Why NOW is the time to buy AR's and 5.56x45 ammo:

[iam4liberty]

FYI.  Delton has deal at Rural King for the Delton Echo 316H Lite optics ready - $389.00.  This is the version without the forward assist and dust cover.

https://www.rkguns.com/del-ton-echo-316h-5-56mm-nato-semi-automatic-ar-15-rifle-orfth16-lt.html

[img]https://cdn-us-cf2.yottaa.net/58b82148312e584a97000001/www.rkguns.com/v~13.1e/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/97x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image004_002_.jpg?yocs=1_&yoloc=us[/imgg

Price drop.  Now $369.99:

https://www.rkguns.com/del-ton-echo-316h-5-56mm-nato-semi-automatic-ar-15-rifle-orfth16-lt.html

[David in MN]

I don't "invest" in guns. They're bulky and the safe is pretty full anyway. But I've never lost money on a gun.

I do know one guy who buys surplus by the case. Stuffs them in the basement cosmolene and all. I *think* he's got about 20 cases (6 rifles per case I think) of Mosin Nagants he bought when they were ~$70 per rifle. Oddly, he doesn't really shoot and isn't into guns. He works at a hedge fund and saw the surplus pattern of a flooded market that eventually dries up. And yes, he's praying in Hebrew the government ditches the AR and somehow floods the market. But he's a nutso mathematician (says I  ) who really gets deep into opportunities. Surplus rifles always go up in price.

Military rifles are a strange phenomenon. There have literally been hundreds of them in the modern era. And I still prefer a pump shotgun for home defense. I mean, who really has a Lee-Enfield behind the headboard? Or a BAR? Will the AR/AK suffer the same fate? Other than the few that get repurposed for hunting/sporting (thinking of Mausers specifically) they are pretty much regarded as passe tech. ANd unless they're beloved like the Garand and will become the prize of a collection, they just become range toys. What gets me is the price rise. What kind of fool buys a $200 Mosin?

[iam4liberty]

Passe? Right, you people are nuts. Now get off my lawn. 

[David in MN]

Passe? Right, you people are nuts. Now get off my lawn. 

God, one of my favorite movies. A virtual clone of my grandfather. Except grandpa was in the Pacific for WWII, not Korea. Other than that, dead nuts. Even named Walt.

On the serious side, my dad (who used an M16A2 in Vietnam) looks at my M4gery as a foreign object. The A2 is already a relic.

[Carl]

  Few recognize my BAR's as fine weapons when the see my 'relics' in the rack (I have 3) and the Garrands purchased for $89 each many years ago and reach for the Thompsons as the recognise them....

[Ms. Albatross]

God, one of my favorite movies.

Me too!  My husband will stop and watch it every time it comes up on cable TV.  He's Asian and he laughs the hardest at the all the Asian slurs.  It also has a place in my heart because I learned how to drive in a Torino.  Believe it or not it was Mom's car.  It was red and it looked kinda like this one:

[David in MN]

Me too!  My husband will stop and watch it every time it comes up on cable TV.  He's Asian and he laughs the hardest at the all the Asian slurs.  It also has a place in my heart because I learned how to drive in a Torino.  Believe it or not it was Mom's car.  It was red and it looked kinda like this one:

Ooh. We saw it in the theater and on the way out my wife told me she never knew there were so many Asian slurs. Well, grandpa fought in the Pacific and dad served in Vietnam so I told her all the ones they missed! I really like that racism over the top becomes humor. In a sense we're laughing at that personality that would hold such ideas. It'd be interesting to know if my great-grandfather who fought in WWI would call me a dirty Hun for speaking German. It's a funny characiture. I wish we all could laugh a little more.

[DrJohn]

Great movie!  My dad had a green Grand Torino Wagon - I hated that thing, because the front seat headrests were integrated to the seats themselves and sitting in the back, you couldn't see out the front at all.

[Chemsoldier]

God, one of my favorite movies. A virtual clone of my grandfather. Except grandpa was in the Pacific for WWII, not Korea. Other than that, dead nuts. Even named Walt.

On the serious side, my dad (who used an M16A2 in Vietnam) looks at my M4gery as a foreign object. The A2 is already a relic.

I believe you mean the M16A1, which was adopted around 1967 (largely eliminating the teething problems of the early M16 variants).  The M16A2 with a heavier barrel, longer buttstock and different sites was adopted in 1982.

[David in MN]

I believe you mean the M16A1, which was adopted around 1967 (largely eliminating the teething problems of the early M16 variants).  The M16A2 with a heavier barrel, longer buttstock and different sites was adopted in 1982.

Yeppers. Forgive me, I'm getting old.

[Smurf Hunter]

While I have many more pressing things to spend my money on, a replica "A2" seems cool.  That was the "good guy" movie gun from my childhood in the 1980s.
It also seems the preferred rifle pattern for high powered service rifle matches (Iron sights).

[NWPilgrim]

Love the Garand!  It was THE rifle for matches when I was growing up (besides the surplus bolt .22LR).  I love shooting them, although the AR15 is something most of can actually work on, repair, build and adapt to most any situation, and is fun for new shooters to learn with.

As far as slurs, I sort of get it but not from personal experience.  My Dad fought in the Pacific in WWII and had nothing but respect for the Japanese soldier and people (he finished off stationed in Okinawa protecting supplies while preparing for Tokyo--haha MARINES protecting supplies!!! but fought on Kwajalein, Guam, and Okinawa).  From what he said I am sure the Okinawans were far less impressed with US Marines that the Marines were with them.  My brother fought in Vietnam on the DMZ (Mudders Ridge) against mostly NVA some VC.  He also had respect for the Vietnamese people and no hard feelings toward them at all.  My folks adopted a Korean child and later sponsored two Cambodian refugee families.  I was brought up that the enemy was the enemy but not dehumanized or someone to hate, it was usually their leaders.

I have a small collection of Garands, M1 Carbines and AR15s, but would love to slobber over Carl's BARs!!!

[Smurf Hunter]

Going through my weekly junk mail pile, I see a few local places have $9.99 pmags again. 
Online is $8.99 at some places.  PSA actually had a complete AR upper for $149.99 (minus BCG)

http://palmettostatearmory.com/ptac-16-m4-5-56-nato-1-7-nitride-upper-without-bcg-or-ch-39236.html

I don't need or even "want" much of this, but for the price of couple new kitchen appliances I could outfit a small squad right now.

[The Professor]

The Window Is Closing.

While my original musings suggested that the window might be open until later this year when the Dems start parading their 2020 candidates around, recent incidents are forcing a new panic among gun buyers.

So, I'll say this: If you're looking for a modern "sporting" semi-auto, get it while you can.  It's obvious that the President is caving in (showing his true colors?) with the threat of "enhanced" background checks, raising the firearms-buying age to 21, and possible state-level bans on misnomered firearms.  This time, with the reception being given to these suggestions, I'm going to HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting what you want, if at all possible.  It would not surprise me to see another incident, fresh on the heels of this last one, arise and public sentiment/pressure getting to the point we see another ban similar to the 1994 OCB ban. . .or worse.  Remember, it's better to have it in hand than not.  We've already lost a lot of manufacturers with the past 18 months' drop in sales.  It's doubtful that many of the manufacturers of AR lowers who flooded the market at the beginning of Obama's second election will re-appear and provide enough production in time to re-glut the market.

Already, in the past week, there has been a massive jump in the number of MSR sales (Modern Sporting Rifles - the current nom-de-journée for AR or similar military style rifles).  One particular rifle, one of my "dream rifles," jumped $400 in one day and then disappeared off of all the major online sellers' shelves.

So far, ammo hasn't seen much of a jump with recent, really great sales offers by some of the bigger houses.  IIRC, one place had stripper-clipped 62-gr, green-tip Federal  (not blemishes) 420 rounds IN A CAN for $149.  That, to me, is a really good deal on clips and in a can.  Warehouses are still over-full with ammo. . .but that may change in the next couple of months.

Hopefully, this is a paper tiger we're facing. . .I fear it is not. 

In any case, I'm betting the window is drawing closed and am afraid we're going to be entering an "Interesting Times" phase that will be worse than what we found in 1995.  I'm somewhat reticent to write much more lest this find it's way into the Tin Foil Hat Brigade area.

Thoughts?

The Professor

[Carl]

 I suspect that after so many 'panics' that few will worry this time and price/production will stay fairly stable....but history is hard to deny and more people have tax money and better paying jobs now ...so you could as easily be correct.

[FreeLancer]

Thoughts?

I think you could be right.

[Canadian Prepper]

It will be interesting to see what comes of the latest events.

Given the numbers of MSRs out there and the additional ones that will be purchased in the coming months, I wonder whether or not America's passed the threshold where they'll try to ban the guns themselves or whether we'll see attempts at some other forms of gun control implemented. If the current situation doesn't lead to any significant change in the law, perhaps it will lead to a second rush on these rifles and magazines, with the net effect of making them even more mainstream and difficult to ban.

[The Professor]

I'll be honest. . .I fully expect an outright ban on "Assault" weapons in the next four years.  If Trump doesn't do it, it will happen when he loses the next election. . .and he WILL lose it (can be argued in a separate thread). 

The kids you see screaming and crying and sobbing on TV, whining about how they can't go to the bathroom alone or can't walk back into their school or can't see a school book without suffering from paralyzing PTSD are going to come of voting age (at least 12 million of them will).  As we argue this, Democrats and liberals are openly embracing and attempting to "empower" these  young people.  I just heard a radio segment on Fox News XM/Sirius channel about a group that is spending millions of dollars "educating" high school students about their right to vote (in MY day, we had Civics Class which taught us about voting) and will be pushing to register these young voters as soon as possible.  Anyone wanna bet the party with which the vast majority will affiliate?

Anyway, IMO, they'll first start with the bump stocks and the trigger devices.  They'll probably do to them what they did to the Auto Sear, reclassify them as NFA items.  Then, an outright ban on the sale and importation of "Assault" weapons similar, but much more restrictive than the 1994 AWB.  They have, after all, had  over 20 years to scrutinize how the industry got around  most of the ridiculous restrictions the first time.

Quite possibly, they'll also move to reclassify any longarm with a detachable magazine as an NFA item.   They'll give an amnesty period during which possessors will be able to register the weapon with the ATF for free, but after that, expect a felony charge for the mere possession of even parts.  Hopefully, they won't go the route of our southern neighbors and ban ammunition in military calibers, but it wouldn't surprise me.  It only makes sense from their point of view.

It would be at this point that I'd invest in companies making 8"-diameter PVC pipes and Vapor Corrosion Inhibiting lubricants and paper.

After that, it's anyone's guess.  That's why I say "buy now."

The Professor

[Smurf Hunter]

Not AR-15 related, but I left a local gun shop with a CZ75 P-01 today.

If you want to confuse a liberal anti-gunner who's demanding changes to the background checks, ask them what about ATF form 4473 they want to change.
They will have no idea what you're talking about of course...

[Canadian Prepper]

So has there been any indication yet of an increase in sales on guns and ammunition in the US? Anything that might effect what Canadian distributors might receive in the coming months?

We were fine with ammunition after Sandy Hook and while some firearms became less available and somewhat higher priced, there was never anything comparable. The past year brought us ARs at reduced prices that we'd never seen before, as well as reduced prices on used ones, but I'm wondering if that's a thing of the past.

[iam4liberty]

So has there been any indication yet of an increase in sales on guns and ammunition in the US? Anything that might effect what Canadian distributors might receive in the coming months?

$400 ARs are gone and with company reorganizations they dont look like they will be back.  Armalite, S&W, and others are still shipping base ARs in the $500 to $600 range.  Stocks of these and more expensive models seem to be readily available.  Ammo and magazine stocks on hand seem to be holding fine too with no signs of major jumps in regular prices (though basement bargain deals are vanishing).

[Canadian Prepper]

$400 ARs are gone and with company reorganizations they dont look like they will be back.  Armalite, S&W, and others are still shipping base ARs in the $500 to $600 range.  Stocks of these and more expensive models seem to be readily available.  Ammo and magazine stocks on hand seem to be holding fine too with no signs of major jumps in regular prices (though basement bargain deals are vanishing).

Thanks for the update. Here, S&Ws are selling for $699 plus tax at Cabelas, that with the exchange rate would put them on par with US prices. They have been selling steadily as well.

[Stwood]

So, I have no need for AR's or related ammo, but what do you all think about sockin in some more 30.06 ammo? I had a boating accident and lost most of mine while doing a transfer. 

[Carl]

So, I have no need for AR's or related ammo, but what do you all think about sockin in some more 30.06 ammo? I had a boating accident and lost most of mine while doing a transfer. 

30'06 is more like WAMMO...I keep a good stock of it and .308 and even ammo for the Five-Sevens in the armory.Looking for a bit more 50 cal though.

[Stwood]

30'06 is more like WAMMO...I keep a good stock of it and .308 and even ammo for the Five-Sevens in the armory.Looking for a bit more 50 cal though.

 

[Smurf Hunter]

The difference is, almost no one goes to the range and shoots hundreds of .30-06 rounds at paper for a leisurely afternoon.  This is common with the little .223

[Stwood]

The difference is, almost no one goes to the range and shoots hundreds of .30-06 rounds at paper for a leisurely afternoon.  This is common with the little .223

Yep. I'm not into range stuff. That's a waste for me. I'd just rather stock ammo for hunting purposes, or if bookoo bad guys show up and I need some long range cannon ammo. 

[Smurf Hunter]

Yep. I'm not into range stuff. That's a waste for me. I'd just rather stock ammo for hunting purposes, or if bookoo bad guys show up and I need some long range cannon ammo. 

I think you are fine.  Buy several boxes of your gun's favorite hunting ammo.  It'll not likely ever be cheaper than it is today.

[88Glock]

$400 ARs are gone and with company reorganizations they dont look like they will be back.  Armalite, S&W, and others are still shipping base ARs in the $500 to $600 range.  Stocks of these and more expensive models seem to be readily available.  Ammo and magazine stocks on hand seem to be holding fine too with no signs of major jumps in regular prices (though basement bargain deals are vanishing).

With the latest events there has definitely been an increase in sales of everything. To the point that shipping delays are common.

[Smurf Hunter]

With the latest events there has definitely been an increase in sales of everything. To the point that shipping delays are common.

I suppose it depends. In the past month I've bought some ammo and magazines are reasonable prices. Reloading components are still abundant for me.

Welcome aboard 88Glock.  I encourage you to stop by the "Front Porch"  and introduce yourself:

http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=89.msg744619#new