Remington Arms awarded $80 million federal contract for sniper rifles

[Lucille]

Yes, probably, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were for the DHS.

http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=51011


Does $16,000 per rifle sound a bit high? Is this a payoff to Remington to keep them in New York State? Although this contract is for the Dept of Defense, is there any reason to worry that they will go to the DHS?

Remington Arms awarded $80 million federal contract for sniper rifles

Washington — The Department of Defense has awarded the Remington Arms factory in Ilion a contract worth $80 million to produce more than 5,000 sniper rifles for the U.S. military, Rep. Richard Hanna said today.

The rifles will be manufactured over the course of 10 years at the Remington plant in Herkimer County, said Hanna, R-Barneveld.

The federal contract award comes on the same day of reports that Remington plans to spend $20 million upgrading the plant, which employs about 1,200 people.

“The award of this contract to Remington Defense further shows that they are the premier manufacturer of sniper rifles for our Armed Forces,” Hanna said in a statement today.

“I have full confidence that this contract will be fulfilled with the high quality and standards that define our Ilion workforce,” Hanna said. “I fully support Remington Arms and will continue working to ensure that the company and its dedicated employees can thrive in Herkimer County for generations to come.”

The contract calls for the delivery of rifle systems that include AAC Titan QD suppressors and millions of rounds of Barnes ammunition, according to Hanna’s office.

Hanna, a supporter of gun rights who has top ratings from the National Rifle Association, has dueled recently with a South Carolina congressman who suggested the Remington plant should move to his state because of New York’s restrictive new gun law. Remington has manufactured guns in Upstate New York since 1816.

Hanna’s district includes Herkimer County, as well as Madison, Oneida, Cortland and part of Oswego County in Central New York.

[oyarde]

16 k is too much , Remington has very accurate models now, somewhere in the $600 range , a Barrett .50 cal runs, probably slightly more than 8 k , so what would you get for 16 k ?

[jmdrake]

16 k is too much , Remington has very accurate models now, somewhere in the $600 range , a Barrett .50 cal runs, probably slightly more than 8 k , so what would you get for 16 k ?

The same thing you get for an $800 claw hammer.

[tangent4ronpaul]

Barrett's prices have gone up...

:(

-t

[asurfaholic]

16 k is too much , Remington has very accurate models now, somewhere in the $600 range , a Barrett .50 cal runs, probably slightly more than 8 k , so what would you get for 16 k ?

Some friend of a politician gets fat stuffed pockets. One hand washes the other, at the expense of the taxpayers.

[Wooden Indian]

The same thing you get for an $800 claw hammer.

Ha!!

[shane77m]

Hopefully this will eventually lead to some surplus 300 win mag ammo on the market.

[kcchiefs6465]

16 k is too much , Remington has very accurate models now, somewhere in the $600 range , a Barrett .50 cal runs, probably slightly more than 8 k , so what would you get for 16 k ?
Good question. Especially producing in bulk, those rifles shouldn't cost more than $1,000 a piece. Even if every one of the guns came with a suppressor I still do not see how you could get anywhere near that expensive. More corporate welfare and 'jobs creation.'

[TomtheTinker]

Hanna is my districts rep. :/

Who on the forums called this?

[TomtheTinker]

Good question. Especially producing in bulk, those rifles shouldn't cost more than $1,000 a piece. Even if every one of the guns came with a suppressor I still do not see how you could get anywhere near that expensive. More corporate welfare and 'jobs creation.'

I am no expert..but
am pretty sure these sniper rifles are much more than your every day deer rifle.

[Lucille]

Related:

Gun-Hating New York Pols Paid $6 Million to Bushmaster Rifle Manufacturer
http://reason.com/blog/2012/12/28/gun-hating-new-york-pols-paid-6-million


From the Mohawk Valley Observer-Dispatch comes this timeless example of big-government dissonance:


ALBANY–New York state has spent nearly $6 million over the past three years on subsidies for Remington Arms Co., the two-century-old factory in Ilion that makes firearms including semiautomatic rifles used by the military and police and like those used in the recent mass killings in Connecticut and Webster, N.Y.

Though several elected leaders in this tough-on-guns state want tighter restrictions on those military-style weapons, none say it's time to stop supporting the local company and risk the nearly 1,000 jobs it provides in the central New York community. [...]

A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said he has consistently said that he believes it's appropriate for lawmakers to support production of semiautomatic assault-style weapons for military and law enforcement use, but that the guns don't belong in the hands of civilians. Schumer, who has helped Remington secure Army contracts including an $8.9 million award in 2011 to produce 1,212 M24 sniper rifles, joined the company at last year's event announcing the move of Bushmaster to Ilion.
[...]
A message for my gun-hating fellow New York taxpayers: This is just another example of how big government will always offend your values. Hate baseball, or the Yankees in particular? Too bad, you're paying for 'em. Can't stand junk food? You're subsidizing the stuff, from producer to consumer. The more government takes, redistributes, regulates, and insures, the more you are footing the bill for behaviors, industries, and practices you abhor. A first step toward protecting your bruised values is to stop supporting the use of tax dollars to "save jobs."

[seapilot]

What I have noticed from the govt on many occasions is they pay way too much for a product that ends up being inferior quality. Its not their money so why do they care in the end?

[compromise]

Yes, probably, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were for the DHS.

http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=51011

The link says they're for the DoD. At $16k, I'm inclined to believe them. The DHS can do a lot more damage to their own people with much cheaper rifles.

[kcchiefs6465]

I am no expert..but
am pretty sure these sniper rifles are much more than your every day deer rifle.
I still don't see it. You could get a good rifle that will reach up to 1,000 yards for 2,000 dollars give or take. [Red Jacket manufactures an AK style sniper that I believe they sell for 1,800. IIRC, they were hitting steel plates at 1,000 yards] It is a bulk order. I'd think that that should drop the prices. An average of $16,000 for a rifle is outrageous. Not even a .50 is going to cost that much. [for a private buyer it would] I'm not sure how much the RSASS costs or the MSR but if I had to put my money on it I'd say the majority of the rifles are going to be the M24. A quick search for a M24 and I found you can buy one for $5,995. As outrageous as that sounds to me [the prices probably went up with all of the gun ban talk] you are still left with $10,000. That is when you are privately buying one. I'm sure the USG has enough weight to negotiate a better deal. After all if not Remington, other companies would be glad to oblige. Lobbyists in the area probably got the deal pushed through. After all, lots of people would have lost their jobs otherwise. :rolleyes:

[HOLLYWOOD]

Let's see 5000 sniper rifles plus silencers and millions of rounds of ammo for them... Planning a big offensive war Washington DC or are you going to launder these weapons to local police departments under the DOD salvage logistics process and turn them on Americans? You never know with these wackos inside the DC beltway.

So this is a package deal. Most likely this Remington derivative M24... Unknown sight(ets. $2K each), but all are coming with the AAC Titan QD silencers(MSRP $2K). millions of rounds of ammo, but unstated to what type.

http://accurateshooter.net/Blog/leupoldm5ert.jpg

http://www.silencershop.com/shop/aac-titan-qd

http://www.silencershop.com/shop/images/2677?240,240,2828367203

A light Snack on Lobbying of New York state politicians from JANUARY 2013 by arms manufacturer Remington. I presume they didn't want to look like a bunch of hypocrites, so they got the FEDS to make a huge purchase and bailout Remington. Well, Well, where's the dragconian cuts in the Washington DC Sequester hoopla, eh? Once again these clowns can't even cover their lies and propaganda.

Truth is always following the money, not the lies of politicians/governments.

Jan 30, 2013, 3:10pm EST Remington returns to Capitol for lobby day
http://assets.bizjournals.com/albany/blog/insider/Remington-lobby*304.jpg?v=1

Lisha Brown, Frank "Rusty" Brown, Sam Meakim, Tom Slocum, Brian Wiggins, Dale Lewis and James Haley, all Remington employees, made the rounds at the Capitol, talking to supporters and opponents of New York's gun-control bill.

Adam Sichko (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/bio/451/Adam+Sichko)
Reporter- The Business Review
Email (asichko@bizjournals.com) | LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-sichko/5/a2a/370) | Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/@AlbBizAdam)

Gun maker Remington Arms Co. held its annual lobbying day at the New York state Capitol on Tuesday—set up to be a pretty fruitless effort, given the circumstances (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/blog/2013/01/rough-day-for-remington.html).

Not even two weeks ago (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2013/01/new-york-enacts-tougher-gun-laws-as.html), Gov. Andrew Cuomo (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/search/results?q=Andrew%20Cuomo) (who still has pretty good ratings in the polls) pushed through a wide-ranging bill (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2013/01/gun-control-bill.html) to clamp down on gun sales and subject more guns to a statewide ban on assault weapons. It was a reaction to the shooting of 20 first-graders in Newtown, Connecticut—a massacre where the shooter used a brand of weapon made at the Remington plant in Ilion, 80 miles west of Albany.

The bill swept through both chambers of the Legislature, picking up 11 Republican votes in the Senate, mostly members from downstate. The bill went through so fast that amendments are needed, but the new laws—the first gun-control restrictions in the nation post-Newtown—hardly seem in danger of being repealed.

"You know, they’ve made guns for almost 200 years in Ilion. And up until this month, they’ve produced legitimate products. But something has changed," said John Scarano (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/search/results?q=John%20Scarano), head of the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce, where Remington is the largest member.

Knowing all that, Remington employees Frank Brown (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/search/results?q=Frank%20Brown), his wife Lisha, Dale Lewis (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/search/results?q=Dale%20Lewis) and Sam Meakim (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/search/results?q=Sam%20Meakim) made the rounds at the Capitol, talking to supporters and opponents of the bill. Pointless? Hardly, according to them. In fact, they say their lobbying has only just started.
Brown, whose hair justifies his nickname of "Rusty," said company officials mentioned their interest in building a new plant in Ilion, something that came up last month during the latest round of union contract talk.
Now those plans are on ice, said Brown, past president of the union local at the plant. Word buzzing around the plant is that Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas are all trying to lure Remington elsewhere, Brown said. Remington itself has not returned repeated requests for comment.

The private company, now up for sale, employs 1,200 union jobs in a village of 8,000. Brown's parents both worked there, as do his wife, one daughter and his step-son. His other daughter is interviewing now for a Remington job, and his son, who graduates high school this year, intends to apply.
"Everyone knows the story of manufacturing in New York. Go take a ride," Brown said. "There are ways to make amendments to keep jobs here and keep us viable in New York. Think about us. Think about the jobs in upstate. Think about us supporting our families and supporting the economy."
"This is to let people know we're still here," said Lewis, who has serviced and repaired firearms at the Remington plant for 46 years, since he was 18.
"And we're not going away," added Lisha Brown (http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/search/results?q=Lisha%20Brown), who has nearly 20 years at Remington.
That will include Feb. 28, a scheduled rally at the Capitol hosted by the Shooters Committee on Political Education, or SCOPE. Remington hopes to bus workers in for the rally, Rusty Brown said.
"Do we go there every day thinking we'll build the gun that will massacre a bunch of kids? No, absolutely not," Brown said. "We go there to make the best product we can make, whether for the military or skeet shooting or someone bagging a bear."
Meachim's job at the plant is testing firearms. Not one, he says, has ever attacked him.

"This law sets the perfect climate for other states to steal Remington from New York," said Meachim, whose twin brother works at the factory. "I mean, I'm close to retirement age, so maybe it's not such a huge concern for me personally. But I want to see my younger friends at Remington prosper like I did."
Sichko covers state government, manufacturing, law and sports business.

[Uriel999]

A lot can be he SL-3 that goes along with it. As well, optics. For instance what scope are they using because we are talking thousands of bucks for a combat optic and then what if it uses a an/peq-16? That's about 3,500 bucks minimum for your optics not including if it also comes with a an/pvs-17c which would be around another 3,500.00 at least. I just gave you a potential 7 grand worth of gear and never even touched sl-3 which could be hundreds of dollars lets just say around 500 for things like slings, bfa, special adjuster wrenches (never cheap and always one short) bipods, sling adapters, etc.

You guys got to realize weapons systems are not cheap even in bulk. Also just so you know I know exactly how much the corps pays for m4s and m16s and they are comparable to civilian ar15 prices of high end mil spec ar rifles.

[HOLLYWOOD]

A lot can be he SL-3 that goes along with it. As well, optics. For instance what scope are they using because we are talking thousands of bucks for a combat optic and then what if it uses a an/peq-16? That's about 3,500 bucks minimum for your optics not including if it also comes with a an/pvs-17c which would be around another 3,500.00 at least. I just gave you a potential 7 grand worth of gear and never even touched sl-3 which could be hundreds of dollars lets just say around 500 for things like slings, bfa, special adjuster wrenches (never cheap and always one short) bipods, sling adapters, etc.

You guys got to realize weapons systems are not cheap even in bulk. Also just so you know I know exactly how much the corps pays for m4s and m16s and they are comparable to civilian ar15 prices of high end mil spec ar rifles.The DOD never has enough money to do it right the first time, but have twice as much money to fix the original order. I think it comes down to, they don't like to be scrutinized on their expenditures...

There's no mention of optics with these rifles and I suspect, these are going to be a complete different supplemental purchase. Which will all depend on what their usage will be down the road. Night visions/etc.


Just like this F-35 clusterfuck... who orders fighter jets WITHOUT engines? The DOD does... and to sell these huge contracts and keep the costs down... the engines for the F-35 are to be supplied by the purchasing branch and will be GFE (government furnished equipment)

[LibForestPaul]

Whats with suppressors? Unless subsonic , BANG vs Bang, still can hear you.

[kcchiefs6465]

Whats with suppressors? Unless subsonic , BANG vs Bang, still can hear you.
The flash. I wouldn't think they'd need a surppressor for all of their rifles, though.