Remington 1911 R1 - Who is right

I

IowaJer

Inactive
Hi Guys,

I recently bought a Remington R1 and so I've been searching the Internet for more information on it, and tonight I ran across a thread on here, but it was locked so I couldn't chime in.

I'm wanting to find out what the real deal is on the R1 being American made -vs- getting stuff from outside sources. There was a similar discussion (not as heated...) over on the Ruger Forum and I posted the following:

I've seen some of that talk about the frames made elsewhere too, but I recalled reading in Shooting Times otherwise.

So I went back and dug out the June 2010 issue and there is a feature article on the R1 by Sheriff Jim Wilson. Toward the end of the article he's talking about his conversation with Remington's Martinez, and there is this paragraph:
..............
"Martinez went on to say the R1 is being made in Remington's Ilion, NY plant. Currently, frames and slides are made in-house, while the barrel and other parts are outsourced. Martinez told me the next major change in the production involves Remington building its own barrels. I suspect when the Remington 1911 project gets into full swing, virtually the entire pistol will be manufactured at the Ilion facility"

So I'm thinking by now (since there are other models available now) that maybe the whole thing is done in-house. Just going by this article I'd have to say at least the frames and slides are. I know the barrel is a match barrel, but I don't know how I would know if mine was made late enough to be a Remington made barrel or if it was an outsourced one.
..............

But then tonight I saw on that locked thread where a member here that works at a gun shop seems to know they're not made here.

So I don't know what to think now. Do I believe Sheriff Jim & Shooting Times, or was I sold a bill of goods? Maybe the member who works in the gun shop has more reliable source information that can shed some light on this too.

Does anyone know for sure?

Thanks!
 
I don't think anyone knows for sure exactly where all the parts come from, but the gun is assembled by Remington in the U.S. Just because they don't make every single part does not mean that the parts aren't coming from the U.S. There are plenty of U.S. gun companies that not only make guns, but also produce parts for other gun companies. S&W and Ruger are examples of this.
 
I'd believe The Sheriff

He just interviewed someone at Remington. I'm sure he just passed on the information he was told.

The questions should be:

a) Did the person at Remington tell the truth? I believe so, since if they were going to lie, they'd say the whole gun was made in-house.

b) This was back in 2010. Has Remington moved to in-house barrels yet?

I think all you're going to get here is speculation. Shoot Remington an email or even a snail mail. Ask them if they're made in-house. If not, are they made in the US. (probably not) If not, when will they be US-made? Let us know please!
 
I don't really have a huge issue with companies outsourcing parts.

The thing I'm driving at is that it sounds like most folks are in agreement that some internal parts and probably early version barrels were outsourced. Yet in the ST article they seemed to make it a point to clearly state that both frame & slide are made at the Remington plant. That was in the 6/10 issue, and still as recent as a couple days ago I'm seeing people say the R1 frame & slides are obtained from Spain, or Brazil, or somewhere else. And they seem pretty forthright in their comments.

But I'm thinking it has to be one way or the other (if we restrict the question to only slide & frames in particular) ST article said Remington says slide & frames are made in house, but a lot of people still post that they are not - that puzzles me.

Probably won't do me any good but I'm going to send Remington an email and see if they'll respond.
 
SMAUG, I was in the middle of posting and hadn't seen your reply.

Thing is the guy Sheriff Jim was talking to was Carlos Martinez R1 Project Marketing Manager, so I'm thinking he ought to know. But yeah, I think I am going to email them and see if I get a reply.

And I'll post what I learn, if anything.
 
I've never understood why the R1 has become such a lighting rod. Since it's introduction, people have argued with Remington over where the parts for the R1 are sourced. If Remington is being less than truthful, what's the motivation for that?
 
It's a simple question that Remington won't answer with a straight answer.

As far as the frames and slides being made in the U.S....

Think about Springfield Armory. They have frames made in South America that are marked that way. They also have (at least at one time) frames made in S.A. that are partially unfinished and shipped to the U.S. where the slide rails were cut and made into higher-end custom shop guns. They can be marked Made in the USA under ATF regs because that's where they became legal receivers. But the original part was made in S.A.
 
Forgot...

"If Remington is being less than truthful, what's the motivation for that?"

Maybe they're hiding the fact that the parts are made by, oh, Taurus let's say. And Remington doesn't want to be associated with this other company because they think they're better. Maybe they were, once.
 
There is a certain % of the buying public that seeks out "made in the US" products. Companies like SA have been known to cater to that market segment with less than 100% accurate representation of the actual product.

SA frames are all made in S.A. They have no production here in the US and will tell you that it is cost prohibitive. Yet they claim to be the oldest name in US firearms. They claim they designed the XD which is really just a rebadged HS2000. They did not design it they simply made it EXTREME!

All other low end 1911s come from foreign sources. The price point demands it. That IMHO is the source of the speculation. If SA can't do it how can Remington? They have been asked many times directly and refuse to answer. I personally believe that they are using the "made in the US" mantra to push up sales while compiling with the letter of the law but are violating the spirit.
 
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The people at Remington are confused about the history of the gun, so they could be confused about how and where it's made, too. A spokeman made a comment to the effect that there's a lot of pride at the Ilion plant, due to their 1911 heritage, blah, blah. The WWI pistols were made at a Remington-UMC plant in Bridgeport, CT, and the WWII pistols were made by Remington Rand, which had severed its connection to the gun company many years prior, so there's no historical connection between Ilion and the 1911.
 
I also have one. Not sure where all the parts made. I also read the same article about the frame and slide being made in house. Doesn't matter to me cause mine feels great and shoots very well. Just wish it would have came with adjustable sights.
 
May be slides and frames are bought only partly finished .Then Remington finish them in house.
has Remington build a new foundry anywhere in the US
 
Wow, those are all excellent points that I'd not even considered. Guess things aren't (or maybe can't be) as black & white as I thought they should be. I really appreciate you all passing on your thoughts on all this. Very informative.

I did send an email to Remington and have not gotten a reply. More or less had to set up an account and then go to my page and see that my question has been assigned a number and the status is shown as unresolved.

I sort of expected that there would have been a canned answer since this has probably been asked of them before, but I guess I'll just keep checking back.

In any case, I really like the gun so far. Fit & finish is about perfect and runs out real nice.

If I get a reply from Remington I'll pass it along.

Thanks again guys!

Jer
 
I've never understood why the R1 has become such a lighting rod. Since it's introduction, people have argued with Remington over where the parts for the R1 are sourced. If Remington is being less than truthful, what's the motivation for that?
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The majority of people buying Remington 1911's over Springfield's are doing so because they believe the Remingtons are completely made in the US. They hear that Springfield is a little better quality, but "American made" is a little more important to them. Finding out that the R1's might not be one hundred percent made in the USA would be very upsetting to those folks. That is why it is such a tender subject. Remington knows this and does everything it can, short of flatly lying, to keep the "Made in the USA enthusiasts" buying R1's.
 
I have owned and shot more then my share of 1911s. In my opinon the remington doesn't loose anything in quality to the springfields. Mil spec or gi. It is an entry level 1911(at least mine is) and is priced as so. I personly don't care where they are made. I how ever would like to know as you would! Please keep us posted on wht remington says
 
I had similar concearns when I bought two ar15's from S&W. They had major problems and I sent them back after much arguing from Smith. When I called to check on the repairs after several months, I was told "we had a bad batch of uppers from our supplier".
I know Stag used to make the M&P's for S&W, but mine were made much later, and were supposed to be made "in house".
This is why I like to know who is making the major components. I have never gotten the scoop on who is building parts for Smith's ARs.
 
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