Canadian Parts Manufacturing

Gryffon

Gryffon

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With all the difficulty obtaining parts from the U.S., and any other country in the world, would people, gunsmiths and distributors in Canada support a small company which produced replacement parts for firearms IN Canada?
I would like to get some feedback from you about whether this is possible or not. Possible replacement parts for current and obsolete firearms such as : firing pins, magazine latches, compensators, trigger and safety components, etc.
I know most gunsmiths have the ability to make a part if it really comes down to it, but I also know from my own experience that I would rather replace and/or fit an aftermarket part than I would make a specific part from scratch. Simply from the time element alone, it is often not feasible to put that much time and cost into a repair. But waiting months for parts or not being able to get them from the States at all, or worse, the original manufacturer being out of business leaves a lot of otherwise good firearms in storage rather than being used.

I'd like to hear your feedback and opinions to this question. Especially from Gunsmiths, Gun Dealers and Distributors.

Gryffon
 
This question - on these pages - is ironic, given how Para-Ordnance was here and has been savagely bashed by "Canadian" GunNutz - both without fail and without quarter.

Anyone who has seen that would think twice about setting up shop in Canada.
 
In my experience, ParaOrdnance earned the reputation they recieved. Their service was horrible .... 3 month turn around for some warranty repairs is not acceptable. Build it right the first time and warranty wouldn't be an issue. A parts business would thrive in this country unless of course they pattern their business on the ParaOrdnance model.
BTW... I was in the States last week and after talking with some gun shop folks, Para usually has a 10 day turn around for repairs down there. Guess Canadians didn't deserve decent service even though they supported a Canadian manufacturer. Pretty much the same thing in the automobile industry ..... why do you think the North American industry is tanking so bad.
They didn't give a darn about their customers either!
 
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that's a yes

in general terms, Canadians should stop wailing about not getting US sourced parts and look to making our own. That said, it is not as easy as it sounds, is it? but with Americans going paranoid and insular on us, it is our only real choice unless we can find the parts in Europe or Australia/NZ.
 
Parts for the AR15 and 1911 are a no brainer. With the right equipement and good QC, one should be able to sell these parts fairly easy in Canada. Should being the key word. Dlask makes a full line of AR15 parts and 1911 parts. I am sure they are just as good as anyone else, but ask for a recommendation on the board and they will be the last ones recommended. I don't know if it is customer service or what it is, but their parts seem to be up to par. I have never dealt with them personally, but I have used some of their parts without fail.

I think the problem is that most of us have become slaves to the brand name. Non branded products sell much cheaper and therefore get the reputation of being crap. Let's be honest, there is only one way to make most AR parts with the exception of cosmetic changes. They are all the same specs and most of them are similar enough in fit and finish that there is no difference other than the name. But most people will pay top dollar for a Diemaco upper, when there are "keyhole" contract uppers that will fill the job for much less money.

To answer your question, yes there is a need for good Canadian made gun parts. Don't expect an overnight success though. You will have to work very hard to build a reputation of having good, quality parts delivered through very good customer service.
 
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Some of us ARE making parts in Canada already.
Canadian support still tends to favor the US makers, and there in lies part of the problem.
The cost of machines, tooling and fixtures is staggering, and given Canada's small population for support of locally made gun parts makes it a very big gamble in a business plan.
 
I love these threads. :rolleyes:

Internet dude: "More Canadian companies should make parts for us!"

"We are a Canadian manufacturer."

Internet dude: "Oh, I can get it cheaper in the states, thanks anyway."
 
Ill jump in on this thread as well as "we" allso make gun parts.
3 years and $40,000 into it and things are starting to pickup.
The canadain market is to small to make cheap parts, the only market in canada is well made highend gun parts, but the new issues are that the export/import bans coming down the pipeline are making it so they we will have to make stuff hear or just go without.
The cost or runing a biz in canada is 3x what it is in the US.
So they only want to make it i nthe gun parts biz in canada it to offer eather
1 better made product.
2 new product.
3 items that can not be imported.
If you want cheap buy the china made stuff, its priced well for what it is.
BBB
 
In my experience Canadian made is more attractive to non Canadians (who just want good stuff) and the lower CDN dollar helps as well. We have been making stocks for almost thirty years. We have certainly seen an increase in Canadian sales this year but by far we still export more around the world. Many Canadians think the only good stuff comes from the USA or cheap from China.
 
Ian, no offense meant, but if you would put some money into a decent website, I think your Canadian orders and international orders would increase greatly. I really have a hard time comparing your offerings to the equivalent stocks that Mcmillan sells. Mcmillans website is much better than yours, better pictures , descriptions etc.
 
buckbrush said:
Ian, no offense meant, but if you would put some money into a decent website, I think your Canadian orders and international orders would increase greatly. I really have a hard time comparing your offerings to the equivalent stocks that Mcmillan sells. Mcmillans website is much better than yours, better pictures , descriptions etc.
Click to expand...

I think this is common to many Canadian gun related companies.

I want to see a product and compare it to others. I will admit our website needs another makeover and it a little out of date, but the majority of our products are there and the specs are listed for comparison. It doesn't cost much to have a basic site to showcase your products.

For myself personally, if there is company A, B and C and company A has a website with full product descriptions and prices, company B has just a one page giant internet business card with no content and company C has no website at all, I am buying from company A. A simple URL leading to a phone number does nothing to promote business in my opinion.
 
Buying into the hardware to build gun stuff is expensive.

Hats off to those who are producing stuff for the Canadian market.

That said, what CyberK says is very true. In today's society of instant gratification and online sales, you MUST have a good website in order to cash in on the sales. There are very few things as frustrating as not being able to get details on stuff that you need to buy.

On the other hand, most of the Canadian businesses are fairly small, so the guy doing the machining is also likely to be the guy setting up the website...so he has a choice, he can build the parts to sell, or he can build a website...

NS
 
Mike you make soem good points, but for guys like me and you are small and just getting off the ground so the product is a little more important the nthe website.
But for others that have been doing 10-20yrs+ a good website is big time important!!!
We are getting a new website launched for jan 2009, as we will be starting to do export to the US.
simon


CyberK said:
I think this is common to many Canadian gun related companies.

I want to see a product and compare it to others. I will admit our website needs another makeover and it a little out of date, but the majority of our products are there and the specs are listed for comparison. It doesn't cost much to have a basic site to showcase your products.

For myself personally, if there is company A, B and C and company A has a website with full product descriptions and prices, company B has just a one page giant internet business card with no content and company C has no website at all, I am buying from company A. A simple URL leading to a phone number does nothing to promote business in my opinion.
Click to expand...
 
You are quite correct, our website sucks. Having said that people in other countries seem to find us with little problem. It is hard to remember to update the web site when you are up to your butt in work. I just wouldn't mind if more of it stayed in Canada. Currently we are looking for two more employees, no shortage of work here.
 
NavyShooter said:
Buying into the hardware to build gun stuff is expensive.

Hats off to those who are producing stuff for the Canadian market.

That said, what CyberK says is very true. In today's society of instant gratification and online sales, you MUST have a good website in order to cash in on the sales. There are very few things as frustrating as not being able to get details on stuff that you need to buy.

On the other hand, most of the Canadian businesses are fairly small, so the guy doing the machining is also likely to be the guy setting up the website...so he has a choice, he can build the parts to sell, or he can build a website...

NS
Click to expand...

I guess I am lucky to have the self taught "skills" ( and I use the term loosely) to produce my own page. I am sure most people have a little brother/sister, cousin, friend or niece/nephew that has some computer skills that could cobble together a page in no time for as little as a "thanks" or a few bucks. I am not saying you need a $10K+ e-commerce mega page, but some pics and prices would sway alot of buyers. I just think some people don't think it is important, and for some it isn't and that's fine. As Ian said, he has 20+ years of experience and the word of mouth generated by that is probably more important than any website would ever be.
 
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Ian, which of your stocks is comparable to the Macmillan A-3, A-4 stocks? I know you make a superior product, I just have problems trying to use your website.

Do you make the stocks that Prairie Gun Works uses?
 
We have a TAC stock and a GPH which we can put an adjustable cheek on, among many others. Email me and I will forward you some pics. We have never made a stock for pgw and as far as I know they have never looked at our stocks.
 
I have seen some of Alberta Tactical Rifle's work and I have seen a couple of Robertson stocks and have a great deal of respect for them both. These are companies which have carved out their own niche in the market and earned a name for themselves.
The original question though was not about high end specialties or even after market accessories but about replacement parts for manufacturers which have a very slow or non-existant supply for parts. I meant, could a company make a go of it making firing pins, sears, hands, etc. for stock replacement for Browning, Star, Bul, Beretta, etc. A line of stock replacement parts made in Canada for a wide variety of makes and models which would not have the time problems involved with importing these parts.
 
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