Post Dec 29, 2017 by HMGTravis

As we write this we are coming close to ending another fantastic year here at Hill and Mac Gunworks.  This year in some respects has been the most important year for the company and we couldn’t be more excited.  This newsletter is to serve as a recap of the previous year for the HMG® StG as well as our other projects and provide an insight into the future and what to expect.

First and foremost, we cannot thank each one of you enough for your continued support, whether you were here with us from the beginning or just came aboard, thank you.  Without your support and interest HMG® would not be the company it is today.  We are so excited to begin deliveries of the HMG® StG and for what the future holds.  We can’t wait to share that excitement with you!

HMG® STEEL REACTIVE TARGET SYSTEMS

Some of you may or may not know that here at HMG® we got our start with steel reactive target systems.  2017 proved to be the most successful year we have had with the targets systems!  While most of our customers come from a military or law enforcement background we do have a large number of civilian customers as well.

The biggest impact we had this year on targets was the introduction of two new target systems which have proven to be two of the most popular thus far!

The Hostage Flapper Target System comes in both pistol and rifle variants.  This target offers 4 impact zones, with 3 being reactive.  The Head and Hip flapper paddles simulate a hostage scenario, requiring the shooter to use accurate fire to engage these targets and make them flip to the opposing side.  The large A-Zone flapper plate allows for consistent center mass shooting drills.  These multiple zones of engagement add complexity and make for a dynamic training environment.

Link to Hostage Flapper

The Plate Rack System allows for the traditional plate rack idea to be applied onto existing HMG® target systems.  Each system comes with 6 spring loaded 8″ targets in both rifle and pistol thickness options.  This truly is the most affordable plate rack on the market, especially one rated for rifle rounds!  Use it up close for quick fast pistol work, or even at distance for long range precision shots.  The possibilities are truly endless with this durable and dynamic training platform.

Link to Plate Rack System

HMG® CETME L/LC

2017 was a big year for the CETME project as it had HMG® manufacturing and shipping over 100 CETME-L rifles to our customers.  By doing so we proved to our fans that we were indeed capable of manufacturing a phenomenal firearm and the response could not have been greater!  While there were unfortunate delays in the process, mainly due to needing to redesign our own CETME receiver flats from the ground up, the end result was something that we at HMG® are very proud of.  Once the guns shipped the demand for CETME supplies sky rocketed, who would have known?!

Noticing this demand we decided to try and make a home builders kit for the CETME-L/LC platform and was able to do so with great success.  While unfortunately we continue to try and source additional parts kits to fill build orders the individual CETME components continue to be one of our more popular product lines.  As of writing this HMG® is attempting to work with both local and international parties to source more kits to fulfill builders kit orders.  For those of you with orders still on hand we are working diligently to come to a good solution on this.

HMG® STG

Ahhhh yes, what everyone has come to associate with us and what the majority of you have come to read.  The big question everyone is asking “When will my gun ship?”.  The answer…so soon we can smell the ink on the shipping label.  Unfortunately right now we are still waiting on magazines to be manufactured and delivered to us to begin shipping rifles.  The molds are done and everything is fine and dandy, it’s just a matter of fine tuning everything to get a desirable product.  They are very close and we have seen part samples that look fantastic.  Literally any day we could get a call to come pick up the first mag, and gosh almighty you bet your bottom dollar you’ll be hearing us celebrate.  We will get guns shipped and do it as quickly as we can.  Once the first rifles begin shipping we will absolutely be publishing a release schedule that will help everyone stay on track as far as when your rifle will be shipping.  We have not been able to up until this point and that is something we would like to change ASAP.

2017 was a big year for the HMG® StG as well.  We had a few key design changes that have made the HMG® StG not only easier and faster to manufacture, but also substantially more reliable across the board.  Some of the biggest changes came on the bolt and the barrel.  When we first began building the HMG® StG for testing we discovered the need for a very large gas port on all calibers in order for proper function.  What we discovered was not only a gas leak in the gas block, but also some tweaks that needed to happen on the bolt in order to reduce friction and give more freedom of movement in the trunnion during the locking and unlocking periods of action.  After fixing these items we found we can operate with a much smaller gas port, thus reducing the amount of stress on the firearm as well as we now have a rifle that cycles so smooth that if you are doing by hand will question if you actually made anything happen.  Interestingly enough with every change that we would make we could find the same change, sometimes so subtle that you can only see by precision instrument measurement on some original HMG® StG components.  This very much felt like the same development process that the Germans went through back in WW2, just you know…  with substantially less budget and manpower.  Regardless it has been an interesting ride and one we know will be worth it in the end.  Oh ya, and Staingate.  Can’t forget about Staingate 2017…  Thankfully that is behind us and we’ve got somewhat collective approval on what color for the wood furniture going forward.

All this is to say: We know we have been saying they are coming soon, and that has always been the truth.  We have always been on the cusp of shipping firearms to find something that has gone awry or a vendor dropped the ball.  In the end it does not do any good to shift the blame around and we have never once even thought of sacrificing the quality of rifle that we have made in order to get a gun out the door.  Right now we have the first 20 guns sitting and waiting for a mag to be married to them and to get out the door.  We anticipate this being in early January with the remainder of 2015 and the majority of 2016 orders being manufactured during Q1 of 2018.  We have everything in place to make 2018 very successful for making guns and fully expect to blow everyone’s expectations away with delivery.  For those of you with orders in we will reach out in advance of your rifle shipping to coordinate final details on your order and to confirm the destination.  Expect to be hearing from us very soon.

 

The end of the wait is in sight, there is no question about that.  For us though it is just the beginning of the next step for the platform and we cannot wait to hear everyone’s feedback on what we have worked so long and hard on.  Your patience will not go unrewarded also….  We are working to figure out some sort of thank you gift for everyone’s patience and support along the way.  This could come in the form of a coupon or special swag item, but we are not quite sure what it will be quite yet.  We know it has been a long haul for everyone and we do not take that lightly at all.

 

So thank you, thank you again for the continued support.  We hope you all had a great year and are looking to have an even better 2018.  Stay safe and stay tuned for more great and exciting news from HMG®!

 

-The HMG® Team