Australian Manufactured Rifle An Option?

[Shaun Trewern]

I read an old post yesterday (love that google engine search

) about importing Manners Stocks into Australia. The thread got pretty heated and the anger that a lot of us Aussies have with prices we need to pay here, and time frames to get deliveries of stock, was very evident. It made me wonder for quite a while about an Australian firearm line. In all my years of being a self-professed 'gun nut' I haven't heard anything about an Australian firm manufacturing rifles, parts, stocks etc etc here. Now I don't mean to take anything away from all the good gunsmiths who will build you a really nice custom job, but not everybody who wants to shoot can afford some of those costs.

So to anyone with an opinion, anyone 'in the industry' in one way or another here in Australia, anyone with an econimics degree who wants to explain why it's simply not commercially viable to build and sell an Austrlian line of rifles..... Does anyone know if anyone has even looked into doing this in the last 20 years? I get the impression that nobody would want to take on the established big boys from overseas, even if the locals would benefit? Maybe there simply isn't enough market without exporting overseas as well?

 

[patriotoutlaw]

Re: Australian Manufactured Rifle An Option?

Wild Dog?

 

[Shaun Trewern]

Re: Australian Manufactured Rifle An Option?

Great to see a Queensland based company doing good work like Wild Dog produces, but they are still building custom jobs based on imported actions. Howa's, Remingtons etc. Don't get me wrong, I think I just drooled on the keyboard looking at their website again ( ) but I was thinking more along the lines of an Austrlian produced line of rifles. Something to rival the quality and price of a Remington 700 or Savage 10 series for example. If they are manufactured here, the local guys can avoid all the costs and hassles of dealing direct to overseas manufactures when they want something specific, without paying for two or three sets of mark ups on the price along the way.

 

[dbateman]

Re: Australian Manufactured Rifle An Option?

well there are and have been a few AIA comes to mind not exactly a rem700 but still pretty good

there were a few others but I think a lot of it has to do with the gov not wanting them here , I do know that the gov has bought licences of a lot of pistol shooters and more than a few dealers

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Australian Manufactured Rifle An Option?

Lithgow?

39 Australian Defense Industry organizations.

 

[Shaun Trewern]

Re: Australian Manufactured Rifle An Option?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dbateman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">well there are and have been a few AIA comes to mind not exactly a rem700 but still pretty good

there were a few others but I think a lot of it has to do with the gov not wanting them here , I do know that the gov has bought licences of a lot of pistol shooters and more than a few dealers


</div></div>

You might've hit the nail on the head there. After reading the forum rules I tried to avoid posting anything too political, and I probably wouldn't have been polite if I had. Let's just say I hold a negative view of succesive Government's firearms policy.

AIA only did a limited run of those rifles and then shut up shop didn't they? Any idea why??

 

[ChrisF]

Re: Australian Manufactured Rifle An Option?


I would say , mainly the negative enviroment put in place & maintained by Aussie GovTs , past & present .

Actually , If it was not for the Aussie defence concerns ( not GovT or civies ) , NO gunpowder would be made in Aussie at all period .
Numbers wise , it made sense to stop making powder , when the old plant ran out of life ( a few years back ) , and needed complete re-placement of major equipment to keep being able to produce powder .
And If that was the case , their would be a lot less shooting being done in Aus than there is at the moment .


Later Chris

 

[dbateman]

Re: Australian Manufactured Rifle An Option?

I beleave AIA is still in bussiness they have a pretty good web site to
they did start to make there rifle's in 223 , 7.62x39 and 243 I think maybe a few
other rounds as well , they sell only thru dealers you cant just ring them and ask them to build you some thing

I tried to hard to deal with them don't want to deal with third party's

sportco was anther long gone Australian gun maker

Au has a very rich history in firearms I will come back later and add a bit more to this

but we use to have people making suppressors , Au designed and manufactured machine guns and sub gun's the Gov put a stop to a lot of that

I believe metal storm was an Au idea that had to go out of Au to get funding

oh there is a guy in Tas that build a very nice 50cal target rifle there use to be another fellow in Vic that use to make custom bench rifle's on his own action I never seen one myself but heard they were very good

sorry I am not in the right mood to think about this I will come back later and add some more