Maksim

Related to some Metro PD cops? There is a bunch of "good ol boy" out there.

How much cheaper was this stuff per box? Personally, I would have issues buying reloads, especially since you have no clue what powder/bullets they use, or where exactly their brass came from. Shooting 9mm brass that came out of a race gun which was shooting 9mm Major would be a bad idea. With the price of factory ammo so damn cheap now, there is almost no reason to buy these. Either buy factory or reload your own. (or friends)

I think it depends on what their intent was. Were they merely trying to steal "widgets" so they can sell them? Or were they knowing trying to steal guns so they can sell them to gang bangers or terrorists? I suspect if these people had more sinister intentions, they would not be RORed. After all, as gun owners... if we want guns to not be bad and scary... we can't go nuts after every time someone steals guns.

Yes, they can... and they will... over time. People have only so much money to spend every year on guns. You just don't shoot off all your fireworks at once... you space it out. But when you can get a decent AR for $500... there is simply not enough money there, especially for a new company who would need to get all new tooling, etc. A 22lr would be very easy to make... but there is just soo much more Glock can do without having to take on massive investments to generate cash. Now that Gaston's divorce is more or less done, I suspect there will be quite a bit more investment and new products.

Depends... It is all a blur now as to which airport... but at one airport the agent and TSA person had me open up the gun right there on the counter to show it is empty (but they had no clue what they were looking at). In other airports it was as simple as them giving you the form, you stick one in the case (don't need to open it to show anyone) and you keep the stub. That form shows up on the xray so when the bag goes through screen and they see a gun... that form shows up on the bag screen and tells the screener that the gun was declared. As to being discreet? Who gives a crap... seriously. It's just a gun. It is not a bomb nor do you intend on causing anyone harm. Being "discreet" merely implies that bringing a gun is somehow wrong.

Glock did not win the government deal because the Sig was a better gun. Will leave it at that. Again, lots of stuff behind the scenes. Colt's issue is not the guns, but rather their private equity owners. (who also thought their 1 large customer was safe). Glock will expand WHEN they need to. They are private and have zero need to. In either case, the handgun markets are much larger than long guns and that is where their expertise is. Glock sits on MASSIVE margins that no one else can come close to. If Glock goes into long guns, those margins are gone. Simply put, Glock does not need to do anything beyond what they are doing now.

That has been the general consensus since they moved most production to the states and their new owners were a private equity firm. Beretta though is largely a long gun company. The Beretta PX3 was quite innovative (rotating barrel) but too space gun looking. But Beretta just did not know what they wanted to be. Ruger is doing well not because of guns, but because they are run conservatively. Products are crap in many regards but they were designed to be that way. They were designed to be cheap. Ruger is very good at what they do, they are a manufacturing company. The Gun people in the company are often over ruled. Things are slowly changing but don't expect Ruger to be a leader or innovative. The Ruger RPR is a very good gun, but copied quite quickly by S&W/TC. Ruger is a very good Value brand and you get superb value with the guns.

Sig is the one company with whom I did not meet the C-Suite... we can talk offline but the people that know have all mentioned it. Sig is heavily investing in branding, marketing... but as we know, it is not all about the revenue but the profits.

@Underdog and believe me, I am not a Glock fanboy (gun wise)... BUT believe me when I tell you that large gun companies WISH to be Glock but with their legacy costs and reputation, cannot get there. Sig is attempting to do it, but they are burning through A LOT of cash and plenty of stuff behind the scenes there. While they are growing their sales massively, the profits are not where they are supposed to be. (or so I am told) Sig is private so they do not release numbers. But the gun industry is a very small community but the CEOs I talk with have confirmed.

You are wrong. Glock has picked up market share. (based on my own numbers but was subtly confirmed by them.) Sig has picked up share, but it was largely at expense of Smith Wesson. While the majority of companies had really crappy years, Glock had their second best year YET!

As I commented with Nick, During the last two days of the show they REALLY clamped down on security and had security guys count all of the guns and ask to match them up with a manifest, for every booth they were assigned to. This explains it. I think this show was under many scrutinies. If you have not heard, Division of Taxation for NV was there and they shut down a few booths, one fairly big, for selling at the show without a tax license.

Welcome to the community.

@tony357 @Regulator72 These guys will most certainly be able to help.

How so? Glock owns the market and what they are doing works. They are the Apple of the gun world. They can put their name on a pile of garbage and fan boys will line up to buy it. What Glock has is an eco system. Just as you can buy the iOS experience on iphones, ipads, etc... Glock offers you the Glock experience in a myriad of options and calibers. While major manufacturers have been suffering the past few years, Glock had their second best year financially in 2018. With the 43x and 48... 2019 should be no different. IF Glock launches modular Gen 6... the Sig 320 fan boys will be lining up to buy Glock. Colt's problem was they were driven by Wall St and failed to innovate. That is NOT the case with Glock.

Welcome to the community! Some things got better, some things worse. Should of gone a bit further West and arrived in America...

And I have flown plenty with a brownells bag, inside suitcase, etc, etc. Heck, I usually even board the plane with my Safariland belt, holster and mag pouches on it. No one has ever given me a hard time or a second look.

You are over thinking this.... Make sure gun is unloaded. Go to Check In Counter. "I need to declare an unloaded firearm" They will give you a red tag, you fill it out. Put it in the gun case. Close it, pack up suitcase, give it to them. They take the bag. End of story. Just to add... Sometimes they either... (depending on airport) 1. Have you take your bag to special TSA counter. (Las Vegas IIRC) 2. Have you wait for TSA supervisor to come and take the bag and scan it. (LAS) 3. Have TSA come, take your bag and tell you you are good to go. (PHL, MCO and others) Only once did someone ask me to show that the gun is unloaded. Just roll with it. Just make sure you don't show up with a LOADED gun, lol. Oh, and don't have loose ammo or brass rolling around in the bag... that is a paperwork nightmare. The funniest story though was traveling through TTN. They have one main baggage screen. I gave my bag with gun. Suit case had a lock, and inside suit case gun case with lock. TSA supervisor screams... "Hey, who here checked in a gun?" I reply, "Me" "What's the combo?" "Bag 223, gun case 308" Lots of people freaked out... gun guys and military guys laughing their ass off. TSA was chuckling.

I think the big thing will be modularity.... but then of course that will kill the entire Glock business model. lol.

I actually have a few insights into this but not really in the position to say. What I will say is that The Gen 6 glock features are likely already found in existing modified Glocks and Glock variants.

Right before shot show I was contacted by Sightmark if I wanted to test out some of their newer products. I obliged. For the money, (around $400 for the two), it is a pretty good deal.

Shane, great point and good discussion. I agree with firearms and I believe that is the one place where you should get the best that you can. I suppose my main challenge and focus is on spending money on something "just because you can" and locking it up. I agree 100% with @High Exposure that we can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink. At the same time, are many of the people really just wasting money that should be spent elsewhere? Just walk into a local store and look at all of the people that buy or go "gaga" when the store counter person says... "This is the same optic they use in the military." Rather than... "This is the same optic they use in the military, but unless you are planning on abusing your gun, why don't you buy this, and spend the difference on our training classes, range time and ammo." The industry of course is built upon the notion of "Good enough for military, good enough for you." and sells precisely on that basis... but does that actually do anything good for the gun owner? And is that where the gun community itself should be speaking up? Again, with guns I am 100% on board but you don't need to spend $4,000 to get a gun that will be reliable... you can spend $500 on a bone stock Glock or a little more on an HK P30. The big place where I am seeing the disconnect is the accessories market. In the bike world I suppose this is also the different mentality of buy a Ninja 250 and learn the hell out of it instead of going straight to an R6 or an R1 because that bike is ready for the track.

Those midway bags are great. And you are right, it is a very personal choice. I would say there is also a reason for more than one bag. Depending on how much gear you may need to take with you. Once again, VERY easy to overload a bag with stuff you may or may not use. For matches, you will commonly see people take those little gardening wagons and load their gear into that. Much better than lugging around a 50lb bag the entire day. If going to a public range, I will just take a smaller bag as your space is limited. Given the choice, I prefer a backpack, especially if I am just going to shoot handguns.

Agree with Paul on both counts. To ease the burden of buying guns, and you have an interest in the business, get an FFL. Plenty in NJ operate out of the house. But of course, you are then inviting the ATF and State Police into your home. Second best is... Get a storage room or a friend in "America" and keep your fun toys there.

But what % of people actually follow that advice? Particularly in the civilian/retail marketplace. And I would even go as far to say the average gun owner visiting a community is more educated... Versus the amounts of people who buy features they will not use in a lifetime. They buy the best... and think it is gear, versus actual training and range time. IE... give a typical gun owner a Wilson Combat 1911 and give a USPSA/IDPA/Bullseye Master a stock Glock, or heck... even a Hi-Point.... and see who is more accurate.