Episode Details

On this episode of GOA's State of the Second, host John sits down with Adam and Jared from SDS Imports to take apart the long-running stigma around Turkish-made firearms. Jared, the company's digital marketing manager, and Adam, the product manager who was calling in from a hot hotel room in Istanbul, walk through how a company that once carried a so-so reputation for imports turned things around by finding the right manufacturers and building guns to American specs rather than just buying whatever was on the shelf. The reality, as they put it, is that the right factories in Turkey are running brand new CNC machinery, clean facilities, and quality assembly teams following prints, and some of those shops rival what's here in the US.

The conversation runs through the brands under the SDS umbrella and the thinking behind each one. They cover bringing back nostalgic names like Mac and Inglis, the double-stack 1911 push with Tisas and Mac at price points like $799 and around $1,050, and why phasing out MIM parts starting in late 2022 mattered to the US shooter even though it added a couple bucks to the gun. They get into the Turkinelli shotguns, where SDS went back to the drawing board after an early misstep, vetted the guns at Gunsite and through Rangemaster and Apache Solutions courses, and pointed to Agency Arms using their guns for the 1014 and M2 Tradesman lines. Jared makes the case for the PX9 as the most slept-on polymer striker-fired gun on the market, built around the widely available P226 and 228 magazines instead of a proprietary mag.

The back half turns to the future of the sport and the business. Spandau over-unders, with parts hand-fitted and wood hand-checkered, are aimed at youth shooting sports and competitive shooters, and Jared connects that to a state high school championship with 2,000 youth shooters and the SCTP Nationals as the future of firearms ownership. The hosts tie shotgun sports to an on-ramp to the Second Amendment, echoing a point from Pete Brownell. They also talk 5.7 and its resurgence, the constant churn of new SKUs and the marketing headaches that come with continual improvement, the retro trend driving demand for guns like the US Army 1911 and the soon-to-be-released Mac 5, and where to find SDS at sdsimports.com and across social media.

Links

• sdsimports.com

Questions this episode answers

Why do Turkish-made guns carry a reputation for being cheap, and is it still accurate?

The stigma traces to older imports that earned a so-so reputation, but SDS Imports argues it is outdated. The right Turkish factories run brand new CNC machinery in clean facilities with quality assembly teams building to American specs, and some rival US shops.

How does SDS Imports control quality when it isn't the direct manufacturer of its guns?

SDS picks the right factories and builds guns to American specs rather than buying whatever is on the shelf, the same way a US company selects its vendors and manufacturing partners. Adam inspects the guns in person at the factories in Turkey.

Why did SDS bring back old names like Mac and Inglis instead of using the original brand names?

SDS revives nostalgic American names like Mac and Inglis because there is real demand for those familiar marks, which fits the retro trend driving interest in classic-style guns.

How can SDS sell double-stack 1911s at price points like $799 and around $1,050?

SDS runs its double-stack 1911 push through the Tisas and Mac brands, offering models at roughly $799 and around $1,050 while still building to American specs.

When and why did SDS phase out MIM parts in its guns?

SDS began phasing out MIM (metal injection molded) parts in late 2022 because the US shooter demanded it, even though it added a couple of dollars to each gun. Jared not