Made in...CHINA??

[mazo kid]

I recently got a new "Seven Seas" derringer. No, I didn't really need it, but the price was right. Upon opening the box, I see nothing but the usual caliber and Black Powder Only stamping on the barrel, plus a serial number. Looking closer at the box, it is marked PRC on the side. Isn't that People's Republic of China??? The pistol was imported by Navy Arms. I just thought it would make an inexpensive plinker, 36 caliber, 10 gr. powder charge. Anyone heard of any other Chinese black powder guns?

 

[rabjr]

Just be careful with the lead content. :wink:

 

[mykeal]

Navy Arms does not import guns from China. Perhaps the box was printed in China. Just the letters "PRC" do not indicate manufacture in China. Does it say "Made in..."?

 

[Don]

Nope, they are indeed made in china. I have one and it has the same markings. Very cheap gun which I seldom use. It will go bang however after some tweeking of the nipple to get caps to pop reliably. No sights, smooth bore,weird main spring located in front of the trigger, no half cock. It recommends 16 grains of powder and a patched .350 ball. Not much good for anything other than knocking over pop cans at 10 feet.

Don

 

[mykeal]

Nope, they are indeed made in china.

Ok, I'll ask again: Was the gun marked, "Made in China?" or something similar which would be clear? Your post suggests you made an assumption that it was Chinese in origin because of the cheap materials and construction. I'm looking for hard evidence - so far all we have are the letters PRC on a box. Can you help?

 

[trent/OH]

Anyone heard of any other Chinese black powder guns?

Actually, they made the very first muzzleloaders. Of course, quality control seems to have gone downhill over the past several centuries.

 

[Don]

There are no markings on the gun to that effect. I read a review of them on the internet that stated they were made in China. I tried to e-mail Navy Arms with this question but wasn't able to access their e-mail page, [email protected]. I'll try again later because its clear you won't take anyones word for it.

Don

 

[Don]

OK, didn't have any luck with the e-mail so I called them directly and asked them where it was manufactured. The answer was CHINA. I Knew I wasn't delusional!

Don

 

[preston cook]

well you would think that the people that invented gun powder would know better than to try to build a gun :rotf:

 

[Zonie]

This doesn't surprise me a bit. Especially if the gun is a smoothbore.

Just about any shop can make smoothbores because it doesn't require any special equipment to make the barrel. A lathe will do quite nicely (or rather poorly if the operator doesn't know how to run a lathe.)

Producing rifling on the other hand does take some special equipment and the cutters can be quite expensive to make and maintain.

 

[mykeal]

OK, didn't have any luck with the e-mail so I called them directly and asked them where it was manufactured. The answer was CHINA. I Knew I wasn't delusional!

Don

Thanks. I don't suppose they had any explanation for why they're violating US law regarding marking retail products as to country of origin. I don't have one of those guns or I'd ask them myself.

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Just be careful with the lead content. :wink:

Now that's funny! :thumbsup:

 

[MSW]

was offered a chinese kalishnakov pattern AK47ish semi auto a while ago... fellow said i could have it for fifty bucks, and admitted that it wouldn't pattern past about twenty feet.

i confess that i did look at it- what a piece of junk!

i took a pass on that deal, and never regretted having a gun that wouldn't shoot straight.

looks like quality control hasn't changed much.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

OK, didn't have any luck with the e-mail so I called them directly and asked them where it was manufactured. The answer was CHINA. I Knew I wasn't delusional!

Don

Thanks. I don't suppose they had any explanation for why they're violating US law regarding marking retail products as to country of origin. I don't have one of those guns or I'd ask them myself.

Myleal,

Not only the markings are of concern to me...several years ago (Clinton?) the very accurate Chinese A-K's (ALL Variants) were not allowed into the U.S. anymore due to some sort of trade restriction. Norinco .45 ACP ammo was part of that restriction as well. My .45 Springfield Armory LOVED that Chinese ball ammo . Has the trade restriction been lifted on Chinese firearms? I dunno, maybe I've just been in the dark...

Dave

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I remember a couple articles about homemade ML in China. Illegal, but seems they are quite prevalent and they even make their own homemade BP.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I have a Chinese SKS and it is no slouch as to accuracy. MOA, no, MO beer can out to 100 yds, not bad at all.

 

[David Teague]

I had one of the first imported SKS that were brought in after the gun control act of 86. It was a unissued Police SKS. That's how they could bring it in to the US with the GCA of 68. Never made for or used by a military force.

I later sold that like a fool. It would print 2 inches a 100 yards with surplus ball. So far out of the large number of semi auto military (or civilian copies)type rifles I've owned over the last 30 years, it was the most accurate out of the box. :shocked2:

 

[robertv77]

Chinese Ak47's are some of the finest on the market. If rifle you inspected was indeed a preban Chinese (semi)it was worth at least $800. Of course this is no indication of the quality found on Chinese BP replicas.

 

[44-henry]

The Chinese have a very capable manufacturing system and they are also very shrewd businessman. They will make whatever the customer is willing to buy at any level of quality that they are willing to pay for. If they wanted to make a high quality muzzleloader don't bet for a second that they couldn't. Says more about the specs that Navy Arms is after rather than Chinese capabilities.

 

[rabjr]

The Chinese have a very capable manufacturing system and they are also very shrewd businessman. They will make whatever the customer is willing to buy at any level of quality that they are willing to pay for. If they wanted to make a high quality muzzleloader don't bet for a second that they couldn't. Says more about the specs that Navy Arms is after rather than Chinese capabilities.

Yeah well I'll take an American made custom muzzleloader over anything the Chinese call quality anyday.