What ever happend to Interarms?

Good question

Going by memory here...but cummings died in late 90s.....that was part of it. They lost the walther manufacture and distribution in the usa. They were on the radar of govts from their status as merchant of death worldwide small arms dealings with iran in the 80s, and central american countries, africa, etc. One of the daughters murdered a husband or boyfriend...and I think both or one of the daughters weren't interested in the business and all the issues and change in political environment and death of the founder were too much, so it went away. I'm speculating as I don't think an official reason was ever given?

Mind ya I'm going by memories from the late 90s when they ceased to exist.....I might have messed up some of the details? I'm too lazy to google and verify what I am remembering, but you can google and find the info on the shut down. It should be out there.

I have no idea, but I can hope that one day I bump into one of them and they have a Walther P5 they just found in a closet somewhere and I can buy it.

You may find this article interesting though: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/polo/polo1286.htm

Right on, and understood. Was just saying what I remembered from the events. Didn't know google wouldn't work, told ya I was too lazy to go looking.

I seriously don't think an official reason was ever given....ill be watching your thread to see if anyone knows the inside scoop from a decade plus ago or so.

I don't know anything about the handguns, but they were still making the MK-X rifles and branding them as Remington 798's up until very recently, 2008.

http://www.remington.com/en/products/archived/centerfire/bolt-action/model-798.aspx

I understand they are still in production, but no one is currently importing the rifles.

^^ "They" being ZB, and not Interarms.

As the above posters recite, Interarms was closed after Cummings died. His family never bred anyone to take it over, and like most "cults of personalities" the company really died with the founder.

Cummings biography, "Deadly Business" is excellent. He really lived life, and his travels in Europe immediately after WW-II must have been a wonderful adventure. It's a must-read for anyone interested in the post-WW2 weapons resale industry.


Willie

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Ahhhh good old Interarms.
Remember Navy Arms? or Gibbs Rifle Company?
German Imports LLC?

I think the CIA possibly worked with them to shuffle arms to South America, etc, without being directly "involved" with the supplying of arms. They seemed to be "hands off" from BATF for many years, when other lesser importers, dealers, etc, got attention. I think the "relationship" met its end, also, when the owner died.

I had one of their imported Walther PPK/s pistols in the early nineties. Was an excellently well-fit piece. Sold it during some tough times after only about a year of ownership.

Earlier this year, I picked up another of their imports, an AP-22 pistol by FEG (Hungary.) It's essentially a rimfire version of FEG's venerable PA-63 pistol. Though the deep-blued finish and excellent fit and handling are testament to FEG and not to Interarms, it does show me that Interarms didn't much like bringing in junk.

See this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Cummings

rc

It was nice in the late '80s & early '90s to be able to walk into the Interarms office in Alexandria and get service for a Star or buy a bag of buffers for the PD. Nice people. One day it was just closed.

I always suspected there was more to the story with Sam Cummings, Interarms, and other things in the government and world then meets the eye.

Little did we know at the time, but.
Sam was the original Lord of War in the surplus arms trade of the time.

I think the commercial sales in the USA was mostly a hobby or cover-up for the real dealing going on.

rc

Interarms went out of business basically because Sam Cummins had no heirs that were willing to get in the business. He had two daughter. Daddy made them so rich and happy they had no desire to work. It had always been solely owned by Mr. Cummins. My father knew Sam Cummins and I spent much time as a youth at their facility in Alexandria VA. This was in the 1960's and before the restrictive gun laws and it was like heaven for me. The employees knew that my father and Mr. Cummins were acquaintances so I was allowed a great deal of freedom around the warehouse. At this time Interarms was third to only the USA and the USSR in the arms trade. There were quite a few conflicts that Mr. Cummins supplied the small arms to both sides. He also had a facility in Manchester England and for a time a manufacturing plant in Midland VA later moved to Alabama. Mr. Cummins was a citizen and resident (much of the time) of Monaco although born in DC or Philidelphia (I can't remember which). The whole and true story of Interarmco later Interarms is a tale that only Sam Cummins knew. There were always allegations that he worked closely with the USA intelligence community and I have no doubt because my father also did and that was how they met.

That Sounds about right from what I ever knew about it.

Which was not much at all, except unfounded rumors when I was in the service in the late 70's, and sometime ran with folks who for sure did things I never did.

rc

It doesn't get much better than supplying arms to BOTH sides of a conflict!