anticipation of rising crime / civil unrest during economic turmoil
individual funds, discretionary income and access to credit
gun owners who are hoarding just in case #1 really happens
first time gun owners, estimated to account for 50% of most purchases since 11/4/08
the surging popularity of EBR’s in their own right
the relative scarcity of supply vs. a sudden spike in demand.
Thus far.
Federal AWB looks like a political hot-potato to those in power. Even though Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) is reportedly going to file a bill next week. I know, I know, we should never be complacent.
No blood in the streets, yet.
Are the credit cards tapped out yet? Credit is also tightening.
Well, I’ve got my 500 pmags. lol. (j/k i only have 400) :rolleyes:
First-timers done for the time being?
I need another M4 like I need a hole in the head.
There’s a lot of supply catching up now … it seems, particularly w/r/t stripped lower receivers (back to $105 /pop), upper receiver assemblies (RRA, Stag, etc), bolt and bcg’s (RRA), and even LPK’s (DPMS). P-mags are still a little tough to find, but there are other substitutes available.
Am I missing anything here?
Will ammunition shortages cramp the trend eventually?
It is definitly subsiding in Middle GA. Unlike a few months ago, I can take you to go buy Colt ARs, 223 ammo, Glock 19s, and whatever you want. The prices have not corrected themselves yet (on ammo).
Perhaps so in Pittsburgh. AR’s still seem to be flying off the shelves, but they seem to be restocked much faster. I see assortments of AK’s and variants still sitting around chain stores like Dunhams and moving slowly.
.223 ammo is the kicker. We all like the brass-cased stuff, and even the “cheap” stuff (PMC Bronze, Q3131, Federal American Eagle M193, Fiocchi, et.al.) seems to be $.50+ a round now. Even Wolf is $300+/1,000 in some places! :eek:
Big northeastern cities aren’t perhaps the BEST benchmark of price and availability, BUT… if I can make you feel better about YOUR situation, I’m glad to oblige!
I think that the firearms and ammo industry, is catching up across the board. Hopefully, due to that availability, prices will start to crash like gas prices did after it’s hyper inflation last year. Now if only we, as a collective, can curb our hoarding temptations…
As objective reality overcomes panic , normal market factors will start to operate again. We might see a fairly soft landing , rather than a crash. One factor is the awakening of new defensive gun owners , who will want to expand their ownership.
Another factor is die-hard tin foil hat wearers who will cling to panic to the bitter end. Some of those folks will never stop hoarding.
Things seem to be slowing down here in N. Indiana atleast when it comes to ammo. I can now go to Walmart and find a few boxes of ammo on the shelves for sale.
Id buy more PMags if I could find them at a decent price. But who wouldnt.
whats all this about pmags? i see 'em all over the place. on the internet, that is… locally, you couldnt get any less tactical than NW Oregon. this is Fudd central.
I have a healthy mix of pmags new and old version windowless and windowed alongside the usgi mags with magpul followers. It seems like manufacturers are catching up but ammo is still hard to come by. It seems like everyone panicked and bought ar’s, then mags, and now they are hording ammo. I wish I had been smarter and purchased more Hornady TAP 5.56 when I had the chance but hey hindsight is always 20 20 haha Happy Hunting everyone. I hope that the demand gets great and then drastically subsides and dealers are overstocked and start giving stuff away
i think this is a pretty good assessment, although pmags seemed like the first things to get gobbled up to me. but yea, everybody got their fill of AWB items- receivers, “hicap” mags, and then parts to build them up… then once obama didn’t ban guns on his first day in office, someone said “THEY GONNA TAKE OUR AMMO INSTEAD!” and the rest is hopefully becoming history.
I tend to agree that the panic buying is settling down. All my local shops have got in the past month from not having a single AR rifle to have a wall full and several stacks on the floor of rifles and Magazines.
The final straw was when I mentioned to my favorite shop that $1650 was a bit high for their 6920’s with all that had hit the market recently. Oh no, that’s a good price they tell me.
I think the buying of certain things are settling down. However, ammo is still scarce. Several online dealers have lowers in stock, and I am starting to see Noveske parts becoming available again.
As a consumable, I’m afraid that the ammo won’t be as self-regulating as the guns and accessories are. It’ll get better, but I doubt it ever gets back to where it has been in the past.
I just bought a bunch at a mediocre price, so much like washing your car always make it rain, I guarantee it’ll suddenly be easier to come by and cheaper :rolleyes:
Well here in the mid-western Oregon shops are sell 22 wildcats for 49.95 a brick and idiots are buying it… It seems alot of people are making money on panic buyers. 22 lr, 223, 45 acp all very hard to get here:mad:
Probably a combination of manufacturers catching up, people losing their jobs and/or being broke or saving their pennies.
No one I know wants to stop buying… they just can’t keep doing it.
Look on the bright side, it’s a hell of a lot better way to spend money than putting it into stock the govt might screw you out of (1 for 100 GM reverse stock split, anyone?) in an increasingly manipulated stock market, bonds the gov’t might screw you out of, 401(k)'s the govt might screw you out of, cash that govt-induced inflation might screw you out of…
Hell anyone notice a pattern here? And some people wondered why people were buying weapons. We’re talking about Grade A, 100% pure, banana republic type bullshit here.
Here’s my 2 cents, and certainly worth at least that.
Summer’s coming. That means, people go on vacation (if they’re working). Wives and kids have to have some fun too. Not just dad hoarding guns. Summer is usually a slow time for the gun business anyway.
With summer comes increasing gas prices. Has anyone noticed prices inching up yet? I predict $3.50/gal easy by late summer. Higher gas, less $$ for ammo and non essentials like AR stuff.
Summer gun shows are also historically less attended. Prices will ease up only a bit or only stabilize, but supply of everything will be much better. Production will catch up with a drop off in buyers.
But don’t get too excited. After labor day, demand will come back. Especially if there’s ANY talk of ANY federal gun bill. Congress comes back after summer recess and now that they’ve screwed up the economy even worse, they’ll move on to the next disaster. REMEMBER, LIBS SEE GUN VIOLENCE AS A HEALTH ISSUE!! I would NOT be surprised to see gun control provisions tacked onto a Health care bill.
Also with Fall comes…deer season. the non EBR types wake up and start buying stuff. Even if it’s .243 & 30-06 hunting ammo. They’ll start buying reloading compenents too. So I think by October, we’ll be back where we are now after enjoying a little bit of a repreive in the heat of summer as far as supply (of anything firearms related) is concerned.
