AR Parts Availability in a Panic or "Post-Ban"

[Doc7]

I currently have no AR and figure I want to have that itch scratched in my lifetime. Either via an M&P-15 Sport or by building a suppressed SBR. I like that a suppressed SBR would be good for HD as well as a great youth training gun due to the lower perceived recoil as it is quieter (with a gas buster charging handle and an adjustable gas block to minimize blowback).

Right, wrong, or indifferent, I worry about AR availability after the primary elections and then during the next several years as politicians hem and haw about rifles.

I cannot currently afford a build in a suppressed SBR but by February I could pay cash for a M&P Sport. If I were to buy just the Stripped Lower, would I be able to build an AR over a couple of years even if it became "post-ban"? I would already have the serialized component but would companies still be making barrels, hand guards, etc? For 90 dollars for an Aero Precision lower I am thinking of buying it now and chucking it in my safe as I build a rifle with the components I want (Magpul CTR stock, Timney Trigger, free floated hand guard and adjustable gas block) instead of one that requires heavy modifications to get to the rifle I want.

 

[hamp sandwich]

I think you're on the right track. Piecing one together isn't always a big money saver, but you get what you want in the end.

As far as future legislation goes, no one can give you a great answer there. However, based on the past, there wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Sam1911]

No one can clearly answer that question, but I built one during/through the last "banic" and noticed that certain parts remained super easy to get, while others ran into short supply and prices rose.

I did not see any real problem getting barrels, handguards/tubes, and various other accessories. There were shortages of bolt-carrier groups and maybe some other things like the lower parts kits, briefly. Things were available, but prices rose quite a bit. Fortunately, I was in no rush and bought bits and pieces over a couple of years, so I didn't pay high market prices for any of the parts.

I wouldn't worry too much about bans (though it's good to have some ammo...) but I would start collecting parts as soon as you're able.

And starting off by buying an AR is a great idea! Especially right this moment when the prices are quite low.

 

[Doc7]

Thanks - I will go ahead and buy my lower and build it over time. Then at least if my worst dreams come to fruition it would be a "pre-ban" lower. And I will have exactly what I want in the end, rather than my typical "this is what I need to change on this rifle" mindset I have on my other firearms.

 

[justin22885]

if youre so worried about having a rifle you can easily find parts for, even after a ban, why not get a rifle thats so simple in design, with a few shop tools you can make your own parts yourself and never need to worry?

 

[BSA1]

Doc7,

The most likely item to be banned first is the magazine so after getting your lower I suggest you buy some magazines. At a gun show last month new metal magazines were going for $9.00 & Magpuls for $11.00 each.

IMHO the second hardest to get part will be the upper assembly.

The lower parts kit, furniture and sights should be easy to find and they are low priced.

p.s. Take a look at Anderson Lowers. They are selling for $45.00 where I live. Skip drinking a can of soda and eating a candy bar and you will have enough money at the end of the month to buy one. Skip several months and you can get several for future builds or panic.

 

[Sam1911]

if youre so worried about having a rifle you can easily find parts for, even after a ban, why not get a rifle thats so simple in design, with a few shop tools you can make your own parts yourself and never need to worry?

1) Not everyone is seriously going to be able to make and heat treat parts for even a "simple" rifle. In fact, the simplest rifles would still require more hand skill than 95% of the population has to make and properly harden/temper a trigger or sear or springs for.

2) It is kind of nice to have an ergonomic rifle that self-loads and holds a decent number of rounds between reloads. A "simple" rifle might be wonderful, but you might not really be all that happy with a single-shot.

3) If you're worried about parts availability, why not buy into the single most prolific and universal rifle platform in the country at this point? If you can't find parts for an AR anytime somewhere, anytime between now and the apocalypse... well, nothing else will be easy to come by either.

 

[Doc7]

Doc7,

The most likely item to be banned first is the magazine so after getting your lower I suggest you buy some magazines. At a gun show last month new metal magazines were going for $9.00 & Magpuls for $11.00 each.

IMHO the second hardest to get part will be the upper assembly.

The lower parts kit, furniture and sights should be easy to find and they are.

Thanks - my coworker gave me the same advice!

 

[joem1945]

Buy a complete AR and a few mags. I have thousands of rounds through my AR M16 clone and nothing has failed yet. I have other AR's I could strip for parts if need be.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

During the height of the last rush I found several parts difficult to acquire for customer builds. Affordable lower receivers were difficult to get along with the following.

Affordable uppers
Bolt carrier groups
Barrels
Magpul products in general
30 round mags

 

[justin22885]

1) Not everyone is seriously going to be able to make and heat treat parts for even a "simple" rifle. In fact, the simplest rifles would still require more hand skill than 95% of the population has to make and properly harden/temper a trigger or sear or springs for.

2) It is kind of nice to have an ergonomic rifle that self-loads and holds a decent number of rounds between reloads. A "simple" rifle might be wonderful, but you might not really be all that happy with a single-shot.

3) If you're worried about parts availability, why not buy into the single most prolific and universal rifle platform in the country at this point? If you can't find parts for an AR anytime somewhere, anytime between now and the apocalypse... well, nothing else will be easy to come by either.

just because a rifles simple to make or repair, doesnt mean it has to be a single shot, look at the AR-18, most those parts you need little more tools than what most people have in their garage

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

Next Spring, I'm going to buy an Anderson complete upper, with BCG for my S&W Sport. I'll stash it in the closet, so I have a new, complete action ready to go, if the need ever arises.

They run about $300.

 

[heavydluxe]

Along this line, I just ordered three stripped lowers from Brownells (the Anderson lowers are on sale there for $40) for the same reason.

I'd like to get a couple more stripped lowers early in the new year, and then slowly piece together the rifle builds from there. If there's another panic, careful shopping should still mean you can find what you need without breaking the bank. However, the easy access to the firearm part itself has me a little worried.

 

[d2wing]

It is a matter of preference. Mine would be to buy a complete factory rifle with parts that work together and a warrantee. And you can get familiar with how it goes together and what you would like in a build.
As for building a rifle from scratch. That is pretty impractical. Few of us have a forge or machine shop and the knowledge to temper metal, make springs and so many other details. But if some one has a project it would be nice to see a thread about it.

 

[WinThePennant]

I was putting together an AR during the height of the craziness. And, I'm sorry to say, that I had a hard time finding ANYTHING! I once paid $80 for a barrel nut so I could finish my build! $80!!!!

 

[MachIVshooter]

just because a rifles simple to make or repair, doesnt mean it has to be a single shot, look at the AR-18, most those parts you need little more tools than what most people have in their garage

Well, go whip one out, then

I know you spend a lot of time dreaming things up and playing in CAD programs, but have you ever actually built a gun from raw materials? How about a semi-auto repeater? Some of us have, and even "simple" designs are not so simple when it comes to carving out or bending up the parts

Also, just because stamped sheet metal receivers are cheaper and easier for mass production does not mean the same is true for a one-off; making AR-18 receiver halves would require, at minimum, a good bead roller and a finger break with radiusing capability. Internal parts require mill work. Most of them also require heat treatment. And that doesn't even address the barrel, if you intend to make it from scratch, which I can't even do right now with the rather extensive tooling I have.

It takes me about 20 hours to carve an AR-15 lower from a hunk of aluminum. Closer to 30 for the steel billet I did earlier this year:





And that's just the lower. Building the rest of the gun, not counting barrel and bolt, is at least a 250-300 hour proposition, and a significant investment in materials. Not to mention what I already have in cutters.

My first gun was a single shot .22 pistol, and I made it with a drill press, bench grinder, hack saw and files at the age of 13 (got in quite a bit of trouble for it, too). So yes, there are simple firearm designs that a guy in a home garage could build with fairly basic tools. Existing designs of repeating centerfire rifles, however, aren't really among them.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Get a lower so at least you have it. That is likely the hardest piece to come by. As for the future, I don't know but my approach living in CA has been to buy multiple duplicates of the defensive firearms and spare parts so that I do t need to worry about future bans on anything.

 

[USAF_Vet]

The expensive and/ or hard to find items in a panic/ ban threat should be bought cheap and stacked deep.

Stripped lowers, magazines and bolt carrier groups seemed to be the most expensive and hard to find in stock items.

I've got a brick and mortar shop nearby that tends to stock stripped lowers. I bought an Anderson, paid a little more than I was hoping. But considering an Anderson purchased through Brownell's will add shipping and FFL transfer fee (about $40 in my area), I still feel I got it at a decent price. I bought a stripped Aero lower a couple years ago from a kitchen table FFL for $85, also without shipping or transfer, so it all worked out in my favor.

My plan for 2016 is at least 2 more lowers built and ready. If I can find inexpensive stripped uppers, too, I'll get them just to have.


Anyway OP, ask yourself this. What would you rather have in the safe if a panic hits again? A complete rifle, or a stripped lower and a few random parts?

A complete AR can go for as little as $500 these days. It's hard to assemble a rifle from parts for that price, even scraping the bottom of the barrel. Plus, the factory rifle will probably have a warranty.

If you don't already have an AR, and are worried about a future where you can no longer get one, I'd say get the complete rifle now. Then worry about assembling one from stripped lowers and parts kits later.

I've already got one complete rifle and an AR pistol, as well as another complete lower waiting for an upper. So I feel like I'm set enough to focus on building and buying complete uppers to expand caliber options.






Bottom line, my recommendation is this: Buy the S&W M&P 15 Sport. Get that AR itch scratched. That way, when January 20th comes around and someone new occupies the white house, you will have a rifle in the safe if they do get banned.

Buy the S&W Sport, then buy a stripped lower and parts kits piece meal as you can.

 

[Fiv3r]

I personally would buy a complete rifle while prices are low if you feel that time is a factor. Although picking up a lower is a good bet.

Having an Ar already, if the political winds feel that they are changing, I'll probably stock up on 30 round mags. I'm not a guy who requires 20 mags to feel stocked, but I would like to have a few more.

 

[stevebla]

PSA complete lower $129.00 good start. It is a "blem" I have bought blem uppers and been unable to find a flaw.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/catalog/product/view/id/14434/

 

[yugorpk]

Buy whatever you can afford now. Although it gets poopoo'ed on this forum Hillary Clinton will more than likely ( she will ) be elected President ( Thanks to Donald Trump ) next year and if its anything like what happened in the aftermath of Obamas election there wil be widespread panic and buying up of EVERYTHING. Last time around you couldnt get so much as a pistol grip for an AR for around a year. Manufacturers stepped up and over produced and we have the parts glut we have now but that will evaporate right after the election.

 

[CoalTrain49]

The rifles and parts won't be nearly the problem that ammo will. Most people already had an AR and a pistol and most of the last banic purchases were purely speculation. That won't happen again because we all know when the next presidential election happens. Sandy Hook and the push for a new AWB more or less caught everyone by surprise without an adequate stock of ammo, not hardware.

If you don't have an AR already, for sure get one this year or early next year. Parts (other than lowers) shouldn't be an issue again. AR parts are like 1911 parts, when you have 50 companies manufacturing them they will be available.

Ammo is totally a different situation. There are not 50 powder companies. There are only about 4 large ones, one in Europe, one in Australia and 2 here. They have been overwhelmed by demand for 3 years. I'm a reloader so I know powder has been in short supply for a very long time. Those powder companies will always supply the government first and the civilian market last.

If there is going to be another panic it will be a run on ammo, powder and primers, AGAIN.

 

[agtman]

If there is going to be another panic it will be a run on ammo, powder and primers, AGAIN.

Agree.

5.56mm ammo is relatively cheap now. As they say, "buy it cheap and stack it deep."

A few 1000-rd cases isn't "too many," but that depends on how many ARs you have.

Black rifle disease can be infectious, and soon enough you'll look in your safe and see more ARs there than ammo to feed them.

Laying back at least 1000-rds per AR for "that day" is a good start.

 

[Prince Yamato]

Don't buy for a ban. You'll never see a repeat of the 1994 ban. Any new ban is going to be more restrictive. That said, you'll see it at a state, not a national level. And that said about... that... I really wouldn't worry about one. The states that were going to enact one already have them and everyone else will tell the politicians to go pound sand.

 

[Walkalong]

A stripped lower, a parts kit, and a bolt carrier group are what I have put back for the next one, should I want one. And an extra bolt is always a good idea all the time.