Stagnant

[Dashunde]

I it just me, or is the firearms industry really slow moving?
Slow to introduce new products and upgrade/update/improve existing products?

For the first time in nearly a year I dropped by a LGS, it seemed like it was frozen in time.
Its mostly the exact same stuff that was there 5 years ago... the lone exceptions are the updated LCP and LC9s.

What is it about guns that once they're out the manufactures seem to sit on their hands?

 

[rickyrick]

Uncertainty of future regulation.

Panic of 08 and 13 saturated the market

Lack of impetus to innovate

 

[barnbwt]

It's much more due to the nature of firearms and firearms owners.

1) Gun design through manufacture is a surprisingly complex integration problem involving basically every engineering and manufacture discipline

2) Gun buyers are among the most conservative, staid, skittish, and (truth time) cowardly groups of consumers there are. People will take a chance on a $30,000 car before taking a chance on a $500 gun. They like what they have, and are highly suspicious of new developments or technology; "what's it do what this 50yo design doesn't do?"

3) The combination of these two things also makes the market highly volatile (mostly number two), so investment must be as conservative as the market --a guarantee for slow growth (see: Kel Tec)

TCB

 

[5.56RifleGuy]

There are some innovative products out there, but you wont generally see them from the big companies. I'm usually looking for pistols and rifles that are different in some way.

I have to agree that most peoples attitude to something new is fear and lack of interest.

 

[FITASC]

It's much more due to the nature of firearms and firearms owners.

1) Gun design through manufacture is a surprisingly complex integration problem involving basically every engineering and manufacture discipline

2) Gun buyers are among the most conservative, staid, skittish, and (truth time) cowardly groups of consumers there are. People will take a chance on a $30,000 car before taking a chance on a $500 gun. They like what they have, and are highly suspicious of new developments or technology; "what's it do what this 50yo design doesn't do?"

3) The combination of these two things also makes the market highly volatile (mostly number two), so investment must be as conservative as the market --a guarantee for slow growth (see: Kel Tec)

Add in most of those folks are cheap and do not want to pay for that innovation, equipment start-up costs, etc. And after a few big companies turned out some crap, many are leery of something "new and improved".....

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

There are no real technological breakthroughs on the near horizon.

We saw:

1. The polymer hi-cap semis.
2. The AR and similar platforms
3. Red dot or similar optics
4. Lasers

That's about it. So now we get variants. Unless we get energy weapons or bring guided projectile tech to small arms - we are just tweaking.

 

[FITASC]

Or, like any good woman's fashion, something from 20-30 years ago comes back around and gets "rediscovered". Seems S&W started that a few years ago by bringing back some revolvers but now calling them their "Classics".

 

[rickyrick]

While useful many are. It's the bolt and barrel coatings and metal treatments. Roll marks and boutique cartridges. Funny cut fluted barrels.. And apparently solvent traps.

I still see many incarnations of AR stuff still to come.

Mossberg tried the chain saw handled shotgun and the tactical lever action.

 

[lamarw]

I have older firearms and newer firearms. Over time, I find myself more drawn to older firearms. This past weekend I purchased a Pre-Victory model S&W revolver and a WWII era mauser.

Earlier this year, I did buy a new S&W AR .223/5.56 M&P Sport which is not too far removed from the M-16 I carried in the 1960's/70's