Arms makers call hired guns as U.S. shops for new rifle

[Gunreference1]

Arms makers call hired guns as U.S. shops for new rifle

By Richard Lardner, Associated Press
Updated 2d 8h ago |

WASHINGTON — For nearly a decade, Colt Defense went without a lobbyist. The legendary gun maker based in West Hartford, Conn., had an exclusive deal to provide combat rifles to the U.S. military and didn't need a hired gun looking out for the company's interests in Washington.

Times have changed. After buying more than 700,000 Colt M4 carbines, the Defense Department has started a search for the rifle's successor, giving Colt's competitors the long-awaited chance to break the company's grip on the market. So Colt turned to Roger Smith, a former deputy assistant Navy secretary-turned-lobbyist, to be the company's voice in D.C. His fee is $120,000 a year.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust....htm?csp=ipmps

Steve

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Arms makers call hired guns as U.S. shops for new rifle

By Richard Lardner, Associated Press
Updated 2d 8h ago |

WASHINGTON — For nearly a decade, Colt Defense went without a lobbyist. The legendary gun maker based in West Hartford, Conn., had an exclusive deal to provide combat rifles to the U.S. military and didn't need a hired gun looking out for the company's interests in Washington.

Times have changed. After buying more than 700,000 Colt M4 carbines, the Defense Department has started a search for the rifle's successor, giving Colt's competitors the long-awaited chance to break the company's grip on the market. So Colt turned to Roger Smith, a former deputy assistant Navy secretary-turned-lobbyist, to be the company's voice in D.C. His fee is $120,000 a year.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust....htm?csp=ipmps

Steve

How could you have been so stupid Fairchild/Armalite?????

[gpwasr10]

Why? Why replace the AR? If they don't like the performance of the .223, bring the barrel back to 18"-20", and increase the velocity. The bbl on my AR is VERY easy to replace. Hell the whole AR platform is easy to modify to the end users needs, that is a part of it's desirability.

I love the AR, the AK and the Mini-14... but no one can deny the HUGE adaptibility advantage of the AR over all other platforms.


****ETA: 18", not 10" LOL****