GORE-TEX PYRAD

Posts Tagged ‘Blackwater’

People Get Worked Up Over the Silliest Stuff

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Jeremy Scahill, long obsessed with all things Blackwater, recently made a point about Mossberg selling shotguns emblazoned with the Blackwater logo. Sometimes, I forget that this stuff isn’t common knowledge and don’t realize I should write about it.

You see, there is more to this story that Jeremy apparently didn’t know. He just saw the Bear Paw and lost it. When Erik Prince recently sold Blackwater aka Blackwater USA aka Blackwater Worldwide aka Xe aka US Training Center to his friends (USTC), he kept all of the rights to the Blackwater logo and name. In addition to Mossberg’s guns, Sig also has produces Blackwater branded pistols and has for some time. These licensing agreements predate the sale of the company so are still in effect. No word on how long they are good for, or if Erik Prince is looking to expand his licensing options.

But alas, due to the trademark issue, the BW-15s previously assembled by the armorers at US Training Center may no longer be produced. At some point, they may go back into production building AR-style rifles but the market is already pretty well saturated and they were already over priced. The only reason anyone would have paid their prices was for the Bear Paw logo etched into the receiver. Now that it is no longer an option, USTC may go in another direction producing accurized precision rifles. Time will tell.

So, at this point, Blackwater only exists as a brand and Erik Prince, shrewd business man that he is, kept it for himself. This explains why the Pro shop near Fort Bragg closed so quickly. It was run by Xe and they were losing the right to the Blackwater branding. All of the operations and real estate associated with the former Blackwater now belong to a group of investors collectively referred to as USTC.

Of course, the real takeaway is that Mossberg has retained a license for the Blackwater logo despite the amount of negative press that organization has received over the years. It is a testament to the brand’s popularity, at least among the gun toting public.

Blackwater Pro Shop Closed

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Back in June we mentioned the imminent opening of the Blackwater Pro Shop in Fayetteville, NC. Finally, there was a place where we could replace those worn out Blackwater T-shirts, but alas, no more. Cut down in its infancy, the Fayetteville Blackwater Pro Shop is closed. This week, while we were in town for SOFEX, we decided to drive by the Pro Shop and follow up on a tip we had received that the shop had closed its doors. Sure enough; out of business. Well, it was a good run, that is if you consider three months good. We always thought we’d stop by on our next visit. Hopefully someone local will buy the place which features an indoor range.

In early October, employees cleaned the place out. They even took down the sign. It looks like the Grinch came through the place. Poor Cindy Lou Who.

Thanks to Grey Group for the photos.

Blackwater Pro Shops – Coming to a Town Near You

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

In an effort to distance themselves from the name which many felt was tainted, Blackwater executives came up with the inert name “Xe” to help revamp their tarnished image. Here we are a little over a year later and although Xe didn’t seem to do much for anyone, it seems that the name Blackwater still has some life in it. Despite negative connotations almost everywhere else, the firm still enjoys a great deal of support from the gun owning public. So it only seems natural that the Blackwater name and iconic bear paw logo would begin to see a resurgence. Poised to open are combination pro shops and indoor ranges in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Salem, Connecticut. What is the significance of these two disparate locations you might ask? Fayetteville should come as no surprise as it is home to Fort Bragg. However, many would not know that Salem is right up the road from the Navy’s submarine force based in Groton, Connecticut.

The facade of the new store in Fayetteville is very reminiscent of the original Blackwater Lodge in Moyock. Not only is the name in huge letters across the front of the building, you will also be able to purchase clothing and equipment emblazoned with the logo. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping you can also try out your new firearms at their indoor range.

Will there be more pro shops? Well our guess is that it depends on how well these do. Most people don’t know this but the rise of Soldier Systems Daily is tied directly to the fall of the house of Xe so this move holds a special place in our hearts. We say good luck to Blackwater Pro Shops but isn’t it a little ironic?