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AR15.COM
5/7/2009 4:04:19 PM EDT
Why won't Bushmaster or DPMS or some other heavy hitter do a belt fed upper for the AR? Geoff Herring obviously can't make it happen, and there is a definate market, so why haven't they made one yet? If they had an upper as reliable as an M249, they would have not only a tremendous market here, but also with foreign militaries due to cost and size.

How about it Bushmaster?
5/7/2009 4:05:51 PM EDT
[#1]
Did anyone ever get their Shrike?

My guess is because a belt fed upper wouldn't sell very well in a predominantly semi-auto market and the full auto market is too small to justify devoting the resources necessary to producing the product away from producing products that people will buy.
5/7/2009 4:10:37 PM EDT
[#2]
Quoted:
Did anyone ever get their Shrike?


I think some people did, but its still regarded a vapor ware by many.


OP, another small company called lakeside machine and tool, I think, makes a .22lr belt fed upper that works with MGs and regular semi ARs, but it is expensive. I think its like 2 grand. I think you make be underestimating how difficult such an engineering challenge is. Also I think you're overestimating the market for them. Given how limited production would be and the complexity involved, I think the price point would have to be too high to attract a large number of buyers. That's just a guess though, I may be way off base.
5/7/2009 5:26:45 PM EDT
[#3]
In part, because ARES' patent on the Shrike locks down the market unless you modify the lower.  Lakeside's uses different internals and so gets around the patent.