AK/AR Mutant

[WillysWagon]

The price point alone would turn me off.
I like the idea of using standard AK mags and whatnot, but wouldn't buy one.
I did buy the PAP M85np cause it took AR mags, but it is a cheap toy to just have fun with.

[Zundfolge]

The price point alone would turn me off.

I suspect that will turn off the vast majority of potential buyers. It needs to be about half that price (around $800) to be worth buying over an actual AK.

If this was someone other than CMMG I'd think they built it trying to land some military contracts, but its CMMG and they like to build crazy stuff for S&G (which I can respect).

[Great-Kazoo]

The original bushmaster was an AR/AK hybrid - because the AR was still subject to patents. Its a very interesting and reliable gun if you've ever had the pleasure. (I have)

I had the bullpup

and one of these when they were $299 purchased it in NY of all places.

[MarkCO]

As Zero Theory said above, this is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

For many companies in the industry right now, the problem is cash flow and standing out from the pack while appealing to the fan-boys that have no clue what really is quality and what is marketing hype. If you can't sell to the mass of basement-dwellers who play COD et. al. the chance of separating (and making money without your ideas getting stolen) is slim to nil. There will be a multitude of desperate companies at SHOT this year trying to fend of the creditors for one more year.

With Freedom Group, Smith and another few just a bit behind them having bought up ideas and whole companies in the past few years, a little risk for the sell-off paycheck is a big motivation for some of these types of projects. There are three mid-level, and a score of smaller firearms manufacturers that are right on the brink of going under and the conglomerates are controlling more and more of the market-share.

All that just to say, the industry is looking for fresh and new and how can they get in on the next big thing. IMHO, the next big thing in the firearm industry will not be "firearm" based...that is just where the industry has been focused, and there has not been a real paradigm shift in quite some time.

Even if you look at significant firearms developments, the G17, the M700, the VersaMax...all are just repackaging of a prior design that was not well marketed. The 300BO was just good marketing, but was not even close to new, just well-hyped. So it still can be done with just a little sex-appeal to the fan-boys and renaming a design that did not quite get off the bench. AAC is now owned by Freedom, and the resultant paycheck largely due to the marketing success of the 300BO, was millions. So sure, worth a risk.

[Justin]

Agree that this is a sign of the industry trying to diversify. The hardcore shooters already have a couple of AR15s in whatever configuration they want, and most of the newbies are looking for something cool/unique first and practical second.

The need for these companies to differentiate themselves from other manufacturers is probably the reason why we're seeing a sudden surge in AR10s, AR pistols, and to a lesser extent, AR-based pistol caliber carbines.

[Justin]

In the meantime, if you want to build a custom gun, now's the time, as companies will try to undercut one another to keep sales up, our begin to liquidate inventory once they go under.