[musket36]

Why don't they build or buy a plant, hire the talent and make their own??? ...and then lower their prices!

Insights please.

The answer is simply that costs would go up, not down. It's fundamental economics. In general American labor and benefits are more expensive than most anywhere else.

Though Browning does have the majority of their firearms built and/or assemble at a multitude of foreign locations, they also have very specific standards and requirements that these foreign manufacturers/assemblers (and for several firearms, domestic manufacturers/assemblers - Buck Mark Pistols and rifles, Pro-9, Pro-40 and the BDM Pistols) build to. These standards and requirements most assuredly are what makes these guns Brownings, as opposed to Miroku's or whoever -IMO.

 

[musket36]

wmfowler, RandyWakeman and BP do a better job than I did in expressing some of the detail of what I also believe is Browning/Herstal's rationale for why they manufacture very little in the US as opposed to contracts with other foreign firms.
But regardless of whether we are correct in our reasoning or not (and I think we are) if Browning/Herstal could make more money by manufacturing in the US with their own facilities, I have no doubt that they would be doing it.

It must be a viable strategy, Ithaca and SKB were very successful at it for quite a while until Ithaca goofed it up. Ithaca was able to offer quality O/U's at competitive prices, something they couldn't have done if they had tried to manufacture them their self in their own facility. The only problem I saw there was that the Ithaca's were more or less branded as SKB's (i.e. "Custom crafted for Ithaca by SKB") which I think was a mistake.

 

[musket36]

The only problem I saw there was that the Ithaca's were more or less branded as SKB's (i.e. "Custom crafted for Ithaca by SKB") which I think was a mistake.

Oh, so it's ok to do as long as the consumer doesn't know you are doing it? Ithaca should have used smaller print? Or used a paper sticker with bad adhesive on it attached to the bubble wrap?

HH

My point was strictly from a marketing viewpoint.
I bought an Ithaca 500 in the early 70's. It was made by SKB and is a very nice O/U. The problem is that after you bought the gun from Ithaca they more or less divested themselves of it and you then had an SKB.
Very confusing, but from a marketing perspective better for SKB than Ithaca (and that's probably why SKB and Miroku are still around doing the same thing - making money hand over fist).