If you were going to start a firearms manufacturing concern ...

[Sberk1]

I would buy up several expired patents, especially Colts and Brownings, and start there. Bring back some classics but with modern metallurgy and manufacturing, as well as good old fashioned hand fitting and bluing! I would target the middle price range of nice rifles and shotguns from Europe and the States, and try to do what Bill Ruger originally did, before he drank the Koolaid and became a Jerk!

That seems like solid plan

 

[SBC97281]

2 Firearms by SBC:
1. Work the bugs out and build a thin 10mm single stack pistol. Think like a Kahr K40 but a bit bigger for the pressure.
2. Baby sister to above but in 9 mm.

 

[FourTeeFive]

Not sure if this Washington manufacturer is still in business. Always thought it would be fun to make a modern (tacticool) version of the Delisle carbine.

Valkyerie Arms DeLisle Page

Valkyrie Arms manufactures semi-automatic versions of military machine guns. The web site includes product descriptions and prices.

www.valkyriearms.com

 

[TTSX]

As much tactical bologna as I could sell, in all kinds of "badarse" calibers with killer names. My logo would be a skull with a skull necklace because skulls are kewl. If I'm starting a business, I'd intend to make money and that kind of junk seems to sell

 

[CountryGent]

As much tactical bologna as I could sell, in all kinds of "badarse" calibers with killer names. My logo would be a skull with a skull necklace because skulls are kewl. If I'm starting a business, I'd intend to make money and that kind of junk seems to sell

The sad thing is there's a lot of truth there. I could never do so, if for not other reason I'd have to in short order punch myself, which I would imagine would be most unpleasant.

 

[Ownerus]

I actually started decades ago with this very thing in mind so Ive had a lot of time to ponder it. In retrospect, a most important factor is deep pockets. If I had deep pockets, I should probably just take up farming until it was all gone. Manufacturing will do the same thing but farming is a little more enjoyable. Or, again positing deep pockets, I'd have a close friend force me to spend it on whiskey and hookers to prevent me from wasting it all. Also, unless I had something like anti-gravity or inter stellar time travel, I'd forego messing with patents. It's a giant sinkhole for money and not good for much if you don't have really deep pockets to litigate.
The best bet would be invest the money in something actually profitable and then play inventor in my machine shop for fun. I'm not fond enough of governmental red tape try making guns commercially at this stage of life.

 

[Sberk1]

As much tactical bologna as I could sell, in all kinds of "badarse" calibers with killer names. My logo would be a skull with a skull necklace because skulls are kewl. If I'm starting a business, I'd intend to make money and that kind of junk seems to sell

" tactical bologna" Epic! If you haven't patented, I'm using this!

 

[Stomper]

Traditionally wheel gun cartridge rifles. Maybe side by side or over under. I mean a side by side 454 casull with flame maple stocks could be fun. Engraved, art piece level guns would be fun to make. Maybe even a 3 barrel.

Some of my background is making custom musical instruments.

YAY, WHEEL GUNS!!

 

[Quirt Evans]

Not true at all!
I own 11 of them, 9 are 100% Original and in perfect shooting condition. None will flame cut you ( a Myth, they might singe your arm hairs) and the cylinders are all from one of two sizes, from .36 cal, to 54 cal. all are machined from the same billet to what ever bore was desired, from .54 cal up to .72, took the larger cylinder, again, bored to the required specs, and they are immensely strong! Timing is actually rock solid, they time from the spindle, not the cylinder, and the lock up is vastly stronger, more precise, and easier to tune for wear then the later designs from Smith and Wesson and such! If anything, they had too slow a twist barrels up to the MK-IV series, which shortened the length, and increased the twist rates which allowed them to stay valid far longer then one would have thought, well into the bottle neck cartridge era, and yet, for the bog bore needs, they remained far longer!

No matter your glowing reports about them, if they were a viable product with wide acceptance there would still be a decently sized market that could be tapped.
Perhaps Freedom Arms could make a go of that type of design, but it still has weaknesses that are hard to overcome.
Their are many reasons that locked-breech rifles made such designs obsolete.

A revolving-cylinder rifle would always be a very small niche market.

 

[P7M13]

I'd go after Hi Point's business with guns that looked good, with the ultimate goal of eating Hi Point, Keltec, and Glock's proverbial lunches.

 

[Stomper]

The sad thing is there's a lot of truth there. I could never do so, if for not other reason I'd have to in short order punch myself, which I would imagine would be most unpleasant.

This could be your business card!!

 

[nk02442]

I would buy up several expired patents, especially Colts and Brownings, and start there. Bring back some classics but with modern metallurgy and manufacturing, as well as good old fashioned hand fitting and bluing! I would target the middle price range of nice rifles and shotguns from Europe and the States, and try to do what Bill Ruger originally did, before he drank the Koolaid and became a Jerk!

Expired patents are not protectable. What you are thinking of is trademarks. There is nothing Colt and Browning has patented that is relevent that isint timed out.

 

[CamoDeafie]

I'd go after Hi Point's business with guns that looked good, with the ultimate goal of eating Hi Point, Keltec, and Glock's proverbial lunches.

Good luck getting down to Hi Point's price point with their lifetime warranty and U.S. production for a while it looked like entry level AR15 kits could get that low but nope....

Edit. Its all in the tooling and simplicity as well as having recouped the R&D costs and staying with the same designs for over 20 years

 

[oldcars]

I really think there is a strong market for a high quality bolt action in a small size, like the old Sako L461 or A1 size. The Howa Mini is close, but the crappy plastic floor plate, and ugly stocks need to go. I'm thinking decent walnut stock that's nice & thin, not blocky, or a good rigid fiberglass option, a 22" sporter weight barrel, steel hinged floor plate, 3 position safety, and available in:
17 fireball
221 fireball
222rem
223rem
6mm arc
6.5 grendel
300blk
7.62x39

priced in the $650-850 range would sell a ton.

Also: a 20 gauge frame sized double barrel side x side "pistol" that shoots 410/.45colt, but the muzzle end is bored out to 20 gauge for an inch or so, so it doesn't look like a .410 bore. Think the Mad Max looking sawed off as a legal pistol .

Also : could someone PLEASE bring back a decent blued double action revolver with a nice wide target hammer, a nice wide target trigger, good adjustable sights, NO LOCK, NO MIM or PRINTED parts, and real wood grips not plywood ???? AND NO STUPID WARNING ON THE BARREL OR TECHIE SCAN ABLE B.S.!!! in .38sp, .357, .41, 44sp, 44mag, and 45 Colt ? PLEASE !?!

 

[LDmax]

Simple, affordable blued no-bs single stack 9mms built to last eons

 

[coop44]

Always thought the tec 9, could have been done a bit better, aluminum replacing the plastic, AR fire control parts and safety. MAC 10 recoil spring, guide and ejection. The ability to use glock mags, of course. Chambered in 45acp.

I would buy up several expired patents, especially Colts and Brownings, and start there. Bring back some classics but with modern metallurgy and manufacturing, as well as good old fashioned hand fitting and bluing! I would target the middle price range of nice rifles and shotguns from Europe and the States, and try to do what Bill Ruger originally did, before he drank the Koolaid and became a Jerk!

You don't have to "buy up" expired patents, they are fair game.

 

[Boboclown]

Not true at all!
I own 11 of them, 9 are 100% Original and in perfect shooting condition. None will flame cut you ( a Myth, they might singe your arm hairs) and the cylinders are all from one of two sizes, from .36 cal, to 54 cal. all are machined from the same billet to what ever bore was desired, from .54 cal up to .72, took the larger cylinder, again, bored to the required specs, and they are immensely strong! Timing is actually rock solid, they time from the spindle, not the cylinder, and the lock up is vastly stronger, more precise, and easier to tune for wear then the later designs from Smith and Wesson and such! If anything, they had too slow a twist barrels up to the MK-IV series, which shortened the length, and increased the twist rates which allowed them to stay valid far longer then one would have thought, well into the bottle neck cartridge era, and yet, for the bog bore needs, they remained far longer!

The issue with revolver rifles is just the market for them. I'd like one, but I'm in the minority where I like everything. Of course some things are higher on priority (like one day getting a sig 550 and finishing an ak105 project), but I like em all. Not many see the need for a revolver rifle, and the ones who actually want them are a small group.

 

[Boboclown]

I also forgot.... How about a straight pull bolt action that takes detachable mags, has a peep sight, and a forward rail for a long eye relief scope?

It'd be an even better scout rifle!

 

[Blowgunner]

Ultralight but rugged single shot pistol chambered in .22lr or .22 mag. 4" or 6" barrel. Good adjustable iron sights.
Think Steven tip up but modern materials.

 

[BrandonQuixote]

9-14 inch bolt guns that take AR 15 and 10 mags, picatinny optics rail, folding stock an very vertical grip. Sub 14" short stroke piston pattern AR pistols, a la BRN180s in 556, 300blk and 308. 11.5" Ultimax 100's. Suppressors matched to mentioned firearms.