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Joined: Dec 2013
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2013
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Live by Big Government, Die by Big Government
Given that our commander in chief is a surprisingly decent firearm salesman, it�s a little odd that one of America�s most prolific gun manufacturers might soon be facing an agonizing financial death. But, that�s exactly where Colt�s Manufacturing Company is headed if things don�t change drastically.
It takes a very specialized form of failure for a gun company to miss out on the President Obama-inspired run on guns, the �assault weapon� craze of the 2000s, and the proliferation of concealed carry in the 1990s, but that�s exactly what happened. And, worse, this isn�t Colt�s first foray into fiscal failure.
In fact, this tendency of Colt to stumble onto hard times has a name in the industry: It�s called the �Colt curse.� It�s been around since Samuel Colt first bankrupted his hopeful arms company in the 1830s. God may have made man, and Samuel Colt may be credited with making men equal; but, it has always been an uphill battle. It turns out Colt was pretty good at making guns, but he was a failure at marketing and selling his contribution to the world of weaponry.
Lucky for Colt (and the generations that would later benefit from his contribution to the industry), the war with Mexico broke out in the 1840s. The aspiring gunsmith quickly found an audience in the U.S. Army for his innovative firearm designs. Realizing the full potential of crony-capitalism, the entrepreneur almost went broke entertaining politicians, generals, and frontiersmen. He was, undoubtedly, the Solyndra lobbyist of his day. With the helpful contract from America�s military, Colt quickly etched his name in America as the creator of the �gun that won the West.�
The company, however, was never quite capable of shaking their addic- tion to government contracts. In fact, it quickly became a centerpiece of their business model.
In the 1970s firearm manufacturing in the U.S. was adopting the model of America�s automotive giants. Unionization was prolific, and innovation was an afterthought. It didn�t work out for Detroit, and it almost ended in disaster for the firearm industry as well.
While most American companies scrambled for ways to avoid the Union-led decline into mediocrity, Colt happily hummed along with the help of military contracts and large government ship- ping orders. Full Article ![[Linked Image]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Colt-python.jpg)
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 34,261
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 34,261 |
I'm sure somebody will rescue them as they always do. Colt isn't going to get the message until they pack their bags and leave Connecticut.
Don't vote knothead, it only encourages them. Anonymous
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups." Anonymous
"Self-reliance, free thinking, and wealth is anathema to both the power of the State and the Church." Derby Dude
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Joined: Dec 2013
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Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 1,705 |
Yes, the name and the designs are worth far too much to not be rescued by some 'White Knight' investor.
May it be one wise enough to move Colt from both the troubled place and model.
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