Seen on the street in Kyiv.

Words of Advice:

"If Something Seems To Be Too Good To Be True, It's Best To Shoot It, Just In Case." -- Fiona Glenanne

“The Mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” -- The TOFF *

"Foreign Relations Boil Down to Two Things: Talking With People or Killing Them." -- Unknown

“Speed is a poor substitute for accuracy.” -- Real, no-shit, fortune from a fortune cookie

"If you believe that you are talking to G-d, you can justify anything.” — my Dad

"Colt .45s; putting bad guys in the ground since 1873." -- Unknown

"Stay Strapped or Get Clapped." -- probably not Mr. Rogers

"The Dildo of Karma rarely comes lubed." -- Unknown

"Eck!" -- George the Cat

* "TOFF" = Treasonous Orange Fat Fuck, A/K/A Dolt-45,
A/K/A Commandante (or Cadet) Bone Spurs,
A/K/A El Caudillo de Mar-a-Lago, A/K/A the Asset., A/K/A P01135809

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Dream On; New Army Handgun Edition

MILLSTADT, Mo. — At first glance, it seems absurd to suggest that a small company on the outskirts of St. Louis could be a serious player in the race to provide the U.S. Army with its next handgun.

This is, after all, a major event in the realm of military weapons — having happened only twice in the past 100 or so years. And it’s expected to draw the attention of the industry’s most powerful names, including Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Ruger and Glock.

And then there’s tiny Detonics, a five-person operation in Millstadt that fashions itself more tech company than gunmaker.
Riiight.

Competing for a DoD weapons contract isn't for small-time operators. It's not just submitting guns and passing the field trials, boys. It's dealing with all of the paperwork and procedures for military procurement.

It's not a game for amateurs or small companies. Smith & Wesson, which isn't exactly small-time, has teamed up with General Dynamics to compete for the contract. S&W didn't partner with GD for GD's manufacturing knowledge, for S&W knows how to make pistols. No, S&W is tapping into GD's extensive experience with the military project and procurement bureaucracies. GD knows how to make a submission with all of the ducks properly lined up and quacking in tune.

Detonics, by itself, doesn't have a chance. Hell, they can't even make their guns in quantity (think of the Mars of 110 years ago). And with all respect to the sacred memory of John Moses Browning, the 1911 pattern is very long in the tooth. Given that even the Marines have evinced a lack of preference for the 1911, I don't see that Detonics has a chance in Hell of winning the contract.

If their plan is to submit it, market the gun as "As Submitted to the U.S. Army" and imply that the game was rigged, they may have something. Otherwise, the gun's little more than vaporware.

2 comments:

mikey said...

Wow. Are they still around? I recall being mightily impressed with the CombatMaster in the mid 80s. If I recall correctly, one was in use on the teevee show The Equalizer...

montag said...

Maybe they have been watching too many cable shows about the Bantam Blitz Buggy?