Alright-- so it's now pretty much open game on Cerberus Capital Management group--it's fairly common knowledge by this point the old Harper Vision hat that's done an absolute bonzo job with Chrysler so far, has decide to rebound from a blown Navy computer contract into civilian arms.

With Remington losing their top production manager leaving for Kimber two years ago, the company found itself in a lurch, leaning on support from Harper until Cerberus absorbed them early last year.
Since then it's been a buy'er market for'em also enveloping Cobb mfg. and Bushmaster...
Only common sense says this is for the modular systems offered by by Cobb and Bushmaster while relying on the plastics industry with Chrysler to turn out polymer parts for the weapons. Remington introduces a market and tries to build a defense contract off the Cobb name.

What's otherwise been softly spoken about are Remington's investments into Marlin-- buying out the old lever action company quietly in Dec of '07. Likewise this includes other Marlin holds such as New England Firearms, L.C. Smith, and Harrington & Richardson.
And to my great surprise, but not so much surprise...nor any great loss, they also bought in Dec, '07; Defense Procurement Manufacturing Services (DPMS), which explains their sudden hike in prices, product line, and backordered receivers.

The shit stinks--
Am I the only person to feel that an investment corp, who's already bungled one defense contract and a car company has no business getting into the arms business?
In the very least, those toys we've been looking forward such as the ACR/Masada are just gonna be, at best novelt props like the XCR or SIG 556-- or, at worst; complete Edsels.
The pool works either way-- the gun's a bust or it's pushed back indefinitely, Magpul screwed out of even offering the development to someone else thanks to copyrighting and contracts with Cerberus.

Rumor mill has it both Ruger and S&W are being looked at next, while smaller small arms corps-- including LAR-- are also being considered. Stevens/Savage is looking at a bid right now--the accutrigger's patent runs out soon enough and clones are already appearing on the market.

With Remington's ties to the ammunition market, the rapid introduction of new cartridges, and Hornady's rising popularity-- I'd be worried that Carberus will start stalking them as well.