One hundred and sixteen Vietnam vets received a 1/3-size, highly detailed replica of the M16A1—the gun used most widely during the war in Southeast Asia—complements of GoatGuns. Recipients were nominated on the company’s website and there was no charge for those who received the collectibles. In celebration of Veterans Day, the company made them available for purchase by the general public today.
This month I interviewed company owner Brad Lunt about the heavy metal replicas, with working charging handles, tiny inert cartridges, trigger capable of being pulled and removable handguard. GoatGuns has been in business for three years and is based in Utah.
GJS—Is there anything else like GoatGuns out there?
BL—There are miniature pin fire guns that shoot 2 mm objects. These are much more costly ($200+ per unit) and regulated due to firing capabilities. There are also 1/8-scale model guns and keychains whereas ours are 1/3 scale; much higher quality.
GJS—What sets you apart from the competitors?
BL—Our models are made from authentic die cast metal. The first reaction we get from most people that handle them is a surprise in the weight. They weigh 8 to 16 ounces per model. Our gun models are 1:3 scale (aside from the 1911 which is 1:2.5), which makes the size big enough to handle and play around with.
GJS—The detail is incredible, how much research goes into making each one?
BL—Time from idea conception to working product is 12 to 18 months. Lots of work goes into mold creation, testing and refining. We are currently working on a M1 Garand which is proving to be very meticulous and hard! We are also testing loading a round in the chamber and then have it eject the dummy round (all GoatGun models have a closed barrel and are non-firing)
GJS—Is the metal cast, 3D printed? How is it created?
BL—Die cast metal via dozens of molds.
GJS—Coming up with patterns on anything is expensive, can you give me an idea how much it cost in time or labor to create each?
BL—Lots of labor. The patterns are done through a Hydrofilm process, which is handled one unit at a time. We have done Electroplating before (Red AK47 for any fans out there who have it “RedTeam”), but this didn’t prove to be a quality product for the long run as the Red dipped parts began flaking.
GJS—Is the final product hand inspected?
BL—Yes, we have quality protocols in place and working to improve quality continually. For any users that get a defective product or if a piece breaks, we replace the part free of cost no questions asked.
GJS—Why are you doing the special promotion for Veteran’s Day?
BL—Although we don’t currently have Veteran Employees; as a company owner I have a deep love and respect for Veterans. I appreciate the Freedoms we have in America and it is a brand goal to continually support and give back to those in service and those who have already served our great country.
The M16A1 was the predominant rifle used in the Military during the Vietnam war. We had a previous M16 model unit sold during 2019 but then stopped selling it to recreate it to be an exact version of the M16A1. We are proud of the new model (it is 12.5” in length and a pretty hefty little sucker at 13 ounces).
We sent out 116 units to nominated Vietnam Veterans for free on Oct. 15. The model itself will be available for public on Veterans Day, 11/11/20.
GJS—Do you have any other charitable efforts throughout the year or organizations you support that I should mention?
BL—Me and my small staff here in Spanish Fork volunteered at the local food bank during summer months to help give back to the community. In times past we have given to Operation Gratitude and later this year we will make more contributions to other nonprofits.
GJS—Is there anything else you’d like to add that I didn’t ask?
BL—It is our company goal to make the ‘Greatest of All Time’ Gun Models. This will mean in long term, historical packs such as ‘Axis’ and ‘Allies’ along with modern day firearms. We love to have a little fun in our marketing which has led to creators using our products achieving virality. Many posts with GoatGuns on TikTok recently have received 7+ Million views! We love seeing how much fun users are having with them with their pets (see @tactipet on Instagram), their kids, action figures etc. We are a new company but love the direction the company is headed to and people can expect to see bigger name brand gun companies getting their lineup ‘miniaturized’ by Sgt. Gunner.