NEW AXTS Weapons Rifle

[Gaspipeshooter]

Here's my question... Why now? It seems like every accessory maker and their brother is jumping on the rifle building bandwagon during what will be a very slow time since the market has been saturated.

You answered your own question...

[Ordnance]

I personally will not be able to afford these, but there are those with money to burn. AXTS is probably considering that since their lowers sell out that these probably will to, they are currently out of stock. Most of AXTS's items are billet which can be made to order, these probably will to. UCWRG is another company that can sell higher priced items in this saturated market. Considering the size of the market that these rifles are aimed at, I doubt this is an item you will see in a shop. Not saying that this won't be a killer rifle but it'll be one of those items that is shown off at the range, due to it's rarity. Noveske recently sold stripped Gen 3 lowers at $325 and nobody has them in-stock.

Just because a product is sold-out doesn't necessarily mean they're doing stellar. Initial product runs are usually smaller to gauge interest. Noveske stuff has been hard to find partially for other reasons which I won't go into here, but I'll leave it at the company isn't what it was when John was running it. As there are more and more companies coming to market with competing billet products I don't see the projected sales and if you look at the numbers for a lot of shops you'll see that they're not seeing it either. AXTS isn't in an exclusive market anymore since there are dozens of companies out there now doing high quality products with the same attributes. Christmas is not the time to look at in-stock product as a qualifier since some companies have been sitting on product that just recently sold-out during sales and with gift shopping.

You answered your own question...

Only complete rifle/gun sales are slow. Accessories sales are still fairly consistent as people build out the receivers they already have, so I don't see where I answered my own question in regards to full rifle builds.

[Ordnance]

And I do like AXTS I'm just concerned they're going the way of a few others and it could affect the company negatively. Hopefully I'm wrong...

[Gaspipeshooter]

Only complete rifle/gun sales are slow. Accessories sales are still fairly consistent as people build out the receivers they already have, so I don't see where I answered my own question in regards to full rifle builds.

Do you have sales data from multiple accessory manufacturers to prove your hypothesis? The reason I ask is I believe the whole market is slowing way down, some parts more than others, but the market in general is down. Prices are depressed to lower than pre-panic levels. Republicans will be in control of both Congress and the Senate, and the most recent poll I saw says that more people are in favor of 2nd Amendment rights than maybe ever? By building unique rifles, companies are creating a specialty piece that some folks will buy simply because no one else has it. Marketing 101: create demand with new models, limited editions, and new and/or different features.

[GOST]

Remember billet can be made to order, that gives them the freedom of not having to place big orders for components. With making billet components there less projecting what sales will be, they can make as little or as much as they want. Companies dealing with forged components have to project their sale more accurately and order an optimum number. Noveske went from forged to billet. It gave them better quality control since they are now made in house and allows them to fill orders as they fill the need. AXTS can only sell so many re-branded Raptors till nobody wants them anymore.

[Gaspipeshooter]

AXTS can only sell so many re-branded Raptors till nobody wants them anymore.

I never understood a company buying exactly the same component as everyone else just with their company's name or logo on it like that somehow changed it...

[Ordnance]

Do you have sales data from multiple accessory manufacturers to prove your hypothesis? The reason I ask is I believe the whole market is slowing way down, some parts more than others, but the market in general is down. Prices are depressed to lower than pre-panic levels. Republicans will be in control of both Congress and the Senate, and the most recent poll I saw says that more people are in favor of 2nd Amendment rights than maybe ever? By building unique rifles, companies are creating a specialty piece that some folks will buy simply because no one else has it. Marketing 101: create demand with new models, limited editions, and new and/or different features.

I do and you are to some extent correct, but there is a greater decline in complete AR and lower receiver sales than accessory sales. I also am looking at supply and demand and when there was an increased demand that resulted in some areas of sales that equated to 2-3 and as much as 4-5 years worth of sales for some companies in just stripped lower receivers. At some point the demand to finish those receivers will increase as well when people who stock piled choose to build them out or sell them. Then you have the further decline in sales of lowers and full builds when people purchase multiples either on the fear of legislation or banking on future fears and the same crazy prices that we witnessed the last time. I agree that with a change in guard that means less fear so people are less likely to feel the need to buy as a result. And they're not creating new niche markets with really any new features. Limited editions will only get you so far with collectors but banking on that market is difficult with already well established manufacturers like LaRue who has a major fan boy following that will throw money at something because it's got "Costa" on it somewhere. I also forsee the fall of Noveske and the rise of others. Maybe AXTS will capitalize on that. Like I said though, it's not that I'm not rooting for AXTS because I love their products, I just have concerns with everyone jumping into the same market.

[Ordnance]

I never understood a company buying exactly the same component as everyone else just with their company's name or logo on it like that somehow changed it...

Lol.. I can tell you exactly why... it saves money. Consumers have become Divas and they are more concerned with everything matching that who it's really made by. Branding is HUGE and Rainier Arm's has proved it. Almost nothing Rainier sells is made by them. It's all made by other vendors, but they make a fortune off people who want everything to match and have it say Rainier Arms on it. Hell, for the longest time if you asked people who the Raptor was made by they would say Rainier Arms, which I think is partially why AXTS took it away, but that part is purely speculation.

[Gaspipeshooter]

I do and you are to some extent correct, but there is a greater decline in complete AR and lower receiver sales than accessory sales. I also am looking at supply and demand and when there was an increased demand that resulted in some areas of sales that equated to 2-3 and as much as 4-5 years worth of sales for some companies in just stripped lower receivers. At some point the demand to finish those receivers will increase as well when people who stock piled choose to build them out or sell them. Then you have the further decline in sales of lowers and full builds when people purchase multiples either on the fear of legislation or banking on future fears and the same crazy prices that we witnessed the last time. I agree that with a change in guard that means less fear so people are less likely to feel the need to buy as a result. And they're not creating new niche markets with really any new features. Limited editions will only get you so far with collectors but banking on that market is difficult with already well established manufacturers like LaRue who has a major fan boy following that will throw money at something because it's got "Costa" on it somewhere. I also forsee the fall of Noveske and the rise of others. Maybe AXTS will capitalize on that. Like I said though, it's not that I'm not rooting for AXTS because I love their products, I just have concerns with everyone jumping into the same market.

My sales management background is not in ARs and components, but I can speak from personal experience about limited editions and so forth in another industry. I increased sales for a company 54% from one year to the next by simply introducing new colors, offering exclusive color combinations and limited editions for specific retailers, and the introduction of one new model. Just think if a company like BCM offered an exclusive Cerakote colored model or exclusive, available only from them, unique camo pattern. People would buy it just to to say they have something none of their buddies have. Just like LaRue with the "Costa". I think AxTS is simply going along with the "boutique" rifle trend. Now if all these "boutique" folks were "really smart" they would build rifles with proprietary parts you could not otherwise buy...

With respect to all the lowers floating around out there waiting to be built up, I'm sure a significant portion of them were purchased at premium pricing, and therefore the owners will most certainly take a loss if they ever go to sell, unless we are stricken with another panic. I lived through the "Assault Rifle Ban" of 1994, so what is happening now was a certainty I saw coming for a long time.

[GOST]

The market has changed a lot in the last couple of years. Colt 6920 Magpul editions used to go for about $1200, now they can be had for under $900 all day long. I personally think the reason the consumer is buying the more boutique products is because of 2 things. One is that the consumer already has that rifle and now wants another but not exactly the same. Two is advertising, you now see a lot of pretty pictures we all call gun porn. Does the boutique rifles shoot enough better that they're worth twice the current price of a Colt 6920? The reason there are all these different manufacturers making boutique rifles is because we buy them.

[GOST]

Their billet upper in the white.

[GOST]

A NiB coated Raptor in this pic.

[GOST]

[GOST]

More new pics of their MI-T556.

[Gaspipeshooter]

That's a good lookin' rifle...