I usually check Armslist.com a few times a week, just to see if there are any guns on there which interest me. Constantly checking the site and going through pages of rifle, pistol and ammunition ads have allowed me to monitor available in inventory as well as pricing. I’ve come to the following conclusion: If you are in the market for a gun and want to (legally) buy one from an individual or dealer, now is the time to do so.
Earlier this year prices on guns and ammo were through the roof, absolutely insane would be another way to describe it. I saw AR15’s for $5,000 on Armslist and 1k rounds of 223 going for $1000. People were buying up everything in sight in anticipation of new gun control laws which they believed were certain to ban many models and heavily restrict ownership of others. People were using money from their savings accounts, buying on credit and justifying it by using the rationale that this could be their last opportunity to purchase before new laws were enacted.
With the exception of a few states who pushed through legislation on gun control most of the effort has sputtered out. This has left those who bought out of panic with extra inventory which they truly had no plan to use in the first place (read: safe queen). They are now wondering why they need 3 AR15’s and 4 Glcoks, and are now shedding that inventory in order to raise money for Christmas. Remember they had to stretch their finances to make the gun purchases in the first place, so with Christmas around the corner something has to give. Just look at how many of the ads on Armslist are for guns that read “like new, never been fired” and you’ll see what I mean.
Prices are good right now, a far cry from what they were in the beginning of the year. Ammo could come down a bit more but gun prices (for the most part) are decent. If you are contemplating a purchase now is the time to make your move, benefit from someone else who is trying to sell in a buyer’s market. With the way prices tend to fluctuate nobody knows just how long this window of opportunity will remain open. Good luck and remember to check on (and abide by) the laws of your state when attempting to purchase any firearm!
2 comments
Prices are dropping on AR15 components as well, though they haven’t reached the lows that occurred after the first Obama-election panic. But it’s already possible to find parts to build an AR15 for under $600, and decent parts from reputable sources, not just no-name Chinese crap.
Magazine prices are down. They might go lower, but this is a very good time to buy at least a few.
Ammunition prices are still a lot higher than they should be, but they’re coming down. Still a good idea to have at least a case or two in the closet, but for large puchases I’d wait a few more months.
It’s not likely the Democrats are going to try to push any more gun control in the near future. The 2014 elections are only a year away, and the last thing they want to do is rile up millions of gun owners who would otherwise yawn and stay home on election day. The Democrats will wait until January 2015 to make another serious push, hoping that they’ll win enough seats to send a new ban to Obama for his signature.
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That’s an interesting point, the dems biding their time until after the elections to make another push for gun control. I also agree the ammo prices need to come down more before buying in bulk becomes economical, although I have purchased a few cases of quality reloads for pistol plinking purposes at decent prices. Check Laxammo.com and Fitz Munition Works for that type of stuff. Speaking of reloading, I’m only set up for reloading 223 and am still waiting on inventory/pricing to return to normal. Fortunately I have plenty of stock to hold me over….just collect all the brass in the meantime 🙂