I've been stocking up on items from Palmetto State Armory the last few weeks and have been paying close attention to the ads. I thought it would be interesting to see if I could put together a sub $1,000 AR-15 system with at least 10 mags and 1,000 rounds of ammo. What I found exceeded my expectations. You do have to put the lower together, but my first time I did two of them in slightly over an hour, so maybe plan on an hours worth of labor that will save you close to $200 on an assembled rifle. There are plenty of great YouTube videos on this. I followed the one by nsz85: Here is the cost breakdown. About half of these are on sale at any given time, the other half will be on sale sometime the following week. Just sign up for their email updates and check each day. For less than $1000 you get an AR-15, 20 mags, and 1,400 rounds of ammunition. Midlength AR 15 Kit $300 AR-15 lower $50 Together with perhaps $30 in tools you can assemble an AR-15 for under $400 including transfer fees for the lower. The kit is on sale this weekend and the lower goes on sale typically during the week. 10 PMags plus 200 rounds of ammo $130 currently not on sale, but same deal as above. This is pretty much 10 PMags at street price with 200 rounds of XM-193 thrown in for free. Get at least two of these for a total of $260 1,000 rounds XM193 $300 You still need more ammo and the minimum recommended is 1,000 rounds. since you will use the 400 rounds that came with the PMags for training this bulk box is your huckleberry. Load the rest into 10 round stripper clips you can find for next to nothing on eBay Alternatively you can buy these 420 round boxes on stripper clips for $140 when they come around or buy in combo with a Vortex SPARC for $270. These prices are at an all time low and I don't expect them to remain this low for much longer.
There is even enough money left over for a bore snake, brushes, and CLP and still stay under $1,000. Not bad at all for a rifle, 20 mags, and 1400 rounds of ammo.
It's great to build your own because you can learn the mechanics of how they work. It's not rocket science. Even a klutz such as myself has learned to build one. Tragically, before I could mate an upper receiver to it, the nearly completed lower I was working on was destroyed in a residential fire. When the receiver was recovered, it was found that the blaze was so hot that most of it had turned into a white, powdery ash.
I remember when 1000 would barely buy a case of ammo or a rifle. That reminds me, I still need to buy one. From what I can find we are at something like an 8 to 10 year low for prices. People say guns are like an investment. Haha, for me maybe. I sold my ar15s I bought in 1999 or 2000 for a "few hundred dollars" beat the cap out of them for 2 years then sold them in 2012 when I was offered a totally irrational amount of money for them. I realized and hadn't shot either one in 5 or 6 years, figured I might as well.
I recommend every AR owner builds at least one lower. Parts wear out and eventually need replacement, and being able to do this yourself IMO is critical.
I've heard that 80% lowers are more fire resistant than serialized lowers. Some of them even float...
That's about what we have been getting them out the door to people for. Seen some CRAZY kit gun builds come through...got me wanting a .300 pistol, and I don't even like Ar's!
Crazy deals these days. I was able to keep my Surbu build AR'ish build under a G, not even watching sales. This thing is sick, I'm still waiting on parts, but so far, so good! My Brother scored a pair of AR builds for his kids, under $800 using 80% lowers we scored for $35 each, and be also got a serious deal on over 4k count worth of ammo for under $0.20 a round! Wish I had gotten in on that deal!!! Now is the time to be stocking up and building firearms and gathering up all the things needed. I always say I have enough ammo, but that' not really true, especially the fighting stuff, we practice a lot, the prices are really low on ammo, best to take advantage while I can!
And I was trying to steer away from firearms and into other areas like comms, first aid, and expanding my long term food storage. But dammit these blowouts are too hard to resist, especially there will likely be more legislation in my AO early next year that will outlaw ammo by mail. It's amazing how quickly thing start to turn - we wouldn't have thought there would be an all out blitz even a few months ago. In fact, we were expecting the opposite. Now, here in Oregon, we are looking at a ban of virtually every semi automatic firearm and every magazine greater than a 10 round capacity, gun registration, forced locked storage of all firearms and ammo, being a criminal for failure to report a lost or stolen firearm and even being responsible for any actions of the thief who stole it for FIVE YEARS. And that's just this fall. Next year's legislative session with a Democrat super majority and a Governor who is calling for more gun laws, bans, and confiscations. I'm thinking they will go after all sales by mail on ammo and parts, ID and NICS check for ammo and reloading supplies, possibly restrictions on the quantities of ammo, special licenses and fees. I expect "shall issue" on concealed carry to change as well. My point here is do not wait. When they are done here, Bloomberg, Soros, and company will turn their sights elsewhere. If you think this can't happen in your AO then you are sorely mistaken. It starts slow, but it's not a straight line - it's a parabola. Take advantage of these sales now before they attract attention where you live. Also, stomp out anything and anyone that's gets gun control started in your area and do it with a vengeance. Show no mercy and do whatever it takes.
Democrats already had a super majority and would even look at gun control. What the Democrats don't realize when their ranks swell to super majority size a lot of them aren't on the liberal crazy train to nut topia. And the old timers know if they pass some wide sweeping gun bs 50 house and Senate D seats are gone and none of them are safe.
The super majority I'm talking about is 2/3 in both the Oregon Senate and House of Representatives. With 2/3 control they can pass what they want with zero opposition and using EMERGENCY legislation prevent a referendum by the citizens. You can bet that if the Democrats had 2/3 the Federal Senate and House that the Constitution would be completely changed including your right to keep and bear arms to become your right to die in a labor camp.
Well while everyone was freaking out about democrats having the super majority and Obama in office, well I wasn't. The only thing they did was fail to pass carbon cap and tax, pass unaffordable health care and pass some anti capitalism taxes. The Democrats idea of gun control was expanding the fbi hours for instant background check and expand the ATFs NFA inspectors. The sheeple dems cheered it as a victory because they were told to and the pro gun people were scratching their heads because that's what we were asking for for years. From 2009 to 2010 the Republicans couldn't stop the dems from doing anything that's why they call it a super majority. They could have done what ever they wanted.
Nice to hear that you live in a free state that respects the Second. More people are killed by blunt instruments like hammers every year than all rifles combined. I bought a hammer at Home Depot a couple of weeks ago - no paperwork there, either..
I still wonder about that. I keep picturing grown men thinking they are going to die in a plane. Held off with boxcutters.
