China OEM’s are all over the ‘firearms’ product spectrum. For example: Shenzhen Aimbond is an OEM in Shenzhen, China, they make sights/scopes and magnifiers for Bushnell, Primary Arms, and Vortex (although some Vortex sights are made by Shanghai Changhong Optoelectric).

There is not a one of you out there with a firearm optic (yes, including scopes) made in the last 30 years that does not have some ‘made in china’ in it.

Another example: Swampfox optics.

Up until about 2022 Swampfox optics use to advertise their products were made in the U.S.A. by claiming ‘Swampfox Optics’ are manufactured in the United States of America. Well. that was ‘legally’ true because the use of the term ‘Swampfox Optics’. They kinda stopped doing that mostly in marketing, but you still see it sometimes.

‘Swampfox Optics’ is a U.S. company, but the ‘Swampfox Optics’ ‘sights’ are made by a China OEM called ‘Shanghai Changhong Optoelectric’ who also actually makes the firearms optics for other well known companies, for example, some Vortex optics. But the ‘Swampfox’ brand name is actually the American distribution ‘direct-to-consumer concept’ brand name for ‘Shanghai Changhong Optoelectric’.

So here is how this relationship works to claim ‘made in America’ (by using ‘manufactured in the United States of America’): ‘SwampFox Optics’ company in the U.S. designers come up with the design for a sight and send it to ‘Shanghai Changhong Optoelectric’ who approves the design or might ‘tweak it’ some, then makes the sight in China. Then the finished sights are shipped back to the U.S. to be marketed under the ‘Shanghai Changhong Optoelectric’ brand name ‘Swampfox’. So even though the ‘factual truth’ is that ‘SwampFox Optics’ are made in China, the ‘legal’ truth is they are Made in America because the designers at ‘SwampFox Optics’ U.S. company did ‘work’ to prepare or send the product for market.

Like I said, there are lots of ins-n-outs to the ‘made in America’ thing.

Ok, here’s the thing about “Made in America” …. it doesn’t always mean “Made in America” (or “Made in U.S.A.”) (or “American Made”).

According to the FTC, to label a product like this it must be: all or virtually all of the product must be made in the United States. However, if more than a negligible amount of the product is made elsewhere, it must comply with FTC rules and carry a supplemental line such as “with global components.”

Sounds good, right? I mean ya would think if a company advertises their products are “Made in America” they are in compliance with the FTC requirements, right?

Well, they are but there are also ‘legal’ loopholes – then there is ‘legal’ truth and ‘factual truth’ and the two are not required to be the same thing. Its a kinda long explanation and I’ve posted it before over at TTAG with all the details but I’m going to do a very short condensed version here

The very short condensed version: A company can legally advertise their products (i.e. on containers. packaging, websites, printed materials, marketing language, etc…) are “Made in America” in a general sense without disclosing that general sense use.

They can do this if either some or all of their products/parts/material are “Made in America” OR IF the item/part/materiel can be sourced from a U.S. based company (i.e. part supplier, importer, foreign OEM entity with a U.S. based presence or as a ’employee contractor contract’) AND any part of a product final ‘assembly’ is done in the US and this includes a range of things from packaging the product made outside the US to simply shipping the product (from the ‘supply source in the US) or in other words if the US company selling the product does any ‘work’ to prepare or send the product for market they can claim “Made in America” — if any of this they can use the legal loop-holes and thus the ‘legal truth’ to claim “Made in America” (or “Made in U.S.A.”) (or “American Made”). Sometimes such ‘things’ are marked some place to indicate its actual foreign origin, but its not always required. This also includes those ‘things’ from foreign contracted OEM company’s with a ‘contracted employee’ type of contract with the U.S. based company or company entity.

For example, using a knife company example: The U.S. knife company contracts with a China OEM in such a manner making the China OEM an ‘contracted employee’ of the U.S. knife company thus legally the OEM is an ’employee’ of the knife company thus the ‘work’ of the China OEM is the knife company ‘property’ as if it the ‘work’ was done in the US thus they can claim “Made in America” for their products generally using (loop hole) ‘legal truth’ when the ‘factual truth’ is the whole product (or parts-of-the-product) was physically made in China by a China OEM company. Advertising, marketing hype, etc… is only required to be ‘legal truth’ not ‘factual truth’.

So there is more to it than this, lots of details and ins-n-outs but this is the overall very short condensed version.

nowadays it pays to research origins. buck, gerber, kershaw, spyderco and many other (u.s.) knife companies have chicom models.

Several years ago, Buck (knife company) was having a sale, so I bought one online. Seeing as Buck was founded as an American company and is located in Idaho of all places, I assumed I was getting something manufactured here in the U.S.A. After all, their website loudly touts “Made in America”, right? Upon receiving my knife and opening up the blade, it was etched with “Made in China”. I gave it away to a friend and have never considered a Buck knife again.