Here is why the Ferret50 costs so much;
To start with, the Ferret 50 is completely made in house, except for the barrel. The barrel blanks come from Lothar Walther/Germany and are finished to my specs by the US Lothar Walther distributor in GA. Do we get a better barrel from a big name with big $, yes.
All material is mil-spec or aircraft grade with certs, on every piece. Machining is done on state-of-the-art CNC machines. Any part that does not meet tolerance (some as low as .0005") is thrown away. The Ferret50, although simple in appearance is quite complex from a manufacturing standpoint.
Now, I could make an upper for $800. No bipod or the other extras. Simpler brake. Cheaper materials. Greater tolerance. Fixed barrel. The list goes on and on in ways I can reduce the price, but it would be something I would not be proud of. It would shoot, and with decent accuracy. Would look just about the same. But it would not be the best that I could do.
I understand that not everyone shoots at 1000yd, or is a sniper. Most people just want to shoot. But at sometime you are going to want go to the range and try your best to group well at any yardage. If any customer is going to do their best at the range, their gun should be able to compliment that effort.
We have some cool stuff coming out that will add value to every Ferret50. What the goal is, is a total weapon system that can be adapted to any situation. By ShotShow 2003 we will be showing the following: 4140 steel lowers, adjustable stocks with cheek piece, mounting accessories for bench rest shooting, different handguards, Supermatch barrels, .408 CheyTac barrels.
We already are shocking the Supermatch barrels. Some customers have them, and like them. I am working on new projo designs to run in the Supermatch. The .408 CheyTac barrels are on their way and should be here before the end of the year. I can’t wait to start shooting the .408.
OK, Ill get off the soapbox.
Dave