Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin Talk Marlin Closing Shop

The news here in Connecticut is reporting that Marlin is closing up shop in North Haven. Reason is that it is just too expensive to conduct business here. They have not said if they are moving operations somewhere else. Shut down starts this May, June 2011 is final closing. Workers claim they were completely blindsided. Oh well, hopefully they are going to just move to a cheaper manufacturing state. Almost all of Connecticuts industry has moved except the military contractors.

Actually news reports state that they will be MOVING out of state. NY, KY, or NC are the 3 that have been metioned for various reasons. It is sad, but change happens.

I hate it for you guys up there but I hate unions more. I bet they are a union facility which is killing their manufacturing cost. As I said I am sorry for what it will do the the local economy and employment situation up there. We really do hate unions in the south.

http://www.wfsb.com/news/22963445/detail.html
Marlin Firearms To Close Next Year
Company Opened In 1870

POSTED: 9:24 am EDT March 26,2010

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. -- Workers at the Marlin Firearms Co. in Connecticut say they've been told the 140-year-old company will close next year and all 265 employees will lose their jobs.

Workers at the North Haven company say they learned about the closure plans Thursday. They told local news media layoffs will begin in May and the company will close by June 2011.

Officials at Marlin and the company's owner, Madison, N.C.-based Remington Arms Co. Inc., didn't immediately return phone messages Friday morning. Remington Arms bought Marlin for nearly $42 million in 2007.

Marlin's Web site says John Marlin opened the company in 1870 in New Haven after having worked at the Colt plant in Hartford during the Civil War. The company says its lever action 22 repeater was a favorite gun of Annie Oakley.

So if you are thinking of buying a Marlin - don't delay - buy now. Since they just announced the plant closing, the guns already in the dealer channels were built before the plant closing announcement. I am guessing that quality will suffer going forward. Let me put it this way. If my employer told me I was getting fired in the next 3-6 months, I think my loyalty and job focus would decline a lot which would mean lower quality work.

Can`t find one you want? Don`t forget about your local Gun Show. That is if you have any.

they're going to the Remington plant in New York

http://www.downrange.tv/blog/?p=2567

I fail to understand how moving a factory from Conn to NY would make any kind of industrial production more profitable. ??

I hate speculation and assumptions, but if I had to take a WAG, and having a little knowledge about Cerberus and how it functions in the corporate world, it would have something to do with saving big $$$$.

Big Tax Breaks...

It's a warning shot to any and all states who are not willing to do business fairly with the nine headed dog.

Wish we could have coaxed them down to SC or NC rather than NY.

If I am not mistaken, Marlins profits this year like the rest of the industry is large. I think it was a move to consolodate manufacturing. I do feel bad for the folks in New Haven. I have enjoyed the craftmanship of these people and appreciated it. I do not fault Marlin for making business desicions that attempt to keep them profitable for the long term. I hope the quality control issues get addressed with the 39's specifically and the general decline of their fits and finishes as of late. I do know lots of motivated people who live in NY and I think they can learn to make them just as well as the folks in Conn. ...it just might take a year, or a decade. I hope it the former rather than then the later.

JMHO please take with a shot a rum!

that sounds somewhat unethical doesn't it?

surely if you are prepared to receive payment for your skills at the same rate until termination, your employer is entitled to receive the same standard of work from you? ... or does this imply that during the period that you are slackening off, that you will be prepared to receive a reducing amount of pay in accordance with your output ?

Do you guys think this situatuion warrants an increase in value of the New Haven built guns?

I would think this increase is more warrented than the increase seen over the political bs. At least this is related to manufacturing and qc... I respond much better to founded fears.

Maybe I just come from an older place in time, but I'm a craftsman. I build custom knives, from forging damascus to CNC machining and everything in between. I take pride in my work. But if I worked for Marlin (and I'd be very proud to) and knew that we were closing shop in a few months, I'd try to make those last rifles the absolute best that ever came out of New Haven. That'd be my legacy. I've got to believe that there are more than a few like minded craftsmen up there at Marlin.

Remington factory in NY is already open and has extra capacity. You save on heat, light, many management salaries, building maintenance, property taxes, all sorts of things.

While I agree that it does sound unethical it is reality these days!!!

well as bad as the quality has got whats the loss i bought a new 39 and boy was it junk its gone and i bought a polder one off the net

Do not buy a Marlin unless you can hold it in your hands and inspect it for fit and finish. Also I would ask the shop owner if you can bring it back if the weapon fails to fire,and fails to extract and eject. Also you should check the accuracy. I purchased a Marlin 39A and had to rebuild it in order to get a rifle that would shoot and cycle. Do not order a Marlin by Catalog.

Cheers & Tighter Groups: Eaglesnester