what ever happened to this big bore ? there is no mention of this rifle and caliber on their site as once promoted.
i know some folks who bought one of their rifles or uppers and they have functional problems and no one at the company seems to want to make it right, what ever happened to their lifetime warranty ??
are they ever going to produce this rifle and caliber or is it DEAD ? and those who own one are just plain S.O.L. ??
ammo, where does one find the ammo ? are there dies for reloading ?
You may want to go to LWRC and ask this question. When I was in their shop last week there were 3-4 .499 uppers being serviced so LWRC seems to still be supporting them. No clue about the reloading stuff. Again, your best source of info would be on the LWRC forum.
The 499 was only really being kept alive by the outright lies of Paul Leitner-Wise on the internet. Best I can tell, it was “dead” a long time ago.
USCG flatly rejected it as a viable option, and they were having some real operational issues with the platform.
Though this was all obfuscated by PLW’s lies and fabricated internet “personalities”.
ETA: However, having seen the weapon, I think it’s shameful that PLW didn’t attempt a more conventional marketing campaign to sustain what could have been an interesting AR caliber.
Shi,
i believe you are very wrong in your assesment of Paul L-W
" the outright lies…"
care to to be more specific ?
"could have been an interesting AR caliber. "
still is !! i believe the one i have is a “Tank Killer” and i love it !!
i am one of those suckers who bought one with the thousand rounds of ammo deal…, i say “sucker” because the company will NOT support the gun they sold !
We will not go down this path. PLW’s antics have been well documented on several other sites so they don’t need to be resurrected here.
The USCG contract foundered on two warranty issues; corroding ammunition and unreliable magazines. The Alaskan owners of the company at the time did not financially support the replacement program.
Last I heard on ammunition, it was coming from Silver State Armory although demands for their 6.8 production may have stopped that. LWRC seem to have their hands full building 5.56 and 6.8 piston guns and trying to develop their 308 rifle so I wouldn’t anticipate them doing much with the 499.
hands full building 5.56 and 6.8 piston guns
building 20 or 30 guns a month don’t sound to me like “hands full”, if they are producing THAT many.
Probably true.
I agree that they should be supporting the 499 though.
When I was there last week there were hundreds of guns being assembled and shipped out.
There were also a few .499 uppers around and the impression I got was that they were still supporting them.
SW,
There were also a few .499 uppers around
were they the new “improved” models or were they the old USCG rejects ?
i heard rumors of an “improved” .499LWR did you ask about it ?
when you were there, did you see any real manufactureing (lathes, mills or CNC machines operating) or merely an assembly line ??
how many employees did you see ? know any of their names ? was your visit just that or did you get a tour of the mfg. area ?
They are shipping 3-400 complete rifles a month and probably twice that many uppers and/or conversions.
Stephen
Stephen, I heard from an employee of one of their suppliers that production was at around 250 units a quarter - not that it matters or is of any consequence, but that’s a big difference between the 1,200 units you’ve indicated. That sort of volume would probably explain why they are not supporting the 499.
I just know what I saw. They have three cells set up that could produce a total of 4 to 5000 guns and uppers a month. They only have one of them running right now and like I said it is kicking out complete guns at a rate of about 300 a month and uppers at about twice that rate.
It is possible that they are getting their components from more than one supplier. We do. Also, my info is current as of a couple of weeks ago. They may have only made 5 guns in May as far I know.
Stephen
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Steve,
PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION:
when you were there, did you see any real manufactureing (lathes, mills or CNC machines operating) or merely an assembly line ??
Is there something I need to know about here? Do you have an agenda against LWRC? Have you tried, oh I don’t know, calling them and asking about the status of their .499?
To answer your question; Little bit of both. They definitely have the equipment necessary to produce in house to some degree, but a lot of the parts are out-sourced to subcontractors. It’s not like getting the KAC tour where there are dozens and dozens of CNC machines.
Stephen
That concurs with what I was told; they have the machines and equipment, but not the operators.
At ~00:30 into this video you can get a glimpse of the small manufacturing area with several CNC machines, lathes, etc. It was shot last winter for SHOT Show 07 and they have expanded it a little.
Stephen, I don’t think the guy has any “agenda” after all, he’s a customer of theirs and is happy with his purchase. Seems to me, he’s just trying to get a feel from site members whether anyone knows anything about the 499?
Manufacturers are sometimes less than forthcoming when the questions are difficult to answer.
Just my .02!
You’re right. I apologize for my accusatory tone.
I still think the best bet is to contact LWRC and ask them about it. ‘M4 Colt’, please let us know if you find out anything new on the .499 status.
Stephen
Moose, thank you sir for that observation, you are correct.
Steve, please check your PM