punkndisorderly
Member
Went to my second gun show of the year. Went to the Pasadena gun show last month and then again today. It left me questioning just where we're at, collectively speaking.
I've ordered quite a bit of stuff lately on the internet: Rock River CAR style upper, Rock River Match A2 style upper, Pmags, ammo, etc. Most of it is backordered to no end. It seems like ordering anything Black rifle or standard capacity magazine related is damn near impossible to get without waiting months. The Pmags I ordered at Midway in November were originally scheduled to ship the beginning of January, for example, but are now estimated to ship in mid April. I'm thinking about six months for the uppers. Gold dot 9mm's were easy to score, Hornady TAP 223 is backordered, White Box 5.56 is scarce as hens teeth.
Going by the local big box retailers like Wal-Mart or Academy, the doom and gloom starts to really set in. Common ammo is hit or miss, most likely miss. No we don't have any X and don't know when we're getting any. The racks are full of bolt guns and hunting shotguns, bare of EBR's and anything "tacticool".
The gun show had more AR's and AK's than you could shake a stick at. Magazines were plentiful. If anything, there were actually far MORE than you would have seen 6 months ago. Granted the prices are about 10% higher than list. I picked up several P-mags for a $3 per mag premium over mailorder. AR's and parts (as long as you want a flattop) were at every table for about 10% over list. AK's were everywhere, for about $100 over what I would consider list. Interestingly, there were lots of people trying to sell their AR's privately. Also interestingly, few seemed to be buying AR's. Granted I didn't stay long, but I only saw one person actually buying one, as opposed to dozens picking up pistols. .223 was not in short supply, except for surplus cans of it.
So, is this pretty common everywhere? What's the deal with all the backorders at Brownell's, Midway, etc. when people had the same thing by the caseload at the show? Anyone else see, barring a new AWB in the next 12 months, the bottom dropping out of the market? Don't think that the shooting community can sustain every company running three shifts pumping out magazines and firearms for long. Especially considering the economy, perhaps everyone who wants the hot items and has the money to do so, has already purchased.
I've ordered quite a bit of stuff lately on the internet: Rock River CAR style upper, Rock River Match A2 style upper, Pmags, ammo, etc. Most of it is backordered to no end. It seems like ordering anything Black rifle or standard capacity magazine related is damn near impossible to get without waiting months. The Pmags I ordered at Midway in November were originally scheduled to ship the beginning of January, for example, but are now estimated to ship in mid April. I'm thinking about six months for the uppers. Gold dot 9mm's were easy to score, Hornady TAP 223 is backordered, White Box 5.56 is scarce as hens teeth.
Going by the local big box retailers like Wal-Mart or Academy, the doom and gloom starts to really set in. Common ammo is hit or miss, most likely miss. No we don't have any X and don't know when we're getting any. The racks are full of bolt guns and hunting shotguns, bare of EBR's and anything "tacticool".
The gun show had more AR's and AK's than you could shake a stick at. Magazines were plentiful. If anything, there were actually far MORE than you would have seen 6 months ago. Granted the prices are about 10% higher than list. I picked up several P-mags for a $3 per mag premium over mailorder. AR's and parts (as long as you want a flattop) were at every table for about 10% over list. AK's were everywhere, for about $100 over what I would consider list. Interestingly, there were lots of people trying to sell their AR's privately. Also interestingly, few seemed to be buying AR's. Granted I didn't stay long, but I only saw one person actually buying one, as opposed to dozens picking up pistols. .223 was not in short supply, except for surplus cans of it.
So, is this pretty common everywhere? What's the deal with all the backorders at Brownell's, Midway, etc. when people had the same thing by the caseload at the show? Anyone else see, barring a new AWB in the next 12 months, the bottom dropping out of the market? Don't think that the shooting community can sustain every company running three shifts pumping out magazines and firearms for long. Especially considering the economy, perhaps everyone who wants the hot items and has the money to do so, has already purchased.
Last edited:
