It’s hard to believe, but next year is a Presidential election year. It really flew by fast, didn’t it?
Election day is…mm….well, hell, let’s let the internet do the math:
So 589 days until election. What can you do between now and then? Well, if you can promise to pay back $1 a day until the election you could pick up a midrange AR. Or about five dozen Pmags. Or, if you’re a careful shopper, three cases of 9mm. If you’re willing to save $1 a day until then.
But, what if you’re a tad more industrious than that? Maybe you’re willing to give up Starbucks or something. Pay yourself five bucks a day between now and then and you could have five AR’s, or a couple M1A’a, or four or five Glocks, or about 325 shiny new AR mags. Or a really nice set of body armour with room leftover for ammo.
It’s been 15 years since the sunset of the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban…thats four Presidential election cycles where we bit our nails every fourth November. And .22LR is still not anywhere near its old prices, although it is available.
Am I advocating panic buying? Of course not. Panic buying is waiting until a week before election day. I’m advocating that you get off your butt and finally get it done and out of the way so you can move onto other things in your life.
The reality is that every so often, for political expediency, someone gets thrown out of the sled to the wolves. Next week the ‘bump stock’ fiasco takes effect. That was the short-straw that was drawn to appease the clamoring anti-gunners. But…next time…it might be something else, something more important, something more useful. Thats the political reality. And, as Rand said, while you can ignore reality you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality. And for the last 15 years there have been quite a few people ignoring the reality that there is never a ‘safe period’ for your AR and magazines.
Me, I’ve got enough to take care of me and those I care about. At this point I’m just buying extras to sell to the head-in-the-sand ostriches at “Get the Kentucky jelly” prices.
It’s 589 days to the election. Why take chances? If you can keep a promise to yourself to set $1 a day aside until then, you can have at least one AR and/or a buncha mags to set back.
This reminder of the Bad Ol’ Days has been brought to you by this blast from the past:
Every payday I set aside money for “investments”. Whether that be preps, PM’s, stocks, arms, ammo etc I always put something aside. Sometimes I even buy a bit of all that list.
When all this bumpstock nonsense started I went out and bought a half dozen stripped AR lowers. I’m already set on ammo and have the components to make more than I can count right now.
I also put my foot down recently and resolved to get into better shape. So far those efforts are paying off.
As Lawless used to say…. Tick-Tock!
When AR mags came back in stock at the end of obamas second term I was happy to jump on 20 of them for 12.50 each. I am a lot happier to buy them now at 8.00 each, just saying. Yes now is “the good old days” I have a list that includes mags, ammo, parts kits, and receivers in no particular order.
The part about giving up … for me is not a player, the fat has been trimmed to the bone, it is about working the side gigs to generate additional coin.
And do it all off paper.
SURELY I didn’t need to say that tho.
Zero
I am totally in agreement on your recommendations. I am going to play devils advocate on one thing that I would ask if it happened what would you do ( but this would apply to any survivalist type ) who stockpiled/ puts back these items.
What if the new pres ( assuming one of any 16 odd dem nut balls win ) gets a Congress that agrees to BAN completely AR/AK type rifles and hi cap mags? And said you had X days to surrender said evil items or face prosecution. Would you comply?
How would they know I had them?
Cause you talk about them all the time on a public blog?
Sincerely,
BATFE
Of course…the same way FEMA tracks peoples blogs to see who has food, right?
This is a question for the tribe. Assuming that one had AR’s and mags covered what would be the next thing to focus on? Lowers, BCG’s, LPK’s or ammo?
I know I know all of the above but which first?
The answer seems obvious to me: whatever the next regulated item might be. At the moment, the controlled items are the lower receivers, so that’s the easiest to choke off. After that would be mags. Complete uppers? LPK? Maybe…but I’d imagine those are harder to regulate. I’d put my remaining resources into mags and stripped lowers. Anderson stripped lowers (AKA ‘Poverty Ponies’) are usually around $40 a throw.
Everybody (with any insight whatsoever) and their uncle have stocked up on mags and lowers. Those will be easy to get for a quite a while. What parts wear or break or people do not stock up on? During the Sandyhook aftermath, manufacturers couldn’t sell complete AR’s because they couldn’t get bolts to complete their rifles. Bolts and barrels are relatively hard for OEM’s to manufacture, let alone home gunsmiths. Other wear items that are relatively cheap to stock up on now are extractors, gas rings, firing pins, cam pins and springs. Bolt carriers, upper receivers, and charging handles are not easy to make in a home shop, but they don’t wear or break as often either. The same advice applies to other firearms– I would invest in spare springs, firing pins, locking block pins, trigger pins, slide locks, and extractors in particular for the Glock.
For a ban scenario
– AR lowers. It’s weird but that is “the gun”. A couple spares gives you the option to build the kids rifles down the road.
– Mags. As we saw before during the previous AWB mag prices went up hugely. Also they are semi consumable.
@Anon: you make some great points. Only point I’d make is that so long as the Gov and Mil continue to use the AR platform as its rifle of choice, some private companies somewhere will be making spare parts. As long as they are being manufactured, they will be available through a black market. In this sense, a ban scenario is a different situation from a societal collapse scenario.
No such thing as too much ammo, too many mags or too many guns…just saying…
Locked and Loaded
I have prudent, long term stocks of useful things on hand. However, more than anything, a committed mindset of self reliance, flexibility, and resilience is the key to surviving the Great Reset coming. If you possess that – and nothing else – you are still way ahead of the game and you will find a way to thrive even in the most difficult of times IMHO. Everything else is merely icing on the cake…
Regards
AR 80% lowers, parts kits and complete uppers. Plus of course tools and tooling. Ammo, how many encounters do you plan to live through? Mags, CZ, do you have any more sales coming? I’ll take another 20 or 40. If the next idiot (dem) that gets into the office wants them turned in, how are they going to get them? Are you going to turn them in??????
Agreed with ammo thought. Firearms and parts are important but ammunition to fire it trumps everything. I remember during the recent rimfire drought, many people refused to buy firearms that you couldn’t find ammunition for. I figure the future will be the same. In fact, throwing in a brick or two with the firearm raised the price by quite an amount. I remember selling a brick for $32 I paid $9 – $10 for and I still had plenty left.
If planning a ‘Patriot Kit’, a case of ammunition to go with it would not be out of line. Add six magazines, a cleaning kit and a bag to carry it all discretely and you have a winner.
All are correct in their dedication to “preparing” for the inevitable, the eventual confiscation of weapons, ammo, as well as food, you know for those that need it more according to gov sources cause you also know, they know more than you and can spend your money more wisely… Um, yeah, ok, riiiight…..
I would like to interject here that all the preping is simply a reaction to an impeding unforeseen problem. I’m far from rejecting the preparing mentality, I sincerely believe any prudent person and family should do it at least to a certain degree. However, we collectively would be better off exerting at least some of our energies and time to reversing the continued dismemberment of our Constitution and rights it guarantees. This has been going on for the last 125 years thanks to Teddy R & Woodrow, as well as, to a certain degree, by every administration since.
We have got to instill in our kids and each other the need to learn our history, however painful and disheartening it may be, ensure our elected representatives and gov agencies adherer and act responsibly with accountability and not simply giving mouth service to keep their position. Most of all we need to reverse the indoctrination our kids are getting in the indoctrination centers called public schools. Prep on boys & girls, BLOAT… and stay aware…. Ya never know….
CDR, I agree with your blogpost, but it’s actually 2,050 days until the next contested presidential election. Von Trumpenmeister-Meisterburger already has 2020 in the bag. All this dem posturing is just sacrificial drama-demonstration to whip-up name recognition & future support.
Im not of the mind that there is a ‘sure thing’ with Presidential elections. It’s great that you’ve got that confidence, and it would be nice if you’re right…but the stakes are too high to not be ready ‘just in case’.
I started stocking up in 2008 after Obungle was sworn in. Was pretty obvious after his speech on “fundamental change”, and “we need a civilian force as strong as the military”.
@tim
No such thing as a sure thing. T could have a heart attack, or eat some poison soup….
Yes, work the political angle, and local pols are cheap. Donate the price of a rifle and some ammo and you’ll get your LOCAL guy’s attention. This is important because his voice is louder than yours, and he’s the one with potentially the most at stake in your area.
In case that fails, then your stacks will certainly help.
Think “and” not “or”.
n
Politicians are incredibly cheap(much more affordable than you think)and generally have no morals or scruples and can be counted on to do what is best for themselves
Federal bump stock ban went into effect today. What’s next on the list.
Personally I picked up some more mags and another lower.
If some more money comes available I will order some more mags then ammo and spare parts.
Now the ban on “real mags” has been lifted in CA, I need to make some purchases. Who knows when a new law or higher court will change the decision…again?