No, they’re not! Some interior components have been found to be held in place with electrical tape. “People will tell buyers that they’re designed to withstand recoil. If that customer is halfway savvy, they sellers will come up with something like, ‘Well, it’s made by the same company that makes the optics for the Chinese military,’ which is a total falsehood,” Enloe said. They’re the ones reading the customer in front of them. They’re mainly building them for airsoft toys, and less scrupulous people are importing them into the country, and then trying to pass them off as the real thing to defraud people.” Enloe sees rampant problems at gun shows.
“The companies manufacturing these things are in direct infringement.
#Aimpoint serial number check series#
These include the COMPM4 optic, the 3X magnifier, and the entire line of micro series optics, mainly because of the popularity with the Special Operations community. Many fakes are products for which Aimpoint has substantial military contracts. The airsoft community likes to call them “military simulators,” Enloe said. He said most Aimpoint knockoffs are airsoft toys. It’s startling because there have been times when professionals, people who’ve been overseas in combat, send sights to repair after they’ve used them for a couple weeks, reporting the sight “crapped out.”Īimpoint military equipment models are the most frequent knockoffs. “They’re sold all over the internet and at gun shows. An 11-year veteran of the company, many fakes come across his desk, some sent in for warranty work. John Enloe is Aimpoint’s manager of marketing and technical support. Some crooks, though, put fakes on eBay at MSRP or minimum advertised price so it looks like a deal. Magpul’s customer service technicians will assist consumers in determining if something is fake.
If counterfeits somehow made it into their supply chain, they’ll usually make it right for you. > Buy through reputable retailers and distribution channels such as Brownells, Midway, DSG Arms, Cabela’s, etc. Look at fit and trim, excessive flash from molding, textures that don’t look or feel right - some cheap polypropylenes feel waxy rusting pins or springs usually indicate fakes. “It’s a lovely world, isn’t it?” he said with exasperation. The other side is damage to the brand reputation, because someone may think they’ve bought a genuine Magpul product, and then, when it doesn’t perform adequately, it tarnishes the brand’s reputation.” If someone buys a counterfeit product, believing it to be real, then they’re not buying our product. We have a very aggressive litigation posture when it comes to counterfeits. “We work closely with customs, and we have a specific legal entity we deal with to combat these issues. He says counterfeiting of Magpul’s products is pervasive. We talked with representatives from three major manufacturers about how counterfeits are affecting them and what they recommend for consumers wanting assurances they’re getting authentic goods.ĭuane Liptak, Jr., is Magpul’s director of product management and marketing. While United States Customs officials and other protection agencies catch millions of fakes destined for American markets, enough slip through to create genuine concern.