HUGE layoffs at Daniel Defense

[JRHorne]

From my readings and interpretations, they are the perfect example of a company out of touch with their market and suffering from poor executive leadership. Nascar sponsorship? Sure! Continue making rails that everyone wants and are selling for more than original retail in the secondhand market? Nope! Develop a suppressor that has a very low total volume of sales? Sure! Offer so many variants of the AR15 that no one can keep track of which V means what? Sure! Utilize Magpul and other premier furniture instead of designing your own that looks bad anyway? Nope!

I'd bet you money I, and countless other members on this board could turn them around in 1 year.

[sundance435]

From my readings and interpretations, they are the perfect example of a company out of touch with their market and suffering from poor executive leadership. Nascar sponsorship? Sure! Continue making rails that everyone wants and are selling for more than original retail in the secondhand market? Nope! Develop a suppressor that has a very low total volume of sales? Sure! Offer so many variants of the AR15 that no one can keep track of which V means what? Sure! Utilize Magpul and other premier furniture instead of designing your own that looks bad anyway? Nope!

I'd bet you money I, and countless other members on this board could turn them around in 1 year.

Well, laying off a sizeable amount of your workforce will make the bottom line look better for about a year. Mass layoffs are a short-term solution with potentially huge downsides. DD's products are kind of like the Kimbers of the AR world: Those who know better don't pay a premium for the name when you can buy a better base product for hundreds less and put what you want on it.

[Eurodriver]

From my readings and interpretations, they are the perfect example of a company out of touch with their market and suffering from poor executive leadership. Nascar sponsorship? Sure! Continue making rails that everyone wants and are selling for more than original retail in the secondhand market? Nope! Develop a suppressor that has a very low total volume of sales? Sure! Offer so many variants of the AR15 that no one can keep track of which V means what? Sure! Utilize Magpul and other premier furniture instead of designing your own that looks bad anyway? Nope!

I'd bet you money I, and countless other members on this board could turn them around in 1 year.

>be Daniel Defense
>sell overpriced ARs when a perfectly good KAC is available for similar cost.
>invent ridiculous lizard skin accouterments.
>don't sell RIS II that everyone would gladly pay for.
>overgas your carbines so they'll run on 30-gr mouse farts violently
>lay off huge chunk of workforce


Seems legit.

This whole time I thought I was the only guy who felt this way.

Life got a little bit better today.

Full disclosure: I've never owned a DD rifle. Why bother? Could get two Colts for that kind of money, or a KAC.

[Feline]

Colt Troopers are helping dig DD's grave.

[WickedWillis]

My DD is the best carbine I own. I get it if you don't like the price tag, but I get a hell of a deal on mine and it's served me very well. When it comes to the company, I hate to see any firearms manufacturer, especially one that protects it's customers and the 2nd amendment (see when they pulled their Ambush line out of stores). I strongly feel this has a large correlation though to how much their name has been thrown out there regarding the Vegas shooting. Not all press is good press.

[Outlander Systems]

Fact. For what's effectively a basic carbine with Lizard Skin grips and a DD rail, I could:

Buy a BCM version for significantly less
Buy a Colt Trooper for significantly less
Buy a KAC and get my money's worth

As someone stated, DD is completely out of touch with the market.

I blame poor management.

This whole time I thought I was the only guy who felt this way.

Life got a little bit better today.

Full disclosure: I've never owned a DD rifle. Why bother? Could get two Colts for that kind of money, or a KAC.

[ggammell]

Sign of the times in the gun industry. People weren’t kidding with the pictures of Obama being the best gun salesman ever. You’re now seeing the fruit of projects and goals set a year ago when everyone thought Hilliard would win. Companies went into hyper drive expecting demand to at least stay the same if not increase. They got the opposite and now they are paying for it.

[Doc Safari]

Sign of the times in the gun industry. People weren’t kidding with the pictures of Obama being the best gun salesman ever. You’re now seeing the fruit of projects and goals set a year ago when everyone thought Hilliard would win. Companies went into hyper drive expecting demand to at least stay the same if not increase. They got the opposite and now they are paying for it.

I think this is as much a factor as DD being out of touch.

The sad thing is this will encourage even more discounting (and therefore cheapening of quality).

When I read of DD laying people off, I thought to myself, "Why couldn't it have been Del-Ton?"

But the truth is: most of us stocked up and most manufacturers geared up--fully expecting a Hillary Clinton presidency and the ensuing panic for four long years.

I just hope Colt, BCM, and even non-AR manufacturers don't start failing right and left.

[chuckman]

RE: dogpiling, to be fair, they make good ARs. Every bit as good as any on the market*. That said, all complaints with the dogpiling are legit: over-priced, over-gassed, won't make available what customers want. Those issues + the political climate + the glut of ARs on the market = difficult business.

*I have one: DD M4v1. Concur with post above that I can get 2 6920s for the price of 1, which is why I have more 6920s than DD.

[chuckman]

I think this is as much a factor as DD being out of touch.

The sad thing is this will encourage even more discounting (and therefore cheapening of quality).

When I read of DD laying people off, I thought to myself, "Why couldn't it have been Del-Ton?"

But the truth is: most of us stocked up and most manufacturers geared up--fully expecting a Hillary Clinton presidency and the ensuing panic for four long years.

I just hope Colt, BCM, and even non-AR manufacturers don't start failing right and left.

Colt and BCM are at a good price-point, and have a gazillion options and accessories. I think they are doing it right. As for why DD and why not Del Ton, Del Ton is doing it right: they make a meh, cheap AR for the couch commando and hobbyist. Viva la capitalism and all.