Foreign made firearms

[Puller]

I was in a LGS in Mississippi recently when a fellow was bemoaning all the foreign made firearms. I really liked the owners response:

"You can buy guns made in a foreign country, or you can buy guns from companies here in the USA who reside in an anti-gun state (guess where their tax revenue goes). Pick your poison."

 

[Delta Expatriate]

My interest in certain foreign-made firearms has more to do with their quality. I like CZs, Berettas, older Walthers, etc. I prefer metal, hammer-fired pistols to the modern polymer, stricker-fired pistols.

Some of these foreign nations have gun laws that are what we in the "free" states might call restrictive. Their laws may grant (not insure) some degree of freedom with regard to firearm ownership, but not like we in the "free" states have. Somebody chime in if they know better, but as far as I know the natural rights insured by the Second Amendment are unique to the United States. I can think of another country that might have something somewhat similar, but I have not researched it (some of our Swiss members chime in).

Smith & Wesson is in the process of moving its HQ and much of its manufacturng to Tennessee, although my understanding is that its revolvers will still be manufactured in Massatuchetts.

My understanding is that Ruger, while headquartered Connecticutt, also manufactures firearms in Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire, none of which I would consider to be rabidly anti-gun states (e.g., New Jersey and California, etc.).

Others can chime in with other examples.

Should the question be the State where the firearms are manufactured, versus where the company is headquartered? I don't know.

By "free" states, I am referring to those states that have far less restrictive gun laws and have placed the rights insured (not granted) by the second amendment in their State constitutions.

I don't know of any firearms manufactured in California or New Jersey, which again, I consider to be among the worst.

I made a distinction between "insure" and "granted" since I believe the Second Amendment does not grant, but rather recognizes and insures our natural rights to keep and bear arms.

I am not sure how relevant all this is to original post, but these are thoughts I had after reading it.

 

[Dave Baird]

One more foreign gun in my hand is one less in theirs.

 

[Mark8]

Aren't all S&W revolvers foreign made? I still like them!

 

[lihpster]

I own guns made in:
USA
Germany
Austria
Italy
Turkey
Portugal
Japan
China
The Philippines

None of them were chosen based on the prevailing attitudes towards firearms in their respective homelands.

 

[Delta Expatriate]

Aren't all S&W revolvers foreign made? I still like them!

For you, yes!

 

[LVSteve]

As a milsurp guy I am pretty ambivalent about the origins of the guns I own. I work on the basis if it interests me because of how it operates or its country of origin, I'll buy it...at the right price.


When it comes to what I consider modern guns, made after 1970, I have them from the following countries.


USA
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Czech Republic
Germany
Israel
Italy
Philippines
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Turkey
Yugoslavia

I might have forgotten a couple.

I knew it. Add:

Brazil
Hungary
Romania

 

[Jack Flash]

I'll bet more than a few members here have guns that were made in China.

I have not bought a newly manufactured gun in years, but the last one was a Browning shotgun made in Japan. The quality and materials are outstanding. So should I be ashamed for buying it because some people think Japan's gun laws are too restrictive?

I used to have quite an accumulation of Lee Enfield Rifles (not so many anymore). Among these were examples from Australia, India, Canada, the United States, and of course, England. Was there something wrong with this? Or as long as they are not recent manufacture, they get a pass?

 

[Golddollar]

I have two guns that were made in Russia, but were "liberated" by the Finns. Did they become "naturalized" to Finland?

 

[pharmer]

My SIG was made in New Hampshire. CZ owns Colt's but the guns are made here. Berettas are made in Maryland. There's more but what does "Made in America" mean really. My Nissan Frontier was made in Mississippi, "Made in America"(?) Joe

 

[Delta Expatriate]

My SIG was made in New Hampshire. CZ owns Colt's but the guns are made here. Berettas are made in Maryland. There's more but what does "Made in America" mean really. My Nissan Frontier was made in Mississippi, "Made in America"(?) Joe

My understanding is that Beretta USA moved its manufacturing from Maryland to Tennessee a few years ago due to Maryland's passage of some harsh gun laws. CZ U.S.A. is headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas.

Another example is Walther (my understanding is that Walther is now owned by Umarex, another German company?) - Walther Firearms USA is headquarted in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Your Nissan Frontier was made just a few miles north of where I am (same County).

 

[Echo40]

I own firearms made in the following countries...

America (USA)
Austria
Brazil
Germany
Romania

Most of which are American, but I buy what I like, and generally don't care too much about where it's made, I just happen to like more American designs total than I do foreign designs.
That being said, my all-time favorite pistol is the Walther PPK/S which is a German Design, followed closely by the Beretta 92 which is an Italian design. I'm also extremely fond of the H&K USP, another German design.

As for my favorite long guns, they're all American designs. Colt M4A1, Ithaca Model 37, Thompson Submachine Gun, Winchester 1892.

 

[RobertJ.]

My very favorite handguns were made in Belgium. I have two Browning Hi-Powers, made in 1969 and 1977.

Aside from those, I have a Russian Makarov (commercial, .380 ACP) and a Yugoslavian M98 Mauser.

 

[6string]

The traditional location for US firearms manufacturing, ie: the so-called "gun valley" of the Northeast, was chosen for its long tradition of manufacturing and tool & die making. As many of these makers move to more "gun friendly" states, they often encounter a workforce lacking in high level artisanal skills. Given that most modern design and manufacturing is now based on CNC technology, etc, it is difficult to make broad statements that rationalize the opinion described by the fellow in the OP.

There are a lot of foreign makers that I don't like. But, there are/were plenty around the globe that take a backseat to nobody.
In many cases, and/or for many purposes, foreign makes are the best choices.
A perfect example is formal target shooting.
In many foreign countries having difficult permit requirements and processes, a potential candidate looking to acquire a firearm must convince officials that they have a serious and valid reason to own a firearm. Target competition is one such reason. As such, the marketplace for firearms is practically compelled to support these requirements. Accordingly, domestically available firearms will be of a similar level of serious quality.
So, maybe you want to buy a .22 as your first pistol. Chances are, it will be a high end target pistol like a Pardini, Walther GSP, Feinwerkbau, etc. It certainly won't be a Heritage single action!
With that in mind, and accepting that this is a limited and specific example, the fellow described in the OP would be not only wrong in his assumptions, but 180 degrees backwards in his thinking.

 

[ACORN]

Aren't all S&W revolvers foreign made? I still like them!

There's one in every crowd!

 

[AJ]

As long as the product is well made, dependable, and of reasonable cost, does it really matter where it is made nowadays? Does it matter if it was made 100 years ago or yesterday?

 

[Puller]

As long as the product is well made, dependable, and of reasonable cost, does it really matter where it is made nowadays? Does it matter if it was made 100 years ago or yesterday?

There are those who bemoan current non-USA manufactured firearms as they stand there in their Chinese produced underwear.

 

[Grayfox]

You might want to make note that many of the gun makers located in anti-gun states were there long before those states became so anti gun. Some are moving to correct that situation.

 

[AJ]

There are those who bemoan current non-USA manufactured firearms as they stand there in their Chinese produced underwear.

This is quite true!

 

[RetCapt]

If I want a specific firearm, it is immaterial to me where it is made.

One of my foreign made guns is a Winchester model 52 .22 rimfire sporter, made by Miroku in Japan. When I bought it I paid less than $500. An original American-made 52 sporter on the used market went for around $3k. I have never handled a USA Winchester 52. The Miroku 52 though is gorgeous in fit and finish. I have read this is a hallmark of Miroku produced Winchester firearms. I had just started to break it in when too many other obligations took over with the result that I don't know how it groups.

I also have a Ruger 77/22 stainless varmint model. The 77/22 was well known to be an inconsistent grouper. What I should have done is test the rifle with different brands of ammo to truly find out how it grouped, then go from there. That would have been the sensible approach. What I did instead is completely customize the rifle using Volquartsen components, and bolt tightening by CPC. This one I have tested and it is a grouper, <.5" at 50 yards. By the time I finished I had some loot in it, but the result is worth it.

Which is the better rifle? I don't know. Both are with me to stay.

I gave no thought to state or country of origin. I bought what I wanted.