Posted on 06/18/2016 6:28:03 AM PDT by Drew68
After reading that Academy Sports was pulling their AR style rifles off the shelves, I headed to my neighborhood Gander Mountain here in Jacksonville, Florida to see if they had wussed out as well.
If Gander Mountain is pulling their AR rifles off the shelves, it is only because they are putting them in boxes and sending them out the door with customers.
I approached the hunting department around 7:00 pm. I hadn't planned on buying anything, though I hadn't dismissed the idea either. I was just there to look around.
AR-styles have always interested me. I am familiar with the weapon from the military. I earned my rifle qualification on an M4. Although an "AK Guy", I've found the AR to be easy to handle and fun to shoot.
Anyhow, I wasn't the only person occupying the three sales clerks' time at Gander Mountain. They were quite busy. There were a lot of men, some women, young, old, white, black all amongst the crowd at the Gander Mountain firearms department last night.
A half dozen of us were gathered specifically around the rapidly diminishing AR section of the firearm shelves. The salesman, who had grown well-rehearsed at what he was about to say grouped us together so he could deliver his sales speech at the same time.
He then proceeded to sell us on the virtues of the Armalite Eagle-15, an AR flattop with MilSpec construction and a .223 Wylde barrel.
They were selling them for $599. They currently had four left, even after doubling their orders following recent events. A quick internet search showed this price to be a bit high. The catch was, Gander had them here and right now while the lower-priced dealers were out of stock.
Normally, I'd think about it, go home, do a whole bunch of research on "what's the best base-model AR" and then return to the store to buy something three times higher than I had planned on spending.
But this time was different. Something stinks in the air right now. I'm feeling it. I think we all are.
It is the time to buy, not think about buying. I was the first man in the group to raise my hand and say, "start the paperwork." Within an hour, all four Armalites were gone as well as some S&W's, Sigs and other variants.
The rifle came with one 30rd magazine, no sling, no rear sight. Some overpriced ammo and accessories set me back about a grand total.
Not a bad Father's Day weekend at the gun store at all.
At least get a spare receiver, or 2. They take up very little space in your safe and if well taken care of, will grow up to be a full sized AR one day.
Very cool! I’m a southpaw as well. My first AR was the original Colt CAR-15, not even an A1. It didn’t have that little nub (case deflector) on the receiver.
Being that I wear glasses, every time a case would eject, it would hit the frame of my glasses, which was somewhat distracting.
The stock was also too short for me, and it required a sight adjustment tool, which was something of a pain.
Mark
OH! Those ARAKs are so sweet!
I used a Faxon barrel for my first AR build.
Excellent company.
Yep. Born in Denver, raised in Littleton, spent my 20s in Ft. Collins and my early 30s as a single guy in LoDo.
Joined the Navy in 2003 at age 34 and I come back now every couple of years only to visit friends and family.
Barely recognize the place or the people. Not the Colorado I grew up in, that's for sure.
It’s just a damned shame that there’s no such thing as affordable ammo any more.
I’m afraid that I’m old enough to remember when K-Mart would advertise a brick of W/W .22LR for $6.99. And even when I was older, it was easy to find (remanufactured) 50 round boxes of .223 for $6.
Mark
Naw, don’t just build one, build a piston version and purchase a .22lr CMMG conversion unit to use for practice. I built three piston versions. The best two are the Adams Arms and the Osprey. I prefer the Osprey Defense because it is virtually maintenance free and light weight out front.
Silencerco FH?
I’ve heard a lot of firearms podcasts and radio interviews with these guys as their guests.
Eight months and $1,800 dollars later, I picked this up.
Nice.
Hope you don’t accidentally “cook off” any rounds!
Congratulations..... You’re going to love it.
That Osprey Defense kit is very intriguing. No need for a new gas block it appears. Might restrict handguard selection a bit though?
Largely true. Sometimes I'll catch a bulk semi-tractor full sale at a Fleet Farm or someplace like that and load up. I don't like getting caught short on ammo, never know when the defacation is going to hit the high speed rotary oscillator .... or the EBT cards stop working.
Thumbs up for the Adams Arms.
Mine came with a hand guard and there are several on the market which fit overt he piston cup. That thing is virtually self cleaning. I shot the three hundred test rounds through it and when I went to clean it it was clean! You do not lube them so no gunk tends to build up. I expect after a couple thousand rounds it should be cleaned with a bruch and hoopes 9. The kit comes with a handguard, the piston and cup and the bolt carrier. You use you own bolt installed into their carrier. Very efficient system and seems to add no weight out front since their piston cup has a tube which replaces the existing impingement tube in your gas block. The handguard does get hot with a couple of 30 rounds mags, but a vertical foregrip or AFG solves that issue.
It is a good, reliable system but does add weight out front. The great thing about the AA system is being able to adjust the gas if shooting singles of a heavier bullet weight, and the piston rod can be removed to use a common CMMG .22lr conversion kit. The third piston system I built and tested was the CMMG and it took a common .22lr conversion bolt when I took a dremel to the top-front of the carrier, taking it down an eighth of an inch to allow the piston rod to function without hitting the conversion carrier.
I bought my Colt AR-15 in Maryland a few weeks before their stupid communist ban went into effect. Shops had small selection and full price.
A friend in PA told me that the 80% lower receivers he has on order are completely backordered.
Liberal gun sales reps are at it again.
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