Are we in an AR15 Golden Age? (And how much longer can it last?)

[blue2golf]

A friend from work tuned me into slickguns.com a few weeks ago and I've been astonished at the prices, especially of low end AR rifles. I'm seeing Del Ton Sports going for $623. S&W Sports for $599. DPMS Oracle for $549. Complete ARs with polymer lowers in the 400 dollar range. Even saw one for $399.

I paid $722 OTD for my Del-Ton Sport in December of 2012, right when the panic was building steam. I thought myself fortunate at the time after seeing them go for $1500 on GunsAmerica a month later. Now I'm thinking, "dang, wish I had a crystal ball to read the future..."


I'm telling friends at work that now is the time to buy an AR if they want one. How much longer can the good times last?

 

[Hookeye]

Til tax time is over.

 

[CitiusFortius]

My uneducated opinion is that everyone that wanted one found a way to get one in the last panic. Producers kept making them and the market got flooded. In time it will regulate and the prices will creep up.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Last year was to sell. Now is the time to buy.

Buy heavy until a potential stop in November '14. If no stop, keep buying.

Remember you want mags and AR lowers too. Leave them in the packaging.

 

[jimbobcooters]

Last year was to sell. Now is the time to buy.

Buy heavy until a potential stop in November '14. If no stop, keep buying.

Remember you want mags and AR lowers too. Leave them in the packaging.

this^

 

[Beowulf]

The difference for ARs versus the AK heyday we had a few years ago is where the majority of the parts are manufactured. AKs were being built fast and furiously on parts kits that were imported in bulk. Now that is starting to dry up, the kits are more expensive and the guns built fully domestically (or built on new built guns manufactured abroad and converted to full AK feature set domestically) are more expensive, the price of AKs went up and will stay up (this is ignoring the massive spike and then fall off due to political circumstances, as that affected more or less every military style modern sporting rifle).

ARs, on the other hand, were already and still are produced more or less fully domestically. So, absent any political craziness, the price of ARs will stay consistent or actually decrease as more competition hits the market place.

We may see a new renaissance in AK pricing once the parts kits completely dry up and all production is forced to be fully domestic (or converted new build), as that might cause more manufacturers to tool up and build them, thus decreasing the cost.

 

[Purdue1000]

Looks like a good time to get my first AR might even have to get 2 while I am at it!!

 

[HoosierLife]

Last year was to sell. Now is the time to buy.

Buy heavy until a potential stop in November '14. If no stop, keep buying.

Remember you want mags and AR lowers too. Leave them in the packaging.

So do you think those palmetto lowers 10 for $500 is a good deal and something to invest in?

 

[Bfish]

So do you think those palmetto lowers 10 for $500 is a good deal and something to invest in?

I know some guys who have bought those and are leaving a few laying around for that reason, but regardless of the reason that is a good deal. I have one from a group of ten and you can't see a blemish on it… On any of them really

 

[warthog]

I'd like to see an AK Golden Age where prices reduce and so does ammo but I am afraid I already lived through it and profited immensely from it. I am also glad I kept a few in case it went even dumber than it is now so I can sell a few more.

 

[blue2golf]

...So, absent any political craziness, the price of ARs will stay consistent or actually decrease as more competition hits the market place...
.

Overall an excellent post but the above quote nails it.

It's dismaying how we are at the mercy of our fellow voters who usher in gun hating, power mad politicians who would gladly make felons out of all of us because we own an "assault weapon." (No wonder we go through one gun panic after another.)

 

[youngda9]

If only 223 ammo would get dirt cheap...I might consider buying one. I only keep the things that I shoot a lot.

 

[Bfish]

If only 223 ammo would get dirt cheap...I might consider buying one. I only keep the things that I shoot a lot.

Now that is one way of looking at it! Forget what a gun costs (within reason) the real money comes in after the purchase! I feel you on this one, it would most certainly be "a golden age" if ammo was more affordable indeed.

 

[phylodog]

This is the third time the market has experienced this although the price swings haven't been exactly the same each time. It'll happen again, of that I'm certain.

 

[LarryC]

If only 223 ammo would get dirt cheap...I might consider buying one. I only keep the things that I shoot a lot.

Reloading costs are pretty good - per your "location" you reload, right? Primers have been dropping in price for the last few gun shows I attended. At Kokomo, Sunday (2-16-2014) one vendor was selling 1K boxes of Win SR and SP for $34. As we have a real good stash, didn't ask if he would reduce the price for 5K. Powder is still out of sight, however I had purchased 4 or 5 Eight pound jugs of Surplus powder before the panic for about $80 /jug. We (son and I) have worked up load data for each jug for either 5.56, .308 and 30-06 (Garand). Son likes to use 62 grain (SS109 as I remember) and we had bought a few K of pulled bullets from Pats Reloading - again pre-panic. Did see a lot of 55 grain at GS's in the last month or so - reasonable priced.

 

[HoughMade]

I'm sitting tight and waiting for $79 SKSs to return.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

I bought mine in the scare last year, and I paid quite a premium.

But, I don't regret it. It's just money, and I'm glad to have gotten it. Can't predict what would have happened between then and now.

If you're getting them cheap now, good for you.

 

[CathyInBlue]

I don't want a parts kit. I want a tool kit for creating my own parts: wire stock, spring benders, heat treatment kiln, plastic injection moulds, taps and dies, round stock, flat stock, punch dies, press forms, 2 ton bench press, etc., etc.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

I don't want a parts kit. I want a tool kit for creating my own parts: wire stock, spring benders, heat treatment kilns, plastic injection moulds, taps and dies, round stock, flat stock, punch dies, press forms, etc., etc.

Invest in a 3D-printer

Thinking about going in on one with a friend... It's the fyoo-chur!

 

[CathyInBlue]

For production, even small-scale exclusively for personal use, 3-D printing is just for prototyping.

If you're only making one or two, okay, a 3-D printed gun, or gun parts, but once you're eyeing dozens of guns with lots of cross-similarity, you need something closer to commercial production hardware.