These are the good old days but for how long? (pistol, rifles)

[spillerNburr]

Gun prices are down. PSA selling complete uppers with BCG and CH for 259 shipped. Seen new Ruger LCP for 199 shipped. I know everyone stocked up for a Hildabeast win but when trump won prices plummeted. So for a short time "I have no idea how long" prices are very low. My LGS had the Colt AR entry rifles for 599 OTD. Tax and all. They are sold out now. I saw a sale on PSA for complete ARs for 400. Remember in 2013 when any AR was 2k plus and they sold? I did not sell guns but I did sell ammo. 223 cheap ammo for 80 bucks for 3 boxes. Some guy begged me to sell ammo as he bought an AR and wanted to shoot it. I usually don't sell but he needed it.

[NY_refugee87]

I'm acquiring everything to build rifles. Ammo, I make it a point to get at least 2k per week. Be it a mix of 5.56 (I get legit NATO 5.56, not federal, imi, pmc, privi) and pistol ammo, or just straight 5.56 and 7.62x51.

I've ordered Sig braces, 2 Fostech Echo Triggers.

I'm building an SPR that's going to be quite the tack driver. It's getting an echo trigger. Miculeck brake, carbine buffer tube with fab defense 6 position adjustable cheek riser stock. 20 inch barrel low pro adjustable gas block swivel bipod oh yeah and 90 round drums

[spillerNburr]

I remember 100 55 gr loose bullets, not rounds bullets 223 at gun shows were 25 bucks. It was crazy. I just bought 1000 over count 55 S109 bullets for 59 bucks shipped. Also it was impossible to get Vargett powder. I bought three pounds at Bass Pro. Don't like BP but the hazzard ship is crazy.

[TrapperL]

You must be new to the game. It wasn't that long ago, maybe 4-5 years I was buying 22 LR, good stuff, not the bulk crap, for under 25 bucks a brick. And that was an inflated price. Bought many cases of 22 LR for under 50 bucks for a case- that's 10 bricks. 22 Mag was around 3 bucks a box. In the 2000's I bought many 30 caliber 147gr FMJ bullets for under 60 bucks a thousand. Bought numerous cases of 7.62x 39 steel cased Wolf ammo for just over 50 bucks for 500. 7.62x 51 was 10 bucks more. Powder bought in 8lb containers was around 80 bucks, shipped or pickup local. Prices are still high. PSA, best of luck getting delivery. They have LOTS of sales with nothing to sell. But it generates traffic where they can sell you something else.
I've been in the game since the early 70's. At that time, primers were 59 cents a hundred. Bullets, like Speer 90gr Spire point .243 were $2.49 a hundred, retail. I paid a dollar a pound for bulk military powders. There wasn't a lot of powders made for the reloader back then like it is now even though a lot of it is drawn down from military now. The cost of brass was cheap. The first 5.56 military I bought was $13.00 a thousand. I still have a slug of 3006 military match brass that I paid 10 bucks a thousand for it. I bought a lot of armor piercing ammo back then at 10 cents a round, 3006. M1 Garand clips I have cases of it that I paid $5.00 a case of 100 clips. Carbine clips were 5 bucks each- 20 or 30 round military. Another one getting out of hand are scopes. Most are made in either Taiwan or China, assembled here so they can call them Made in America, and costing into the thousands. A 6.5-20 Target Leupold, I have several of these. They're over a grand today. I paid under 200 bucks for the same scope, new, in the box. The glass is still made in Japan, the internal parts are still made in China. It's still assembled here and marketed as a Made in America scope but for a lot more money. While I have no issue with the companies making money, that's why they get into business, but there's a point where you have eliminated the prospect of the average Joe affording it due to it costing too much. I think they've just about got it there now. But then the industry has changed from shooters owning these companies to the big conglomerates that have an agenda.

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by spillerNburr

Gun prices are down. PSA selling complete uppers with BCG and CH for 259 shipped. Seen new Ruger LCP for 199 shipped. I know everyone stocked up for a Hildabeast win but when trump won prices plummeted. So for a short time "I have no idea how long" prices are very low. My LGS had the Colt AR entry rifles for 599 OTD. Tax and all. They are sold out now. I saw a sale on PSA for complete ARs for 400. Remember in 2013 when any AR was 2k plus and they sold? I did not sell guns but I did sell ammo. 223 cheap ammo for 80 bucks for 3 boxes. Some guy begged me to sell ammo as he bought an AR and wanted to shoot it. I usually don't sell but he needed it.

Supply by gun/ammo manufacturers has never changed so that leaves demand. And what is driving demand? Politics, or even the perception of changing politics. Gun owners are there own worst enemy - they hoard, they panic, they gossip about "government buying all our ammo", they just act stupid - and drive up prices.

So look for the prices to spike about 3 years from now when the presidential election cycle starts again.


Footnote - I said that supply never changes but that's not exactly true as some is imported and various international import laws, maybe embargoes, also come into effect. But once again that is all politics driven.

[ScoPro]

Several years ago I was cleaning out the hall closet and found 13 bricks of .22lr. Some of them had $7.99 price stickers still on the flap. My kids are in the process of shootin' those up.


I myself shoot very little (just a few hundred rounds of various calibers every year) but over the decades have bought a box or two now & then for different handguns & rifles, so there's always at least 400-500 rounds on hand for each gun and maybe 2,000 rounds of 5.56 & .223.


Have bought guns off & on for decades too, but not when the idiotic panics set in.


And yes, now is a good time to buy or build an AR. Already have two, but if PSA gets any more S&W Sport II carbines in at $399 each, then I'll order two just what fer to stuff in the back of the safe.
Same thing for magazines. GaG has the Magpul 30 rounders for $7.99 each, other places have 'em in bulk packs cheap.

[spillerNburr]

PSA had Stainless Complete uppers with BCG and CH for 249 shipped. I have a box of 22lr I bought Federal HP with the sticker of .49 cents. I still remember my dad saying Holiday gas has 22s on sale. Buy a couple of boxes. But that is not what I am talking about. There hits a point where you will never be able to buy at these prices again. Your never going to buy a new car for 1800 dollars like my dad did in 1971, He bought a new pinto for 1800. Or when he bought a new truck Chevy 350 eng half ton C10 for 4800 in 1978 or a GMC 4x4 I bought new for 12900 in 91. Prices fluctuate but there hits a point where this price is gone. Your never going to buy 22lr for a penny a round again. Not unless its a lost leader with very limited supply and then I doubt it very much. ARs complete at 400 will not last long. I still remember buying Makarovs new in 89 for 69 bucks. I paid 28 bucks new for my HnR 22 bolt action new at a local grocery store. I remember paying 59 for a nice used SKS and 299 for Chicom Aks. Those were the good old days and we will never see them again.

[ScoPro]

You are correct, unfortunately.
However the accumulative 700% inflation over the past 40-50 years can account for much of the huge price tags we see these days (except in the panic buying artificial run ups).
Bought my 1st new car in 1967 for $2,685 - a Malibu Sport Coupe (283 V*, three on the tree with A/C). First used car I bought was a 1960 MGA 1600 Roadster in 1964 for $900.
Bought my first new revolver in 1959 for about $42 - a Ruger Single Six, which is still in my safe. I was 15 at the time, so dad had to go with me.

[Magnum Mike]

I'm waiting for the price of reloading components, mainly bullets and brass cases, to drop. I have a box of 100 Hornady 7mm 120-grain bullets that I bought some time around 2010 and the price on the tag was around $17, the last time I was at a sporting goods/gun store, which was less than a month ago, the price was around $30.

[spillerNburr]

I just bought 168gr 308 copper jacket hollow points boat tail 250 shipped. Also 1000 over count s109 55 gr 223 for 120.99 shipped. Its cheaper now then it has been in some time. I also loaded up on powder to a deg. Bullseye and Vargette.