"Out of stock" should have been the slogan for D&D.
The Bren Ten Curse
- Thread starter Ethang
- Start date
Amazing that the Bren Ten still has a following, and it is all due to a TV show. Boomer memories of a half century old TV show drive these sales. Without that media exposure, the Bren Ten would be a historical curiosity; it was a flash in the pan. Looked good, had a lot of very positive press. I still have a magazine issue on the introduction of the Bren Ten. The gunwriter had 200 rounds, wrote a long article absolutely praising the gun and the cartridge. The creation of the world was a small event compared to the introduction of the Bren Ten. He predicted a long future for the Bren Ten. At the time, never heard any negatives, or whiff's of production problems with the Bren Ten.
Forty years on, I can believe that Dornaus and Dixon were an under capitalized firm, probably living from gun sale to gun sale. The problem with Italian magazines not fitting production pistols is an example of a small shop not having on site Quality Control, probably they did not have face to face meetings with the sub contractor, may not have had a final drawing package. I can imagine the magazine manufacturer having an "as built" pistol to examine, and then the "as built" dimensions changing on the pistol production line!
Issues such as slide cracking indicate poor choices of slide materials, inadequate examination of slide stresses and heat treatment. These are all indications of a "wing and a prayer" development program. Having worked on "success orientated" programs, I can tell you, not having the time or money to research issues early, and then going forward with back of the envelope concepts, caused a lot of programs to fail. You see this all the time with Government programs.
Anyone looked at our Government mandated Green Energy transition? Typical example of a great concept that fails in the details. Originators who are "great visionaries", but lack the understanding of the logistics and development engineering that it takes to make "great leaps of faith" work, these individuals create expensive failures.
I am sure this is what happened with Dornaus and Dixon. Not having magazines to ship with their pistols was a clue that the company was not well managed, and was soon going to founder on the shoals.
As for owning one of the Bren Tens, if you shoot the thing and a part breaks, who is out there making replacements, and who is out there that can fit them? That is something a future buyer should think about.
Forty years on, I can believe that Dornaus and Dixon were an under capitalized firm, probably living from gun sale to gun sale. The problem with Italian magazines not fitting production pistols is an example of a small shop not having on site Quality Control, probably they did not have face to face meetings with the sub contractor, may not have had a final drawing package. I can imagine the magazine manufacturer having an "as built" pistol to examine, and then the "as built" dimensions changing on the pistol production line!
Issues such as slide cracking indicate poor choices of slide materials, inadequate examination of slide stresses and heat treatment. These are all indications of a "wing and a prayer" development program. Having worked on "success orientated" programs, I can tell you, not having the time or money to research issues early, and then going forward with back of the envelope concepts, caused a lot of programs to fail. You see this all the time with Government programs.
Anyone looked at our Government mandated Green Energy transition? Typical example of a great concept that fails in the details. Originators who are "great visionaries", but lack the understanding of the logistics and development engineering that it takes to make "great leaps of faith" work, these individuals create expensive failures.
I am sure this is what happened with Dornaus and Dixon. Not having magazines to ship with their pistols was a clue that the company was not well managed, and was soon going to founder on the shoals.
As for owning one of the Bren Tens, if you shoot the thing and a part breaks, who is out there making replacements, and who is out there that can fit them? That is something a future buyer should think about.
I would imagine that it is an incredibly tiny percentage of Bren Ten owners today that would make a rational decision to shoot these pistols.
They simply trade for way too much money to make shooting a known problematic pistol a bright move.
They simply trade for way too much money to make shooting a known problematic pistol a bright move.
smoothshooter
Member
Why would someone start up a business that could not deliver their product?
Very unprofessional.
I would not want anything to do with them.
Col. Jeff Cooper wasn't right all of the time. Just mostly. Nobody ever needed a Bren Ten. It's not ugly, it's just another decent looking, large pistol. Yawn.....
Not interested.....
And this is incorrect:
In the Air Tonight lyrics © Phil Collins Ltd, Philip Collins Ltd
Not interested.....
And this is incorrect:
In the Air Tonight lyrics © Phil Collins Ltd, Philip Collins Ltd
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BigMuddy
Member
I wonder how many actual viewers of Miami Vice had any idea what guns were being used? I’m betting most of those “boomers” watching the show weren’t gun people. I also wonder if not for the Bren would we have ever had the 10mm? It’s a great cartridge even though Sonny didn’t use it.
Dan
Dan
Loved the Miami Vice TV show back in the day! I’ve always wondered why reruns of the show weren’t done on cable TV. It was so popular, and shows of that type are shown constantly.
Larry
Larry
I think a few cable/satellite channels did pick it up for syndication, but it did not last long. Maybe there is a particularly high syndication fee for Miami Vice?
Hope, businesses are started on hope. The founders do want to deliver a product, they do want happy customers, they do want sales. The first year failure rate on small businesses is high, I see number from 50% to 87 %, depends on the study. Founders get over their heads financially, external factors blow holes in their budgets.
I am sure Dornaus and Dixon thought they had a real thing that was going to last. It did not.
With D&D, it was magazine availability. What good is a pistol that ships without magazines?
There's no question the Bren 10 flopped. But it was a great idea alive and well in today's market. A host of polimar guns and 1911s in 10mm. And for me the Tanfoglio, the Witness is a nice carry gun and the full size guns are world class. I make no bones about it, I'm a big Tanfo fan boy.
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Apathesis
Member
The pistol IS cursed. The last guy who allegedly attempted to bring them back was a scam artist named Stuart Palmer with the Instagram handle @thevintage1911. He had multiple scams going and is now looking at 20 years for fraud after being charged by the FBI and indicted last month or so. Years before, he gave pistols to Chuck Warner for reference when Chuck attempted to resurrect the pistol for a small group of investors as a private project before ATF swooped for reasons I am kind of foggy on.
Apathesis
Member
My guess is it has something to do with music royalties.
Apathesis
Member
Miami Vice was picked up for syndication with NBC doing reruns from 94 to 98.
DWalt
Member
A very high percentage of startup business failures result from undercapitalization. Basically a failure to seriously anticipate and obtain enough funding to keep the lights on until the venture can generate enough income to sustain itself. It is evident D&D failed to do that by underestimating capital requirements.
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Glenn R. McMannly
Member
Coolest gun ever made!!!
DWalt
Member
The only fault I can mention about my all steel Witness is its weight. I bought one out of my own pocket to use as a test bed for a USAF handgun ammunition development project. It has digested many very hot loads without ill effects. I gave some details of that program in a previous posting.
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