AAC Muzzle Brakes, c Nick Leghorn

Mike Smith is the Freedom Group employee who kicked me out of the Remington booth at SHOT Show. According to reliable sources, he also has a picture of me over his desk with the words “you’re fired” Photoshopped in. When the news about my unceremonious eviction from the SHOT Show booth hit the ‘net, Mike saw it as an opportunity to vent. He turned to AAC’s official blog and told the world how he really feels. Click here to read the The Truth About AAC on AAC’s blog. Or click here for the PDF mirror. Here are a couple choice excerpts below . . .

RUMOR: They came in and fired everyone.

FACT: No they didn’t. No employee has been fired from AAC in the last three years. This rumor has been spread ad-nauseam by a mouth-breathing oaf that writes for a blog, the title of which begins with a word that rhymes with “douche”.

[…]

RUMOR: They are merging AAC with TAPCO.

FACT: This is another one of those “douche about guns” rumors. Again, completely baseless tripe passed on by former AAC personnel and regurgitated by an easily manipulated blogger.

We’ve never heard any response from Remington or AAC about our coverage. Every time we try and follow up on a story based on reputable sources (who were often still current AAC employees, not ex employees as Mike suggests) we’ve tried to confirm the details and offered an opportunity for AAC to tell us their side of the story.

On one occasion, we even knocked on their front door in an attempt to find out what was happening at the company. All our efforts were met with either silence or a redirection to some other PR person who didn’t have anything to say. AAC and Remington would rather hurl personal insults than take five minutes to actually talk to us and explain why the “rumors” are incorrect.

We are still 100 percent open to hearing to what AAC and Remington have to say about their products and plans. We’d be happy to tour their new facility and give any and all new products a fair and full review. Our Publisher’s cell phone number’s listed on the front page of this website. My email address is available. If AAC wants my contact info, they can also check the order forms for the three AAC silencers that I own.

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189 COMMENTS

  3. Really classy stuff. Add aac to the list of black balled companies for me. Remington, ctd, wideners, and noooooow…. yeah.

    • Why Widener’s? Did I miss something? I have ordered a ton of stuff from them in the past and never had any issues.

      • I’m baffled by that too. I’ve done tons of business with Wideners over the years and have nothing but good things to say. They ship fast, have good prices, everything is as-described and carefully packed. I can’t recall ever seeing a complaint about them, anywhere. For me at least, they are my go-to vendor along with AIM.

      • Because they stopped all AR sales after Sandy Hook. A knee jerk, politically correct response. They’re dead to me, too.

      • As to CTD, as the story goes, they did more than raise prices. They terminated orders that were paid for and in process of being fulfilled and then resold them at the inflated prices. It’s one thing to take advantage of the free market but it’s completely something else to unilaterally break a financial agreement to do that price gouge.

        • I can confirm they did this to me, I ordered 4 Colt GI mags the day before SH, day after SH order cancelled and refunded due to not having the items in stock, then 2 days later they were up on the site for 5 times the price.

          What I may not have taken into account at the time was that they may have cancelled from one warehouse and had availability at another those couple days later. I realized that their operation is nothing more than drop shipping to the customer from the distributor in most cases. I don’t like the price gouging, Midway, Brownell’s, Cabela’s did not do this, I give all 3 a fair amount of business today for that reason (all 3 sold me various, hard to find mags at sale prices during the scare).

          I know CTD was donating big to SAF during the UBC bill scare but I thought it was just a ploy to get back in our good graces. I have since come to realize their actual business and some of the gouging and order canceling MAY have been out of their control. Anyway. This past summer they had S&W Shields for $349 shipped and I just couldn’t resist, then they had the ADM Recon mount for my Vortex Viper PST scope for $120, another deal too good to pass up. I can’t believe they made much money off either sale so I don’t feel too bad considering I have to be very price aware on everything since my twin girls were born.

          I’m still hesitant to buy from them but I will take a screaming deal if I find one and I’ll be watching them for any other shenanigans.

        • They did it to me on three separate occasions. Took my money, then said, “Oops, sorry, this item is no longer available.” then I saw it later at a higher price.

          • And that is unethical, borderline criminal behavior. Much like the actions of AAC in this article. And to all those on this page complaining of TTAGs “whining”, and that they should just man up and let it go, I say this: The public NEEDS to know these things when CTD(or TFG, or AAC, or whoever) do them. Otherwise how else are we supposed to be aware that such idiot behavior occurred in the first place?

      • Yeah I’d say price gouging. They raised the price of PMAGs to 70 dollars per mag within HOURS after Sandy Hook.

        • Truth. And they did it without the manufacturer raising their prices at the source. CTD is dead to me.

      • I hate Cheaper Than Dirt because of the true harm they did to the 2A community. They raped new gun owners. They took people that didn’t know any better, or how much some of these things like ammo and mags cost, and flat out raped them. Instead of leaving these folks with a warm fuzzy at buying their first AR, they feel terrible that they just bought a DPMS sportical for $2k. Selling surplus GI mags for $99?!?! 5.56 bulk ammo for $1+ a round?!?! Way to welcome new shooters to the community you fnck faces. I went into the store in Fort Worth (where I would drop $500/month on ammo), found my guy Jeremy, and told him that I’d never be back in there. Told him I know it’s not his fault, since he didn’t set prices, but that I wanted the message passed along to the higher ups. And to tell them that he knew me and that I regularly spent a chunk of change in there. Told him the only way I’d ever be back was if they DROPPED prices during the next gun scare, or at their liquidation auction. Worthless pieces of sh!t in my book.

      • CTD also fear-mongers pretty aggressively when marketing their price-gouged goods. A pretty low-class operation based on what I’ve seen from them. Regardless, I didn’t do business with them when I realized they were splitting orders across multiple warehouses and doubling / tripling the S&H fees making them far more expensive than getting a single box from any number of their competitors.

      • I hate Cheaper Than Dirt because of the true harm they did to the 2A community. They raped new gun owners. They took people that didn’t know any better, or how much some of these things like ammo and mags cost, and flat out raped them. Instead of leaving these folks with a warm fuzzy at buying their first AR, they feel terrible that they just bought a DPMS sportical for $2k. Selling surplus GI mags for $99?!?! 5.56 bulk ammo for $1+ a round?!?! Way to welcome new shooters to the community you fnck faces. I went into the store in Fort Worth (where I would drop $500/month on ammo), found my guy Jeremy, and told him that I’d never be back in there. Told him I know it’s not his fault, since he didn’t set prices, but that I wanted the message passed along to the higher ups. And to tell them that he knew me and that I regularly spent a chunk of change in there. Told him the only way I’d ever be back was if they DROPPED prices during the next gun scare, or at their liquidation auction. Worthless pieces of sh!t in my book.

  5. I’ve bought my last from AAC (I also have 3). With the time and effort required to get a can, it just isn’t worth it to reward them when there are so many alternatives.

      • Anyone want to lay odds that temper tantrum will disappear from their server?

        “According to reliable sources, he also has a picture of me over his desk with the words “you’re fired” Photoshopped in, presumably to fuel his daily Two Minutes Hate.”

        Even more amusing considering TTAG ‘fired’ Remington and Freedom Group…

  8. “Douche” rhymes with “The?” No, that can’t be right. Maybe he means douche rhymes with “Truth.” But, wait a minute, that’s the second word….and it still doesn’t rhyme. Could he just be tone deaf?

  9. Remington making friends and gaining customers. This is why I will not purchase anything coming out of the Freedom Group and stuff like this reaffirms my decision.

    • I second that. I have not, nor will I ever buy a product made by any company under the Freedom Group umbrella.

      • Agreed.

        It’s a shame they still have some pretty winning products that have advanced the industry like the Bushmaster ARC and DPMS GII.

        Oh well I want, but I wasn’t going to buy anyways. I was thinking of getting into the precision bolt gun game with a Remington 700, but I think I’ll go with a Clone action. It will be higher quality anyways.

  10. Hmm, what I see here is asymmetric warfare. Problem for Remington is that they are trying to build a brand. Any controversy, however, small hurts the brand. TTAG brand though, is controversy, at least in part, especially to the extent it validates independence and generates traffic.

    So, my take is Mike Smith is the best thing to happen to TTAG, and the worst for Remington. Maybe the first to be “fired” from AAC is Mike Smith, because his screed totally wants to make be buy a Remington (not).

  11. AAC will never be what is ONCE was. Kevin and John are now with Sig, I believe, and ill be dollars to doughnuts that in the next decade they will be tops in the genre and AAC will be in the bottom half, behind scilencerco, yum, liberty, etc. They will only be able to live off the name and achievements of their past for so long. Or they will try to revamp the past, R51 (cough cough) and we see how that went.

    I also have 4 ACC cans, m4-2000, pilot, evo-9, ti-rant-9, & they will be my last from them. They are excellent cans but other people do just as good or better, for half the cost.

  13. No employee of AAC has been fired in the last three years bout yet the ‘rumors’ are coming from former AAC employees (ones that have been ‘forced to resign’ in the last three years perhaps? One wonders)

  15. Once again using your charm and personality to expose those in the industry that choose not to “get it”.
    Damn shame.
    One would think openness and a bit of reality with us lowly consumers, (that keep pay checks coming), could find someone professional enough, and carry a bit of decorum to not shy away from some questions. Snobbery and indifference speak volumes.

  16. The email address for aac’s sales team is [email protected] in the event that anyone might want to politely reach out to them and inform them about their feelings regarding Mr. Smith, their products, the brand, etc.

  17. Heh, i bet Nicks been kicked out of better places then their booth… 🙂

    Biggest issue i see is Remington/AAC/Freedom Group put them selves into the pressure cooker they are in, and are mad when someone cranks up the heat… Get off the stove then? Make a good product or something?

    Bad management will do same things they have always done, until they are invited to seek bad management opportunities elsewhere. Clearly they are not able to put on their big boy pants and fix the problem, possibly even dont know a problems exists.

  18. Kinda like Colt, and HK with civilian sales, and the “douche” at my local area gun show that considers anything less comparable than his LaRue, Noveske, custom $2000.00 AR a POS. I’ve got no problem taking my $$$ elsewhere. If I have a question regarding a brand, I want an answer. I would expect firearms manufacturers and sales reps. to be straight up, or STFU. Not spin or blow off a ligit inquiry like a White House Press Spokesman. We got enough problems without this BS.
    (Rant Off). Just been there done that with these clowns. It’s not worthy or desired from an eager and paying big bucks consumer mkt.

  19. Wow. That is some pretty poor PR.
    Hope Mr. Smith feels better after the rant.
    Count me a satisfied Silencerco customer.

  20. This guy must think YOU designed and released the R51. What’s that make Mr. Remington if a “mouth breathing oaf” was able to call a turd a turd but he wasn’t?

  21. Trouche About Guns? Touché

    I have been debating getting my first can, and am considering the Evolution or the Octane. Octane it is!
    Now where have I heard this argument before? One side claims to have the facts straight and often wants to have a “conversation” about “common sense,” but then is never actually open to having such a common sense conversation about facts.

  22. Okay, I’ll be “that guy.”

    It takes two parties to continue a back-and-forth like this.

    Nick, my friend, at this point you’re in the proverbial wrestling match with a pig. May I gently suggest this is a good time to disengage and not get sucked down the whirlpool created by the sinking SS Remington.

    • His job is to blog the truth about guns. He blogged truthfully about a blog post related to guns, and did so with quite a bit of restraint. There’s a difference between wrestling with the pig and standing outside of the stye while pointing out porcine behavior.

      • … Which is why I said “at this point.”

        It’s already become personal on the inbound side, and I honestly admire Nick’s restraint. Personally I think I would have already replied in-kind.

  24. Keep it classy bro. Keep it classy.

    Me thinks somebody will be looking for a new job rather quickly.

    On a side note. Anybody know a good muzzle device for 5.56 and 7.62 which allows QD of a reputable suppressor company? Somehow I don’t see AAC getting my business ever again…

    • I am looking really hard at the SilencerCo Omega as my first can. SilencerCo has several other cans that would seem to fit what you are looking for too.

      • I am looking for a muzzle device that will let me use a 7.62 can on both a 7.62 and a 5.56 rifle. Unfortunately, given that my SBR took almost a year to clear, I am not over enthusiastic about putting in the paperwork for two additions to my stamp collection.

        • Hey, I got a stupid question. If I already have an AR lower, can I submit the paperwork to make it an SBR lower, wait till I receive the Form, and then buy a SBR upper for it? Or do I have to turn it in to somebody or whatever while waiting? I’m sorry, the whole damn thing is just so stupid. I’m just thinking there are improvements and updates made to the uppers all the time, the lowers not so much, why not keep shooting your AR while waiting for the paperwork to clear, then buy the latest and greatest upper at that moment, no waiting?

        • Am I reading that right? A single can DESIGNED to work with 5.56×45, 7.62×30, AND .308? I think I might be picking up three new muzzle devices once the tax man coughs up the money he owes me…

          I like brakes on my .308, but the three prong looks awesome for my SBR flamethrower.

    • I love my Yankee Hill titanium QD can in 7.62. Light, even on my Remmy 700 heavy barrel I had cut down and threaded, all of my ARs, and even my 300blk SBR. Their .22 can isn’t the best out there, but my big can is awesome

  25. “Blinded by the light.
    Wrapped up like a truce,
    another runner in the night.”

    Yeah, no, that’s not right.

    • I tend to be boycott-averse, but after the past couple of years, I found myself simply unable to buy anything from the Freedom Group.

      (And the crappy quality of my last box of Remington 22lr didn’t make it any harder to walk away…)

  27. I’d like to point out that reaching out to AAC for official comment on somebody who was fired is a complete non-starter. Even if you did get a hold of them, they legally can’t do anything other than what they’ve done. Send you to a PR person and then PR person gives you nothing. Saying that they won’t confirm or deny or explain themselves is a little disingenous since there is no other alternative for them.

    • A while ago, SIG SAUER let go of a bunch of their machinists (economic reasons). We reached out for comment and they provided a press release about the situation, talking in generic terms and not naming names. I was looking for exactly that response from Remington, but none appeared.

    • But Mike says no one was fired in the blog. How could a company get in trouble for officially saying that they haven’t fired anyone? Where is the liability in that?

  28. I think both parties try to win this match. AAC are great cans and i always just experienced great customer service. I own 4 from them and i will buy more in the future. Now i understand that ex employees tend to report wrong intel to keep the gossip kitchen on. Some jump on it and start a fight like this one. Not the best way from AAc to settle this. And when people ssay that the good guys went to SIG, well i can only tell them that SIG’s customer service and communication dept. is one of the worst in the industry. So that’s not always a reference. Not saying though it’s because of the ex-people from AAC. And TTAG, well you gave the award for best gun to the SIG MPX, a gun that doesn’t exist yet and people paid for since nearly 9 months. So your neutrality is not exemplary either. But most people here don’t care anyway. They just like the drama and rant about it. But in the end they’ll buy their products and read the blog here. Because i most probably too will buy another SIG again. Except the MPX out of principle.

  29. All that reminds me of a middle-school debate team fundamental: when you have to go ad hominem, you’ve already lost the argument.

  31. I love how they nixed the original post (the replacement is http://www.aacblog.com/the-truth-about-aac/) yet didn’t post any sort of “we don’t condone personal attacks etc.” pseudo-apology. That would at least be commendable. I wonder if they realize what a response like this does to their company image. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a supressor outfitted to one of my pistols, but despite their product’s reputation, I’m hesitant to pick theirs since I can’t help but wonder “if they treat the press like this, how do they treat their customers? Could I depend on them if I had a problem with their product?” I know MPA has a reputation for the occasional QC issue, but the way they treated the bad press from TTAG tells me they at least give a damn about how maintaining a good reputation and as such would probably do well in the customer service department.

  32. The irony here is that I read TTAG daily, and I wouldn’t have ever known about this otherwise. You actually took the time to write this article rather than a meaningful one – good job. You make enemies in life; deal with it. No need to use the blog to whine about it. Be the bigger man and remain professional…

    • (apparently the second bit got cut off…)

      I read the press release from Mike Smith. I see nothing wrong with him cutting through the BS and talking to you like an adult (albeit, an adult that is a little pissed off). It’s nice to see someone at a large company with the balls to say something like this given all the bureaucracy and red tape these days.

      Man up.

      • Yeah… This is a perfect example of what NOT to do. It’s a PR disaster. Quite frankly even if the author was 100% right, his juvenile response is going to hurt almost as much as the allegations he’s referring to in his post. I for one, refuse to spend money on a company that puts people with such a blatant lack of professionalism in positions that allow them to vent like this using the company soap box.

        • I think you’re right — as is the case in Mike Smith’s atrociously-written screed, “Steve” mistakenly writes “that” when he means, “who.” Grammar, Mr. Smith, grammar.

        • SteveO – yes, “who” would be correct. I’m an engineer and not a writer, thanks for the correction.

          I’m a business owner in the pacific northwest, and I am in no way affiliated with Mike Smith. Throughout my life I have worked for a number of companies (small and large) with direct customer interaction. Too many times businesses are forced to bend over at the slightest customer complaint, but I am a firm believer of the phrase “the customer is always right… until they are no longer a customer”.

          While I am a fan of TTAG, I’ll admit I have never been a huge fan of Leghorn’s articles. I’m not gonna slam him or kick him out of my SHOT booth, but writing a whole article on a blog like this seems very amateur and childish. You are using your bandwagon of fans and media leverage against him rather than just manning up and/or letting it go. If you wanted to write this, why not write it on your personal blog (which is down, by the way – as someone who advertises an IT-heavy resume, you might want to look into that)?

          This is obviously a personal grudge going on here… it has no place on this site.

      • “talking to you like an adult” does not include the words “mouth breathing” and “douche.”

        We gave them every opportunity to tell us their side of the story. In response, they kicked us out of their booth, called us names, and laughed at us for not having the information they purposefully didn’t provide.

        They are acting like a kindergartener. Not an adult. If they want to talk like adults they’ve had our contact details for years. Venting on a blog with ad homenim attacks is not the way to get your point across.

        • I think the general point was that if you lack information, you don’t fill that void with rumors from disgruntled ex-employees – you just admit “I don’t know”.

          A lack of information doesn’t justify citing poor sources, IMO of course. Its a free country and you are free to enjoy your 1st Amendment rights along with your 2nd. 😉

    • Here here!

      Except we both know that TTAG NEEDS controversy in order to generate Ad revenue, just like every other media outlet.

      Outrage by design – Gets people clicking every time.

      • While I agree about every site needing ad revenue, and about TTAG being esp. blatant about it, the fact is that the articles on the Remington and AAC products WERE professional and to the point. They WERE on negatives in the products, and not personal attacks. And when one is personally attacked for doing one’s job reviewing the product, good or bad, they are going to resent that. No two ways about it. You would too.
        There is truth in someone’s post about “give me free stuff or I’ll give you a bad reveiw”, but there’s also a lot of the truth in companies saying; “write me a glowing review or you’ll never get another sample on loan again, and I will bar you from our buildings and our booths, and even get you fired or kicked out if I can!” (not to mention all the print media scandals about gun companies pulling their ads unless they get rave reviews, all they way down to them having to approve the copy our their “honest review”)
        Which behavior sounds less professional?

        • Both. But I am only in a position to witness one of these.
          If, as you say, its just part of the business, then isn’t the “Truth” bit in TTAG’s name just a farce?

          • Whenever money is involved, truth is always the first casualty. And the way money is everything today explains why real truth is as rare as hen’s teeth. I also agree that this has taken on the look of a personal vendetta. But the original article that started it was professional, and the personal attacks uncalled for. The personal attacks back, while understandable, are also uncalled for. But even these retain a semblance of professionalism, as they are not personal attacks, per se, but merely reminders of what was said by the other side, to show it clearly as childish and unprofessional behavior.

    • As another TTAG reader, I appreciate posts like these because they let me know what the real attitude of a company is should I choose to patronize them as a customer. If you don’t find them relevant, you can always just scroll past.

  35. THIS WEB THING, YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST A BUNCH OF KIDS. MAGAZINES ARE THE MEDIA OF THE FUTURE. SUBSTANTIAL. PERMANENT. THE INTERNET IS JUST A PASSING FAD, LIKE POG CAPS.

    Want to bet that these words have been uttered in Mike Smith’s office?

    • I think you’re missing point of the piece. TTAG is a major news publication in our community. Would the same response be acceptable (regardless of provocation) about a local paper?

  37. Nick, perhaps they just don’t want to talk to you guys? Is that a crime? By the way, your email address is NOT available…just saying.

        • ?? And your point is? Nick and other personnel at TTAG read that email. If you want to get it touch with “Nick” you can send email to that location. If you want to get in touch with “Nick” you can call that phone number above the email and ask for “Nick.”

        • Well, I can jump into that. “Your email”, to me, is where you can be reached by email. You have an answer where Nick can be reached by email, and promptly give a snotty answer that you “said what you meant” when asked about it. *I* can’t see WTF you are asking, the email where Nick can be reached is right there, what is wrong with it, according to you? Is English your second language, or something?

    • Nick, perhaps they just don’t want to talk to you guys? Is that a crime?

      A great response: We really have nothing to say at this time. We aren’t looking to comment regarding our company status, products, or personnel.

      Not a great response: Look, mouth breathing oaf, we aren’t interested in responding, why don’t you and the rest of “douche about guns” take a hike.

  38. Maybe if remington would stop producing crappy products they wouldn’t get bad press. Good products get good press. So does good customer service. I own three remington products and the one that is not up to standard is my 2013 made 870 express. It chokes on #8 birdshot. It’s a pump gun that chokes on birdshot… For some reason it runs #00 buckshot fine. If I wanted performance like that I would go buy another Saiga 12. My 1950’s built 760 Gamemaster and 03A3 runs great but they were built 60 and 70 years ago respectively. My dad has a 760 and a 700. The 760 looks great but his newer 700 barrel exterior doesn’t look so hot after only a few years. While it does shoot well, it does not inspire confidence in the longevity of their newer products.

    • I have an 870 express like that. The problem isn’t so much the payload as the hulls. Mine doesn’t like anything with a steel hull made by any company that rhymes with “blinchester”. Brass hulls are fine, as is steel made by others.

      • I’ve done some reading that there can be chamber issues. I haven’t tried to fix it myself as I was too irritated. I’ll get to it one of these weekends and see if I can fix it. I ordered a 590a1 to take its place for HD and local tactical shooting competitions(3 gun using proper technique).

    • My ~2013 700 .308 started rusting the minute I put it in my basement safe. It’s the reason I maniacally change the dehumidifier cans in my safe now.

  39. My letter to the Freedom Group Customer Contact site:

    Good Evening,
    It is with some disdain and a lot of disappointment that I write this however, I felt it necessary. Good may come of it, but if nothing else I’ve always believed in holding people accountable and that can’t be done if people don’t voice their concern.

    Earlier today, Mike Smith of AAC posted a diatribe about a firearms blogger, Nike Leghorn, and the website he writes for, The Truth About Guns. While I encourage vigorous defense of one’s intellectual property and company product, there is a proper way for adults to communicate. This is especially true when a person is a senior member of a company. Using the word “douche” and several ad-hominem slurs toward Mr Leghorn as Mr Smith did in the company blog is not one of those accepted methods.

    While not overtly wealthy, I own a lot of Freedom Group armament, ranging from a 40-X, to a 3200, a Dakota 76, and a Para LDA with a lot of in-between. I’ve watched quality control spiral downward for several years now, but still accepted the product to be a good value requiring a little gunsmithing to perform to full potential, while feeling pleasure at buying from an American company. That has come to an end now, as I cannot with good conscious buy from someone who either knowingly or tacitly supports unfounded attacks on someone doing their best to carry the water for firearms enthusiasts. I would hope you realize that attacking a writer calling your practices or product into question only makes your products appear even more suspicious, and your quality control even more questionable. A reasonable person would presume an honest company to respond with factual data rather than vitriol, and to attack the misinformation or inaccuracies rather than the person posing the uncomfortable question.

    Sadly, with the sole exception of Barnes bullets, I don’t believe I’ll miss anything, and I’m sure your competitors are overjoyed with the continued gaffes you allow to permeate your organization and its subsidiaries. I’m saddened to see a name so great as Remington fall so far, so fast. Hopefully it will recover, not just in bottom-line and profitability, but also in reputation and quality. Until that day, good luck.

    Regards,

    x.xxxxxx

  40. Link states “web resource limit reached” I’ll bet that’s the first time that’s ever happened to them. Nice to see such a professional company can afford the bandwidth to accommodate a link from a little insignificant blog like this.

  41. the title of which begins with a word that rhymes with “douche”

    he doesn’t know how to rhyme
    but deserveing a
    nickname ending in canoe

    Inverted Haiku

  42. Seems like the poor execution of the R51 is a sign of deeper, widespread problems at Remi. Too bad. You tried to tell them they had a bad product. They punished you for trying to help them. In my experience, businesses with such sick mentalities don’t last long. They can only shoot themselves in the foot so many times.

  43. Maybe you two should lay down the steel and just settle this in a sissy-boy to sissy-boy slap fight. Honestly, this personal beef you have with each other should stay personal.

  44. It occurs to me that an attack on TTAG is more or less an attack on me. And everyone else who supports this site and comments daily. The quarterly posting of readership numbers is enormous. One wonders at the level of intelligence of someone who would create conflict over a few bad(truthful) reviews…I wasn’t a customer and NOW it seems I have put them at the top of my S##t list. I guess the only 870 I’m gonna’ get will be used…

  45. Once again Remington demonstrates they are a low class company.

    TTAG should post the page views for this article so that the Remington bean counters will know how many future customers they lost.

  46. They cannot possible be talking about you. “The” does not rhyme with “douche”.

    Neither does “truth” if you really want to get technical.

  47. Imagine the PR honcho from say ….. Ford, or General Mills , or Home Depot putting a sceed similar to this on the company blog. “Don’t let the doorknob hit you on the way out” would be the result.

  48. I worked for them, and I’m sure its not a rumor the only real men there were John Hollister and Cory the rest were used car salesman at best ,mistreated, people bunch of dweebs and wannabe,s,

  49. I won’t miss Remi. I bought a G2 trigger set which is Freedom Group, but that’s it, no more. I had a friend looking at a DPMS AR and I steered him away from that as I told him the DPMS was just ordinary. He bought something else.

    Honestly, that sort of behavior will only be tolerated so long in a corporate setting. When the bottom line is compromised through an individual’s action, someone is going to notice.

  50. Just bought a USP. Considering which suppressor. Is AAC still a good can? New to suppressor market.

    • Don’t worry. The cans were always and are still great buys. This is a personal war between 2 people.

      • NOTHING made by anything connected to the “freedom” group, AKA Cerberus, AKA George Soros, is worth buying. And that now includes Remington, Marlin, Bushmaster, and AAC.

    • Their Products are excellent,the problem lies with Management,who are only concerned wih lining their pockets.,and acting as if they are superior to the workforce who actually create the products,

    • NOTHING made by anything connected to the “freedom” group, AKA Cerberus, AKA George Soros, is worth buying. And that now includes Remington, Marlin, Bushmaster, and AAC.

  51. You know what would’ve been even better? If you didn’t say anything about it at all. If the rumors are false, responding to them gives them power. Don’t glorify their statement with a response. Just let it go.

    • Nope. Don’t agree. This is indicative of a corporate culture that is arrogant, dismissive and that has contempt for us, their supposed customers

      Hmmm. Conspiracy thought. Just think, if their ultimate goal was to drive out of business a number of once reputable gun companies and reduce to us the American public our choices of gun products, they are doing a really good job.

      If somebody like Bloomberg was running Freedom Group, they might not mind losing money for that purpose.

  52. This a pretty stupid marketing strategy. Why you’d ever put that kind of unprofessional language on your company’s website, I just don’t know. Very unprofessional and it would make me concerned that’s how they treat customers with problems. I’ll play it safe and stear clear of a company who can’t control their emotions like that.

  54. Getting “fired” is one thing. Being laid off in a “reduction in force” (RIF) action is another.
    Having your job move hundreds of miles away and being told to relocate your self at your own expense if you want to continue your employment is not either.

  55. Did anyone else notice that “whoosh” rhymes with douche, and not “truth”?
    Typical management suit. Words are his stock in trade, yet he can’t even be bothered to find out what they sound like….
    Probably too busy romancing his secretary or hanging out at the water cooler to actually do his job.

  56. Oh please, the “old guard”(pre FG) at AAC was just as childish as this, now it just boils down to hurt feelings on this side. Or is it only bad when it’s a jab at an individual, and not another silencer manufacturer? Then there is the running of stories, based on rumors from former employees(who just happen to now work for a company that gets the most press here, Sig, cough cough, Sig). If this is The Truth About Guns, and not The Rumors About Guns, why run the “stories” in the first place, if they could not be verified by AAC? Perhaps personal relationships, and bias got the better of you?

    • Ancient Chinese proverb say:
      “Manufactured controversy generate much clicky-clicky Ad revenue.”

  57. Imagine how sweet it would’ve been if Sig had acquired AAC instead. High quality products, management, and customer service all around.

    • Rrrrrrrrrrright. Best joke ever. Man, you haven’t seen dealt with SIG in a long time then. You’re funny

  58. I was literally about to order an AAC upper and start the paperwork for one of their suppressors today.

    Guess I’ll be going with BCM and Silencerco. AAC you shoot your own foot off when you do stuff like this.

  60. Nick pulled a red herring.

    He responded to Mr Smith as if he was upset for reporting on the R51, rather than on the stuff that Mike was pointing out. Nick should just fact check and not use anonymous disgruntled sources.

  61. It takes two to have an immature, public spat. Or often does. In this case, the quality of Nick’s “reviews” would make me not want to cooperate either.

    “Give me stuff or you get a bad review” may not be the official policy, but it does smell that way sometimes. The “truth” about guns would be more obtainable with more knowledgeable writers.

    • Precisely. During the so-called “incident” at the Remington booth the statement was made “it doesn’t matter what I say to you, you’re going to write a hit-piece.”
      So TTAG went and proved them wrong by writing TWO hit pieces. Seems legit..

  62. Though the Model 700 has been my overall favorite bolt action during my lifetime and I own several, I will buy no more.

    I will look to Weatherby and Howa in the future.

    The Freedom Group has virtually destroyed my confidence in Remington.

  63. So, just so I’m clear…
    We can talk all manner of s__t about Freedom group, AAC, or whoever all day long, but the moment they start dishing it back we start uncontrollably sobbing about “ZOMG how unprofessional!!”

    Seems like click-bait to me.

    And before we start in on the old double standard of “Well I’m just an individual, but he’s representing a company”, let’s be clear – we are all adults and the same standard of conduct applies whether your employed by X or not. If its shame on Mike Smith for bashing a TTAG writer, then its 10 times the shame on us for the perpetual bash-session that TTAG has become.

    You can’t have it both ways. Either treat people (and companies) with respect, or don’t be surprised when they respond in kind.

      • Once again, I suggest you research both side with a critical eye. And it would help to know what “professional” actually means. It does NOT mean that reviews must always be positive. That’s what green might like for you to believe, tho…
        It actually means sticking to the points about the PRODUCT, and avoiding personal attacks. Personal opinions vs business facts, that is the essence of professionalism. Facts instead of opinions. Keeping personal stuff separate from business facts.
        I suggest you research which side it is here doing that. Start with: Who got thrown out of which business????

  64. Without a doubt Remington currently has quality control issues and not just because of the R51 debacle. I bought a brand new 700 BDL a few months ago that had a loose front sight because the screw holes were drilled and tapped too shallow. The bolt handle bluing was also marred a bit. I was able to repair both problems myself but needless to say these things were missed on final inspection at the factory. Nick has always been very objective in his articles and Remington has earned the criticism in my book. It’s sad to see an icon firearms company like Remington tank but it’s happening due to bad management. The truth (about guns) hurts sometimes.

  65. If I had an employee who wrote such a thing on a company blog, he’d be handed a box for his belongings then escorted out of the building.

    That it is still up tells me a lot about the culture at said company.

  67. I think it’s pretty clear that Mike Smith studied marketeering in night school.

    Once TFG begins to strip out its non-core businesses, Smith will be the first to go.

  69. “Douche” doesn’t even rhyme with “truth”. Imagine how much fewer gun laws we’d have if firearms enthusiasts weren’t so fucking dumb.

    • Better yet, just imagine how many less gun laws we’d have if we all refused to buy from the “freedom” group, which is owned by a Wall Street investment company called Cerberus Capital Management. It just so happens that firm is owned by a financier named George Soros, and as anyone familiar with that name can tell you, he is as(or even more) anti as Mike Bloomberg.
      Perhaps this linkage might explain why everything the TFG touches turns to a non functional POS?

  71. I LOVE IT! The gun industry has had too many connection in the journalism industry and even in the days of streaming, they have too many connections. Yet, they can’t stop the influx of average people reviewing on Youtube or deal with sites like TTAG who refuse to noseplant the industry’s ass just to be part of this special network of journalist who get whatever they want as long as they follow the script. We Joe Smoe can’t afford to buy a gun just to test it; so when we lay down hard-earned cash for one, we have to know the truth about it.

  72. All we hear on this site is the anecdotal opinion that Remington makes a terrible product. My subjective experience with their products (including a new r1 enhanced) has been that they have been bulletproof. The r51 may have been a lemon but name a big company that has never produced one. Remington is not devilish. You kids out there getting all hot and bothered should take what you read with a grain of salt. Ttag is good stuff but they don’t have a trademark on truth.

    • AND they destroyed Marlin after taking them over. And AAC. And the lie about not clearing out all the old AAC employees. And the quality of the M700…
      Besides the fact that they refused for more than a YEAR to fix all the lemons they put out, let’s see what else we can find that TFG has f*&ked up……..
      BTW, you wouldn’t happen to work for big green, now would you? They just WOULDN’T pay for shills to be posting on here…. would they??????

      • Get under your skin? I don’t work for Remington. I live in Colorado and have watched this state go down the leftist drain hole. But I am also from the west and we can be ornery cusses. I’m just not seeing what people are going off on. Some problems yes, in but they aren’t Isis. It takes two to tango and TTAG is getting lots of hits on the inter web with this so called controversy. Ttag is not the final word on guns. I say this with respect, I like the site.

        • They surely are not the final word. They have really obtrusive ads that constantly open new windows and tabs just when you are doing something, and every time they go down(frequently) They come back up with worse. Whenever I post, you might also have noticed that I am the first to complain about their lack of firearms knowledge. I have been very critical of RF in many past posts.
          But none of that changes the fact that George Soros, the banker that is every bit as anti gun as bloomberg, owns and controls Cerberus, the investment firm that owns TFG. And the “freedom” group owns Remington, AAC, Marlin, Bushmaster, H&R, TAPCO, and on and on. And after these firms were bought out by TFG the products all became sh*t, the service became worse, and the staff got replaced by those like Mr Smith. These are not rumors, they are all facts that can be checked by anyone with a “handbook of corporate affiliations”, or a computer and a search engine. I do not believe that it was all just a big coincidence that this all started when Soros took them over. It is a plan, not an accident. IMO, ofc.

  73. I learned something new. I did not know that soros owns cerebus. Not good what so ever. You’re the first person to connect the dots. I appreciate it! This is why I like this site.

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