If a business is purchased by a private equity company, it is not long for this world. Private equity is all about strip mining a business.
Hilton went private as the last (big) deal before the 08 recession, went public again 5 years later...
Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
161–170 of 346 posts
Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#162Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#163What is the larger significance here? Does this mean the gun industry is struggling? Sounds unlikely given the spike in purchases. Maybe it's just another old company that once had a good reputation but has lost its way. PE probably involved. Or maybe there is some market shift. Like, fewer hunters purchasing lever actions and more urbanites buying semi-auto pistols.
Think of Schwinn and bicycles
Or Craftsman and tools
Once known as industry leaders then moves in production and cost savings meant an inferior product. Eventually people caught on and the brand was done.
Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#164Earlier 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.
> 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.
Reminds me of “We Don’t Sell Saddles Here” by Stewart Butterfield around the time Slack launched.
https://medium.com/@stewart/we-dont-sell-saddles-here-4c5952...
Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#165Am 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…
It's definitely framed by where you live. I had a buddy in rural West Texas who had a loaded AR-15 mounted on the wall of his living room. I thought it was some insane gun nut thing, until I asked him about it. He explained that the nearest sheriff was 45 minutes away and he'd also had problems with coyotes attacking his chickens. For him, it would be crazy not have a high-powered weapon at the ready since there was…
>It's definitely framed by where you live.
It's not nearly that sensible and straighforward. Drive south of DC to the point where subdivisions give way to farms and you can shoot all day without being bothered.
Drive the same distance outside of Boston or NYC and you've got the same low population density but if you shoot anything in your back yard you'll get a visit from the SWAT team.
This kind of stuff really should depend on population density but we've gutted all legislative capacity at the county level and pushed it to the state level so you get a dumb situation where a state has to go entirely one way or the other which is not very efficient when it comes to making people live under sensible laws for their living situation.
There's really no fundamental reason the cities and rural areas shouldn't be able to just do their own thing on this issue. It's just that people insist on having this legislation be at the state level.
Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#166Earlier 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…
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Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
People would absolutely panic buy a Remington 870, if it was still good. A 12GA pump is a classic "don't know much about guns but want something to keep at home" purchase, and the 870 used to be THE industry standard. But they don't make 'em like they used to. It doesn't help Remington that the quality guns they made for decades still exist on the secondary market and work just fine. So they are not only competing ag…
The 870 is still fine (I must have at least a 1000 rounds through mine) and is still something you can buy with a modest panic markup. The more ubiquitous Glock 19, which I would argue is a much less effective home defense weapon, is pretty much gone. The causes of that are more interesting than than Remington's bankruptcy.
> The causes of that are more interesting than than Remington's bankruptcy.
And what are they, if I may ask?
Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#168Am 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…
For a similarly opposite perspective as someone who's currently in a rural area: I can go out back, set up target(s) and plink away basically anytime I want. Might even do it this evening if the ammo I ordered finally gets delivered today. There's a safe direction to aim in and the distant neighbors don't mind, they do the same! For longer range, there's various outdoor ranges around, both formal and informal (you ma…
What part of the country do you live in? Even on a few acres, I'm not confident that a stray bullet couldn't cause quite a bit of harm.
Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
Speaking as someone who owns a 64 panhead and owned a 72 ironhead (rebuilt both from parts): Harleys have almost always been inferior bikes that have a strange sort of charm. Realistically, they occupy the same place as Ural, outdated bikes that have appeal mostly for style. The last time that Harley had anything cutting-edge (ignoring Buell) was likely the knucklehead, which was developed in the 30s. $8k will buy yo…
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.
I can't speak for the REI brand, as I have no experience with it. However, most of their inventory in-store is not REI brand, but higher end brands. I go there for running and biking equipment. While stuff is going to cost an arm and a leg, I can rely on it.
I remember balking at the $110 price tag on a Craft long sleeve running shirt about three years ago. I bought it anyway. I wear it 4x a week from October through March, and it goes through the washer after every use. It's as good as the day I bought it. Best $110 I ever spent.
Re: Remington Arms Declares Bankruptcy
#170Am 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…
I live in Los Angeles and I used to feel that way until this pandemic hit - I'm not saying you'll change your mind living in NYC, just sharing my change in perspective. I bugged out mid-March to a family farm to wait out the pandemic and since then its been a nonstop string of events reinforcing why - at least outside of cities - guns are absolutely necessary. Now, mind you, one member of the household works at a res…
> most countries with strict gun control still leave a loophole for rural residents
The primary loophole being the ability and willingness of countries other than the rich ones to enforce laws like that in their rural areas. People having guns (or anything really) they shouldn't per the letter of the law is like bottom of the priority list. The local police in rural South America, Asia and Eastern Europe have much bigger fish to fry.