Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy • Hacker News Board

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#121

Post by kerkeslager » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 3:46 PM UTC

blaser-waffle wrote: post #105

yaur wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Express. The whole idea is to not drag an expensive gun through a brier patch.

Maverick 88 is cheaper and doesn't have Remington stigma. Fit and finish isn't amazing but I haven't heard anything bad about Mossberg triggers themselves. Mossberg has plastic safeties and plastic trigger guards, though :/

If I'm not mistaken, Mossberg 500 parts are compatible with the 88. Both the safety and trigger guard are upgradeable to metal Mossberg 500 components. This gives you an inexpensive entry with an upgrade path. I'm not sure of my memory here so fact-check me with your gun shop before buying.

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#122

Post by pantaloony » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 3:46 PM UTC

joe-collins wrote: post #16

redis_mlc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same thing for Gibson Guitars, bought by KKR in 2013 and BK in 2018. Gibson Guitars was founded in 1894, but a lot of the guitars they make today don't work, and are way overpriced also. KKR renamed them to "Gibson Brands", so I guess some MBA with a PowerPoint thought related merchandise was more important than, you know, making guitars.

They... don't work? How exactly does such a straightforward physical item not work ?

IDK about Gibson but back in the '00s I tried someone else's brand new First Act from Walmart (or wherever, but probably there) and it'd be fair to say it didn't work.

[EDIT] that is, I could play a large number of tunes such that they were recognizable and even pleasant-sounding on an ordinary cheap (say, $300-400 used or dent & ding) guitar, but was unable to do so at all on the First Act, which probably needed at least couple hundred dollars of work and parts replacement by a luthier to render it even minimally playable, let alone good-sounding. The neck definitely needed some adjustment, the frets probably needed attention (filing down, perhaps) and the tuners just needed to be replaced with ones that worked. I'm am quite certain almost no otherwise-well-motivated kid could have learned to play on that instrument. It simply did not work.

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#123

Post by chrisjarvis » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 3:48 PM UTC

metapost: this is the first gun related thread I've seen on the front page, I wish it happened more often. Similarly I always get excited when I see a gardening related thread, I like reading HN perspective on "non/low-tech" hobbies.

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#124

Post by mathattack » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 3:48 PM UTC

manfredo wrote: post #3

Never owned a Remington myself, but they've not been held in high regard for a while. Some say it was linked to it's acquisition by Cerberus Capital. Ultimately, though, it seem alike the company was asking customers to pay premium prices for average guns. What justifies spending 800 - 1200 dollars on a Remington 700 as compared to $500 on a Ruger American?

Getting bought by a PE fund usually requires a ton of debt and allows little margin of error.

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#125

Post by kerkeslager » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 3:51 PM UTC

toomanybeersies wrote: post #77

gnarbarian wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spot on. They are mostly a brand. None I've seen hold a candle to my 300wm Tikka t3 lite stainless I picked up for $600.

The Tikka T3 is quite possibly the best value for money bolt action rifle on the market. In general, I've almost always found outdoor equipment from European companies to be superior to American (regardless of where it's actually manufactured). I've always got the impression from their marketing material that the Europeans are selling a product, whereas the Americans are always selling a lifestyle.

The Tikka T3 is a fantastic rifle, but a Ruger American is competitive. If you get one of the Ruger Americans with a muzzle brake, it can give you a better overall experience, especially in the punchy calibers common in this type of rifle, like 308. The Tikka will probably be more accurate out of the box, but very few shooters can do their part to the level of either gun.

The big old school companies like Remington or Marlin have become lifestyle brands, for sure, but there are still some US companies making quality products. This is particularly true for more traditional American guns: you'd have a hard time beating a S&W or Ruger revolver, or a Henry lever action, with a foreign brand.

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#126

Post by stickfigure » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 3:58 PM UTC

zrobotics wrote: post #65

stickfigure wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

REI, really? What are the superior competitors? And do you mean specifically the house-branded gear or the store as a whole? Genuinely curious, since I still shop there. Prices aren't the best but I like the selection and the return policy. Plus the salesdroids actually seem familiar with the gear.

They sell almost entirely 'outdoor apparel' that is geared at people wanting to wear the brand. REI used to loon almost like an army-surplus store rather than a clothing store, and the clothing was fully functional but unfashionable. Think 100% wool garments, the scratchy stuff that never wore out and was warmer wet than dry and more equipment than clothing. My last REI hiking frame was a huge disappointment, it star…

Hmmmm, I wonder if this just isn't changing market preferences.

I also grew up backpacking with external frame packs, PMS boots, and scratchy wool shirts. My current outfit is nowhere near as durable, but it's 5-10 lbs lighter. Thinner nylons, smaller zippers, internal frames, synthetic boot materials, lightweight fabrics, etc... the weight has to come from somewhere.

I still have my old Kelty external frame pack. I haven't used it in 20 years and I probably never will again. It's just more fun traveling with less weight. If that means I have to replace gear more often... it's worth it.

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#127

Post by abfan1127 » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 4:01 PM UTC

FPGAhacker wrote: post #25

komali2 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds eerily similar to the Harley situation. I had the displeasure of renting a Harley something - street 500 or something along those lines - just to see what all the fuss was about. Seems much ado about nothing, why would I drop 8,000$ on a slab of iron, not even made in the USA anymore, when I could get twice the bike at half the weight for the same price from Suzuki?

You can get a Harley for $8k?

yeah, but its usually a cash deal on the side of the road where its broken down /s

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#128

Post by jonahbenton » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 4:01 PM UTC

Am sure this will be downvoted but just commenting that I find discussion in these threads fascinating, terrifying, fundamentally foreign.

Having lived in large cities all my life I cannot conceive of owning a gun, or of other nearby city dwellers owning guns, or even being allowed to in a non law enforcement capacity. There are apartments in NYC with working fireplaces- seems almost equally insane to me, though gun more so because of the active harm it can induce.

Please- no disrepect intended, and not interested in starting argument/debate. Know all the arguments and the history and not advocating any position. Just sharing experience, my own lack of slots for this very large component of american life. Cheers folks.

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#129

Post by ARandomerDude » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 4:01 PM UTC

manfredo wrote: post #3

Never owned a Remington myself, but they've not been held in high regard for a while. Some say it was linked to it's acquisition by Cerberus Capital. Ultimately, though, it seem alike the company was asking customers to pay premium prices for average guns. What justifies spending 800 - 1200 dollars on a Remington 700 as compared to $500 on a Ruger American?

I had a Remington 700 SPS – most inaccurate rifle I've ever owned. I couldn't believe it. Sad to see what's happened to them over the years.

Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy

#130

Post by gnarbarian » Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 4:07 PM UTC

borkt wrote: post #30

gnarbarian wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spot on. They are mostly a brand. None I've seen hold a candle to my 300wm Tikka t3 lite stainless I picked up for $600.

Good buy! I have a Sako finnlight 300 WSM and kinda wish I went with the WM just for ease of finding ammo, but the kick on the finnlight is pretty fatiguing as is. Completely pays off in the mountains though, How is 300wm on the tikka lite?

Painful. Rifle weighs around 6.5lbs. it needs a stock pad to be usable. And if you go through a box of ammo at the range you will be sore for a week. But it's accurate to around .5 MOA and I stick a giant Burris eliminator 3 scope on there to take some of the bite out of the recoil.