The Once Great Remington

[Narragansett]

OK, first off, I am not bashing here, but since 1987, I have had a personal boycott against any of their products. As I said it is personal.

Today I pick up and start looking through the July issue of American Rifleman ( which is getting thinner by the month ) and what do I see? Remington ( Big Green) has come out with 2 striker fired composite guns that have an MSRP of 418.00.

When you are in financial trouble, why would you enter the overpopulated world of composite guns? Is this what is going to put the company in the black? I think they would be better served building solid products that live up to the Remington Reputation of decades ago when the company was run by gun industry people, and not bean counters with MBA's?

IMO, this is just another example of poor management, and another nail in the coffin.

Too bad they had to suck Marlin down with them

I love the old products though!

 

[rwt1405]

I agree with a lot of what you said, and as I am a fan of Marlin lever-actions, I was very upset with what was happening with the RemLins.

I will say, however, that the last few "newer" RemLins that I've seen are starting to look much "better" then the original RemLins I had handled.

Now, having said that, I certainly don't think they appear to be the quality of rifles that Marlin built, and I admit mine (Marlins) are from the 1970's, and before (with one exception).

So I do have some hope.

Time will tell (I will be rooting for them!)............

 

[Minorcan]

As a once Remington fan I will not buy anything from them anymore and yes it is personal. They are not even close to the company they once were. They can't even take a 100 year old design like the 1911 or R51 and make them work. Worse once they make a faulty 1911 they can't repair it in their facility but contract out the repair to a non-company gunsmith. Their .22 ammo won't feed in anything I own and their centerfire ammo had three dud rounds in one box.

 

[Old_Cop]

You're from RI, remember Almacs a family owned grocery business? It got sold and resold until it went under. Remington is a bigger version, throw in errors in handling the trigger allegations, cheaper and cheaper rifles (remember the 700 BDL, a classic), the RM 51 bomb, late with an AR, late with a 1911. The public is in the thrall of plastic pistols, profit is big, that's why they are making them. My question is, are they too big to fail?

 

[Farmer17]

I recently bought a Remington 1187 12 gauge auto shotgun in brand new condition for under $400 and I like every thing about it but the walnut looks like it has absolutely no sealer on it. Remington used to make their stocks TOO shiny but this looked like it was just stained and left dry and never sealed, I guess so it wouldn't reflect light and scare game. It looked bad to me so I put a couple coats of Tru Oil on it and it now looks excellent, just a little shine but not too much. I don't think you can buy a better auto shotgun for the price of the 1187 but I'm surprised the factory didn't put more sealer finish on the stock.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

I think guns may be a lot like music, we all like the classics and the classics for any given person is what was new and popular when they were young or sometimes what our parents or grandparents liked. Stuff made today was not made to last like it once was. Time was a man had a very few guns and made do with them for a lifetime. They had to last. Now folks who have guns tend to have a number of guns and life does not depend for decades on any one gun. In buying those guns, we are not willing to pay for the strict quality of the days of yore, because we don't need it. The MBA's and consultants have figured out that we will collectively reward gun makers better if they don't "overdue" the quality. They make an effort, but as you can read on this forum, the quality has suffered, but if you want to know who to blame, look in the mirror.

 

[Narragansett]

You're from RI, remember Almacs a family owned grocery business? It got sold and resold until it went under. Remington is a bigger version, throw in errors in handling the trigger allegations, cheaper and cheaper rifles (remember the 700 BDL, a classic), the RM 51 bomb, late with an AR, late with a 1911. The public is in the thrall of plastic pistols, profit is big, that's why they are making them. My question is, are they too big to fail?

Yes i do remember Almacs. They had about 40 stores. We did all their electrical work. However Al Pike, the Al in Almacs died and the son took it over. he was not near the businessman and grocer that his father was, and so the business, and a long time tradition failed. Convenience and a lot of jobs were lost. i was not aware that they sold at all. I think the next store they were going to open was in Crawford County, but there were logistic issues floating frozen foods along the Erie Canal.

I understand the public loves black plastic pistols, but how much profit can there be in a 418.00 dollar pistol. There are a lot of people getting a cut of that 418.00.

No they are not too big to fail. IMO, they already have failed. They just don't know it yet.

And I have a 70's 700BDL 30-06 bought new. # 2 son has it now

 

[schutzen-jager]

I have been boycotting them for over 6 years now - the product quality + customer service is non existent - breaking point for me was several bricks of .22 golden bullet + thunder bolts [ misfires , no powder , no priming compound , loose bullets , + inconsistent velocity ] - over a dozen emails , letters , + attempted phone calls with not one response ! - I do own over 30 Remingtons all pre 1973 - - Marlin had great customer service till the Remington group took over -

 

[Narragansett]

I think guns may be a lot like music, we all like the classics and the classics for any given person is what was new and popular when they were young or sometimes what our parents or grandparents liked. Stuff made today was not made to last like it once was. Time was a man had a very few guns and made do with them for a lifetime. They had to last. Now folks who have guns tend to have a number of guns and life does not depend for decades on any one gun. In buying those guns, we are not willing to pay for the strict quality of the days of yore, because we don't need it. The MBA's and consultants have figured out that we will collectively reward gun makers better if they don't "overdue" the quality. They make an effort, but as you can read on this forum, the quality has suffered, but if you want to know who to blame, look in the mirror.

I understand the comment about look in the mirror. we the people have not put our foot down, and accept less than acceptable quality, and we continue to buy.

I have not bought a new gun since 1992. Most everything else I own is 1950 to 1980. Some older than 1950. Why?? I like quality, and my sons will have the opportunity some day to have that same quality

 

[Buford57]

It's been a long time since I squeezed out the extra nickels to buy Express shotgun shells instead of Montgomery Wards, but the Big Green is starting to get on my nerves, too.

I own a second edition R51 that works most of the time. The magazines are the weak spot and no one makes a good one. The only failure I've had with the current mags is a slide lock-back with one round still in the mag. About the most innocuous semi-auto failure I can imagine, since a simple rack cures it, but still. It's a shame, too, because of all my 9s the only one I enjoy shooting more is the Browning.

I recently sent their customer support a letter expressing my thoughts that putting the big retaining pin hole on the right side of the RM380 frame instead of the left would avoid the unintentional disassembly my wife experienced while press-checking her carry gun. If the slide is retracted slowly and canted to the left at all, the pin drops out (and in this case down the drain) and the gun is in two pieces. Really, that is the only complaint I have with the little thing, and we own 2.

They said there was nothing wrong with the design and it was meant to do that. Oh, well. I guess I'll drill the right hole a little larger, put a dab of weld in the left hole and go on with life.

 

[LVSteve]

OK, first off, I am not bashing here, but since 1987, I have had a personal boycott against any of their products. As I said it is personal.

Today I pick up and start looking through the July issue of American Rifleman ( which is getting thinner by the month ) and what do I see? Remington ( Big Green) has come out with 2 striker fired composite guns that have an MSRP of 418.00.

When you are in financial trouble, why would you enter the overpopulated world of composite guns? Is this what is going to put the company in the black? I think they would be better served building solid products that live up to the Remington Reputation of decades ago when the company was run by gun industry people, and not bean counters with MBA's?

IMO, this is just another example of poor management, and another nail in the coffin.

Too bad they had to suck Marlin down with them

I love the old products though!

The RP9 and RP45 are not exactly brand new. A quick search of youtube and the rest of the Web will turn up numerous range reviews. One issue with the RP9 was the first round being tossed out of the gun if you slapped the mag in with any vigor. I don't know if that's been fixed, but the AR review was damning with faint praise if you ask me.

As for the MSRP, I ignore that on all products these days except maybe Porsches. The RP9 has been fire-saled by at least one wholesaler for $300 or less in the last 12 months.

 

[Narragansett]

All
I recently bought a Rem. 1911. 45 ACP. Love it. Works as it should. Very reliable. Even came with two mags.
I have enough older Rem. rifles and shotguns that I won't need a new one for at least a 100 years.
If you don't like the new gear, go buy an old version. They made plenty of them.
Pic of new.
Pic of old.
Bill@Yuma

I did just get a new Remington. A mint 1942 model 512

 

[ISCS Yoda]

And then people wonder why I still have my Remington Model 788 in .308 Winchester. First gun I ever bought, exceedingly accurate, I have obtained lots of other guns since 1971 but the 788 is still a favorite! I have felt badly about Remington's financial woes and product problems for a long time.

 

[OLDSTER]

Too bad for Remington fans ( former). I love the old 1100 shotguns and with my sons we own 5. None newer than 1989. This is my 1983 Tournament Grade Skeet 12 ga. that I've used extensively, trouble free, since new. You'll never see an 1100 like this again.

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

Not just their firearms, but I miss their knives too. Remember when they were made here in the USA? I see new ones occasionally in stores but they look about as generic as anything else made overseas.

 

[mauser9]

Got 3 I bought back in 80-81. Like Oldster above my first was a TB trap which has never failed since I bought it in 1980. Some decent quality in the past with fine walnut. Experimenting with models like the 710-770 were a fiasco. No small wonder I shop the used gun racks these days. Hope they make it but bean counters and not gun people in the way for now. Seems Savage and maybe another is riding the crest of the wave.

 

[Goldstar225]

I've bought three new Remingtons in the past four years, I've had no problems with any of them.

 

[hkcavalier]

I have been tempted by the sub-$200 RM380s, but so far have resisted.

 

[sigp220.45]

My only new Remington is a 1911R1, and it has been flawless. Same with my son's 1911R1.

 

[roo_ster]

I hope Remington turns it around. I see some indications they are.

I have bought two used Rem 870 WM/PMs in the last few years. If Remington stops making them, folks stop buying them, then I can't buy them used!