The Truth about Turkish Made Guns (ft. SDS Imports) | EP 51

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. Linkssdsimports.comQuestions 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 notes MIM done right can be decent, but customer preference drove the change. What makes the PX9 different from other polymer striker-fired pistols, and why does the magazine choice matter? Jared calls the PX9 the most slept-on polymer striker-fired gun on the market, largely because it is built around the widely available P226 and 228 magazines instead of a proprietary mag, which makes feeding it easier. Why is SDS focused on youth shooting sports with the Spandau over-under shotguns? The Spandau over-unders are hand-fitted with hand-checkered wood and aimed at youth and competitive shooters. Jared ties them to events like a 2,000-shooter state high school championship and the SCTP Nationals, which he sees as the future of firearms ownership. What new products are coming from SDS, including the Mac 5 and 5.7 models? SDS pointed to the soon-to-be-released Mac 5 and discussed the resurgence of the 5.7 cartridge, alongside a constant churn of new SKUs driven by continual improvement and the retro trend. Chapters 00:00 — Intro and meeting Adam and Jared from SDS 00:30 — SDS backstory and the Turkish manufacturing stigma 02:43 — Why bring back Mac, Inglis, and old names 05:24 — Double-stack 1911s and competitive price points 08:01 — Getting rid of MIM parts and the warranty 10:33 — Inside the factories: machinery and quality control 14:37 — The Turkinelli shotguns and vetting them in training 20:00 — Spandau over-unders and hand-fit craftsmanship 24:45 — Youth shooting sports as the future of ownership 27:27 — The PX9 as the most slept-on polymer pistol 32:08 — New SKUs, caliber requests, and marketing headaches 36:56 — Why 5.7 and importing it under restrictions 40:21 — The retro trend and the coming Mac 5 46:12 — Where to find SDS Imports and wrap-up About the guest Adam and Jared both work for SDS Imports. Jared is the company's digital marketing manager, handling its website and social media, and is the person they put in front of the camera at booth shows; he describes himself as an outdoorsman, a hunter, and a global war on terror veteran. Adam started with SDS at the end of 2020 when there were four employees besides the owners, and worked his way from warehouse lead to general manager to operations manager to product manager; he has been in firearm manufacturing since 2015 and recorded this episode from Istanbul, Turkey, where he was inspecting guns at the factories. Key quotes "my little catchphrase is why reinvent the wheel instead of just keep it rolling" — Adam "there's some people that argue that MIM is, is pretty decent stuff and I think if it's done right, you can get some quality parts out of it. But the US Shooter demanded that we do away with mim." — Jared "So it's, it's just like here, you got to pick the right vendors and the right manufacturing partners." — Jared "We're gun guys working in the business for other gun guys." — Adam "I still think it's the most slept on gun in the polymer striker fire segment right now." — Jared "2,000 youth shooters at one place for one weekend is, it's, it's the future of shooting." — Jared