Over half of new rifles sold in this country are AR-15 pattern rifles by some manufacturer.
As for market saturation...not hardly.
The AR-15 is fast becoming - has become, the "1911" of rifles.
Twenty years ago you couldn't give away a 1911. The Army was through with theirs and the civilian world was all gaga over the new-fangled "wonder-9s" with their huge capacity, DA/SA, and just "different" flair over the previous decades of revolvers, revolvers, revolvers. NOW you find 1911's being "assembled" by everyone including...S&W, Remington, SIG, Colt (of course), Ruger, Kimber, Wilson, RIA, Taurus...and on and on and on, and while the so-called "low-end" 1911's are downright CHEAP to buy, the perennial "names" are still commanding "brand prices." Despite all the other handguns out there...Glocks galore, S&W M&P's, Rugers, et al., there is no sign whatsoever of 1911 saled going kaput.
The same is true of the AR-15 "pattern" rifle for the same reason only better. The AR pattern is fully modular, easily assembled by anyone in their garage, can be mixed and matched to one's heart's content...can take it retro, modern, Magpul, quad-rails, long, medium, short, stocks galore, calibers galore and RISING! The .300 AAC was officially introduced just moments before the last "big scare" and even now prices for .300 barrels are as cheap or cheaper and as available or more so than 5.56 barrels! That caliber alone has and will convert huge numbers as more "discover it" and start loading for it. The AR comes in 5.56, .300AAC, 6.5Grendel, 6.8 RemSPC, 7.62x39, 5.45x39, .50 Beowulf, .458 SOCOM...and probably a dozen more cutom wildcats people are experimenting with.
If you've already got a half dozen 5.56 chamberings...well, grab a 5.45 barrel for $100, a matching bolt for $65, and over 2,000 rounds of surplus ammo for just over $300 and slap together ANOTHER version to which you can affix all sort of custom touches! You can buy barrels from 7.5" up to 24" with almost ever inch in between for the 5.56 and the .300. You can go "pistol build" and have an 8.5" .300 Blackout....light, fun to shoot, fun to load for, something "new" to play with.
I suspect any announcement that America's love affair with the 1911 is quite premature!
What I find fascinating is that someone, COLT's name has been primary on all the current high-draw weapons...the 1873 COLT, 1911 COLT, and COLT AR-15 (yeah I know who developed it, but COLT got the contracts).
Every big name rifle maker who USED to try and compete with the AR-15 with something of their own...H&K, SIG, Ruger gave up and joined the club...IMITATION is the sincerest form of flattery! HK-91's, 93's, MP-5's...GONE. Mini-14/30...still breathing but down for the count as Ruger has shifted all REAL support to it's version of the AR-15! Sig...yeah, they make something else...but they're coming over to the AR-15 as well!
So parts and complete rifles are getting cheaper...first I wouldn't thank any major manufacturer for that...thank those "little guys" who carried the torch back when MOST of the fickle shooting public was denouncing the AR platform...the guys who bought all the "cheap" Mil-Surp stuff and resold it in "parts kits." The only thing less expensive rifles means is less expensive parts, and less expensive means people will buy more....even people who own a dozen will find a "need" to own another as prices on parts becomes too good to pass up! Ammo prices down = greater sales as people who were having to juggle priorities to buy a case at $300 find themselves "forced" to jump on a case for $125 (and it could indeed get down there!) The INSTANT the Russians start loading .300 Blackout we'll see those $30/box of 20 prices EVAPORATE right back down to the $12 is was a year and a half ago and that means people will buy MORE of that ammo!
No...the market is by no means saturated nor declining
