Addictions are not pretty. So, there are now a matching pair of PTR-91 rifles sitting in the rack. Uhm…and theres another 100 magazines on the way. This will put me at a total of..lets see…carry the two….90 magazines per gun which is pretty much where I want to be. (Ok, maybe an even 100 would be better.)
I mentioned this to the good Capt. Today and he grabbed his calculator and ran some numbers.
Brand new AR-15 with 100 magazines (Assumes $850 + $12@) = $2050
Brand new DSA FAL with 100 magazines (Assumes $1300 + $5@) = $1800
Brand new PTR with 100 magazines (Assumes $1040 + $2@) = $1240
Brand new M1A with 100 magazines (Assumes $1275 + $20@) = $3275
Brand new AR10 with 100 magazines (Assumes $1500 + $35@) = $5000
So, while the upfront cost of the gun isn’t insignificant, the cost of magazines makes it more affordable when you look at it as a package. In short, it literally is more bang for your buck. I don’t want to make a lifetime project out of getting a rifle squared away. The PTR and the mags are cheap enough I can get on the phone, order ‘em and be done with the whole thing. Done. Free to cross one thing off my list and move to the next. No picking up magazines here and there at guns shows, pawn shops and gun stores for the next two years.
=====
I haven’t confirmed it but Im sure it wouldn’t be too hard to nail down on the internet: rumour is that because of Steyr’s dealing with the Iranians their firearms importations to the US are ‘on hold’. True? False? I don’t know…but it wouldn’t surprise me. The HS50 I wanted may wind up having to be a .338 Lapua in a CZ instead.
=====
Winter here in Montana seems to be rapidly fading. These last few days have had temperatures, I am not making this up, in the 60’s. Ma Nature has a weird sense of humour out here though…we’ll get wonderful weather for two or three weeks and just as we’re turning our faces up to the sun to enjoy the warmth –BAM!- ten degrees with wind for three weeks. Every year. Every. So I continue to keep my cold weather module in my everyday bag.
Last year was a total wash gardening-wise. I wish to remedy that this year. My goal is Commander Zero’s Homegrown Bunker Busting Nuclear Salsa O’ Mass Destruction. (Or, I suppose, Ass Destruction depending on your ‘intestinal fortitude’) So I need to plant some tomatoes, chilis, onions, garlic and maybe some habaneros just for giggles. I’ve received a couple very nice books on small-space gardening over the last year and I’d very much like to try applying some of the techniques. I’ve got a small (35’x20’) yard to work in and I’m sure that’s enough space to produce some produce.
=====
Heres an interesting video. Its sponsored by the guys at Magpul so take it with a grain of salt, but if its even halfway true I may have to get some of their mags. I think running over the mags with a truck isn’t really a very good real-world test. Drop the mags on hard surfaces from 6’, have a vest full of them get thrown repeatedly onto jagged broken rocks, dunk ‘em, get ‘em filthy, heave ‘em in and out of some truck, toss them across a parking lot to a butterfingered buddy…you know, that sort of thing.
=====
Spring is the season of, naturally enough, spring cleaning. My goal: the bunker. I’ve got to seriously start re-organizing. The additional MRE’s and freezedrieds have really taken up too much space since I’m not using the space as efficiently as I could. While Im at it, I need to re-inventory. Esp. on the food. And ammo. One word for you: shelving.
=====
Group buy ends noon the day after tomorrow. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security – next year is an election year and its gonna be ugly.
You are making me seriously contemplate getting a PTR with my tax refund. The only thing holding me back is my wife and my love of living.
I have PTR and I like it.
But I’m looking at selling it.
It has a perm flash hider and no bayo mount. I’m in it for a VERY good price, but will be passing it a friend at cost if I do sell it.
I’ve just got to worry that paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars more just to get a proper flash hider (on a difficult to suppress weapon, as I ‘m told) and the ability to mount a bayonet… I’m just not sure that would be worth it.
but will be passing it a friend at cost if I do sell it.
:::waves:::
Hi there, friend
Why, HELLO Buddy Pal type person…. 😉
You can claim #2 spot in the line if you wish.
One thing I’d like to see included in those cost analysis is spare parts kits and tools. After all what good is a gun and 100 mags if your firing pin breaks?
As for Magpul, I have some of their stuff and it’s always been good for me. Quite a few door kickers I know swear by their products.
I’ve got five of the P-Mags coming as soon as they hit the dealers. I’ll run ’em through some paces and see what happens. I’m most interested in how they’ll behave in a hot and nasty ass gun, but the impacts as you mention are also important.
You know, everyone talks about breaking a firing pin but other than the cz-52 Ive never seen it happen to anyone I know.
Most of the CETME parts will work in an HK and a CETME kit is less than $200. That’d give you a pretty complete spare parts kit. Since the Germans got rid of their G3’s the parts are plentiful at the moment.
Some of the other guns listed suffer from a lack of spare parts due to their manufacturers not letting them out of the factory. (Ruger, esp.)
If the quality on the PTR is as good as the HK I’d expect nothing to break.
In my career as a gunsmith I have seen more than a few. As a military veteran I’m a firm believer in Murphy’s Law.
I used the firing pin as one example, there’s also springs, pins and other small parts subject to wear. I own firearms that have proven themselves rock solid reliable, but that doesn’t mean I don’t keep a few spare parts handy.
Magpul video
The magpul video was of a strength test, and just that. Kind of like freezing a glock in a block of ice is used to test cold conditions even though no one ever intends to keep it in popsicle form. They’ve done well in other real world tests like being dropped loaded(not losing the rounds), repeated loading and feeding(catch slot and feed lips), as well as being dirtied. Some of your other recommended tests were simply for the same criteria, just done in a different manner. A few were simply being ridiculous.
The real advantage of the magpul mags is being able to produce large numbers with consistent specs. Mags are expendable items that should be peridically replaced.