge and there seem to be lots of kids participating.

I'm surprised it took this long. Colt's problem is relying on government contracts to stay afloat. When FN got the lions share of the M16 contracts it hurt Colt pretty bad.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
A few personal anecdotes...

In the generation behind me, there are 15 kids (my own kids plus nieces and nephews). They all grew up exposed to guns and hunting. My guess at this point in time is that only one of the bunch is ever likely to purchase a gun on their own.

I’m holding three pistols in my safe for friends whose wives don’t want handguns in their homes.

Of a dozen close friends who are my hunting buddies, I can only think off hand of two or three of their combined kids who show any serious interest in guns or hunting.

In my current hunting club, there are 17 members. Two of these members are under age 35. Each year only 3 or 4 of their kids show up to hunt with their dads.

I have four good friends under the age of 35 who like quality guns, hunting, fishing, cigars and good country music. I’ve decided I’ll probably leave most of my guns and gear to them.

The world is changing fast.

Everyone I know who is a young gun buyer are twcticool and handgun buyers/shooters/collectors.

A good hunting rifle or shotgun does not even register for them.

Demographically hunting is slowly withering away. Very few people pick up hunting late in life.

Mike

Colt relied on Military Contracts and Military Contacts. There was a time when articles were saying, "Is the Army Wedded to Colt?"

The small hole in the dyke started in the late 1980's.

Army Drops Colt as M16 Rifle Maker

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10...m16-rifle-maker.html

The Army was basically, Colt's Butt Monkey, and it became quite embarrassing, particularly over the M4 rifle. Colt made some small changes, probably on Government money, and got the Butt Monkey to agree that everything about the M4 was proprietary. The Butt Monkey's in Army procurement were quite happy to have Colt as an eternal sole source for the M4. And this was hugely profitable for Colt while it lasted. Colt neglected private sales because they were making so much profit off the American taxpayer. At the time I remember talking to a FFL dealer bud, the US Government was paying over 50%, might have been 125%, for Colt rifles, than what the things were selling on the civilian market. But, the M4 was not working well in combat:

The Army’s M-4 Carbine: Background and Issues for Congress

https://digital.library.unt.ed...S22888_2008May30.pdf

Something happened to Colts proprietary rights after the US invaded Iraq. Colt got another hugely profitable production contract but they had to release, in some way, their total ownership of the M4. I am certain they got hundreds of millions for this, and there was an agreement in that contract, for any M4 rifles not built by Colt, Colt would get a fee on each non Colt M4. You see, the Army Procurement Butt Monkey was still putting Colt's interests above the interests of the Country. This fee had to be included in the price of any M4 built by a competitor, so for any competitor to be the low bidder, the manufacturing price of their rifle, plus the fee, had to be lower than Colt's bid, to win the Contract. You see, the Army Procurement Butt Monkey's desired Colt's attentions above all, and were rigging the system so Colt would stay, sole source producer of the M4 forever.

I don't know how that turned out, I think Colt still lost the M4 production contracts, and, their incompetent management no longer had a huge stream of sweet taxpayer money to suck on.

Colt's demise has been slow, very slow, but totally predictable:

Colt Manufacturing: A Timeline to 2012
http://articles.courant.com/20...ivision-rampant-colt

2000:Unmaking A Gunmaker: 2000
http://www.newsweek.com/unmaking-gunmaker-158053

2014: Why Colt Can't Shoot Straight
https://www.bloomberg.com/news...-crisis-after-crisis

2015: Why Colt Went Out of Business (SWHC, RGR)
https://www.investopedia.com/a...ent-out-business.asp

2015: Dropped by the U.S. Military, Colt Goes Bankrupt
https://www.thedailybeast.com/...y-colt-goes-bankrupt

2015: Chapter .22
https://www.breakingviews.com/...anagement-than-guns/

Colt does not have anything I want at a price I am willing to pay. From what I have heard, most of the parts of a Colt are subcontracted out, some major parts finished at Colt, final assembly by a few people. Colt is a brand name, and I expect in the near future, Chinese made, Colt branded firearms to appear on the market. And shooters will pay the premium for the Pony.

I was issued a brand new Colt M16A4 back in 2012 and it was a piece of junk. Prior to that I was issued a twice rebuilt M16A2 with a 1968 M16A1 lower, never had so much as a hiccup with it.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dgr416:
It was on my Gunsamerica news up date .They keep up with firearms news pretty well so I always read it .

"Colt to File Bankruptcy by Monday – WSJ
by Administrator on June 14, 2015"
-Guns America

Did you by chance notice the date?

Being interested in guns, bows and hunting seems like a genetic trait and you either have the interest or you don't. Personally I could study reloading tables and barrel brands all day long yet others choose football or hockey. My brothers have no interest in hunting yet they could tell you the latest hockey score highlights.

Many would think because I am interested in hunting I would also be interested in sports but I am not. I find sports vain with nothing accomplished yet hunting brings home vital meat.

Exactly I hate all sports .I only eat wild meat so it's a way of life to me ! Take a kid hunting or you will be hunting him !

quote:

Posted by CJWinWA:

Originally posted by dgr416: It was on my Gunsamerica news up date. "Colt to File Bankruptcy by Monday – WSJ by Administrator on June 14, 2015"

Did you by chance notice the date?

Suburbs and exurbs are killing hunting and we should stop subsidizing them.

Colt lost a contract to S&W for Milspec AR15

S&W underbid them by almost 50%

monday is highly unlikely for ANY filings -- federal and bank holiday

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
A few personal anecdotes...

In the generation behind me, there are 15 kids (my own kids plus nieces and nephews). They all grew up exposed to guns and hunting. My guess at this point in time is that only one of the bunch is ever likely to purchase a gun on their own.

I’m holding three pistols in my safe for friends whose wives don’t want handguns in their homes.

Of a dozen close friends who are my hunting buddies, I can only think off hand of two or three of their combined kids who show any serious interest in guns or hunting.

In my current hunting club, there are 17 members. Two of these members are under age 35. Each year only 3 or 4 of their kids show up to hunt with their dads.

I have four good friends under the age of 35 who like quality guns, hunting, fishing, cigars and good country music. I’ve decided I’ll probably leave most of my guns and gear to them.

The world is changing fast.

Bill tell you he’s under 35? Lol

Bill disqualified himself by failing to meet the cigar smoking requirement.

The M4's that we had in 20 years on active duty were a mix of Colt, FN, HK and a Armalite. The Colt ones sucked. Hk and Fn were the best.

I am not sure they sell FN AR's publicly, but if they did and I lived someplace I could own one I would. Nice rifle.

FYI: Val Forget, of Navy Arms, bought all of Colt’s custom shop SAA parts and selling them on e-bay. Bad sign for the old single action.

In Sweden 2017 was a record year with 12800 persons taking their hunting exam. 20% of them are women. The trend are more people from the big cities are taking up hunting. We have in total about 300000 buyers of the government hunting permit of a 10m population.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
A few personal anecdotes...

In the generation behind me, there are 15 kids (my own kids plus nieces and nephews). They all grew up exposed to guns and hunting. My guess at this point in time is that only one of the bunch is ever likely to purchase a gun on their own.

I’m holding three pistols in my safe for friends whose wives don’t want handguns in their homes.

Of a dozen close friends who are my hunting buddies, I can only think off hand of two or three of their combined kids who show any serious interest in guns or hunting.

In my current hunting club, there are 17 members. Two of these members are under age 35. Each year only 3 or 4 of their kids show up to hunt with their dads.

I have four good friends under the age of 35 who like quality guns, hunting, fishing, cigars and good country music. I’ve decided I’ll probably leave most of my guns and gear to them.

The world is changing fast.

I think you are representing a lot of the population. But there is some hope, my son, four of my five nephews are gun owners and hunters. They are not near as avid as most of us, but that’s an economic issue.

quote:

Originally posted by Nordic2:
In Sweden, 2017 was a record year with 12,800 persons taking their hunting exam. ... We have in total about 300,000 buyers of the government hunting permit of a 10m population.

Sweden, a land of real hunters!

quote:

....i expect 1/2 of that 13.5 M hunters are in texas

Typical Texas-centric thinking! The actual number is 7%.

https://business.realtree.com/...-hunters-state-state

The reality is the world is always changing. I’m sure our great-grandfathers whined and groused about all the city slickers who were invading the rural country, about all the farmers/lumbermen etc who were destroying their forests, about all the trophy hunters who were ruining the sport. We can’t change culture anymore than we can stop climate change. Climate change is and has been a reality for millions of years. Culture will always change and many won’t like it. Too bad. Enjoy the present while you can, don’t live in the past.



.[/QUOTE]

Few people can afford to hunt in Texas.

quote:

Originally posted by RyanB:
Few people can afford to hunt in Texas.

1 Million people can according to the link above - the highest # in the country. If we had more public land, it would be higher.

I doubt that the Federal Gov't desires that any major gun mfg. go out of business as they also feel about aircraft and ship mfg's. Chapter 11's just write off debt and re-start the company. They will likely continue.