Yes, the fix does have to be slow, for the reasons mentioned.
The process requires a changing corporate attitude (including Remington) at the top, which is happening, and money, which has been problematical.
Remember the bankruptcy.
Remember the Cerberus "Make it cheaper" operating model.
Back when H&R was going under, an interesting comment was "We've taken as much cost out of the guns as we can." Meaning production costs, in the context of the single-shot line no longer being profitable in competition with cheap bolts like the Ruger American & the Savage series.
I remember at the time thinking "You've also taken as much value out of the guns as you can."
It does take time, not just for Marlin. You have to understand that as an umbrella operation, it's like a family.
One kid needs this, one kid needs that, another kid needs something else.
Decisions have to be made on priorities, just like you do at home.
Can we put off Johnny's dental work for a couple more months to buy a winter coat for Suzie?
That kind of situation.
Resources have to be allocated between "kids" (companies).
That includes notably engineers and money.
And there's a certain amount of organic transitional delay in overcoming previous ingrained thought patterns.
In that trickle-down effect, when you've been told for years that your priority is "make it cheaper" (which I emphasize again, because it truly was the business model), when word now comes down to "do it this way instead of the old way", the natural conditioned response is "But- that'll cost more!"
Getting over that resistance at multiple levels will not happen overnight.
Company-wide, there's some re-thinking needed at all levels.
That's meeting some resistance by those who don't understand how low Marlin's & Remington's reps have sunk, don't understand the importance of quality, don't see beyond their office door & a paycheck, and are used to just "Get 'em out cheap!" from above.
All this is complicated by the bankruptcy.
But- it is changing.
Believe or not, buy Henry or not, the world will go on either way.
Denis