I know that Chinese weapons and magazines can't be imported into the US. Would it be illegal for a US company to import the machinery to the US to make Chinese magazines, like drums?

I bet they could.  But i do not think they would make any money the labor and materials would cost to much to produce mags here in the states.  The cost per mag would just be too much.

What if these guys made them?

LMAO

I dont think so, the material is sheet metal, and fairly cheap. Once all the parts are blued and put together. I would think you would only have maybe 20 dollars in each drum. You could sell them for a reasonable price of 100 dollars. Beta mags are going for 200.

Somebody should check into it.

Quoted: I dont think so, the material is sheet metal, and fairly cheap. Once all the parts are blued and put together. I would think you would only have maybe 20 dollars in each drum. You could sell them for a reasonable price of 100 dollars. Beta mags are going for 200. Somebody should check into it.

The materials would be cheap but the machinery, setup time etc would not be cost effective.  Milling, stamping, spot welding. drilling, making the coil springs and doing this uniformly would be very expensive.  Sorry to be negative about this, but machine shop time is very expensive.  You would need to invest a lot of cash to do this yourself and be in major debt before you could make a profit.  A person would be better off setting up an offshore US company.

Stamping out receivers would be a better business if the barrel ban wasn't in effect.  Maybe no-one has checked into it thus far because of the low profit margin if any.  Beta C-Mags are plastic and take much less production time.

You should check into it and tell us when you turn a proft.  If they work as well as the Norinco drums I bought for $25 bucks,  I might consider buying one to test.

Quoted: You should check into it and tell us when you turn a proft.  If they work as well as the Norinco drums I bought for $25 bucks,  I might consider buying one to test.

If the Norinco drums you bought were still $25 he wouldn't have suggested it. BTW, great job sounding like a prick.

I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of Chinese drums turn up again. There is hope.

Quoted: Quoted: I dont think so, the material is sheet metal, and fairly cheap. Once all the parts are blued and put together. I would think you would only have maybe 20 dollars in each drum. You could sell them for a reasonable price of 100 dollars. Beta mags are going for 200. Somebody should check into it. The materials would be cheap but the machinery, setup time etc would not be cost effective.  Milling, stamping, spot welding. drilling, making the coil springs and doing this uniformly would be very expensive.  Sorry to be negative about this, but machine shop time is very expensive.  You would need to invest a lot of cash to do this yourself and be in major debt before you could make a profit.  A person would be better off setting up an offshore US company. Stamping out receivers would be a better business if the barrel ban wasn't in effect.  Maybe no-one has checked into it thus far because of the low profit margin if any.  Beta C-Mags are plastic and take much less production time. You should check into it and tell us when you turn a proft.  If they work as well as the Norinco drums I bought for $25 bucks,  I might consider buying one to test.

You are not ever going to get 25 dollar drums again. I would glady pay 100 bucks for a new production drum made just like the Chinese ones, but made here in the US.

Quoted: Quoted: You should check into it and tell us when you turn a proft.  If they work as well as the Norinco drums I bought for $25 bucks,  I might consider buying one to test. If the Norinco drums you bought were still $25 he wouldn't have suggested it. BTW, great job sounding like a prick.

Sorry about the way I came off and no offense to MST2 but it's a bummer when someone comes up with an idea and suggests someone else do the legwork to figure it out.

An easy way would be to contact the guys at RSA or Tapco, ask them for a few minutes of their time and talk to them about the feasability of the idea.  RSA mills their triggers and I'm sure they make a good profit (sold for $85 each) but I wouldn't think they're making a >300% profit (if they were $20 to make).  Reverse engineering and making a Chicom drum that works reliably just doesn't seem like it would turn a profit unless you already own the machinery to do so and would cost more than $20 to make.  CNC mill for at least the spring release button, stamping machine and jigs, spotwelding them uniformly etc etc.  Also, a lot more machine time and work goes into a drum than simply milling FCG's.  Chris at Greenlight Arms tried to stamp out something as simple as a receiver and look what happened to his business.

All in all, it would take a shitload of capital to actually make this work and I don't feel there would be enough of a profit margin if any to deem it a worthy venture.  If it was, someone would be doing it by now.  On top of that, I don't see $100 drums selling like hotcakes either.

Again, sorry I came off like an ass but if you worked in a machine shop before and thought about it for a minute, you would most likely come to the same conclusion.  IMHO, it's not an idea that would work.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: You should check into it and tell us when you turn a proft.  If they work as well as the Norinco drums I bought for $25 bucks,  I might consider buying one to test. If the Norinco drums you bought were still $25 he wouldn't have suggested it. BTW, great job sounding like a prick. Sorry about the way I came off and no offense to MST2 but it's a bummer when someone comes up with an idea and suggests someone else do the legwork to figure it out. An easy way would be to contact the guys at RSA or Tapco, ask them for a few minutes of their time and talk to them about the feasability of the idea.  RSA mills their triggers and I'm sure they make a good profit (sold for $85 each) but I wouldn't think they're making a >300% profit (if they were $20 to make).  Reverse engineering and making a Chicom drum that works reliably just doesn't seem like it would turn a profit unless you already own the machinery to do so and would cost more than $20 to make.  CNC mill for at least the spring release button, stamping machine and jigs, spotwelding them uniformly etc etc.  Also, a lot more machine time and work goes into a drum than simply milling FCG's.  Chris at Greenlight Arms tried to stamp out something as simple as a receiver and look what happened to his business. All in all, it would take a shitload of capital to actually make this work and I don't feel there would be enough of a profit margin if any to deem it a worthy venture.  If it was, someone would be doing it by now.  On top of that, I don't see $100 drums selling like hotcakes either. Again, sorry I came off like an ass but if you worked in a machine shop before and thought about it for a minute, you would most likely come to the same conclusion.  IMHO, it's not an idea that would work.

That makes sense. Just remember we all have different backgrounds, and what may be common sense to you may not be for others.

Quoted: That makes sense. Just remember we all have different backgrounds, and what may be common sense to you may not be for others.

I'll keep that in mind.  

OT...  Even though I have a low post count, I've been an active member going on 4 years.  The reason for the low post count is that I only post when I can't find the answer and only reply when I do.  There's a lot of good info on this forum.  I've learned a lot over the years and only reply when I have something to give.  You'll never see a +1 from me.

I still think it would be possible to make drums and turn a decent profit if you could buy and import the machinery from the Chinese. I just don't know the legalities of that. They would sell like hotcakes for 100 bucks a piece.

Quoted: Quoted: You should check into it and tell us when you turn a proft.  If they work as well as the Norinco drums I bought for $25 bucks,  I might consider buying one to test. If the Norinco drums you bought were still $25 he wouldn't have suggested it. BTW, great job sounding like a prick.

While we are on the subject of Chinese parts..... what we really need is someone to make the Type 56 FSB.

Quoted: Quoted: That makes sense. Just remember we all have different backgrounds, and what may be common sense to you may not be for others. I'll keep that in mind.   OT...  Even though I have a low post count, I've been an active member going on 4 years.  The reason for the low post count is that I only post when I can't find the answer and only reply when I do.   There's a lot of good info on this forum.  I've learned a lot over the years and only reply when I have something to give.  You'll never see a +1 from me.

We'll go easy on you from now on