Nationwide uptick in sales of semiautomatic rifles and ammunition

a reply to: machineintelligence


The real question is if these are new gun owners or current gun owners adding to their collection.

Did Jim Bob go from 3 to 4 rifles?

Did Sally Mae go from 0 to 1 rifle?

a reply to: SonOfThor

You really can't do better as far as cost effective for midsize game than the .308 it is just the right size to take out anything up about 200 pounds and has the muzzle energy to knock them down at 400 yards handily. I prefer the 165 grain Soft Point for hogs.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Hard to say exactly but backgroung checks have been pretty high for the last 4 years being steadily over 25,000,000 since 2016. That is often used as an indicator of new owner purchases.

NICS Firearm Checks Month/Year

a reply to: machineintelligence

I haven't bought a new gun is several years but I thought the store runs a background check on every sale.

a reply to: machineintelligence


Right now we don't know who is buying. Could be conservatives buying early in case of new restrictions in 2020, or liberals gearing up in case trump wins. Or it might just be a seasonal thing.

Maybe you could link to some of these polls or reports. Which states are effected the most, are these long or short barrel weapons, low of high caliber. Budget models of premium?

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: machineintelligence

I haven't bought a new gun is several years but I thought the store runs a background check on every sale.

Yeah, but you and I both know that these checks are pretty much just to verify names and credit ratings. A lot of important stuff gets left off depending which state you are in. Unless you murdered somebody criminal history may not show up at all, not mental health status in some states.

I really should get some new ammo, mine is pretty old. I could go down to the club and practice with the kids to use up the old bullets. They should be replaced every ten years or so I feel. Most of my ammo is for deer rifles, 22 rifles, and shotguns, all hunting guns. I do have some pistols too, I suppose that ammo is also getting old.

I have been rotating ammo for fifty years, but I haven't been hunting or practicing much in the last ten years so I have mostly old ammo. I have a couple of ammo boxes full, it is not cheap to rotate ammo. A couple hundred bucks goes up in gunsmoke on a major rotation year. Oh well, the kids and grandkids need to learn to fire guns, I suppose it isn't wasted. They need to learn to aim so if something does happen they can safely provide food for their families. A squirrel or rabbit will feed the family if needed for a day.

a reply to: rickymouse
I like a 22cal precharged pneumatic air rifle for squirrels and rabbits because I often take them inside city limits. There is a pecan grove that will pay me $10 per squirrel. They can eat that much in pecans in a day so it is cost effective even at $10 each. I use non-lead shot for them so they do break the sound barrier but no one has complained yet. Pecan fed and smoked squirrel is not bad eating but his dogs get most of them.

a reply to: rickymouse

As far as old ammo goes I have fired 18 year old 5.56mm ball ammo when we were cleaning out a bunker in Germany. It shot just fine but these bunkers are very temperature controlled naturally. We were instructed to shoot it all up and that was about 25,000 rounds total and we were a company of 11B-and 11C so we all got to put as much down range we wanted. I have also fired spam can 7.62X54r ammo that was almost 30 years old as well without much issue but lots of cleaning time was required on both occasions.

a reply to: machineintelligence

There is actually a rise in militia growth in the USA over an "impending civil war" -- Could be more related to that. This increase has been going on since 2017.


Why Armed Militia Groups are Surging in The USA

originally posted by: UpIsNowDown

originally posted by: machineintelligence

Wow that sort of stuff is just on sale to anyone in America, makes sense to have hollow point for shooting deer with, and you definetly need a semi automatic for that

So much for love thy neighbour

You never know when the government will come after you and your rights. So it does makes sense to have it all. That is what the 2nd amendment is for as not only a right, but a declared responsibility. Oh, and yes you can still love your neighbor.

Look at other countries that have stripped away that right and see the government over reach and abuse against the disarmed that has ensued, and is exponentially increasing by the day.

a reply to: lordcomac

Out West, in Oregon we have been in rifle season all October, still have this weekend and next.

The majority of hunters I know don't carry a semi auto rifle to hunt, its bolt action .300s, 7mm, .308. Might carry a semi auto side arm for up close dangerous prey like bear, or cougar.

I have used a semi auto rifle on boar, but a brush gun .35 cal- .45-70 is better in heavy brush.

I suspect these are AR platform knee jerk purchases, but Im ok with that too.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed
You have your head on right......like fresh air reading that

I can't even go hiking back of my fence without my sw 44 mag 6 inch with Garrett dangerous African game ammo. There's a wild hog out there that is so ugly.....his snout has friggin bristles......harem of 50 counting the piggies. Holo sight....I need my weapons dangitt.....Alaska next July....whole family goin camping.

originally posted by: blueman12

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: machineintelligence

gun grabbers are the best weapon salesmen that exist.

So are the alt-right websites that freak people out and get them overly-paranoid.

Like ATS?

ETA:
Actually, I figure I'll let you in on what some folks actually think. See, Back in the old days, late 1980's, a thing called the Brady Bill was voted in. it didn't remove any firearms, but it did change a few things. Some small changes in how AR-15's were sold in particular. Silly things like they couldn't have a bayonet lug. I wasn't a gun nut back then, so I don't remember all the restrictions, but there were some. Well, those particular restrictions made it so past weapons were grandfathered in. Meaning they could still exist and be sold, but no new one's could be sold with those furnishings.

Amazingly enough as soon as folks were told they couldn't have something, they all wanted it. (This is key to understanding things) So what followed, is that AR-15's with those furnishings became very expensive. And again, everyone wanted them. Supply and demand ran it's course, and some people made some good money.

So when some dork-o-ramus like Beto O'Blowhole, or Joe (leave my coke head son alone) Biden starts yammering about taking away ALL AR-15's, some people see opportunity. Admittedly, some are just like the one's I mentioned, and only want things they are afraid they won't be able to have, but the smart one's see this as an investment.

So good news is, nobody will ever force you to purchase an AR-15. You can spend your last days blubbering to anyone who will listen about how evil that particular scary looking gun is, and if you live in the US, nobody will arrest you.

a reply to: network dude

Ordered a 10,000 count batch of 7.62x51 NATO years ago.

Showed up in the crates plastic wrapped to a pallet. Neighbors asked wtf you gonna do with all that? Who needs 10,000 rounds?
I told them it was 582.00 dollars delivered.
Both of them wanted the number right now. 2 weeks later 2 more pallets showed up at both of my neighbors places.

Delivery driver told the neighbors-
" I don't know what you guys are getting ready for, but your definitely ready for it."

a reply to: Notoneofyou

I was mentioning the other day, that in a rinky dink little wana be K mart store here in NC, there used to be crates of SKS rifles packed in Vaseline for $99. I had no use for crap like that, so I never bothered to get any. But now, they seem to be a bit more rare and a bit more expensive. These things even had bayonets on them, and were never even removed from the original shipping crate. Missed opportunity I suppose. Have you shot any of that ammo?

originally posted by: machineintelligence
a reply to: rickymouse

As far as old ammo goes I have fired 18 year old 5.56mm ball ammo when we were cleaning out a bunker in Germany. It shot just fine but these bunkers are very temperature controlled naturally. We were instructed to shoot it all up and that was about 25,000 rounds total and we were a company of 11B-and 11C so we all got to put as much down range we wanted. I have also fired spam can 7.62X54r ammo that was almost 30 years old as well without much issue but lots of cleaning time was required on both occasions.

I was shooting old twenty two ammo in my rifle to get rid of it. Wow, dirty gun after that. Also it popped the ejector loose on the bolt action rifle. The shell had split, I examined the rest of the shells and there was some junk oozing out of them. I got rid of those shells, the rod and gun club took them, they knew how to neutralize them so they could be disposed of. You do not want to throw bullets into the garbage, they could go off in the garbage truck if they are not processed correctly..

a reply to: network dude

I purchased a couple of those for $100 each many years ago. They were similarly packed in cosmoline. They are several hundred now days so that turned out to be a good investment. I gave one as a gift and am storing the other one. I did shoot a couple of hundred rounds through it. I figured I could at least arm a friend should the need arise. I just purchased cheap Yugo ammo on stripper clips for them. I always vacuum bag stored ammo and use oxygen absorber and desiccant in the bag.

a reply to: Bluntone22

They do.

The same seller I always went to for years, and knew me fairly well, backgrounded me every single time.

a reply to: rickymouse

That reminds me of the time we were putting out a trailer fire. The home owner had his ammunition on top of his fridge. That was pretty alarming when that went off. Needless to say that trailer did not make it. We did manage to keep the LP tank from blowing up at least.