A gentile little reminder. Colt 1911s are built in the Philippines. Rock Island Arms.
Coffinmaker
That is just not true. Colt makes their 1911s in their West Hartford plant, from rough forgings in both frames and slides, supplied by another American company, based in Hartford too. And using the best American steel, by the way.
I have seen with my own eyes these forgings, in wooden boxes, I touched them... at one side of the machines, while we were touring the different steps in their manufacture until both frame and slide is finished, operations , carried out mainly in modern CNC centers, though it was interesting that the Colt representative showing us the factory told us that they were still using old machinery designed by John Mosses Browning and made before WW2 for certain operations. I saw those machines...they still had many in full working condition.
By the way, I can say the same about the Ar 15s and uppers. We saw and touched the initial rough forged parts from aeronautical aluminum, stocked in piles at one side of the CNC machines as they were being finished and ready to go to the next operations until ready to be deburfed, adjusted and sand blasted.
They also had a good stock of bar steel to make barrels, for both pistol and rifle. We were told that they are working, by the way, in a new totally new semiautomatic pistol design, in their engeenering department, that is, literally, located in the middle of the factory, face to face to the production line.
We were able to see also their much publicized sanding and polishing operations, made by hand as advertised in their catalog......and by the way, I didn't see robots there..at last, in the main manufacturing operations, including blueing, where I saw just one guy working with the salt baths ( it might be a Dulite but they didn't tell us).
The custom shop is just that, a small custom shop with just one engraver, working in house, and a few gunsmiths. Most of the factory is dedicated to the Ar 15 production, thought they are making the FN machine gun under license, and the handgun production for the civilian market is part of their business, but not all their business.
The factory works in batches, in other words, they don't make all models at same time, so if you are lucky enough to visit the factory, you'll see the manufacturing process, not in detail of course, of 3 or 4 models only.
We did that tour through the factory last Jan, current year 2017, just after the Shot Show, and of course, no photos or cameras were allowed in a factory that works for the US government among other customers.
Interesting how they tested their Ar15s, by the way, for reliability and accuracy : they were tested in machine rests with tv cameras and being computer monitorized all the time, with recorded data, five or six at the same time, I don't remember exactly, by guys dressed more like doctors or scientist than like shooters, with no human interference during firing. A noisy room, indeed. You pay more for these rifles for several reasons....American parts, and high attention to every step in production among them.
Just mentioning that we were touring the factory as foreign dealers and Colt distributors. Visiting the factory is extremely restricted.
Finally, let me add that Colts policy is using American parts in their products, and I can testify about it....I remember some foreing guys, in the Shot Show, offering them MIM and investment cast parts, but Colt representatives were clear about it: " only American parts, thanks."
Well...he didn't even say thanks.. I would say that the Colt representatives were somewhat..offended by the idea of using foreign parts in their catalog firearms, advertised as Made in USA. Which doesn't mean that in the future they may sell other products under a license agreement, of course.
Pd:
I know Brent Turchi in person. He was every year in the Shot Show, face to face to the customers from the trade..... allways helpful and friendly with everybody. Last time we sent them a couple of guns for refinishing and engraving, he had them ready in record time. I wish him the best and I have no doubt that his vast experience will be valued by other companies in the industry.
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