S&W Using Chinese Parts In Their AR's?

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PanzerSS

PanzerSS

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While at the gun range this weekend I was with a few of my S&W MP15 buddies. I was shooting my MP.40 with my new .357 SIG barrel while they were shooting their AR's.
Someone brought up the conversation about some of the MP15 parts are made in China. Is this true? I have a Sport MP15 and it looks all 'MERICAN made. Can anyone elaborate on this, or is this just a rumor? I mean, if S&W is trying to save money this is a sure fire way of doing it.
 
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Yes and no.
First there is no way to tell by looking to determine if it's "all AMERICAN made"

Second. Chinese can and do make good products. What you see as junk you can thank the company that payed for it. Chinese will make whatever you want to your price point. You won't get $1000 quality if all you're willing to pay is $50.

Third. S&W does outsource some parts from other companies. Where they got it or how they made it only S&W knows. It's probably not made in China but there's no way to prove or disprove

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
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pharmer said:
I would imagine it's nearly impossible to assemble an AR without ANY Chinese parts. Joe
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Not at all. As long as your goal isn't to buy the cheapest product possible. Buying known quality from know companies will get you ZERO Chinese parts

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
Arik said:
Third. S&W does outsource some parts from other companies. Where they got it or how they made it only S&W knows. It's probably not made in China but there's no way to prove or disprove

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Could you imagine the backlash if it was proven true? I doubt that S&W would risk it.
 
Stock M4-style furniture and "little bits" in the LPK are probably Chinese, sure.

Remember, the cell phone or computer you're viewing this post on are undoubtedly made there as well. It's all about the quality standard and oversight of the brand.

If you're going to make cheap dollar-store quality ****, your only real option is China. But on the flip side, they can make quality goods if you (the brand) demand it.
 
PanzerSS said:
.........some of the MP15 parts are made in China. Is this true? I have a Sport MP15 and it looks all 'MERICAN made.
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Its a conundrum to be sure.

How do you define "Made"?

...because we seem to have re-defined "built".

"I built an AR this weekend" Really?...or didja jam a few springs and pins together?

I have some older AK's. They have Serial #'s in three separate places with armorer's marks on other smaller parts. Made it! Built it! Proud of it! Put their "mark" on it!

You see that in a Sport II???

Now, all that being said, when it came time to buy mamma an AR the discussion went...
"What kind you want?
"I dunno, we seem to be happy with the M&P line"
"Yep, cant go wrong with S&W"

So we got a S&W (in a high spot no less, paid 568:rolleyes:)

Absolutely love it. Never misses a beat, even in FA type mode with a SlideFire.

I wanted a pistol....slapped some Anderson/PSA parts together...love it.

I think we are buying the name for the most part. I didnt research where they dig up their parts or where they assemble stuff. Its an American company with a helluva reputation producing nice, affordable firearms.

....I dunno what more I could want :D
 
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The label wrapped around my Sport 1`s hand guard says "made in USA".
Thats good enough for me.
Jim
 
Thanks to 922 rule it is counter productive to use foreign sourced parts on an AR. Plastic molded stuff made here is competive and injection molding doesn't require much labor. The cube it takes coupled with light weight means it isn't efficient to ship filling containers with it either.
 
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hkcavalier wrote:
If you're going to make cheap dollar-store quality ****, your only real option is China.
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I have to disagree.

That may have been true in 1990, but the value of China's currency in international exchange has risen in value and the wages paid to Chinese industrial labor now in some cases exceed what workers make in the United States.

Today, if you want cheap, you go to places like Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia or Malaysia. And more than a few companies are discovering the wage picture has so shifted over the last twenty years that the cheapest place to make something is now the U.S.
 
I was in Wal-Mart earlier this evening. I was looking for an eagle to put on top of my flag pole because the eagle that was on it, the coating was peeling. I went to where they sell the American flags and found one. While there I started looking at the flags. I saw that several of them had "MADE IN CHINA" on the wrapper holding the American flag. :(
I own an F150. The owners manual is in a very nice zipper pouch. On the zipper handle it reads "CHINA." :(
 
hdwhit said:
Why don't you contact S&W directly and get the straight story right from the company?
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Yeah, ok. They will say ANYTHING but "Yes, sure, we use Chinese parts on our MP15 rifles." :rolleyes:
 
"Quality" is only one factor in the equation.
The Chinese economy does not work anything like it does in the West. If you're a manufacturer or large business operator, it is a given that you are either a member of the Chinese National Communist Party, or one of their flunkies. That being said, you will enjoy a competitive advantage over other nations. And what happens to all that capital, not to mention stolen intellectual property, flowing into China? A lot of it benefits other Chinese national agendas, such as aerospace and digital tech.
Every penny you spend on a "made in China" product, directly or indirectly benefits this oppressive regime. So, is saving a couple bucks worth it to support totalitarianism?
Would your grandfather have bought "Made in Nazi Germany" to avoid those "outrageous" pre-war prices on a 44 Second Model Hand Ejector? And, if he did, would we have any right to complain about how "they don't make 'em like they used to."?

I was in Cabela's earlier today looking for a top quality one piece cleaning rod. They had a Tipton carbon fibre rod, a Hoppe's stainless steel rod, and a Dewey coated rod. The first two had cheesy plastic handles and lousy bearings. The Dewey just felt more professional. Not surprisingly, the Dewey was the only one made in the USA. So, arguments aside as to what rod material is best, the choice was easy for me. Sure, it was a good chunk of change. But, not one commie made a nickel off of it!

Jim
 
jimbo728 said:
The label wrapped around my Sport 1`s hand guard says "made in USA".
Thats good enough for me.
Jim
Click to expand...
If a certain percentage of assemblage occurs stateside, "Made in the USA" is a permitted designation -- doesn't mean the components or materials are U.S. based or sourced.
 
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