Buy gun without ammo?

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I did that with 9mm years ago. At the time I was shopping for a 9mm, but had yet to find the gun I wanted. A few months later I bought the pistol
 
I have sometimes acquired dies and components before I acquired the firearm. Usually because I can get them in onesies and twosies until my bonus hits the bank. ;)


brewer12345 said:
If it is something I can get dies for, I can usually find or have a suitable mold and can scrounge some once-fired brass. Then I will entertain buying something in a cartridge I don't already load.
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jmorris said:
I’ve done it both ways, “well, now that I have this ammo, might as well...”
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I wound up buying a 300 blk barrel after building a machine for a business to cut .223 cases to length for forming. After development, I was sitting on a lifetime supply so I figured “why not”.
 
BigBore44 said:
I would buy a firearm in a second today if it was a good deal. Ammo or not.
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+1

I've bought ammo for guns I've never owned, bought guns without ammo and never fired them. Bought accessories for guns I planned on getting but never did. If a good deal is found on anything firearms related right now, you better get it. May be the last good deal you ever see.
 
Howland937 said:
+1

I've bought ammo for guns I've never owned, bought guns without ammo and never fired them. Bought accessories for guns I planned on getting but never did. If a good deal is found on anything firearms related right now, you better get it. May be the last good deal you ever see.
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Completely agree. A good deal is a good deal. If I don’t use them, I consider them an investment.
 
The last two guns I bought I had not a single round of ammo for. Ordinarily would not have concerned me, but these last two came to me just as The Panic began to take off. I did - eventually - find the ammo I wanted, but I had to work harder for it than I've ever had to before. In fact the gyrations over finding their ammo is what finally motivated me to start casting my own bullets.

If it's a gun you really want then buy it. Ammo will - eventually - occur.
 
BreechFace said:
Most LGS worth their salt have ammo in the back for gun purchaser's only. At least around here.
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I've said before that early last summer my wife decided she wanted a Ruger American Rimfire .22LR for shooting ground squirrels. The only problem was, our favorite LGS didn't have one like she wanted, (cerokote barrel, modular synthetic stock, and a silly muzzle brake) and they couldn't find any place to order one from. So they told us to just keep "checking back" in case they luckily got one in.
Well, a couple of months later, I just happened to be in Sportsman's Warehouse, and lo and behold, I spotted a Ruger American Rimfire exactly like what my wife wanted on the shelf. So I bought it right then, figuring on hiding it away for my wife's birthday in October.
Then, when I was filling out the paperwork, the salesman asked me if I needed any ammo for it. I asked, "Why? You ain't got any 22 rimfire ammo anyway, do you?" The salesman replied, "Oh, we have ammo in the back for people that buy guns.":D
I didn't buy any. We have enough 22 rimfire to see us through the current "crises." Besides, the ground squirrels won't come back out of their burrows for a couple more months.;)
Edited to say: My wife loved her birthday gift, and with the Leupold 4X we put on it, it's a real shooter. Using Federal Premium "Hunter Match" ammo, I'm sure my wife and I are going to put a dent in the ground squirrel population over on our friend's ranch come spring.
 
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Recently bought a new gun that I dont have any ammo for. I wanted one for awhile and went ahead and bought it when I found one, unfortunately the LGS I bought it form didn't have any ammo in the back for it. Luckily I do have all the components and dies needed to make some ammo for that gun.
 
CapnMac said:
Almost a separate issue.
If I see optics or a red dot on considerable sale, I'll snag it, even if I don't have an immediate need.
Which is handy when a need arises.
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Yeah, but isn't that like creating a need? For me it is anyway. If I upgrade a scope and suddenly have an extra, I have to get something to put it on.

I did buy a barrel once, then spent 3 or 4 months waiting on the right 1911 to stick it in.
 
I bought a couple rifles from a friend's father's estate and was not able to arrange pickup for almost a year due to Covid restrictions and such. However during that time I was persistent enough to be able to buy enough ammo for both of them that by the time I got them I had ammo on hand for them. Really glad I did since there is none now. Usually I just stick with calibers I already own so a new purchase isn't an orphan.
 
I swapped for a Tokarev that is wending it way to my FFL courtesy of Fedex. Have no ammo for it, but so far I have gotten a set of dies. My buddy has a mold for it which he is expecting me to use to cast him a pile of bullets for his pistol, so I will make the pile bigger for my own needs. Brass is a bit of a pickle, but I have a back order in with Starline and my buddy will float me a hundred or two cases until I get some of my own.

I didn't really need a Tok, but always wanted one as a link in the chain of combloc military sidearms.
 
brewer12345 said:
I swapped for a Tokarev that is wending it way to my FFL courtesy of Fedex. Have no ammo for it, but so far I have gotten a set of dies. My buddy has a mold for it which he is expecting me to use to cast him a pile of bullets for his pistol, so I will make the pile bigger for my own needs. Brass is a bit of a pickle, but I have a back order in with Starline and my buddy will float me a hundred or two cases until I get some of my own.

I didn't really need a Tok, but always wanted one as a link in the chain of combloc military sidearms.
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I think I saw SGAmmo or TargetSports had Tokarev spam cans available, and that was last night
 
old greg said:
Right now I wouldn’t.

That said, I am currently looking to add a hunting rifle to the mix for large game and longer distance work. I just can’t come to a decision on caliber.
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You can't go wrong with 270 Winchester... Finding ammo for most hunting calibers is hard as crap now but luckily I reload so I don't have to worry about that for a while lol. I will suggest that you go to a few gun shops or shows and find a caliber you like and try to by a bunch at decent price, but do not pay scalper price for ammo whatever you do... Some calibers besides 270 I'd try to look for in size order are; 22-250(maybe not the best for long range big stuff though) 6.5x55swedish(minimum IMHO for big stuff like elk, but still packs a good punch), 7.62x51, 30-06, 300WinMag. I personally think for all around anything on norte de america, 270 Win is your best bet ,but I'm a tad biased lol. P.S. try to get reloading components cheap or at retail for the caliber or calibers you like. I got a RCBS 30-06 full sizer and seating die set for 20 bucks at a gun show last month lol. Powder and primers are stupid high at gun shows though, you should be able to get brass for a reasonable price though... A good site to check often is Powder Valley, they will occasionally get drops of good powder and primers at normal retail price.
 
270OKIE said:
You can't go wrong with 270 Winchester... Finding ammo for most hunting calibers is hard as crap now but luckily I reload so I don't have to worry about that for a while lol. I will suggest that you go to a few gun shops or shows and find a caliber you like and try to by a bunch at decent price, but do now pay scalper price for ammo whatever you do... Some calibers besides 270 I'd try to look for in size order are; 22-250(maybe not the best for long range big stuff though) 6.5x55swedish(minimum IMHO for big stuff like elk, but still packs a good punch), 7.62x51, 30-06, 300WinMag. I personally think for all around anything on norte de america, 270 Win is your best bet ,but I'm a tad biased lol. P.S. try to get reloading components cheap or at retail for the caliber or calibers you like. I got a RCBS 30-06 full sizer and seating die set for 20 bucks at a gun show last month lol. Powder and primers are stupid high at gun shows though, you should be able to get brass for a reasonable price though...
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Thanks for the input. I’ve never been a dedicated hunter. But my dad let me use his 270 and I did enjoy. I’m slowly trying to dip toes in the reloading game. Got a press and and some 300 blk dies. Snagged a few primers. Just sniping what I can when I can.
 
old greg said:
Thanks for the input. I’ve never been a dedicated hunter. But my dad let me use his 270 and I did enjoy. I’m slowly trying to dip toes in the reloading game. Got a press and and some 300 blk dies. Snagged a few primers. Just sniping what I can when I can.
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Love to give some friendly advice here on THR! I'm still kinda new to the fourm so I haven't had a chance to be involved with a lot of discussions... I do try to like and comment when I have constructive stuff to say, like in response to your question. So, keep on looking for that one( or six!:rofl: ) gun/s that called your name and get involved in either mag dumping into trash or shooting IPSC silhouette targets at 1k yards, whatever floats your boat!;)
 
I have bought guns I didn't have ammo for, mags for guns I didn't have, ammo for guns I didn't have and reloading dies for calibers I didn't shoot. All depends on the deal being offered. I am a bit of a scrounger. I figure if I don't need it I can find someone that dose and has something I need or want.

WB
 
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