Posted: 5/4/2005 7:38:42 PM EDT
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The time has come for me to make an announcement of sorts here on the MO boards. Myself, Kerry Kroger (AFSOC) and Erik Krueger (of MODCC target bayonetting infamy) have been working methodically on a little project since just after Thanksgiving of last year, and its finally about to bear fruit. Missouri Custom Armament is going to be a full machine shop dedicated solely to gun work. The storefront is located in downtown Holden, Missouri, near Warrensburg, about a half hour's drive east of Kansas City. Its going to take us some time to move and set up all the tooling that we have, and set up the metal refinishing equipment, but we hope to be able to start taking work about a month from now, if everything goes to schedule. The shop will be run part time, nights and weekends, and will start out very small scale. The first thing we will be doing is refinishing work. There are already a few places in Missouri that do good parkerizing work, including our own CMMG. Instead of parkerizing, we intend to do both "old school" and "new school" refinishing from the outset. This means custom finishes (including camo patterns) using Norrel's Moly Resin, and also old fashioned hot tank bluing, which is what I'm personally excited about. Its difficult to find a place in Missouri where you can get an old police trade-in revolver refinished with a nice polished blue and not pay more for the refinish than you did for the gun. We are aiming to change that. Right now the fad seems to be that lots of people build an AK and then just spray it with high-temp engine paint every once in awhile. I'm hoping that there are some people out there who would like their AK to have the deep blue finish of the old pre-ban Polytech Legends so they could throw away their spray cans. We intend to do work like this without emptying your wallet. Once the manufacturer's FFL comes through we will be doing parts kit gun builds. These will start out very, very slowly, but it is our intention to build Uzis and AKs first. These will be non-NFA, semi auto guns legal for anyone to buy with a yellow form. They will have a no-bullshit guarantee. We would like to build HK style parts kit guns eventually but they are somewhat tricky and AFSOC is the only one who is any good with the TIG welder. So no promises there-- if the gun doesn't run right and shoot accurately, we aren't going to sell it. This will not be a crap shop where we throw out screw build AKs by the dozen. We will probably only build a few rifles per month at most, even in the long term. We will also be a stocking dealer since in this area the nearest gunstore is Family Pawn in Warrensburg, home of the $600+ Glock 17. I'm looking foward to spanking the living shit out of them on pricing, and yes we will be doing transfers if people want to buy something out of a catalog or off the internet. Another idea that I'm hoping to offer is a reasonably priced "Century Arms tune-up" service. As ludicrous as it sounds at first, Derek Huffman of Arizona Expert Arms has been doing it for years and it actually makes sense. Many of us have jumped at the $300 Cetme, $400 FAL and received a gun that doesn't work and looks like garbage. Instead of selling it at a loss or using it as a wallhanger, many people have chosen to send their rifle to Derek and other competent smiths who can make the gun look right and run right. I think there is a market for that here in Missouri, again at a price that makes sense when compared to the value of the gun itself. I think there are lots of Century rifle owners out there that are getting tired of black paint chipping off of their receivers. Although we don't even have the tooling moved into the storefront yet, or the FFL for that matter, I've decided to announce the existence of Missouri Custom Armament because I want feedback from the MO members. Many of you have known me for a long time, and some of you (especially CMMG) have already been helping to mentor the three of us in this project. What I want to know from you is, what services would you like to see offered here in Missouri that are hard to find? What would you like to see out of a gunsmithing shop? We have many ideas on projects that we want to do for people (left handed semi-auto Sten for Rmdye is going to be fun!), but maybe there is a need for something that we haven't thought of yet. Are you interested in custom precision rifle work? Custom 1911 work? Something else entirely? Please post here and let us know what you have in mind. Also, if anyone knows of a Bridgeport or other full size mill for sale in the local area, please let us know. We pretty much have all the other tooling we need, but we don't want to pay for shipping one of those huge bastards, we would rather transport it ourselves. If anyone knows of one for sale, please notify me here or by IM. I'm looking forward to your responses. |
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How much will you be charging for transfers? For builds? Will the AK builds be such that those of us who probably could do one, and have the time but want it to look NICE can justify it? I think you should focus more on the "fun" stuff. IE, the stuff you mentioned, and maybe become an SOT and start registering AOW's? If you helped guide people through the paperwork process to get an AOW, SBR, or SBS, and had some in stock so people could check them out and get a feel for them I think you would have more people buying them. I am sure there is a place we can already do this, but I don't know where it'd be. Not many people would consider an AOW shotgun or pistol AK or AOW ak/fal until they see one and handle one. If you had some they could check outt and say "Yes, it takes a while for the paperwork, but the fee is only $5" that would help convince a lot of people. Will you have kits to sell, or just use other people's kits? What about the receivers and receiver blanks? |
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Wow, I had no idea you guys were going to give it the old entepreneureal try. I think I might have a job for you guys. I have been thinking about getting my commando clone finished in some sort of camo pattern (No, not Marpat [;0]). Think you guys could handle it? Good luck!!! |
You know, Ozark Armory does the NFA thing, they have SBRs and AOWs and there's a somewhat cheesy sign in the shop that says "ask ME how YOU can own a MACHINEGUN!" We do plan on getting an SOT eventually, so this is something we'd be glad to do. As far as the builds, we will start out by building rifles to put in our inventory. This ensures that any build screwups happen to parts we brought in, not parts we got from a customer. Once we've gotten practiced at it, if you want to supply a parts kit and specify how you want the gun built, and what kind of finish you want, that's what we are there for! We will be using other people's parts kits and receivers, at least at first. AK receivers are relatively easy, but its amazing how different receiver manufacturers manage to get it wrong in various ways nevertheless. So, at least at first, we will be using quality US parts that others have manufactured, along with parts kits that others have imported. Parts from Joeken or Hesse will be donated to Metalman for use in a sculpture depicting man's struggle to overcome substandard equipment. The pricing for all this isn't set yet, but its going to have to "make sense" from a customer standpoint as well as a business standpoint. For example, say you can get an AK parts kit for $150, a decent receiver for $50, and you have to spend $100 on US parts to make it legal. You bring your $300 worth of parts to us, and for a bit more money you'll have a very nice looking, correctly built AK with a nice combat trigger, built exactly the way you want it, for somwhere less than $500. This will be a better gun than spending $300 outright on a Century WASR. But if we charge so much that you might as well spend a bit more and get an Arsenal USA milled recevier gun for $700 out of Las Vegas, we aren't going to have many takers are we? And the price is going to be commensurate with the skill and the product of course. If it turns out that after a couple of years we are building guns that are even nicer than the Arsenal guns (hey, I'm being optimistic here) then they are going to cost more as well. But the point is, we are going to be looking at this from the consumer's point of view first and foremost. If it makes sense to the seller but not to the buyer, the seller is going to get lonely very quickly. If there's a better value out there for a product or service then that's where people are going to go, that just basic market economy theory. Heck, that's what I do, right! We intend to give people a good product at a good price that makes sense to them, and I think we'll be able to accomplish that. |
Good luck guys.
Customers need to remember that there is more to it than parts and labor. If you guys stick to your guns (ha) and keep only quality parts w/good service, you should do great. Good luck! Jeff |
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Hello Duke-Nukem I'll be going there for ffl transfers and refinishing If you need any help setting up I'm experienced at getting a business set up I've practically been running one for over a year. You know my number and email if you need help moving in I don't mind. Just thought i'd offer my help Exile |
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Too bad you're not closer to where I'm at. I'd find the time to volunteer and help ya an evening or two per week just for the experience. In any case, look foward to getting up that direction once the place is up and running, if for nothing else than to stop by and chitchat for a few. |
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Perfict, what about un-banning a wasr with a nice new finish??? and the transfer idea, brilliant......iv needed new firearms recently, but dont even want to think of dealing with some of the folks at some of my local area stores. Just one problem...location, location, location. your shop will probably end up to far from my place. but i will give you my full support, and if that means making a trip for a good deal and better help(as far as quality and staff) then consider it done. goodluck and "shootem'down" |
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My first input in this thread! We will be a SOT we have to be for manufacturing, I plan to have a suppressor design up for use early on however those cannot be had in MO by mere mortals just yet but I will gladly ship to any where they would be legal. Basically we plan to be a full service Gun shop and machineworks, Refinishing, custom work etc. I have several designs in the works for some interesting items however those will be considered top secret at this time. A LeftySten gun huh? I think I can pull that off Semi-auto with a 16" or an AOW? SBR? Assembly work will be available based on shop time not flat rates, If you bring in a twisted Hesse AK to be fixed we can do it but it depends on the amount of work recquired to fix it right and the first time. The Century tune ups the same thing, though I understand there is a bit of consistency in their errors. Probably faulty or misaligned welding jigs etc. not enough attention to detail. I would like to thank CMMG up fron for their support in our endeavor as without that sort of help you get totally lost in the paperwork. we will gladly work hand in hand with Jeff and John during this endeavor perhaps a method to get your CMMG items without having to drive to Fayette. will see how it progresses. |
How about blueprinting/ accurizing bolt action rifles? Set back the barrels and custom ream for accuracy, not lawyers (no offense Duke). Rebarrel actions, glass bed actions in quality stocks, ream for wild-cat cartridges, etc... Then we would just need some rifle ranges that are longer than 100 yards nearby.  |
Supposedly CMMG are going to install a 600 yard capable sniper tower at their Fire For Effect shooting range. Won't that be unfortunate?  As far as custom barrel work its definitely a possibility, but at some point down the road. We'll have to have done a few T&E rifles very correctly before we start selling custom chamber reaming for wildcat calibers at a profit. That's some very exacting work and it doesn't take much error to get greatly disappointing results and an expensive barrel turned into a throaway piece. As far as bedding and rebarreling actions, that's relatively no big deal compared to chamber reaming. But I'm the first to admit, I still have alot to learn about precision rifles, AFSOC knows more than I do and he's quickly imparting that to me. I'm currently working up a proper handload for this rifle, which is really a very basic setup except for the fancypants stock.  The only things I've done to it so far are polish the action, true and polish the bolt face, and begun to polish the bore with Flitz. Mostly I'm working on my handloading abilities and messing with the cartridge OAL right now. I've still got a long way to go when it comes to precision rifles. |