Okay Industries getting out of the firearm magazine business
Heard about this on another forum, and did not see any press release or anything on the web. I called them and spoke to a woman who states it is true; Okay Industries will not be involved in the magazine business after 2022.
Okay makes a great AR15 magazine, I like the Surefeeds better than the P-Mags, and I have plenty of Gen 2 & 3 versions. The woman I spoke to was interested in how I found out about it, she said nothing was released and she has been getting a number of calls.
Here is Surefeed's contact, which is the same as Okay Industries site, a medical device company.
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
March 08, 2022, 12:54 PM
Pale Horse
Well that is disappointing. I too prefer them to any other mag. Being located in CT it wouldn’t surprise me if this is politically motivated in some way.
“Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014
March 08, 2022, 01:36 PM
Sig209
anyone who hasn't been stocking up on AR mags over the last 10 years is a moron.
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Proverbs 27:17 - As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
March 08, 2022, 02:58 PM
lyman
quote:
Originally posted by Sig209: anyone who hasn't been stocking up on AR mags over the last 10 years is a moron.
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interesting comment that has nothing to do with the OP,,
by the way, I was stocked up more than 10 yrs ago,
also interesting about OK, I did not know they did medical stuff, I always thought they just did mags etc
wondering if the competition is a bit much or if they lost a contract?
Originally posted by Sig209: anyone who hasn't been stocking up on AR mags over the last 10 years is a moron.
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Or they are a new shooter, just turned 18, never had anyone teach them about guns, just became a citizen, just moved to a free state. Quite a few reasons actually.
———————————————— The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad. If we got each other, and that's all we have. I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand. You should know I'll be there for you!
March 08, 2022, 06:12 PM
mrapteam666
That is disappointing I never actually seen one in the wild until I got to AFG.
If I think back, I only had about four or five before I got deployed.
I brought home a few brand mags, some of which were Okay and a few used mags which were a collection of PMAG, Brownell, and Colt.
I have stated this before but I tend to gravitate towards "metal" mags and let the young guns have the PMAGS.
I also did not know they had a medical side or that their history goes back to WWII where they helped manufacture millions of M1 Carbine magazines for the United States MilitaryThis message has been edited. Last edited by: mrapteam666,
March 08, 2022, 07:21 PM
Sig209
quote:
Originally posted by Black92LX:
quote:
Originally posted by Sig209: anyone who hasn't been stocking up on AR mags over the last 10 years is a moron.
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Or they are a new shooter, just turned 18, never had anyone teach them about guns, just became a citizen, just moved to a free state. Quite a few reasons actually.
those are all lame excuses and you know it.
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Proverbs 27:17 - As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
March 08, 2022, 07:26 PM
Excam_Man
quote:
Originally posted by Black92LX:
Or they are a new shooter, just turned 18, never had anyone teach them about guns, just became a citizen, just moved to a free state. Quite a few reasons actually.
Lack of funds, probably being the biggest reason.
March 08, 2022, 07:32 PM
oddball
quote:
Originally posted by lyman: also interesting about OK, I did not know they did medical stuff, I always thought they just did mags etc
Yeah, this kind of surprised me. Had no idea.
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
March 08, 2022, 08:10 PM
RogueJSK
quote:
Originally posted by mrapteam666: I also did not know they had a medical side or that their history goes back to WWII where they helped manufacture millions of M1 Carbine magazines for the United States Military
Kinda. Okay Industries itself doesn't date back that far. Eddie Okay bought out an existing tool and die company - B. Jahn Manufacturing - in 1969, and renamed it Okay Industries.
B. Jahn Mfg. had been producing USGI M1 Carbine and M3 Grease Gun magazines, though their contracts were primarily during the Korea/Vietnam era rather than WW2.
March 12, 2022, 02:10 PM
bubbatime
I believe they will sell the tooling to someone else. Those machines have been pumping out magazines for decades.
______________________________________________________ Often times a very small man can cast a very large shadow
March 12, 2022, 07:54 PM
Rey HRH
But why?
Did the lawyers get to them about liability?
They already have the machines. I can't imagine they've been losing money on the operation.
"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
March 13, 2022, 09:51 AM
jljones
quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH: But why?
If I had to guess based upon most of the other companies out there, it was a business decision.
Most companies are now having to prioritize their most lucrative products, and trim the fat on the others. Many businesses do not have the man power to be very diverse. Nobody wants to work all of a sudden, costs have tripled, raw materials are impossible to find, and parts for your machines are impossible to find.
It’s a business reality of life living with Brandon.
"It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it works out for them"
March 13, 2022, 10:23 AM
Dwill104
quote:
Originally posted by jljones:
quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH: But why?
If I had to guess based upon most of the other companies out there, it was a business decision.
Most companies are now having to prioritize their most lucrative products, and trim the fat on the others. Many businesses do not have the man power to be very diverse. Nobody wants to work all of a sudden, costs have tripled, raw materials are impossible to find, and parts for your machines are impossible to find.
Plus, maybe there isn’t as much demand for metal mags these days. Most newer shooters gravitate to the Pmags (which almost every new 5.56 gun seems to come with, so when they buy extra mags, they tend to buy the same thing) and shooters who have been around a while and want metal mags are probably already stacked high and deep with them.
March 13, 2022, 11:20 AM
Austin228
I'm sure its a calculated decision but unfortunate due to their quality.
If they are also in the medical device business, maybe their other products have much higher profit margins than simple magazines.
The top 3 causes of death (USA) are medical issues, Heart diseases, cancers, and COVID19...
Medical devices/services are a growing industry and will be with the USA's demographics and current situation.
March 13, 2022, 04:10 PM
Rey HRH
quote:
Originally posted by Dwill104:
quote:
Originally posted by jljones:
quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH: But why?
If I had to guess based upon most of the other companies out there, it was a business decision.
Most companies are now having to prioritize their most lucrative products, and trim the fat on the others. Many businesses do not have the man power to be very diverse. Nobody wants to work all of a sudden, costs have tripled, raw materials are impossible to find, and parts for your machines are impossible to find.
Plus, maybe there isn’t as much demand for metal mags these days. Most newer shooters gravitate to the Pmags (which almost every new 5.56 gun seems to come with, so when they buy extra mags, they tend to buy the same thing) and shooters who have been around a while and want metal mags are probably already stacked high and deep with them.
That makes a lot of sense. I'm sure P Mags has a sizable market share plus all the other plastic magazine manufacturers.
"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
March 14, 2022, 12:28 PM
darkest2000
I imagine if if they decide to get of the magazine business someone else will be happy to take over the old tooling.
March 14, 2022, 12:33 PM
Il Cattivo
Yeah, but hopefully it's not another ASC. They bought their tooling from the old C Products company before it went bust and was reborn as C Products Defense (now something else). ASC never could quite get their mags to function right consistently, at least in my experience, so I assume there's more to making mags right than just buying the tooling.