Friend Of The Blog ™ Tam, over at View From The Porch, comments on the gun buying situation before us:
That there is some panic buying going on isn’t really news to anyone who knows how to work a trigger and the internet. But Tam makes an astute observation that while AR’s are proving out the demand-supply graph, the parts to build your own AR are still fairly static. This, she opines, suggests that there’s a lot of first-time AR buyers out there buying complete guns rather than ‘building’ (assembling, really) their own.
I concur. This is why when PSA had some super low prices I picked up a dozen guns. And I hope you did the same. Tam doesn’t foresee tings approaching anything close to normal vis-a-vis gun pricing/availability until next year and she is 100% right. Between Kung Flu, Black/White/My Life Matters ‘demonstrations’, and the upcoming election, 2020 may prove out to be a) the worst time to buy a gun and b) the best time to sell a gun.
But, and this is important, don’t get tunnel vision – guns are important because they protect the things that are important to us. Things like our lives, naturally, but also things like food, fuel, money, shelter, and a host of other things that keep us alive. And it’s those other things you should also be working on acquiring.
Put another way: if you think the world is getting scary enough that you need to go out and buy your first AR “just in case”, then it’s also scary enough you need to be out there buying food storage, fuel, meds, and getting your financial poop in a group.
I’m just guessing here, but I’m thinking there are a whole lotta people besides those first time gun buyers that are a might slow on the trigger. In that although they will buy the necessary parts to build their own of whatever caliber cause the parts are still readily available. I’m saying that in order for the thing to be of any value you gotta have the proper bang pills to go along with it. That’s where the slightly slow part comes in. And that seems to be in shorter and shorter supply…. even the parts that make up the bang pills are “out of stock”, not everywhere, but increasingly more and more places. My local supplier has had a shortage in all areas for the last 6 months, and it ain’t gettin any better. To my way of thinking, unless you got at least 1,000 rds. for every bangstick you got, you don’t have enough. So if you got 6, even if they’re all the same caliber, you gotta have 6,000 rds. or the ability to produce those 6,000 rds. Course this lockdown masked man BS ain’t helping matters none either…..
I went into a gun shop yesterday. I have enough guns and ballistic wampum, but the owners were helping circulate a petition to recall our nanny “governor.” The guy had ZERO inventory, aside from an ancient pump shotgun that looked like it had been sliding around in the bed of a pickup for a couple of years. The owner was basically open for smithing and “transactions” only. ‘Good to see that they can’t keep enough guns in stock… We’re probably gonna need them pretty soon…
What concerns me is the idea that perhaps the buy-up of firearms is by entities looking to arm leftists. Either the leftists themselves such as the rag-tag group that marched on Stone Mountain that had empty mag pouches and plate carriers, or those funded by the hundreds of millions of dollars donated to BLM by big corporations . This serves two purposes. First, there are no firearms available for the first time buyer who is worried about his family, and secondly it arms the people looking to destroy the Republic. They may not have experience, but a large armed group can still cause a LOT of death and destruction. NEVER underestimate your enemy!
Around here the shelves are bare at all of the local gun shops (and yet they still have ammunition). I suspect this will get worse before it gets better. I have never seen the racks completely empty, even during the panic buys over the last 20 odd years.
Leftists arming themselves now ? Fine, they are just supplying the winner of a fire fight who is far more likely to be someone with experience. Maybe a U.S. war vet, maybe a hunter who is conditioned to taking lives.
I am sympathetic to those who feel they need that 1st firearm because for the 1st time, they realize what might be happening really soon. I hope they know and are able to group with some folks who are committed in now allowing Evil to win.
Because nobody wins if that happens.
NOT allowing Evil to win – sorry.
Since these are not normal times, I would ask that before selling guns, to vet who you’re selling to these days. There are a lot of Antifa types that look like the kid around the corner when he isn’t wearing a mask and the black attire. I hope that I’m wrong, but I think the political/social upheaval that we have seen these past few months is just the beginning. A tidy profit from selling to someone interested in creating a communist utopia may not be in your (our) best interests.
I think the most important part of our hosts message is get your food, water, shelter and finances in order. Most folks I know could arm almost a platoon with a ragtag collection but do they have a safe water source that will work when the Grid power goes down?
You might have cases of green tip but in two-three days of no or poor water SOMEBODY else has cases of green tip. Food a week to 10 days ditto. No shelter in a New England winter storm well SOMEONE will dig your body up later for battlefield salvage.
2020 3rd Quarter, Four Sector Investment strategy:
Ammunition
Precious Metals
Guns & gun parts
Canned & Freeze dried food
Know any military retirees out there?
https://www.shopmyexchange.com/browse/sports-outdoors/hunting-shooting/firearms/_/N-1733997954
Regards
Truly a sign of the times when you seen a used hi-point 4595 listed For $650 on your local Armslist. The more armed citizens the better, though the gouging is troubling. For me- I’m not currently a seller of anything.
There are still deals to be had for mags, parts, optics, and other accoutrements. First time buyers and part-time gun owners need to realize that the window is also closing on acquiring these much needed support effects at affordable prices.
Something I’m noticing is that while you can find pistol and rifle ammo in common calibers (FMJ and limited social options) as long as you aren’t overly picky as to brand, shotgun ammo options for social situations are non-existent. I’ll be recommending the heavy goose loads and similar when people ask “what do I get”.
Fortunately I’m reasonably well stocked but not deep enough to help people who have waiting until the last couple seconds (we’re already in the last minute window I fear).
Steelheart
Turkey shot is also an effective alternative.
‘Cut slugs’ and ‘waxed birdshot slugs’ for when you need slug performance but cant find them for sale. My Walmart has lots of birdshot in the 100round boxes in 12 and 20.
Personally, i bought a slug mold long ago and just melt the birdshot, cast a slug, then put the slug back into the shell. You dont even need a press to do this after you have practiced it a bit.
Yeah, i like to po boy things sometime.
I usually suggest the heavy goose loads for the larger shot size vs turkey loads but I’ll admit that I haven’t really looked at them either.
While I’d be willing to play with cut slugs that’s not something I want to recommend to a newbie shooter. Plus there’s the concern that they won’t feed from a magazine tube but that’s less of an issue for the people likely to mess with stuff like this.
Steelheart
I am not sure about your take on parts not being effected by the gun buying. I bought parts kits from PSA in June to flesh out two of my lower receivers and PSA took my money right away, but its been well over a month and they have not shipped anything to me yet. Now I realize PSA is slow in the best of times, but 5 weeks and nothing has shipped? I am thinking parts are in low supply as well.
Anyone else catch the story about the Chinese shipping 10,000 ar auto sears to BLM-California by way of Louisville,Ky (Customs caught this shippment but did any get through?). Strange they tried so close to Knob Creek-should of just redirected delivery to machine gun shoot. Finally replaced reloading press and some dies,mostly out of stock for several months. Still want 12ga reloader and more dies and components