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It's funny, I look around my home and not one thing was built in the US except for one oak bedroom set from way back in the day, and my firearms. Made in China used to equal 'cheap shit', but not so much today. I own 3 apple products and several electronics brands that are very high quality that are of Chinese or Japanese origin. I guess it depends on the asian company as far as quality control, and how much they desire to break into the western market. They know cheap shit doesn't cut it here. There are high quality units made specifically for the US & 1st world market, and 3rd world quality units that are produced and sold locally and to everyone else that are much more affordable, but at a loss in quality. Look how much markup there is in Apple and other competing products. It's hard to believe that this administration will block reverse shipment of US built WWII era rifles we gave to South Korea, but not Chicom AR knockoffs, but they aren't trying to sell complete ARs here...yet.
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ugh... my skin is crawling right now. I hate the thought of any chinese made crappy parts in my "made in usa" rifles.
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I always liked the Chinese sks rifles. I remember one of the gun magazines going to china and doing an article on the production of the sks. They had a picture of what appeared to be a rectangular solid block of metal that would be the receiver. The article said it took something like 106 milling operations to produce the receiver. Of course this was not cnc machinery, but the old type milling machines. Can you imagine the costs if this was performed in the USA-even with modern methods? I too think companies will outsource to China in the near future. I will probably wait and see what Colt does. If they use the parts then so will I.
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I, too, liked the ChiCom SKS's, AK's, 1911's, and M14 clones (with a new bolt and hammer of course!). However, I think there is a considerable difference between manufacturing weapons with "looser" tolerances that are built like tanks and the more intricate parts required for an AR. Yeah, all of the former have some small parts obviously, but an AR has a bolt for instance that must be just so.
They can chrome line the hell out of a barrel and mill the crap out of some good steel but for some reason the AR bolt is where I think it'll come up short. Don't know why, just a feeling.
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Chinese AKs are considered good because the Red Army uses them and the manufacturing process has been refined through 60 odd years.
Even if China makes just as good ARs, why give our money to them? Remember most of our jobs can easily be shipped off to China or India. If Walmart can sell whatever you produce for much cheaper Chinese-alternatives, it will with a big F you to mom and pop stores around the country.
Problem is that other countries have barriers to stop this kind of shit. India and China don't even allow most out of country companies to start operations without a local partnership but we don't. I would rather pay more and ensure my money goes to my fellow countrymen. Chinese and Indians can fend for themselves.
Sorry for off-topic rant.
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I buy guns that are built to spec and durable enough to be used as a duty gun. This goes for the actual duty gun I carry at work. This also goes for the recreational use guns I bought my wife and that I bought for each one of my kids. That way any recreational use gun can be used for self defense, or as a LE Patrol Rifle. In my house, the only difference between a duty gun and a hobby gun is what the shooter is doing with the gun on a particular day.
For me, that meant buying Colt 6920's, and recently added a couple of DDM4v5lw's.
I don't buy cheaply made guns. My life and the lives of my officers when at work are worth the extra couple of dollars it costs to buy quality. Same thought goes for the lives of my family.
Sure, I could save a couple of bucks by buying a DPMS or a whatever. But I'd rather not save a few bucks on a cheap gun purchase only to have to spend the savings on funeral costs because the cheaply made gun failed at the time of need.
Is it possible that a Chinese made AR could actually be made to spec? I supposed it could. Will that change my mind about the subject. Nope.
Colt, DD, BCM, LMT. Buy quality once. Cry once.
What will drive me nutts if the Chinese guns do get imported is all the Internet experts that will be rambling on and on about how their new cheap gun is just as good as ....
I'm too tired of debating that topic. I just smile and wave...
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I'm here thinking that it's only a matter of time that the floor falls off the already poorly made US rifles.
I saw the same happen with airsoft, and the difference isn't nearly as substantial as you'd think. Years of awful stuff churning out, then a few more western companies deciding to try on a trial basis using manufacturing around Guangzhou to their exact specs, and actually enforcing quality control. Within a couple years, the chinese made ones are so much significantly cheaper that somebody with the ability to individually test parts and put together batches of in-spec components can make something better for half the price.
It can be done, even though Chinese manufacturing historically has no concept of quality assurance, but if it gets contractually imposed on a firm there, the knowledge doesn't go away.
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The one thing is, I don't see a market flooded with Chinese ARs killing quality ARs on the civilian market. I see them only killing low quality American guns. The people who buy Colt, BCM, KAC, and company are going to continue to buy that quality. The guys who buy DPMS, Olympic, Bushmaster, etc are going to start buying the Chinese stuff. It's the same way that large chains don't necessarily kill small places that offer high quality stuff. A steakhouse isn't going to suffer because a McDonald's opened up next door.
Only if these Chinese ARs end up being as good in quality as Colt, BCM, and such, and offer the same customer service, should we worry about the end of the American AR. But I just don't see that happening.
The guys who are going to be excited about getting a $500 (I'm guessing) AR are the guys in the gun shop who smell like a mix of ashtray and BO and think that everyone is impressed that they have "more guns than they can count".
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I would trust the Chinese to do a good job replicating a Hesse / Vulcan / Blackthorn weapon. Such a development would no doubt result in a contract to supply machine guns to all the speshul forcez they could find. In the mean time, please pass the Foo....thank you !
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I'm not buying any Chinese crap for my AR. Pass.