Firearmagedon and Garden Update

Today I had some idle time around mid day. Decided to go out to all the local gun shops kind of inventory/ price checking. Here is what I found

Gun availability- A wide variety of guns were readily available. All sorts of AR's plus other military pattern rifles. Of course lots of hunting/ 'precision' rifles, shotguns and .22's. Pistols were available though you might not be able to get a specific model. Part of that I think is just that a lot more variance is in the pistol market. [EX I wouldn't notice the lack of a 16" mid length BCM rifle when they had a half dozen various AR's on the wall. I would be far more likely to notice a Glock 19 not being there.] You could probably get something pretty comparable though. Lots of XD's and M&P's present. Glocks were sort of hit and miss.

One guy was definitely trying to get some pre panic prices (they may be consignment at which point he doesn't determine the price) on a few military pattern rifles but I've been seeing the same guns there for awhile so there do not seem to be any takers. However broadly speaking prices were OK. They are probably around 125% of normal or so.

Mags- Lots of AR mags. Prices for PMAG's, Lancers, etc were about $21ish. TAPCO AK mags from $15-20ish. Glock mags were semi available with prices around $30. That's not too bad since they were $26-27 retail in a local shop before this. Bunches of XD mags available. Didn't see ANY .Ruger 10/22 mags and only a few off brand AR .22 conversion mags. The shop that had the silly rifle mag prices had some silly prices for AK (unambiguous used steel @ $30) and M1A mags (unambiguous metal @ $50) . Hell I guess you can't fault a guy for being optimistic.

Ammo- Prices are generally coming down but availability is spotty. Saw .223 at a couple places. It seems to be running .60c a rd or so for brass cased range meat. .308 everywhere but it's running a buck to a buck and a quarter for brass cased range meat. No 9mm/ .40/ .45 ball to be found. The stuff is coming in a trickle then going out just as fast.

Full availability of shotgun ammo. Target loads, small game hunting, turkey and buck/ slug are all available. That in and of itself might be a reason to own a 12 gauge shotgun.

.22 ammo. Availability was limited at best. The shop that had the optimistic rifle and mag prices had a few inflation adjusted 325 round bricks of Federal Auto Match for $40. That price was probably optimistic guess somebody might need .22 ammo who will pay that. (In the last month and a half or so I've purchased 3 of them, 1 at $21 and 2 at $17.)

At other places I saw a few various 50-100 round boxes of .22lr. Some Winchester and some CCI. 

Well that's the firearmagedon update. In general things are getting better which is good. Unfortunately ammo is lagging behind. Hopefully that will get better in the coming weeks.

As to the garden. The strawberry plants did not die but they were definitely not going to bear fruit. They went into the trash today. The tomatoes are going well. Except a bird ate the two almost perfectly ripe tomatoes I was waiting to pluck from the vine and put into a meal. That filled me with more rage than was probably reasonable. Talked to some folks about it. Apparently you need nets to protect the maters from birds here. I'll do that tomorrow. The taters and beans seem to be doing just fine. The cherry tomatoes are good. The peppers just haven't done anything, not dead but haven't grown or anything. I'm kinda thinking they might have been in too small of pots. Stuck em in the larger ones the strawberries were in so maybe that will help. Well that's the garden update. Some good, some less good, lots of time outside and learning.

Anyway I hope you all have a good Saturday.

How is the firearm/ mag/ ammo situation in your area?

RE: When They Come For Your Guns

I enjoyed this Hoss USMC video. Like most things his perspective is well thought out and logical. Dude just makes sense.

Here are my thoughts on the video:
1) It should have been titled "IF They Come For Your Guns". Personally gun confiscation is pretty low on my list of concerns. Though if I lived in Kalifornia, New York, Chicago, etc I might feel differently. Simply cannot see that happening in most of the US. Anyway moving on.

2) People are more important than things. I can get another gun much easier than I can recover from lethal wounds. This is made much easier conceptually if you have backups, in this case guns with ancillary stuff, stored someplace other than your home. That brings us to Caches.

3) Caches. Like I talked about before you have to consider the context of a cache. In this case I would look at the type of people you might store things with first. Like John Mosby said more or less "Hiding crates of Mosin Nagant's in the basement of the Gun Club's President is not a sound plan". An ideal candidate to cache some stuff with would be either for your cause but very quietly so or relatively neutral about it but very pro you and thus willing to help you out.

In terms of proximity a cache would need to be far enough away from you to be unaffected by the event that concerns you but close enough for you to get to if that event happens. Obviously a cache of guns buried 5 feet from your house or stored with the next door neighbor is a bad plan. On the other hand a gun 2,300 miles away isn't very helpful either. Somewhere between a mile and a hundred miles is probably a good way to go. Of course that is just a rough idea. Obviously a quarter mile from home buried in the state park would be fine. Political boundaries are also a consideration. If you live in California a buddy in Oregon/ Nevada/ Arizona would have some real benefits. Ditto for Cook County, Ill and Pop's Farm in Cornville.

Of course like any other cache appropriate planning and preparation is required.

4) Bait Guns. While I have my doubts about how unwinding all the the NCIS and ATFE 4473 mess for all guns on a national scale but lets just say that happened with some degree of effectiveness. In any case unless they are literally going block by block, door to door searching homes the folks knocking at the door probably know you have some guns. It would probably be a hard sell to convince them you do not have a single firearm. At a minimum that would likely garner unwanted attention. Since you want them to leave, not get deeper into your life, that is bad.

Awhile back Maine Prepper had the excellent point not to try giving them a broken rusty BB Gun and saying it is your only gun. A more realistic option might be a handgun as well as a shotgun / .22/ rifle. The first advantage of this plan would be you have these guns in the home prior to this hypothetical confiscation. A rifle to go hunting, a pistol and shotgun to defend your castle, whatever. If these are basic guns they can be very functional but had purchased at modest costs; particularly if you can buy them when opportunities arise. An old .38 and a Mosin Nagant or pump shotgun could be had for under $500. Aside from the benefit of having more quality guns now you can show them what they expected (which is to find some guns) getting them out of your hair. The second benefit would be that you are meeting their expectations which will get them out your door faster.

As to the rest of your guns? If folks are just doing a door to door search they came and found (or you handed over, whatever) your bait guns then I'd keep my mouth shut. Talking as little as possible around Cops is not a bad idea anyway. On the other hand maybe somehow they unwound all or part of the NCIS/ 4473 mess. At this point they are asking about the Glock 19 SN 12345 I purchased on 9 June 2008 at Shooters in Columbus GA. This rather unlikely scenario is one of the biggest reasons to buy paperless guns.

Well in most of the US private sales are currently legal with no requirements for documentation or going through an FFL. A plausible lie that would be very difficult to improve might be the order of the day. I sold a bunch of guns a few years back: when I was getting stationed in Germany, was out of work for a few months, needed money when the Mrs got pregnant, had to fund a move from Ohio to Kansas, realized I hadn't hunted in years, swapped it for auto repair on a car that's since been sold etc or something else plausible like it fell out of the boat on a fighting trip, was stolen and you mindlessly forgot to report it, lost it in a poker game or whatever. The point would be to choose something that would be plausible and generally matches with some known facts from your life, yet would be just about impossible to disprove. I like events years in the past that occurred in other areas. Sure if the proverbial federal 'eye of mordor' shifted onto me they could try to track down an older shade tree mechanic from Kansas circa 2009 but in a mass confiscation scenario that would not get run down. I suppose this would be easiest for somebody who hasn't bought a papered gun in years that has also made a big move or two. If you've always lived in the same town and bought an AR-15 last summer it might be a bit harder to be convincing and vague at the same time. 

It is also worth noting that you would want to rid the home of ammunition, accessories, etc for guns you are hypothetically claiming are no longer in your possession.  I expect a mag or box of ammo in the back of a closet could be explained away. However huge stacks of ammo cans and dozens of AR-15 magazines  and Glock 17 magazines for the guns you claim to have sold/ whatever would be a hard sell.

So anyway those are my thoughts on that. As always your input is welcome.

Gun Show Report 4/27/13

Turns out our little town had a gunshow today! So needless to say I had to check it out. As I'm in the market for a Glock 26 it made sense to go look. It was interesting for sure. Aside from the baby Glock I wasn't really looking for anything but was open to a great deal or something small to fill a need.

Guns: Tons of AR's, AK's, SKS's and Mini 14's. A good variety of semi auto .308's; M1A's and PTR-91's, a FAL n a solitary genuine HK G3 (semi). Older guns like Garands and M1 carbines were present as well as lots of hunting type rifles. Plenty of semi auto pistols like XD's, M&P's, Sigs, Glocks, etc though due to the sheer variety in that market the specific gun you want (in my case a Glock 26) might not have been be present. As to Glocks there were at least 1 each 17 and 19, a few various .45's and a couple G27's.Shotguns and .22's were also present in large numbers.

Prices varied widely. Some politically incorrect guns (mostly AR's n AK's) were priced OK considering the state of things. A couple AR's were at or around a grand. They were DMPS, the basic M&P's or comparable brands. Saw 2 nice new (dealer) rifles (BCM and Stag) for $1,150ish. Other rifles varied from optimistically priced to just silly. Several AR's from brands I have never heard of were listed at $1,600-1,700. AK's ran from $1,200 Norico Mac-90's to a $850 WASR. SKS's were running $500ish. M1A's were $2,200-2,500 and PTR's were 1,200-1,400.

Hunting rifles, shotguns and .22's were a little high but if you consider that bargaining is a given part of it's probably their padding. Ruger 10/22's were consistently priced at $325.

Pistol prices were consistently 50-100 higher than they should be. Glocks were 550-600. A guy was trying to get $850 for XDm's and another wanted $800 for a Jerico (IMI the same gun as the Baby Eagle I think) in 9mm. Revolvers were priced pretty optomistically also.

Mags: Lots of mags available. Big stacks of various AR mags and a decent speckling of PMAGs. Sig and Glock mags were present as well as some Glock 33rd 'happy sticks'. A lot of AK mags also. A speckling of less common rifle mags like Mini-14, M1 carbine, SKS detachable mags (d model?), HK G3, FN-FAL. Probably 2 dozen Ruger BX-25's and a dozen various off brand 10/22 25rd type mags. Several old guys with stacks of used mags for just about every gun made in the last 50 years.

Mag prices: USGI used AR mags $20, new aftermarket type (Brownells, Lancer, etc) AR mags $25, PMAGs $35 which is odd because a shop in town has a bunch @$21-22. Those big 60 rd surefire mags from $160-200. AK steel presumably surplus $25 except a solitary mag @$45. BXP's $60-80. Glock mags $35-40, HK G3 mags $20-25 and they were pretty rough. Those are all the prices I remember but they generally fit the same relative price point as the ones I paid attention to.

I saw 2 CMMG .22 conversion mags for the first time in awhile. Wanted to buy them but didn't see the .22 conversion kit sitting nearby and justifiably the guy would not sell them without the kit. He of course tried to sell me an AR to go with the kit I didn't want to buy (wanted the mags) then we ended up talking. He wanted my opinion of the kit. I said without changing my rifles sights it offered sufficient practical accuracy out to at least 25 meters to train or I suppose shoot small game. Told him that was sufficient for my needs and I am happy with the kit.

Ammo: This was just silly. The big local shop had a table selling .223 (PMC X-tac 55gr) around $11/20 with a 2 box limit. They had a bit of pistol ammo but I think it was for folks buying guns. Everybody else pretty much lost their damn minds. 9mm 25+/50 for brass FMJ's. .40 and .45 were more like $30/50 brass FMJ. .223 at 17/20 at one booth with the rest at a buck a round (for various low end range type ammo). 7.62x39 from $9/20-$11/20. .308 was at least a buck a round. A solitary spam can of 7.62x54R for $140, surplus 30'06 was a buck a round. Surprisingly shotgun ammo was pretty expensive also. The dudes selling .22 ammo must have been smoking a special type of crack that breeds optimism. Bricks (500-550) of bulk type .22 lr were on tables varying from $80-120. Saw the little 50 round boxes of CCI Mini Mag for $30.

One dealer in particular seemed to have utterly lost their minds. They were trying to get $40 for standard (Federal or Remington, I don't remember) 20 round boxes of 150gr soft points and $179 for a brick of federal .22lr. They had ammo cans (albeit the plastic with rubber seals) at a decent price but out of principle I did not buy any.

Discussion: Loaded guns were not allowed inside. Some guy cleared my Glock 19 for me into a makeshift (think it was a 5 gallon bucket of sand but it faced a cement wall) barrel then it was zip tied, marked with a white sticker and returned to me. Not sure how I feel about that but considering folks have been shooting each other fiddling with guns inside or busting caps all over the place trying to clear their guns on the way in it makes sense.

Now that we have talked about what folks were TRYING TO SELL it makes sense to talk about what was actually being sold. Semi automatic pistols were moving. I was driving around trying to find the place and saw a dude walking down the street with a pistol in his hand (think it had a tag on it) and asked him if it was the gun show to which he relied that it was. People were looking at handguns then some of them were buying. Hunting rifles and shotguns priced right were moving. Various collector type stuff as well as little odds n ends (holsters, etc) were getting picked over, examined, bargained over and occasionally purchased.

As to mags they weren't going anywhere. Didn't see a single AR/ AK/ G-3 mag sold nor any common pistol mags like Glock/ Sig/ XD/ etc. Saw one guy getting Mini-14 mags plus a few people looking for a spare mag for their hunting rifle, .22 plinker or an oddball (50's era .380, etc) pistol mag.

Plenty of people seemed to be looking at ammo but few were buying.  At the prices I saw it is hard to blame them. One dude really wanted .22 but not at the prices being asked. A couple folks picked up 1-2 boxes of .223, a couple got a box or two of pistol or shotgun ammo and a few folks wanted a box for various hunting type rifles. Nobody was picking up arm fulls of the stuff.

Some individuals were selling doing the walk around with a sign on their chest thing. Most had the usual odd mixture of a 40 year old .22, a 1911 and whatever. One dude had an FN-AR .308 which was pretty cool, didn't even ask the price. A dealer I asked about G26's tried to buy my Glock 19.

Personally I bought a book and 3 of those little plastic AR muzzle caps. Stickers said 12 to which I offered 10 which was accepted.  Looked at lots of guns, handled a few, laughed at some ammo prices, chatted with some nice people and generally had a fine time. Would have liked to leave with a Glock 26 but it wasn't a bad way to waste a couple hours.

How does this compare with your neighborhood?

AK Mags for $20ish at Midway

Military Surplus Polymer AK mags for $20 or $23. Not a great price by pre panic terms but a very good one now. If you didn't get all the AK mags you will ever want when they were cheap and have a few extra dollars this would be a prudent move. Import restrictions can change overnight via executive order (it happened in 1989) which would make surplus AK stuff unobtanium in a hurry.

Midway is a company I have done a bit of business with. They are good folks who run a professional business.

Basic Guns Part 1.75

I forgot to add yet another thing in Basic Guns Part 1.5. You need to consider not just the cost of the gun itself but ammunition, magazines (if applicable), slings/ holsters/ cleaning gear and the like. Depending on where you are in terms of shooting training might also be a good option.

Chris said he uses 4x the cost of the gun as a guideline. The real cost depends significantly on what you consider as "equipped". Obviously 6 spare mags and 500 rounds costs less than 10 spares and 1k ammo which costs less than 20 mags and 5k rounds.

These costs can vary wildly from gun to gun. (Pre panic) Glock factory spare magazines were somewhere around $25 while HK and SIG mags were more like $45. If you are a person who wants 10 pistol mags that is a lot of money. It's the same thing with rifles. AR mags are typically fairly common and cheap while Valumet or Galil mags can be quite rare and expensive. Rare ammo like 6 mm Rem will typically (especially once the bubble bursts anyway) cost more than .223 which is much more common.

The point is to look at these costs when you are weighing say a Smith and Wesson .38 vs a Glock 9mm vs a Sig in .357 Sig. The wheel gun is going to be a lot more affordable than the Glock to equip and the Sig will cost an arm and a leg to get going.

Firearmagedon Tailing Off?

TEOTWAWKI Blog called it a few days ago and over the past 24 hours it has picked up the pace a bit in AZ (specifically Southern AZ).

AR prices are trending solidly down. I think the folks who came too late to the 'double the new price for your used AR' party are starting to realize there are not people left who can/ will pay $1,600+ for a basic PSA/ Oly/ DPMS/ Bushmaster let alone a generic Franken AR. I am now seeing these guns more in the 1k-1,200 range but nobody seems to be buying, at least in a hurry. Low end AK's like WASR's and Yugo's are down to the 1k range for the most part though I did see a Polish 74 at a $650 asking price.

Some mags seem to be slipping down in price as well. Saw some PMAGs for 30 (gently used I think) to 35. USGI in the $30 range. A few Tapco AK mags at $25 a piece. Factory full capacity pistol mags, especially of the Glock flavor, Ruger BXP-25's and some other less common stuff is basically not available. Though one guy had Ruger BXP mags listed for $70.) This is weird because this stuff was being listed, albeit at stupid prices, a week or two ago. The only thing I can figure is buyers are waiting it out and potential sellers are not desperate.

The one sad face, at least in my AO is ammunition. Evil semi auto ammo is next to unavailable at sane prices. On the private market 7.62x39 is running 45-50 cents a round (steel) in quantity and higher for smaller lots. .223/5.56 is going for 75 cents a round (brass, a bit less for steel) or higher. .308 is occasionally available a box or two at a time in more expensive hunting loads at a buck and a quarter a round. Anything on the private market is about a buck and a quarter a shot.

Other rifle ammo is generally available and prices are relatively unchanged.

Pistol ammo is sporadically available at close to pre panic prices if you do not care about manufacturer/ load. It is solidly available at higher prices in stores that marked it up and on the private market. Mark ups vary for 40% to 100+% with 9mm ($20/50 is the best deal I have seen in awhile) packing the highest premiums. Interestingly premium type defense ammo is still widely available. As Tam would say "Bubba and Cletis aren't buying more than a mag of them there holler points". I suppose the folks who are able and willing to stock the good stuff deep did it awhile back, probably at better prices.

Shotgun ammo is fairly available locally if you are not picky.  Of course the low cost Walmart type buckshot is gone but it is available at slightly higher prices.

.22lr is available in small quantities. Everybody has shifted to just making the little 50 and 100 round packs. Most stores I have been to recently has at least a few boxes, usually with a 2-3 box limit. A person can get the stuff but not necessarily in their favorite flavor.

Without the benefit of a crystal ball I would say that unless you are really desperate, which we could arbitrarily describe as less than a fighting load of mags (7x30's or 11x20's for a rifle, 4 mags for a pistol) and enough ammo to reload them all 3x, holding off might be a good idea. Your money will probably buy a lot more gun stuff in 2-4 months.

[Of course the decision would need to be based on multiple factors. The first of which is your finances, the price difference means a lot more to some folks than others. The next would be the totality of your other preps as well as your overall 2A preps. Example a guy with 6 Glocks and a trunk full of mags for them but only 3x mags for the sole M&P is in a fine spot overall. Don't stress only having 500 rounds for the .308 if you have 10 cases of ammo for the AK, etc. The last factor would be what you think is going to happen.

Anyway that is what is going on here in Southern Arizona. What is going on in your neck of the woods?

30rd PMAGs in Stock at Lucky Gunner!

Magpul AR-15 30rd - 5.56/.223 - Black - PMAG Standard Magazine

Gun Store Watch

Yesterday I saw the following mags:

Ruger Mini 30 (7.62x39) factory Magazines. About a half dozen of them. These will probably stick around unless the 1 dude who owns that rifle is Southern Arizona comes and gets them all.

S&W MP magazines. A bunch of them. Like the higher capacity ones in 9, 40 and 45. They were running $37 a pop but they were there.

CZ 75 mags. These guys are something like $50 a piece.

XD mags seem to be continually present.

All the new Beretta Storm/ PX4/ whatever mags were available.

In terms of guns pistols are selling like crazy but widely available. Could be that most decent gun shops have a lot of them (the Glock line, Sig line, S&W, etc) in comparison to black rifles. Black rifles are trickling in and flying out. Shotguns (pump) and bolt guns are totally available.

.223 is like the way too hot for the party but down to earth cool girl in that it is totally absent. I've seen a box or two 7.62x39 and .308 intermittently. You might not be able to get your favorite load but some sort of ammo is available. The venerable .22 long rifle is pretty thin. You are seeing the 50 and 100 round boxes of the more expensive stuff, there isn't an en cheapo brick of .22 to be had.

How are things in your neighborhood?

If Things Go Back To Normal I Will Buy....

After identifying some relative shortages this is about what I will buy over the course of the next year if things go back to normal.

-6 Glock 17 mags

-5 Ruger BXP 25 rd mags
 
-4 more 33rd factory Glock 9mm mags

-3 cases of ammo (2x223, 1x 9mm)

-2 75rd Eastern European surplus AK drums and

-1 AR-15 stripped lower receiver

What would you buy? Try to be realistic. I would LIKE to get an AR pistol, a PTR-91, an Arsenal AK, 100 various mags and 10 cases of ammo but that would not be realistic for me in the 1 year time frame given. Also you do not have to stick with the count down format I did that just make it a bit more fun.


PS: Sorry for the short post it has been a crazy day and I am done. Going to have a couple beers, watch Vegas and go to bed. Will have something good tomorrow, I promise.

RE: What's Available

TEOTWAWKI Blog asked so I am chiming in for South East Arizona. Down here in the shops AR's are slowly trickling in and moving out immediately afterwords. They are keeping about the same profit margin but all the way up the supply chain there have been demand based price increases and potentially some bidding wars. Basic guns from folks like DPMS, Del Ton or Olympic Arms are running $1,200 to $1,600. The private party AR market is out of control. I am not sure if folks are buying BS parts guns worth maybe $650 a week ago for upwards of 2 grand but a lot of folks seem to be trying to sell them.

Ammo for .223 is available in limited quantities. PMAGs are running $30-40 on the private market. Some normal capacity 20 round mags are available and occasionally an oddball plastic 30rder from some company I have never heard of shows up.

A wide variety of pistols are still available though Glock 9mm's are notably absent. Still XD/MP/etc type guns out there in stores and on the private market. Prices haven't jumped so much on them. Seen private market folks trying to sell Glocks for upwards of $600 but careful search can get you one at about $500 which is a bargain these days. Good luck getting mags for a Glock 19/17 though. Glock 9mm mags are off the shelves and not really present on the private market. Seen folks trying to sell those junk aftermarket 33rders for stupid prices like $40.

The common Sig/ Beretta 92 type mags are gone but XD, S&W MP and some others are still available. Folks around here just don't seem to own these guns in any numbers or the folks who have them aren't the stocking up types.

9mm ammo is available though the price of your bulk/ plinking stuff is considerably higher than before this mess.

7.62x39 is available but at over $300 a case. Still not too bad of a jump considering how other stuff has moved.

Shotgun ammo is widely available as are .38/.357 and 40 S&W in pistol calibers and most standard hunting type calibers 30'06, .300Winmag, etc. Bolt action rifles, shotguns and revolvers have not really changed in availability

What are things like in your area?

Scene On The Ground In Southern Arizona/Has The Potential AWB Got You Doing Anything?

Today I went around and did a survey of our local gun shops. Not a Glock mag over 10 rounds to be found. The 17 round 9mm Smith and Wesson M&P Mags were sold out but I saw a handful of the 13 rounders (if you need them email me). Lots of XD mags (ditto). A few AR mags to be had. Some 20 rounders and a few Thermamolds I think. One shop had a stash of PMAGs they were guarding like their daughters honor.

Saw a couple AR's. An Olympic Arms rifle with a stainless barrel was going for $1,400 and a basic Del Tonic was going for $1,200. Both AR's were sold almost immediately. Like came out of the box and got sold to folks who have been waiting for them. The shop owner was tossing a couple mags in with each gun free of charge. They are keeping prices reasonable and only increasing based on the rise in their costs. As the owner said "You guys are my customer base and will continue to be my customer base after this is over." He is a gruff old guy but a strait shooter.

There are plenty of pistols available in the stores. Maybe not every model conceivable but if you want a handgun you can get one. Shotguns, rimfire and bolt guns seem unaffected. Ammo wasn't too bad. I did notice that the same .223 I bought for 9 bucks (per 20rds) a box about a week ago went up to 13 and there is a limit of 5 boxes per customer.

The private party market here is crazy. Supply is catching up to demand but at stupid prices. Tons of guns worth $800 two weeks ago are now up for sale at 2 grand or more. Quite a few parts guns with total no name stuff I would not have paid $650 for 2 weeks ago are now up for sale for 2 grand or more. Folks have decided that WASR AK-47's are now worth $900 on up. It looks like a lot of folks have brought dusty rifles out of the safe to cash in on the hysteria.

The trades folks are trying to do are interesting. Folks seem to be fleeing .40 in favor of 9mm and oddball toys (PSL's, old Colt 1911's) for semi auto rifles like AK's and AR's. I don't know how many of these trades are actually executed but that's what folks are going for anyway.

Now to the next part of this post.

Has The Potential AWB Got You Doing Anything?

Personally I am not emptying our savings, maxing out the credit card or anything crazy. Have however pushed back some other things and prioritized the stuff we can use the most. I have bought or ordered about 14 various AR magazines plus a few 22 mags and bought about $400 in AR spare parts. A lot of this is really stuff that was on the list but hovering just below the level that gets acted on. Looking for another handgun or two if the right opportunity presents itself. That is about all I can do but really all we NEED to do so it is OK.

If you are doing anything to prepare for what may be coming please let us know in the comments section.

RE: Random thoughts on current events to close out the week

Alexander Wolfe/ Teotwawki Blog did a great post today Random thoughts on current events to close out the week. As to a potential AWB who knows. Finally calmed down about the whole thing so am not going to let myself get stressed again unless something tangible actually happens.

Things I wish I would have bought (on the off chance an AWB/magazine ban goes into effect)

Guns
-Glock 17
-AR Pistol
-PTR-91 or some sort of semi auto .308

Ancillary stuff
A few more Ruger 25 rd mags for the 10/22 (For if/ when I get another 10/22 down the road)
A couple drums for the AK

2 cases of .223

None of this stuff is really critical.  That is good because resources are finite. Project AR upgrade which thankfully was completed prior to this mess wasn't cheap. Seriously my gun find is about as solvent as social security. Had planned to let a few bucks build back up over 3-4 months but then this happened.

I am looking to buy a G 17 over the next couple weeks if the opportunity presents itself. More.223 ammo will get purchased after that if it is available at semi sane prices. An AR pistol and PTR-91 or some sort of AR-10 aren't in the cards financially. Of course I can still use a couple more holsters as well as a nice range bag and some other ancillary stuff but that is all on the shelf indefinitely.

While doing some looking at various gun accessories for this post I saw a pretty cool Pelican Rifle Case. Man one of these would be very nice to have and they aren't really that expensive. Set up for an AR, a shotgun and a pistol this would be great. Perfect for a situation where we need to leave in a hurry but aren't going to be OIF I style rifles hanging out the vehicle. Anyway a fellow can dream.

Hopefully this will all blow over and I can get back to normal operations in a couple months. Anyway I'm bored of writing so am going to wrap this up.

Merry Christmas

From The Web

Brownells sold 3.5 years of magazines in 72 hours. I helped with that myself by making a last minute PMAG order.

A teaser chapter for Max Velocities new fiction piece Patriot Dawn.

Gun Shop Trip 12/21 and World Isn't Over Yet

Yesterday I went to the gun shop and today ended up going back. As a joke I told the guy behind the counter I wanted a stripped AR-15 lower receiver and 10 PMAGs in a serious sounding voice. He picked up the joke but did not laugh. Good time to be a gun shop owner but the guy behind the counter probably not so much.

Wanted to pick up a few 20 rd AR mags (which they had the day before) and check out ammo prices. Waited for about 20 minutes for the guy working the counter to have a minute to grab what I wanted from behind the counter and ring me up. Turns out they had 2 30 rounders slipped into the stack and priced the same @ 21.95 for Bushmaster. The guy asked where I found them and I said with the 20's (which was true) and he hesitated for a minute then said it was my lucky day. I didn't need any mags really but thought having a couple 20's around might not be a bad thing.

They had some .308 in stock today as well as a good amount (probably a case) of PMC M193. The price on the PMC went up from 9.75 yesterday to 11 and change today but it was new stock so the price difference makes sense. No AR's in stock but they did have a Springfield M1A for $2,300.

Ended up redoing my AR mag inventory this afternoon. Turns out we are doing better than I thought (did the inventory before household goods arrived so the mag inventory, particularly AR mags was split) which is very positive news considering the way things might be going. Actually that means I didn't really need the 30's but oh well. Might be glad I got them some day.

Incidentally things have been getting downright nasty in the market for gun stuff. I have seen a couple guys trying to sell guns that were worth $650-800 a week ago for over 2 grand. Some guy wanted a grand for a darn Yugo SKS which was totally insane. Cheaper than Dirt tried selling PMAGs for $60 for about a minute until there was a rather nasty backlash.

[It is worth noting that companies need to consider the replacement cost of inventory as well as the purchase price (and of course their costs and profit). That means in a rapidly adjustmenting market Bob the gun shop owner might just be changing prices to keep up and reorder inventory/ stay in business not to stick it to the customer.]

I'm a free market guy so the idea of price gouging isn't generally an issue for me. Free choice on both sides. Now I can note that typically for companies this is a short term gain long term loss scenario. Customers have long memories and while they might make a necessary purchase during an emergency when things are back to normal they remember and buy from another dealer.  Making a few extra bucks today but alienating a customer who may spend hundreds or thousands of dollars a year over time isn't a very good business model. Anyway I had an idea.

People should work together to help each other out. By sharing information and helping each other out they can level out regional anomalies. If Tim can find Beretta 92 mags and Bob needs them Tim could pick up a few and sell them to Bob at cost plus shipping. Maybe John can find AK mags that Tim needs and send them his way. I genuinely believe good people being prepared is in every other good persons best interest.

Along these lines I have seen the following mags in my AO: Springfield XD (just about all) @ 27ish, A couple G23 mags @ $27, Beretta and Sig mags around $37, a few really overpriced HK 91 mags @ 14.95 and there might still be a few 20 round AR mags out there @21.95. Drop me a line at theotherryan@yahoo.com if you need and cannot find any of this stuff.

Obviously you should use common sense. Don't front somebody money for mags and ship them without payment. Use the same common sense you would in any other online type purchase using a payment method with some protection. Also do not do anything illegal like making a straw purchase or mailing a weapon out of the narrow conditions where it is acceptable.

If you can get something like AR parts or mags at decent prices either drop me an email and I'll play match maker or leave a note in the comments section.

Incidentally the world seems to not have ended as of now. My study of Mayan history says it is happening tonight at about 930 in the evening Arizona time. We will see if they were right in a few hours.

Merry Christmas and good luck if you are trying to find any gun related stuff these days. 

Quote of the Day- Jim Rawles on the Economics of an M1A

"For the same money as a "Loaded" M1A with one magazine and no scope, you could buy a PTR91-GI rifle (a HK91 clone), AND 100 spare alloy G3 magazines (under $3 each!), AND a Savage Model 10 .308 bolt action that is sub-MOA, right out the box.

For comparison, 100 spare original M14 magazines would cost you around $2,600. And just a spare USGI M14 operating rod ("op rod") now costs around $250. You should dispassionately consider not just the initial cost of the rifle, but rather the full lifetime cost, including magazines and and a supply of repair parts  (my emphasis, TOR)."
-Jim Rawles

I love the M1A. They are beautiful and accurate though if we are real probably not a gun that should ever have existed. It says something about America that we invented an inferior gun instead of just buying the much superior FN-FAL which if I recall beat the M1A twice in our own tests, which were promptly ignored. However some time ago I came to terms with the fact that it was a gun whose price was pegged (inflation, gun cost increases, etc) above what I was ever going to be willing to pay.

Incidentally at one point I planned to get an M1A and even picked up some magazines. They are the Checkmate 20 rounders which are currently being used by .mil. Brand new still in their wrappers. Think I've got 10 of them. Will sell for $25 a piece plus a few bucks for shipping. Will definitely trade for PMAGS or USGI AR-15 magazines and may trade for other mags or gear. If you've got something else to trade we can figure it out. Shoot me an email at theotherryan@yahoo.com if you are interested.

Mags are pending sale at this time.

Rotating and Downloading Magazines

Personally I try to rotate magazines about monthly. While I have kept Glock and AR mags loaded for over a year without issue but have had issues with other mags. Just don't see a downside to rotating them even though it's mostly just a forcing function to make me inspect mags regularly. Also I have been downloading mags for awhile now putting 14/15 or 16/17 in Glock mags and 28 into 30 round rifle mag. I think it gives just a little more push to keep things moving and both hold enough rounds that it shouldn't be an issue.

Do you rotate magazines?

What about loading them with a round or two less than the full capacity?

Thinking of Panic Buying?

I have talked to a couple people in the gun biz and they are really busy. I'm not talking rumors over the internet from a guy who knows a guy but actual humans I regularly interact with. Since the election went to our President Barrack Obama the speculation is that he will try to push through some sort of Assault Weapons Ban or other gun control measures.

Personally I do not think the winds of our time are for gun control. Between Heller, the Republicans owning the house and arguably the Democratic party at large learning from '94, a lot of states adding or going to 'shall issue' with concealed carry and the popularity of many modern weapons including Glock pistols as well as other polymer double stack's and the AR platform I don't see it happening. For goodness sake Walmart sells AR-15's these days. There could be too many people who own them or have vested interests in making them for it to happen. However I could be wrong.

Honestly part of the reason I am not all that worried is that over time I've built up a decent stash of weapons as well as magazines and ammunition to feed them. It didn't happen overnight. An order of Glock mag's here, some .223 there, a few AR-15 mags for my birthday, etc. It turns out that if you make 3-4 orders for mags or ammo a year for several years it sure adds up. It certainly wouldn't be ideal if what I've got is all there will ever be but it wouldn't be disastrous.

As we discussed before there are some problems with panic buying. Also as Commander Zero once noted (more or less) if you can comfortably afford something and want it then why hasn't it come home with you already. The guy they find for the news who never liked guns but goes out and gets 2 AR's with a bunch of mags and several cases of .223 ammo because they might be banned is IMO very rare. If you wanted a case of 9mm ammo or a nice AR-15 rifle then either you own it or there is some reason like money, motivation or whatever that it hasn't happened already.

A more realistic scenario I think is that you might re prioritize things if it looks like a ban might be coming. While they are also really important medical stuff, extra boots and commo stuff are unlikely to be banned in a month or two. Depending on where you are low and where you are comfortable it might be prudent to move item #3 on your list which is a spare set of mags for your pistol and #4 which is some more .22 ammo to the front burner. You might even feel strongly enough about the urgency to skip drinks with the guys and bring leftovers or a sack lunch to work a few times to make things happen in a hurry.

Of course it is worth noting to be reasonable about it. Do not be financially stupid or bet too heavily on one possible scenario. I certainly wouldn't recommend spending money you cannot afford or going into debt. Also be careful not to get gun/ mag/ ammo/ accessories tunnel vision. Yes guns and the stuff to run them are important but you still need food, fuel, cash, extra clothes and medical supplies. I think it is reasonable to slightly adjust your priorities (especially for a short period like 3-6 months) to fill needs that may become more difficult or expensive to fill later.

Please note that I am not at all against having a good stash of guns and gun stuff.  If I stumbled into a bunch of money from my dead Zimbabwean Uncle tomorrow another AR and Glock 9mm (or a few of each) with plenty of ancillary stuff would come home with us. It is just that we have limited resources to prepare for all sorts of scenarios. Also to be blunt it is more likely that I will need a Coleman stove w/ fuel and some canned goods than a bunch more shotgun shells sitting in the closet by the other shotgun shells.

As to putting my money where my mouth is. Recently I have purchased 4 of those new 25 round Ruger 10/22 mags and 1 more 10rder for the .22 Buckmark recently. That being said those were shortages identified in recent inventories. I am toying with a few future purchases that might be made in the next few months: a handful of PMAGs and Glock mags as well as a new AR-15 lower for Project AR Upgrade  would be nice. However I'm not going to be prioritizing this stuff above food (which we are short on) and new funding streams that may or may not develop are also a factor so who knows.

Anyway those are my thoughts on that. What do you think?

Elections, Life and Family

The presidential election is over. I am almost entirely ambivalent about it. In many ways except party catch phrases the 'solutions' being offered were very comparable.

I considered doing some panic buying but things are pretty solid on most fronts. A few more magazines for the .22's will be ordered shortly. After that things will be pretty good here. Also we have other areas where that money would be better spent.

The last couple days have been pretty crazy here. We've got some medical stuff going on. I will probably say more down the road when things are clearer. Something can be nothing or it can be something so I'll be intentionally vague for a bit.

I have been talking with some of our advertisers and there is good stuff coming up. Expect lots of product reviews as well as give away's and contests. This stuff should be fun and interesting for everybody.

Right now I am cooking up some brownies for Wifey and Walker in the Sun Oven. Will post the results and an in progress review later today or tomorrow.

So that is what's going on here.

What Did You Do To Prepare This Week?

Aside from running, lifting and trying with moderate success to eat healthy most energy this week went to unpacking our place. I got the last of my crazy junk out the living room and into the right places this weekend which was good. Also dry fire practice continued.

We started stocking up on some emergency food in a small way with #10 of rice and beans, some peanut butter and a few of those small canisters of propane. We did some used stuff hunting where a wool blanket was found. A sweet new pistol mag pouch came home from the gun shop. 

Considering the amount of time that went into unpacking I am pretty happy with this week's progress.

A bit of tab clearing:
Massive Silver withdrawals from COMEX. Look folks, if you are purchasing gold or silver for inflation/ default protection it is essential that you take physical possession. The only circumstances I can see owning 'certificates' or 'metals stored in a vault' or 'precious metals ETF's' is if you are trading it as a commodity like copper or pork bellies or whatever. In that situation the costs associated with shipping, as well as buying and selling physical metals would really hurt your margins.

Overly Manly Man is a short coffee break's worth of entertainment.

Oleg Volk wrote a great post titled The Mid-Directed Fetish of Marksmanship.

Chris Costa of Magpul fame and lately Costa Ludis is putting out a zombie firearms training series called Operation Z. Got to like a guy who run's a gun like crazy, has a sense of humor and doesn't take himself too seriously.

Well it is time for me to make breakfast. Hope all of your Monday's are as good as they can be.

Busy Day: Used Stuff Hunting, New Mag Pouch and Project AR Update

Today we hit up some sales at the used stuff places in town. Unfortunately it was a bust on our main goal of getting a washer/ dryer combo. I did however find an old green GI style wool blanket so that was something.

I haven't been entirely pleased with the el cheapo mag pouch I picked up a couple weeks ago. It carries like an el cheapo nylon pouch that makes the bottom end Uncle Mikes stuff look good. Also the part where the strap that holds it on the belt meets the pouch is pretty rough and scratches my side.

Went to the nicer gun shop in town and looked around. Picked up a Blackhawk single mag pouch. It is plastic/ kydex/ whatever and attaches to the belt with a solid clip. The top is open which I like. Retention seems decent as it passed the hold it upside down and shake it around test. A review will come in due time.

Unfortunately in all this activity the unpacking/ organizing I had planned didn't happen. However nothing is on the list for tomorrow so a dent should get put in that. It is good to have goals anyway.

I appreciated all the input on Project AR Upgrade AKA Zombie Rifle. Think I will stick with a government profile barrel. There are smarter places to cut weight than the barrel and it is a pretty light gun anyway. Kinda leaning towards a cheaper comp. Bravo Company makes one that is much more price friendly than a Battle Comp but I still have to run some numbers.

Also I stumbled into some interesting stuff online:
12 year old girl shoots burglar
 Helicopter shot down in Syrian Civil War. Score 1 for the rebels. As an American I cannot help but root for people trying to become free and am a bit of a sucker for an underdog. That being said I am realistic enough to know that I may be fighting them in a few years.
40% of Americans have less than $500 in readily accessible savings. This is shocking but not necessarily surprising. An anecdotal consideration of people we know says it might not be too far off base. That being said it's worth noting this was more of a survey than a serious academic/ professional study.

Anyway that is what's going on today.