While AR15 price drops to as low as $400-450, why not AK?

[agtman]

[The lower AR prices are a reflection of a saturated market (large supply, lower demand). After the panic bubble of the last couple years the demand has been met which forces manufacturers to cut prices to keep product moving. * * *

Correct ... which begs a somewhat-related question, which is:

... given that retail pricing for ARs has fallen off quite significantly for all makes & models - from the top tier groups to the middle rung of manufacturers, on down to the bargain-basement outfits - why pay, say, $800 for a Windam AR in A3 configuration for example, when for $900 you can get an A3 model made by Colt?

Even assuming equal quality & reliability, which make of A3 is likely to hold its value over time and/or have a higher resale value, even used, when the next politically-inspired gun panic erupts?

 

[ID-shooting]

I am already seeing the effects of the panic boom bursting here locally. While there are still AR's stacked like cord wood in most stores, I am seeing a few of the smaller AR shops closing up. The long-standing diversified shops are doing good but those strip-mall "uber-tac" "tacticool wolrd" kinds of places that specialized in AR's. gear and accessories (you know the guys I am talking about. Sell AR kits, lowers, uppers, and more 5.11 gear than you can shake a stick at) are seeing the decline. Three here in our metro area have closed their doors in the last few months.

 

[goon]

There's positively no reason to pay $800 for a middle or lower quality brand AR when you can have a Colt or BCM for not much more right now. One of the local stores has plenty of those middle quality brands all overpriced, just sitting around. Kind of nuts really, because you can wander over to Walmart and see the going rate for a Colt.