LMT Question: WHERE ARE THEY? [Archive]

Straight Shooter

10-20-17, 20:30

We've got a couple of threads currently going that have comments about LMT...didnt want to drift those threads, so I started a new one.
My question..with a preface is this: Over the past 10 years & more, I have literally seen ONE LMT rifle in a gunshop for sale....and that was a year before Obama got 1st elected & I bought it on the spot. Most guys...a few Fudds but some fairly serious shooters too..have NO IDEA who LMT is, they think its an off-brand like DPMS or Spikes or Rock River.
WHY do I never see any LMT rifles on gunshop racks? Where are they?
Very curious as to how & where they sell their product.

opngrnd

10-20-17, 20:36

I've always just assumed the factory workers leave them by the crate in a locked room and find piles of of untraced cash in the morning, left by operators in the night...

Honestly though, the only LMT products I've ever seen have been provided by Mars Armament or ordered directly from their store.

Straight Shooter

10-20-17, 20:42

Shoot, thats the best answer so far!

SilentRecon

10-20-17, 20:53

They building goods for military and abroad. LMT is legit.

fledge

10-20-17, 20:56

A few LMT uppers are on sale at Rainier Arms right now. ;)

Artiz

10-20-17, 21:16

I ain't in the US, but they probably don't stay on the shelves very long. The vast majority of people have no idea what LMT is, that has been my experience too. Heck I accidentally stumbled upon a Youtube video yesterday where a guy was at the NRA show at the LMT booth, and introduced LMT as being this "upcoming company in the rifle market". Upcoming... hahahahhaha.

They're a relatively small operation compared to other players, and my guess is they've been pretty damn busy with their military contracts these last few years.

Up here they're pretty much the only AR mfg available that I can trust to be built properly and not overgassed.

Straight Shooter

10-20-17, 21:16

They building goods for military and abroad. LMT is legit.

A few LMT uppers are on sale at Rainier Arms right now. ;)

I understand they are legit, and do a lot of military stuff, and some parts/uppers and such are available online. But Im wondering if they dont sell to gunstores too?

Stickman

10-20-17, 21:25

I understand they are legit, and do a lot of military stuff, and some parts/uppers and such are available online. But Im wondering if they dont sell to gunstores too?

Yes, they sell to gun stores.

pinzgauer

10-20-17, 21:26

I understand they are legit, and do a lot of military stuff, and some parts/uppers and such are available online. But Im wondering if they dont sell to gunstores too?
They do sell to stores. Anytime I've needed one, a local store was able to call up and get it even without having a prior relationship. Cheap enough to sell to me at significantly less than retail.. Some manufacturers require very large orders, LMT was not one of them. Sold direct to a small store. I'm sure you can get greater markup with volume or commitments.

Stores sell what they can convince people to buy and has the greatest markup. I watch one local megastore push core 15 very hard when they have DD and Colt on the shelf. The core15s are higher than the 6920s and approach DD prices for some models!

I have to believe it's higher markup combined with sales spiffs.

Your average buying public thanks Smith & Wesson and Ruger are great grams, and that Colt is overpriced. They enter with that perception, and a lot of sales people aren't going to try to convince them otherwise.

At LMGS I've witnessed the counter Droid telling customers that the core 15 is a better value than the Colt, because you're just paying for the name. It was all I could do to keep from pointing out that the Colt with the name was the same price as the No Name Mystery Company.

jet66

10-20-17, 22:29

I visited a well stocked store near Daytona Beach a couple of weeks ago, they had a few LMT rifles for sale. (Along with a variety of KAC rifles and SCARs.)

Eurodriver

10-20-17, 22:36

I agree with the OP. I love LMT. I own a LMT 10.5” SBR that is amazing, but since I bought that almost 8 years ago I’ve never seen an LMT available.

nightchief

10-20-17, 22:51

I agree with the OP. I love LMT. I own a LMT 10.5” SBR that is amazing, but since I bought that almost 8 years ago I’ve never seen an LMT available.

When I visited Rainier Arms in 2015, they were carrying LMT Defenders and complete lowers. Oddly enough, the last LMT rifles I saw for sale were at the gun show in Fort Worth at Will Rogers. Can't remember who the seller was. Usually the local gun show has a lot of over priced sub par equipment or scheisters selling knock offs. I was definitely surprised to even see it. No one was appeared to be looking at the LMT stuff either. My friend bought the complete lower.

LMT Shooter

10-20-17, 23:08

IIRC, they only started advertising about 10 or so years ago. I think they have fans, but are the least well known of the top quality manufacturers. Their website has a dealer finder, have you tried it? I used it to find a dealer 45min from my house, and there were a lot of dealers listed.

Rogue556

10-20-17, 23:59

I've honestly wondered the same thing. The first and last LMT I ever noticed in a store for sale was back in 2011 and it was a new factory 10.5" SBR. I've seen more KAC rifles than LMT, which always seemed odd to me.

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user

10-21-17, 00:40

Our local chain of fun stores stocks LMT’s. Sells stripped lowers, completed lower half’s, rifles etc. just got another add on them today.

3ACR_Scout

10-21-17, 00:49

Quantico Tactical stores have always carried a decent stock of LMT rifles. I usually see 3-4 rifles on display with a separate upper or two as well. They’re the only place I see them on a routine basis though.

ST911

10-21-17, 11:10

LMTs are available, but they are very busy making stuff for a variety of places. There isn't a whole lot to talk about. Just fill them with ammo and shoot. No BS required.

SkiDevil

10-21-17, 11:41

I have seen them in several large gun stores, but none recently. I bought an LMT Defender 5.56 last year. That shop had several and the rifles were gone when I returned a couple of weeks later. It looks like they just sell quickly. It is ironic that an LMT AR usually costs more than a Colt too. There was an armorer in the shop when I bought my last rifle and someone asked about the difference between the Colt and LMTs. He said that they were both good rifles, but saw fewer problem guns from the LMT brand.

I have 2 LMTs so far and no complaints. Dead bang reliable, accurate, and a properly assembled rifle. I would love to pick up a .308, but I couldn't afford to feed it the way I shoot. That said, I would have no problem carrying or owning a Colt 6921.

Zirk208

10-21-17, 14:20

I bought my LMT lower from Quantico Tactical, since then the prices for their lowers online have only risen.

Todd00000

10-21-17, 16:15

I've seen a LMT piston upper break in combat. YMMV

Straight Shooter

10-21-17, 16:27

I've seen a LMT piston upper break in combat. YMMV

Would love to hear the details & story..if you are so inclined.

Todd00000

10-21-17, 16:45

Would love to hear the details & story..if you are so inclined.

An SF team on my COP had a SSG with that LMT upper, they were in a fight and the piston broke on him, he was rifleless for the rest of the mission. He put his M4 upper back on when he returned. Combat is the ultimate test of a gun, even the HK416 and G36, after years of range use, had problems in combat.

When it comes to your life buy what is proven. I was ignorant when I first started buying ARs and bought a DPMS, I will not trust it with my life.

usmcvet

10-21-17, 17:22

I learned about LMT and BCM here. I bought a pair of LMT lowers and 3 BCM lowers from G&R. One of each was a factory SBR lower. I wish they still allowed that. I have two LMT 10.5" uppers. They run great. All of my 5.56 AR's have LMT/BCM BCG'S. They're good to go too. I've never seen either brand in a LGS except my transfers. The LGS is full of lower end guns at higher prices. I've tried to get them to change. I gave up years ago. They push Ruger's hard. They get to great perks for selling certain brands. The LGS gets plenty of free Ruger's; he let's his employees choose from them in a rotation. It's a nice perk and motivation to sell the brand.

Grant might chime in. I think he stopped selling LMT. Bravo Company sells 10.5" LMT uppers. I think DSG Arms sells them, lowers and Complete guns too. Those are the three places I've bought from.

I've only seen one Marathon watch in the wild too! Great gear just not as popular.

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Zirk208

10-21-17, 20:57

BCM has been out of LMT's for years. I think DSG has slowly sold their inventory and not restocked.

usmcvet

10-21-17, 23:15

BCM has been out of LMT's for years. I think DSG has slowly sold their inventory and not restocked.

That a bummer. I have not been paying attention. I was on BCM”s site the other day looking to see if they sold barrel assemblies. I saw the LMT uppers but didn’t notice they were out of stock. When I read Paul’s explanation of why he preferred 11.5” uppers over 10.5” or 10.3” guns I started buying his BCM 11.5” uppers. I tried a BCM Kino but sold it. I want to try another 14.5” next. I had a 14.5” BCM middy. But I want to be able to mount a bayonet and don’t want to buy hand guards! [emoji12]I will probably pin a Vortex or A2X.

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hotrodder636

10-22-17, 01:02

I really enjoy my LMT but I have not seen another physically in the wild (ie not online).

81mmcat

10-22-17, 07:52

Check out these guys for LMT uppers http://valhallatacticalsupply.com

pinzgauer

10-22-17, 08:44

It's no surprise to me that BCM stopped carrying LMT, it would essentially be a competitor do their own line of lowers. And for some time was significantly less expensive. (Not lately, though)

When I first started dealing with Grant, LMT was one of his lines. But as his BCM emphasis ramped-up he stopped carrying LMT. I've tried multiple times to special order LMT through Grant, but it appears that's not an area that he's interested in. I'm sure he has his reasons, and with the strong alignment to BCM it probably doesn't make sense.

Lately LMT appears to be full into military contract production mode, and the prices for complete lowers have gone up. Availability has been hit-or-miss.

They're still active in the market, I talked to them at the NRA show. Put in my request for m-lok on the rail, and they smiled and said be patient.

Also asked for Grendel barrels and bolts. I forget the exact wording of their reply, but it was something to the effect of "they're keeping an eye on Grendel". They were not aware of $4.50/box steel case Grendel ammo availability nor some of the new hornady and federal offerings.

With Colts willingness to sell a complete lowers and the OEM models I think it's changed the dynamic significantly in the builder's market. If you're production limited I could see LMT's lack of interest in the commodity hobby offerings.

everready73

10-22-17, 09:37

Legal transfers ar15sales.com has lmt stocked. You have to call for pricing though

bad aim

10-22-17, 09:42

They're still active in the market, I talked to them at the NRA show. Put in my request for m-lok on the rail, and they smiled and said be patient.

Yep, they had a picture on their Instagram page hinting that MLOK MRP uppers are coming soon. I love my MRP...even though it's a pig weight-wise, it's the most accurate non-stainless barreled AR I own. Now, if they released lightweight 5.56 barrels for the MRP, I would be in heaven.

LMT Shooter

10-22-17, 10:21

[QUOTE=pinzgauer;2550607]

They're still active in the market, I talked to them at the NRA show.

If they started going to the NRA shows, that's new. I've missed the last 2, but they've not been there the times I went. Why they would not be there had always puzzled me, but they have not used standard marketing to push their products.

pinzgauer

10-22-17, 10:54

If they started going to the NRA shows, that's new. I've missed the last 2, but they've not been there the times I went. Why they would not be there had always puzzled me, but they have not used standard marketing to push their products.

LMT definitely had a booth. It was small compared to other companies but they had their full product line up there.

Definitely low-key compared to a lot of the other manufacturers, in fact you could almost tell who is solid and establish versus who's trying to be an up-and-comer based on their Booth presence. (Only about 15-20% of Colt's booth displays were AR related)

I did not talk to him, but I'm pretty sure Karl Lewis was there. I also had a long chat with Bill Alexander at the Alexander Arms booth, which is always interesting if you are a Grendel shooter. Happened to stop by late in the show just before tear down, and he was very gracious with his time and was very down-to-earth.

I was pretty impressed with the NRA show in Atlanta, it was bigger than the last shot show I went to, but that was decades ago.

I'm not sure I'm going to go to Vegas to go to the next one, but if it ever gets within driving distance I'm going to go to it. Best of all, it's free if you're a NRA member.

Mr. Goodtimes

10-22-17, 11:05

Yep, they had a picture on their Instagram page hinting that MLOK MRP uppers are coming soon. I love my MRP...even though it's a pig weight-wise, it's the most accurate non-stainless barreled AR I own. Now, if they released lightweight 5.56 barrels for the MRP, I would be in heaven.

Send one off and have it turned down.

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slow10ker

10-22-17, 12:05

I bought on of the LMT piston gun at Buds about 18 months ago, new for 1499.95. I installed a Giselle super 3 gun trigger in it and took it to the range. Now my HK CR556 never goes to the range....

w3453l

10-22-17, 16:23

Ironically, I see a lot of LMT's here in SoCal of all places. The other day I saw a new FDE MRP rifle. The same store regularly has full Defender 2000's on the rack, complete uppers, complete lowers, and more often than not they have an MWS.

justin_247

10-22-17, 17:23

Yep, they had a picture on their Instagram page hinting that MLOK MRP uppers are coming soon. I love my MRP...even though it's a pig weight-wise, it's the most accurate non-stainless barreled AR I own. Now, if they released lightweight 5.56 barrels for the MRP, I would be in heaven.

An LMT CQB MARS with M-LOK and a lightweight 10.5" barrel is my dream gun.

I see on Instagram that they're rolling out MWS M-LOK uppers soon.

LowSpeed_HighDrag

10-22-17, 17:24

I bought two LMT lowers in Windsor, CO and saw many LMT uppers in Loveland, CO. They are out there.

SkiDevil

10-23-17, 10:38

sevin8nin

10-23-17, 11:58

I've been a big LMT fan since 2009 or so when I bought my first lower from them followed by a rifle length MRP upper. I think their quality is great, and the precision on these MRP barrels is pretty dang nice.
However I noticed a gradual increase in price as well. I still have the receipt for my CQB MRP where I bought it new in store for around $1400. The exact same rifle with almost no changes today is $2100 most places. I'm not inclined to buy another one. I mean, don't get me wrong I still love the MRP platform, but their barrels are heavy without much factory support for other options, and their handguards (MRP upper) have become somewhat stale in terms of market share.
Both my uppers from them are the picatinny variety. When the came out with the LM8, the slick uppers, I was all on board until I learned that it offered almost no weight reduction, and I honestly prefer the look of the standard upper's venting holes way better.
Now that the rumor mill is talking about m-lok compatible MRP uppers I'm listening again. But it would be great to get some kind of 'lightweight' barrel assembly for the MRPs from LMT. I had one barrel dimpled and another turned down a bit but they both still weigh 2.25lbs

Anyway, LMT= great quality. Maybe a little off the radar cause they're not trying to do whatever the latest greatest craze is in mounting doo-dads on your rifle.

ssc

10-23-17, 13:29

In So Cal, riflegear has complete lowers and turners has stripped lowers.

Cheers, Steve

w3453l

10-23-17, 18:36

What's the gun shop/ store's name?

Thanks

PM sent.

ETA: ssc beat me to it.

hotrodder636

10-23-17, 18:40

Has anybody seen the ambi ‘MARS’ lowers in the wild?

Zirk208

10-23-17, 18:58

Has anybody seen the ambi ‘MARS’ lowers in the wild?

These guys from the previous page:
https://www.riflegear.com/p-6564-lmt-mars-ls-lower-m7lb2.aspx

e z money

10-23-17, 21:09

BoringGuy45

10-24-17, 01:03

I've been trying to get a hold of an Enhanced BCG. Is there anywhere other than the LMT website where you can get them?

Rock-N-Ruin

10-24-17, 10:11

I've been trying to get a hold of an Enhanced BCG. Is there anywhere other than the LMT website where you can get them?

Probably have best luck from LMT..

On another note, has anyone seen this? SBR guys probably have, it's been out for a month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPhswHMwPh4

RIDE

10-24-17, 11:29

Quantico Tactical has them but they only have a few stores. Most gun stores don't have BCM, LMT, or Colt. Most AR buyers don't want quality. Every time a friend or co-worker that is interested in AR's finds out that I build rifles, they ask for advice in buying an AR, but they never take the advice. I tell them to buy products made by BCM, LMT, Colt, Noveske, etc.. They tell me, " I found this Ruger for $600, Hell yeah!!!"

THIS! I can't tell you how many friends/family/etc I 've had this EXACT same situation with... It's crazy.

Next time just ask the actual question: "where can I get the very cheapest, lowest quality AR that LOOKS similar to an AR carried by the guys in the sand?"

Feline

10-24-17, 12:23

LMT is moving from IL to IA, but I've seen more product out there recently. They make solid stuff, but do not market much .

GFX_9

10-24-17, 14:44

Socal, MRP owner here. Solid rifle. The shop i used to work at would get in MRP's and MWS's all the time, and still do. The store had a stupid markup, but i sold quite a few. Sadly, ive never seen one in person used at a range by anyone else but me. The majority of rifles at the range are crappy homebuilds. I agree, LMT doesnt need to bother with intense marketing and whatnot. I dont need seasoning and i dont need a hat when im buying a rifle.