I can understand your confusion to the two different responses you are getting from Fredrick vs Martin-the contrast you describe is significant. I have run into similar differences in interpersonal practices within the office in several companies I have worked for-and I do prefer open lines of communication as opposed to people who hold info close to the vest-but that is just my personal style. I agree that open communication and teamwork can have a synergy for business success within the right setting. However, in an open market, companies also need to protect their design secrets and areas of knowledge that set them apart from competitors in order to stay viable.
Having said that, I also understand and respect people who don’t want to share info freely like I tend to do.
In this case though, we are talking about design features that likely lead to a competitive advantage, and may be part of the reason for RAW’s tremendous success. If those became public knowledge it could be damaging to RAW’s business (Martin still has a tremendous interest in seeing it be successful as I’m sure he’s partial owner still, or something along those lines). I work for a very popular motorcycle manufacturer and we are constantly reminded that information-especially about design or coming product-is to be handled with the utmost confidentiality-and I completely understand that, especially given how competitive the market has become.
The airgun industry is likewise going through a tremendous time of innovation and development-so I completely understand why Martin would want to keep design secrets (proprietary information) from becoming public knowledge. Additionally, I would suspect that he has signed some form of non-disclosure contract with Air Force to protect the proprietary information he surely has so that AF can take over the business and not suffer being undermined by sharing information with other manufacturers.
Lastly, and more pointedly, I personally do not have any further insight into the RAW product design than anyone else-and I actually don’t have any intent or plans to delve into the details either. Airguns are simply one area that I am happy to enjoy just being a participant and helping the community grow together-I actually don’t want to become an expert or hold too much design knowledge (lest this become less 'fun' and more 'work'-I've had that happen when I took photography and made it into a wedding photography business-it totally killed the 'fun' for me, and ruined an excellent hobby). For me, my efforts are going to remain focused on simply learning how to shoot better and understand what is happening with the shot procees, the flight path, the ballistics, etc. I will measure and share ballistics information, or non-proprietary information (stuff that anyone could measure and write about) with the community to help it grow as a community of 'users'. If I am entrusted with confidential design information (and design information goes way beyone gathering measurements on parts), then I will honor that trust that's been shared with me and keep the information private (no offense intended towards you or anyone else on this forum).
So anyway: I apologize if my tone didn't come across correctly-that wasn’t my intent at all. I don’t have any further information or knowledge of the product design to share and honestly, if I did (as stated above), I would keep it quiet anyway to help protect the manufacturer that I have come to appreciate and enjoy-as I want to see them remain viable in the marketplace (selfishly) so I can continue to buy their products down the road. They have filled a niche for me that nobody else has-namely customization of their products to the specs I desire.
I hope this message comes across in the right tone, and we can maintain a positive and constructive tone in this thread-its been a great source of community, knowledge and friendship for many people here.
Sincerely,
Sean
