Any bargains right now?

[hokiemojo]

Hello everyone. I've been thinking about the market volatility the firearms industry has experienced over the past year and was wondering if there was anything you felt was a bargain to purchase right now, as opposed to the prices during steadier sailing.

One might think that oddball calibers of ammo would be priced well, since demand for more common stuff has been so high, but the shift in manufacturing focus seems to have prevented that from happening since the oddballs are not being made right now.

Magazines still seem hard to come by when they are above 10 round capactity. Are the low capacity mags selling at a discount, or are people in states with the new overly restricitve laws snapping all those up to keep their prior gun purchases legal?

It seems that AR's are near pre-panic prices. Not any evidence of people dumping excess inventory, but at least back to "normal".

What about shotguns? They seem to be overlooked since everyone feels this would be the last item on the list to ever be banned. Are there any spectacular deals to be found?

Finally, what about old rifles (mil-surp) that still fall in the user category? Seems thoses aren't being grabbed up because most people seem to want the new stuff that are the targets of bans. My research shows some of these rifles (Mosins for example) are up to around $130 from about $100 a couple years ago, but this sounds like it is being driven by dwindling supply.

Any accessories at a great price right now?

Sorry for the odd question. My insterest in firearms only began about a year ago, so I haven't experience much of what everyone else feels is "normal". I was just wondering if rearranging the priorities on any of my "want list" would make sense.

Thanks all!

 

[AlexanderA]

I think British mil-surps are underpriced right now. (Lee Enfields, P-14's, Webley and Enfield revolvers, etc.) One problem might be that reliable ammo is hard to find and expensive.

 

[hokiemojo]

I'll take a look at those. They start out a little more than some other military rifles, but I suspect it has to do with quality. You said ammo is tough to come by. Should I assume these are 22lr? I haven't researched these much. Haha. thanks for the idea!

 

[jrdolall]

The only thing I am seeing at what I consider a "bargain" are new ARs. I got an email today, CTD I think, with the DPMS Sportical at $609 or so as well as the Bushmaster Carbon 15 at $659 I think. Both are lower end ARs but I have the DPMS and it is fine for plinking. Walmart has the DPMS for $617 so that is a better deal than CTD at $609.

I am seeing ARs pop up on every FB page and internet "yard sale" site. They are generally guns that have very few rounds through them meaning that people are trying to get back the money they spent earlier this year. None of the used ones are at a price I would call a bargain.

Accessories seem to be coming back on line at pre-panic prices and I can find just about everything at LGS or big box retailers now. Mags are still a bit high but give that another month and I think they will be back to decent levels as people need to move inventory.

I am starting to see some SKS's pop up at OKAY prices. They are a fine gun and I consider okay to be in the $300 range right now. They were a lot cheaper 4 years ago but I don't see them getting back below $200. Mosin's can be had for decent prices right now.

If I were new to the shooting world I would focus on a few calibers and then load up on ammo rather than doing like I did and buying 2-3 of every caliber I could find. This panic showed me that it is critical to have a LOT of ammo in the calibers you shoot regularly and I mean a LOT. I intend to have at a minimum 50k rounds of 22lr as soon as the price gets back to some type of "normal". 9mm will be at least 5k rounds. 223 I have more than I will ever need and the same is true of 5.45x39. If you can find an AK74 at a decent price then buy it because you can buy surplus ammo for $.20 right now. The SKS or AK also have ammo readily available at a good price. The other pistol calibers I just need a few hundred of each and I need to lay in some cheap 30-06 just for when the next gun grab starts.

 

[rugerdude]

You could potentially still get a decent deal on a .22LR rifle or pistol if someone has given up hope on ever seeing .22 ammo again.

Honestly, the best bargain hunting time is past, and to cash in on that you had to have a high-capacity rifle to trade. I traded a Century C93 ($600 gun) for a Sig 220R .45 with a .22 conversion and a Chiappa 1911-22 and basically doubled my money. If I was really thinking, I should have tried to trade for a nice Beretta or Browning O/U.

Prices right now should still be going down, so right now it may be better to wait. I would surf Armslist in your area. The good deals don't stay around for long, but if you're flexible and diligent, you can find a bargain or two.

 

[InkEd]

Basic pump shotguns seem to be priced okay. My local Walmart had AR-15s in the case the last two times I went there. The first time, they had two Colts and the last time they had Sig. The prices were very good too. Base model Colt 6920 was $1049, Colt 6920 with Magpul furniture was under $1478(?) and the Sig M400 was $978.

 

[TyGuy]

Do searches daily on the internet, armslist (I know it's touchy), and gunbroker.

I got a BCM EAG rifle for a steal. The LOWEST I've found them is $1,950 plus shipping and FFL transfer.....and I got mine for $1,400. They had one sitting on the shelf since April as they ordered a lot of ARs during the early 2013 craze. This worked out perfectly for me as I have been Jonesing for a BCM rifle for quite some time now.

 

[ol' scratch]

The real bargains as far as I am concerned are the actual M91/30 Mosin Nagant PU sniper rifles. The rifles I am talking about are the actual snipers, not the faux snipers built up from parts. Mine has matching numbers and a matching scope and mount.

A link to the thread I started about mine. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=704608

Edit. Another few I just thought of. Some of the surplus FN Browning High Powers can go for little money and are often nice pieces. I bought one a few years back for $350 with matching numbers. The FEG High Powers sell cheap too. You can typically pick one up if you shop around for $250-$350. Mags are not as high as some of the popular models.

Rock Island 1911's sell relatively inexpensively. I have seen them new for $400 plus in my area.

Garands from the CMP sell cheap for what they are. Unfortunately, there has been a run on them recently. They should come back. A few months ago I even picked up a 1903 Springfield from the CMP that cost me $300. It was a VFW rifle, but painted not chromed so all I had to do was strip it. They typically get a shipment in once a year or so. Ammo is .50 a round for 30-06, which isn't bad. I even picked up a Kimber target .22 for $400 ($425 now) and they get them in once in awhile.

 

[StrutStopper]

Believe it was a CDNN email I received yesterday with a S&W AR-15 for $599? DSG arms has some decent prices on AR parts now too. Looks like things are getting back to normal.

 

[MagnunJoe]

Ruger has a big sale going on right now.