Hallo!
IMHO....
They don't have to. We teach them how to treat us.
Over four decades we continue to buy tens, no, hundreds of thousands of what the Italian companies make and send us to buy. By and large, the "complainers" and those "who know the differences" and "to whom it matters" are a very small minority.
And the one time, "they" (Pedersoli) partialy listened, what did they do? They made minor changes but focused the larger portion of the retooling (always a significant factor in production and in this case why ding profits by changing the Cash Cow too much?) for European competitive shooter and the competitive shooters of the N-SSA- both a minority compared to American reenactors.
IMHO still,it would take a major retooling to set up for a cloning of an original "Springfield" or "Enfield," and with our History when it comes to reproduction arms (see above) I see the Italians as reluctannt to so utterly reinvent their wheel when the profits keep flowing in hand over fist for almost half a century now.
Part of me wonders why the Italians do not replace worn out machinery with tooling and production that is based on originals and not based on reproductions (teh generational copying of reproductions of reproductions rather than reproductions of originals)? But then I think it is because replacing pieces parts of an assemby line with pieces and parts is far far cheaper than replacing whole machines and processes.
And some things make no sense... why would Pedersoli replace the stock wood on British Enfields with incorrect American Black Walnut? What was "lost in the translation?" One pays the "premium" for the new Pedersoli line only to have to de-farb the gun and de-farb it with a major hassle and expense of a new stock??
And this may sound odd coming from me, a firearm heretic and minority speaker...
The minority of our Hobby that fusses a "little more" to make what is offerred "better," are actually being served by the artistry, magic, and skills of lads like Herr Todd who have wonderfully stepped up to the plate to provide impressive "de-farb" services to the hobby minority that wants/needs them.
I think that that is somewhat of a Catch 22. Meaning, while it serves the more "authentic" minded minority in our Hobby, in some ways to takes away "pressure" (real or imagined) from the Italians to more closely "copy" or even come closer to reproducing or "cloning an original." But as long as the Cash Cow is alive and well, the "after market" for de-farbing serves those that want it, and the out-of-the-box offerings will continue to see lads lining up to buy them "as is" for as long as there is Hobby and a Market to sell them to.
I realize that sounds or reads more negatively or critically than I intend. Or that I am knocking Herr Todd, other defarb services, or my own de-farb work going back to the late 1980's... which I am not in any way. Or, that I am not happy for the changes we are about to see or see rolling out from Pedersoli.
But the Italian Cash Cow and its history are two realities we seem unable to escape and am fated to ignore or try to make silk purses out of sow's ears. And we even have developed a Reenacting Culture where we "make allowances" and exceptions for firearms that many segments of the CW Community no long make for clothing, gear, impressions, and even activities at events.
One uon a time, there was a PBS series whose one episode centered around "The Coming Asunder of Jimmy Bright." A "filler" was talking about changing the "machine." But the problem was that people were caught up in the machine.
IMHO, the problem of firearms is just that. We are all caught up in the machine, and cannot turn it off to change or fix it.
We have met the enemy, and he is us.
Others' mileage will vary...
Curt
Civil War Complainer Mess
In gleichem Schritt und Tritt, Curt Schmidt
Not a real Civil War reenactor, I only portray one on boards and fora.
I do not portray a Civil War soldier, I merely interpret one.
Bookmarks