Clay,
I read bad news for the sister company that was making their barrels ...
http://m.nbcmontana.com/news/montana-rifleman-to-close-down/26026386
KALISPELL, Mont. -
Montana Rifleman will be closing its doors after its owner, Remington, is consolidating their operations.
"It's unfortunate that they're moving the facility to Alabama," said Jeff Sipe.
Montana Rifleman made rifle barrels, and business was booming. It was tough to keep up with demand, and Remington wanted in on the action.
"We were doing so many barrels for DPMS and Remington that Remington basically came to us and said 'we want to buy that capacity,'" Sipe said.
Now his father's former company is being shut down by its new owner. The Sipes get it, but they're not happy.
“We understand the strategic move for them to have the barrel-making facility in their facility where all the rifles are being made, it makes sense for them and we understand that," said Sipe.
And they understand this industry -- Brian Sipe has been in it for more than 15 years when he started Montana Rifle Company back in 1999.
Workers manufacture and assemble rifles for big game hunting.
Now the idea is to hire some of the Montana Rifleman workers and keep the manufacturing line moving.
"The relationships are still there. The friendships are still there so we're, you know, we were happy to see certain people move up...it was a big family atmosphere and so that still hasn't changed," Sipe said.
Sipe says his company currently has around 22 employees, but with the growth they're experiencing, he believes he could double his staff and then some in the near future.
