What happened to British gun industry?

[mark-hunter]

The battlefield is becoming an ever more lethal place to meet a first world army - why resorting to non-conventional tactics such as the IED has become so popular.

That is certain!

But, what I meant, is development of small arms, that we use in everyday life for hunting, or sport shooting.

 

[MS 9x56]

British production in general is a lot lower than it was. We don't make things these days, we buy them in.

It's a pretty poor show all round. I'm not really sure why things have gone that way but it's a shame.

I fear we here in America are headed in the same direction. Corporate America out sourced all of our industry and jobs in their greedy quest for higher profits and we are all the less for it. With our ingrained gun culture that industry will hang in there for 1 or 2 more generations before it to will be outsourced. My only hope is that perhaps this pandemic will open some eyes and change the tide. As an outsider looking in when Britain wS in her glory empire days many of her subjects were exploring, hunting and taming wilderness areas and buying mass produced rifles they could afford. After world war 2 as Britain was divesting itself of the empire less people were engaging in those activities and the gun business dwindled as their industries were chasing the almighty pound and outsourcing more and more. It is a shame as those guns were some of the finest ever produced anywhere in the world.

 

[MS 9x56]

I apologize; I was in error in my original reply to this post. I finished reading it just now.

So the "Oberndorf" style is the inside-the-trigger guard one as described in the excerpt?

All of a sudden , the huge male Hunting Leopard hurled itself upon us from close range . He had been cunningly and vengefully lying in wait for us , among the long grass . My client snapped his rifle up to his shoulder ... in a desperate attempt to shoot the charging , enraged animal . Unfortunately, the Hunting Leopard had gotten ahold of the rifle’s muzzle between it’s vice like jaws . It aggressively tugged at the rifle . While my client desperately struggled to hold onto his rifle ... his knuckle accidentally struck the release button of the rifle’s magazine floor plate ( which , like all Mauser 98 actioned rifles... was located inside the bow of the trigger guard . This set up is referred to , as “ Oberndorf Style “ . ) . The magazine floor plate sprung open and all four of my client’s 10.75x68 mm Mauser caliber RWS soft nosed cartridges had dropped onto the ground . The rifle was now as useless as a big stick .​

I find that most curious since, as I mentioned, only one military-issued rifle had that style and most of the Mauser 98 sporting rifle's I've seen feature the horizontally-turning lever fitted directly to the floorplate. I suppose that the floorplate-mounted lever would require a more deliberate action to move, although if it were to get caught on something...

But as I initially said, a hinged floorplate at all is certainly one more thing to go wrong and I'm rethinking my interest in them. Perhaps a simple button to aid in removing the floorplate would be better; it would still take a deliberate action to remove it and not immediately risk dumping the cartridges on the ground at an unfortunate moment.

The Schoenauer magazine has the most foolproof and smoothest feeding magazine ever invented. 117 years later it has never been improved upon.

 

[Red Leg]

I fear we here in America are headed in the same direction. Corporate America out sourced all of our industry and jobs in their greedy quest for higher profits and we are all the less for it. With our ingrained gun culture that industry will hang in there for 1 or 2 more generations before it to will be outsourced. My only hope is that perhaps this pandemic will open some eyes and change the tide. As an outsider looking in when Britain wS in her glory empire days many of her subjects were exploring, hunting and taming wilderness areas and buying mass produced rifles they could afford. After world war 2 as Britain was divesting itself of the empire less people were engaging in those activities and the gun business dwindled as their industries were chasing the almighty pound and outsourcing more and more. It is a shame as those guns were some of the finest ever produced anywhere in the world.

Check where your Winchester was actually "assembled" and where those parts that were assembled were manufactured.

I wouldn't be too hard on "greedy" corporations. They perform to the best of their ability in the economic environment in which they exist to do one thing - and that is to satisfy their shareholders. They are not altruistic entities. Quarterly, they are compared to both their sector and international peers, and investors indicate their satisfaction or unhappiness through buying or divesting their stocks. The numbers that drive those assessments are profits, debt, year-to-year sales growth, annual cash flow, etc. Businesses use the full gamut of tools available to drive those numbers. Reduction in the cost of manufacturing or in providing a service is one. But so are things like product quality and dependability.

From the last quarter of the 20th century through 2018, the US had created one of the most regressive, even hostile, corporate business environments in the developed world. Tax rates and regulation had become so onerous, that relatively little investment - particularly high overhead investment like new plant space (and thus jobs) - was taking place in the US. Those dollars were going either abroad, or worse, to buying back the company's own stock. Repurchase, particularly in a hostile market environment, reduces stock availability, driving up its value, and thus keeps shareholders on board.

The corporate tax cuts and regulation easement by this administration was starting to make a real difference prior to this self-inflicted recession. My old corporation (35 billion in annual sales) as an example had, over the last six months, announced a series of new "campuses" (for software development) and assembly plants in the US. Those equate to real jobs and real additional local, state, and national tax revenues. Every other major corporation in their sector were doing the same.

I should note those tax cuts were portrayed by the Democrats and their allies in MSM as tax breaks for the "rich". The ignorant millennials like AOC and her acolytes - maybe even true believers like Sanders - actually believe that. However, grown-up Democrats know better, but press the narrative regardless because it wins votes from our ever growing class that is paid by government in some way - many of whom truly ressent private or corporate business success.

I would simply be sure where to point the finger with respect to the demise of American industry.

 

[steve white]

The British olympic shooting team was forced to travel through the tunnel to Europe in order to practice (with .22 rifles!). Does that give you a clue as to why there is so little market?

 

[HWL]

When I started this thread, I never expected to get so long discussion.

Then, I noticed an odd thing.

- When we discuss hunting DG - we end up talking about mauser 98.
- When we discuss CRF ili PRF we end up talking about mauser 98.
- When we discuss Sauer rifles, we end up talking about mauser 98
- When we discuss blaser r8, we end up talking about mauser 98.
- When we discuss British gun industry in decline, well, you can already guess what we end up talking about...

And when we discuss Mauser 98, we end up talking about Mannlicher-Schoenauer!!!



HWL

 

[MS 9x56]

What I think is astonishing is the giant technological leap forward throughout WW2...on both sides..

And what does all of this have to do with the decline of the English gun trade?

 

[Red Leg]

And what does all of this have to do with the decline of the English gun trade?

Are you going to be thread monitor?

 

[Alistair]

The British olympic shooting team was forced to travel through the tunnel to Europe in order to practice (with .22 rifles!). Does that give you a clue as to why there is so little market?

.22 pistols actually, the rifles are fine here. It's still a complete farce though. If I were them I'd refuse to compete in British colours.

Al.

 

[MS 9x56]

Are you going to be thread monitor?

Not at all I enjoy talking history as much as anyone. Just trying to steer us back to the OP’s question.

 

[HWL]

.22 pistols actually, the rifles are fine here. It's still a complete farce though. If I were them I'd refuse to compete in British colours.

Al.

....it's a shame... once, the British Empire was the biggest hunting ground on earth....

HWL

 

[RayAtkinson]

Their arrogance, and priceing, to name a couple of reasons, has a lot to do with the downfall of the British rifles..It didn't bode well with the America consumer...Got a lot of complaints while in the booking business from clients who stopped to shop..then the airlines got crappy about shipping guns, trashing trophy shipments, and in general a total liberal mindset..

 

[sierraone]

Their arrogance, and priceing, to name a couple of reasons, has a lot to do with the downfall of the British rifles..It didn't bode well with the America consumer...Got a lot of complaints while in the booking business from clients who stopped to shop..then the airlines got crappy about shipping guns, trashing trophy shipments, and in general a total liberal mindset..

Ray, don't know what years you are referring to, but IMO your clients didn't do their homework. Four years ago, I went to London, bought a SxS gun and had it shipped home to Florida. There was no issues at all. It took about five weeks and cost about $1400. Some of your clients apparently were not aware that the purchased rifle/gun has to be imported, not just checked luggage on their return flight.