Every year, as Black Friday approaches, the internet fills with "deals" that don't always feel like deals. Prices creep up before the sale, discounts don't really discount much, and the whole experience can leave customers wondering if the hype is even worth it. MDT's Black Friday sale isn't about hype; it's about real savings and real opportunities to snag gear you've been eyeing all year. What most people don't see, though, is the controlled chaos behind the curtain. Here's a peek at how we bring our biggest event of the year to life.
>Why We Do Black Friday the Way We Do
Years ago, after walking through a store full of "fake" discounts, we decided MDT's Black Friday sale needed to be exactly the opposite. Once a year, we open the vault and offer genuine savings, especially on items we call factory seconds. And if you've ever wondered what a factory second actually is, you're not alone.
Factory Seconds: What They Are (and Aren't)
Factory seconds are fully functional MDT products that didn't pass our aesthetic quality control. They work exactly as intended, but may have:
A small machining mark
A tiny gouge
A paint or anodizing blemish
A hydro-dip that didn't quite match
A one-off color from R&D
A customer return that couldn't be sold as new
In short: 0% functional issues, 100% cosmetic quirks. We also occasionally include overstock items; those aren't considered factory seconds, but will still appear in the sale at a discount until stock levels normalize.
Why Some Deals Change During the Weekend
Sometimes products start at a steep discount, but that discount may disappear later in the weekend. Why? Because once overstock runs out, the item returns to normal pricing. A deal on Thursday isn't guaranteed to still be there on Monday. This is especially true for low-quantity items. Some products have just one, two, or three units available. When thousands of customers are online at the same time, releasing these items all at once creates chaos. So we stagger releases throughout the weekend to keep things fair and functional.
If You Don't See What You Want, Check Back
New items are added throughout the entire weekend. We also post updates on social media and send them to our email subscribers. If something you want isn't there at 3:01 p.m., it may appear later, so keep an eye on the site.
Shipping and Ordering Tips
In-stock items usually ship within a week, but if you order early in the sale, they may ship even sooner. If you're ordering both in-stock and out-of-stock items, here's a pro tip: Place two separate orders. That way, your in-stock items ship immediately instead of waiting weeks. Out-of-stock restock times vary, typically 2–3 weeks, though it can be longer depending on demand.
MDT Customer Support During Black Friday
Our team works incredibly hard during the sale, but the volume is massive. Here's what to expect:
Phone support is turned off—otherwise our staff wouldn't be able to ship orders.
Customer support tickets will be answered as fast as humanly possible.
Order changes and combining orders are extremely difficult during Black Friday.
If you have questions, reach out before the sale begins.
Why the Website Sometimes Struggled… and What We've Done About It
For years, our biggest challenge has been keeping the website alive under the sheer demand of Black Friday. We've had:
Server crashes
Platform limitations
API overloads
Traffic spikes that broke software we were told wouldn't break
We've migrated platforms multiple times—Magento, Adobe-hosted Magento, cloud platforms, BigCommerce, and back. Last year, a single forgotten setting caused issues until it was disabled mid-sale. Once fixed, everything ran smoothly.
This year (2025):
We're on enterprise-level Magento.
Hosted on AWS, the same infrastructure used by massive global brands.
Protected with Cloudflare to filter attacks and stabilize traffic.
Load tested under extreme conditions.
Supported by full-time MDT staff monitoring performance.
While no system is 100% bulletproof, yes, even giants like Facebook and Amazon go down, we've never been more confident.
The MDT Black Friday Sale Begins Today!
Black Friday starts November 27th at 3:00 p.m. Pacific and ends December 1st at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. We'll be online with you the entire weekend, posting updates, releasing new items, and making sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. It's stressful, it's exciting, and honestly, it's a little terrifying every year. But it's worth it because we want this event to feel legendary, especially for the shooters who support us year-round. Thanks for being part of the MDT community. Let's make this the best Black Friday yet!
