7 ms·

Point taken, but this story doesn't really indicate that the small arms trade is in decline, just that "knock-offs" have reached sufficient quality levels that

Point taken, but this story doesn't really indicate that the small arms trade is in decline, just that "knock-offs" have reached sufficient quality levels that they are considered a viable alternative to an authentic product. Same thing that's happened to the auto industry, the software industry (with open source), etc. Guns have become a commodity product. This has happened to a lot of other guns. There are tons of clones of the AR-15, the Walther PPK, the Dragunov SVD, and the 1911. These are just off the top of my head, so I'm sure there are others. The only reason Colt / Armalite isn't in the same position is probably because our military is way more active than Russia's. That, and AK-47's are notorious for being sold to developing nations, who probably want to maximize their bang for the buck (no pun intended).

jrockway 17y ago
Point taken, but this story doesn't really indicate that the small arms trade is in decline, just that "knock-offs" have reached sufficient quality levels that they are considered a viable alternative to an authentic product. What's interesting is that these companies have lower costs because they don't do any R&D like the original inventors do. With no money for research, nobody will invent a more efficient gun. Hopefully.
- anamax 17y ago
  > With no money for research, nobody will invent a more efficient gun. Hopefully. You don't have much experience with people.
  - jrockway 17y ago
    Like I said in my first post, people enjoy killing each other... sure... but the urge to be lazy is even stronger than the urge to murder people that you don't like.
    - shard 17y ago
      Then again, the urge to tinker for engineers is greater than the urge to be lazy, so weapons technology will likely improve regardless of the laziness of the general population.
    - shpxnvz 17y ago
      Murderers, however, aren't the people who demand, pay for, or influence the design and manufacture of new weapons. The people who do are involved in a professional capacity, so I'm not sure how laziness applies either.
shpxnvz 17y ago
The only reason Colt / Armalite isn't in the same position is probably because our military is way more active than Russia's. It's not just our military - dozens of countries import the M-16 and it's variants from Colt or manufacturers who've licensed the IP. There is also a sizable civilian market in the U.S. for AR-15 rifles.
hedgehog 17y ago
I think there are a few big reasons for AK variants being more widely used than M-16 derivatives: - 7.62x39 was made popular by the SKS and it made sense for the AK to be compatible. With that as the dominant round in many areas it makes sense to use a compatible rifle. - The AK variants with stamped receivers are very inexpensive to manufacture. - The gas piston system is more reliable for rifles that are not cleaned regularly. The M-16 and derivatives are common within the US's sphere of influence though.

jrockway 17y ago

Point taken, but this story doesn't really indicate that the small arms trade is in decline, just that "knock-offs" have reached sufficient quality levels that they are considered a viable alternative to an authentic product. What's interesting is that these companies have lower costs because they don't do any R&D like the original inventors do. With no money for research, nobody will invent a more efficient gun. Hopefully.

anamax 17y ago
> With no money for research, nobody will invent a more efficient gun. Hopefully. You don't have much experience with people.
- jrockway 17y ago
  Like I said in my first post, people enjoy killing each other... sure... but the urge to be lazy is even stronger than the urge to murder people that you don't like.
  - shard 17y ago
    Then again, the urge to tinker for engineers is greater than the urge to be lazy, so weapons technology will likely improve regardless of the laziness of the general population.
  - shpxnvz 17y ago
    Murderers, however, aren't the people who demand, pay for, or influence the design and manufacture of new weapons. The people who do are involved in a professional capacity, so I'm not sure how laziness applies either.

shpxnvz 17y ago

The only reason Colt / Armalite isn't in the same position is probably because our military is way more active than Russia's. It's not just our military - dozens of countries import the M-16 and it's variants from Colt or manufacturers who've licensed the IP. There is also a sizable civilian market in the U.S. for AR-15 rifles.

hedgehog 17y ago

I think there are a few big reasons for AK variants being more widely used than M-16 derivatives: - 7.62x39 was made popular by the SKS and it made sense for the AK to be compatible. With that as the dominant round in many areas it makes sense to use a compatible rifle. - The AK variants with stamped receivers are very inexpensive to manufacture. - The gas piston system is more reliable for rifles that are not cleaned regularly. The M-16 and derivatives are common within the US's sphere of influence though.