Jerry,
The thing that killed the effort you are referencing was an attempt to use an advanced form of injection molding that would have required virtually no, or very little, finish machining. The tolerances required for such a process could not be achieved with the molds produced, even after several expensive tries. The process hoped to bring down the production costs to the point where a .45 Luger could have been produced in the $3000-$5000 range. That was an ambitious goal, but I think a price point in the range of $8,000-$10,000 may be marketable. Much more than that may be a hard sell.
Using CNC machining and extensive hand finishing like Mike Krause employed can produce probably 3 or 4 acceptable frames a month with concerted effort. I may be over estimating the effort required, but I agree that 20 frames in 4 months is perhaps optimistic. However, I am not in the business and Eugene is. It is his decision and that is why I encourage him to exercise every consideration for objective analysis.
It is his windmill at which to tilt. It only behooves all parties involved to go in to it with open minds and a friendly exit strategy if necessary. Those of faint heart and shallow pockets (me!) need not participate!
