The $5,000 question

[Slappy McGee]

Let's say you had some inside knowledge and knew some form of an AWB would be passed in early 2009. This ban is as or more restrictive than the recently sunsetted one.

You have $5,000 to spend on firearms and accessories between now and early 2009, what would you buy based on these restrictions:

1) Assume you have no rifles whatsoever, so you are building your "collection" from the ground up. You can always buy a nice pump-action 12ga. after the ban passes, so you should focus on likely ban candidates.

2) Whatever you suggest should be readily available in "normal" states, so you can't add Uncle Ervine's full-auto AK47 that he smuggled home from Viet Nam and will sell you for ten bucks; you can only select something you could easily find at a typical gun store (outside CA or the northeast) and legally purchase between now and early 2009.

3) Pricing needs to be more or less market, so again you can't add the AR15 Crazy Old Man Winters down the road said he would give you for $50.

4) You may add firearms for any reason you see fit: collectability, HD, SHTF, target, it just looks cool, etc.

Please tell us what you would buy, and why.

 

[Gunther]

Colt/RRA AR-15 223
RRA/DPMS AR-15 308
Glock 17/19 9mm
Ruger 10-22 w/hi cap mags
I don't add a 1911 or other needed weapons due to only focusing on AWB guns. The left over $ buy magazines and ammo and spare parts.

 

[gunnerh]

1 good AR15 (S&W,Colt,RRA ,etc.) to Keep and 1 to hold for trade later. 2 hi-cap 9MM's (M&P, HD, M9 you pick). 2 or 3 AK's. SA M1A That would leave about $600 to $900 to buy extra good name brand hi-cap mags. Ammo and spare parts will be available.

 

[ckay]

I'd buy an LMT AR15, and the rest of the money would be stripped lowers and magazines. I'm not much for excessive firearms. I keep what I can count on, and keep them fed nicely.

An LMT would bump my RRA to the trunk, and I'd sell the lowers and some of the mags to offset the cost of the LMT and maybe make a few bucks to stock up on some more ammo.

 

[transformerguru]

colt ar 15 with a m16 bolt carrier and lots of mags
glock 22 with hi cap mags
norinco ak and sks(their sks's don't need to be modified to handle hi cap mags)
extra mags for both
and as much ammo as you can

 

[the fool]

i would spend it all on hi cap mags
thats where the money will be

 

[Wes Janson]

$1000 - Decent basic-configuration M4 (add $500 for a Colt, if desired).
$1500 - Springfield M1A, whichever configuration best suits you (subtract $300 for a used rifle)
$750 - Used Arsenal or comparable-quality AK in 7.62x39
$750 - Hi-capacity magazines for all of the above, and whichever pistols you plan on having (subtract $250 if you need fewer)

$1000 - Used DSA FAL (add $250 for new) in basic configuration
OR
$1000 - .50 BMG AR-15 upper conversion

Wherever possible, buy the absolute minimum-configuration rifle that still rates as "evil", and spend the money accessorizing later on down the road.

 

[Bill2e]

OK I'll Play

As of today

2 S&W M&P 15's
2 S&W M&P Pistol's (your chioce of caliber) take advantage of the free mags

$500 worth of FULL Cap mags
$2000 in Ammo for both.

That will give you firepower, Redundancy & alot of mags & ammo

 

[Slappy McGee]

I was pretty well set on an AR carbine (probably an S&W), an AK and an M1A, but the Bushmaster ACR seems like it might make the list as well, assuming it comes out in Q2 as speculated.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

I already did this. There are other things to consider too.

 

[pgeleven]

DPMS 260
GSG-22
SA Match M1A

 

[buck00]

The question is... do you buy rifles (or mags) with the intent to resell them in five years and make a huge profit... or for personal use?

Or do you basically use every penny of the $5k for personal rifles and then rack up another $5k in credit card debt to buy more?



And by the way Crazy Old Man Winters down the road is a legit guy, we've gone plinking together.

 

[Magnuumpwr]

Right now I have my guns. Bushy AR-15, Romy AK-47, L1A1, Cetme, 1919A4, and a Cobb BA-50. I already have over 1000 rds 5.56 with 2 beta drums and 12 30rd mags, 2500 7.62x39 with 2 75rd romy drums and 10 30rd mags, about 500rds 308 with 5 20rd mags for L1, 15 20rd mags for Cetme, 1000 links for 1919, and around 500rds 50BMG with 3 10rd mags. Just got my income tax return of $2500 and have bought a DPMS LR-308, 10) extra 19 rd mags, and plan on getting 1000 rds of 308 in the next day or so. If all goes well will have all by Thursday of next week. Am I ready or what?

 

[Andrewsky]

I had this exact same scenario this last year. I just turned 18 and knew of Carolyn McCarthy's evil aspirations.

So I went out and bought an M1A SOCOM 16, have about $2500 into it. Then later I got a 10/22 and an M1A Standard (about $1600 into it because of accuracy modifications). All the accessories for the guns and for shooting have put me a bit over $5,000. I'm pretty well prepared for an AWB. Only thing that bothers me is I only have 10 20 round magazines.

Actually, another thing freaks me out: My SOCOM is legal in CA. I even have two 10 round mags for it.

 

[Gord]

Speaking personally:

Build up two AR-15s, one to keep, one to sell at a profit: $600 each, $1200 total.
Two AKs of decent quality, same idea: $500 each, $1000 total.

Spend a healthy chunk of the money left over on magazines - those are indeed what people will be wanting the most. I'd get twenty or thirty mags for each AR, twenty or thirty for each AK, and ten or twenty for any high-cap autos you may own (in my case, a P-01 or 75B).

Might not be a bad idea to grab up whatever specialty/imported ammo you may like, too. Domestic ammo will still be available.

Being a young guy making typical young-guy wages (though better than most, I suppose) I can't really afford to shoot .223 or 7.62x39 at current prices anyway. I'd like to acquire a few select long guns to be grandfathered before the ban hits, but my main concern would be high-cap mags, especially for my carry piece. I grew up in California and now that I'm finally out I'm sure as heck not going back to 10-rounders.

 

[Conqueror]

Who says you have to buy whole guns?

Assuming, as with most laws, that pre-existing guns are grandfathered in, I'd just buy a big effin' pile of stripped AR-15 and AR-10 lowers. Maybe 1 .50BMG upper, like a BOHICA for $1300.

 

[Javelin]

Assuming, as with most laws, that pre-existing guns are grandfathered in, I'd just buy a big effin' pile of stripped AR-15 and AR-10 lowers.

So you think Hitlery will grandfather our stripped lowers and let us build complete assault rifles in her next unconstituational AWB?

 

[Conqueror]

It's pretty standard procedure to grandfather things, even in anti-gun laws. She wouldn't risk having the law not pass the house and senate just to get the grandfather clause out.

 

[paintballdude902]

10/22 with hicaps
masada(whatsever bushmaster is calling it now)

lots of pmags
rr m4 flattop
ak-47 with mags
and a mini-14 with mags

and an m1carbine since thats on the list too

 

[rockinrussky]

Such a defeatist thread, as hypothetical as it may be *sigh*... well I won't pretend that I haven't thought about this scenario before so here goes:

$1400 1 DS Arms stg-58 (parts kit) FAL with 20 mags
$900 Vector Arms AK with 15 mags
~$900 VZ-58 with 15 mags (not sure about the mag prices)
$650 Parts to fully build a decent AR-15 in the M-4gery configuration
$250 15+ ar mags
$700 Saiga 12 w/plenty of 10 round mags
$200 as many hi-cap Springfield XD and CZ-82 mags as I can buy (remember assault weapons bans effect hi-cap pistol mags as well)

 

[sarduy]

AR-15 with mags $900
AK-47 with mags $450
Bolt Action .50 Cal rifle @ $2000/3000
-------------------------------------------
TOTAL = $3350/4350

 

[SpeedAKL]

Fair deal:
AK: $500
DSA FAL: $1500
M1A: $1500
gas-piston AR: $1500

 

[Wes Janson]

It's pretty standard procedure to grandfather things, even in anti-gun laws. She wouldn't risk having the law not pass the house and senate just to get the grandfather clause out.

As I recall, the wording is designed to defeat that idea. Something to the effect that "any parts necessary to convert a firearm into an assault weapon are considered an assault weapon". So that pre-ban AR upper with bayo lug is itself an AW. Your lower receiver may be one as well, but you're not going to be able to just buy a cheap upper to drop on it. Get the whole thing, or get nothing.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

If you don't want to take risks(ie. buying the lowers now and hoping for the best), I would try something like this...

1. AR 15(pick your brand, RRA, STAG, DPMS, BM are all great for the money)
2. AK 47(Don't spend more than $450, they are all rugged and reliable)
3. AR 10(Very accurate semi-auto that mounts optics very easily)
or
M1A(Milspec .308, gotta have one)
4. Ruger 10/22
5. SKS(They're cheap and take the same ammo as the AK, why not have one?)

With the rest, don't spend a dime on optics, you can acquire those later...Buy lots of hi-cap mags first and lots of ammo second. The reason I say Hi-cap first is because they will be banned, ammo could get really expensive, but it can still be had.

 

[Slappy McGee]

Any good mailorder sources for mags? Is sportman's guide still the place to go?

I'm thinking these are more "collector" arms than something I want to buy and sell for a quick profit. Any new ban could also restrict the transfer of EBR's so it could take the bottom right out of the resale market, besides, everyone should have a battle rifle or two...