Posted on 02/22/2009 10:09:04 AM PST by Red in Blue PA
TAMPA - After President Barack Obama won the election, people flooded gun stores because of speculation that he may limit gun ownership or raise taxes on them. Even though neither has happened, the amount of people wanting to get their hands on a gun hasn't gone down. Scott Patrick is the General Manager of the Shoot Straight gun range in Tampa. He says the number of people coming into his store is still going up. "For whatever reason, whether it's the economy or crime, people don't feel safe," he said. Patrick is having serious trouble keeping all kinds of fire arms in stock, even holsters are often backordered. However, he says ammunition is what is really flying off store shelves. Ammo that sells for personal protection is as good as gold these days, and it's costing 30 to 40 percent more than it used to.
(Excerpt) Read more at myfoxtampabay.com ...
I then went to Academy and the only 9MM they had were Blazer, aluminum casing, I passed. Got the last two boxes of 30-06’s, they were $25.00 for 20 rounds, 243’s were not much better $18.95 for 20 rounds. The 45’s were $42 for 100 rounds( I got the last two boxes at that store), no 25 auto, no 380 auto. I got the last 4 boxes of 16 gage in 4’s and 6’s. No 00’s, #2’s or 4’s in either 16, 20 or 12 gage.
Has anyone said the prices suck.:)
Asking that question on this forum is a lot like yelling FOOD FIGHT!!! in a sixth grade cafeteria.
It depends on where you live, what you can afford and what you are comfortable with. I live in an apartment and have to worry about penetrating too much into the neighbor's space. I own a 12 gauge shotgun. Shotguns are great close in weapons and their knock down power beats any handgun. Contrary to popular belief, it takes as much practice use a shotgun effectively as it does a rifle and pattern spread at home defense ranges is only about 3 or 4 inches. Learning to master the recoil of a shotgun is also something that comes with practice. A good pump action shotgun can be had for between $180 and $300
If I lived in a rural area where threats may be further away and I didn't have to worry as much about where the the expended load wound up I'd go with a modern carbine, like an AR15 or AK47. Rifles have better range and lower recoil than shotguns and far better range and knock down power than a handgun. They are in general a better choice for personal defense which is why every army in the world uses one as their standard infantry weapon. Last time I priced them, AKs were about $750 and AR15 clones go for around $1000. Rifle ammo is generally cheaper than home defense shotgun ammo.
A handgun, .40 caliber and up, is suitable as a backup for home defense but be prepared to put multiple shots into the threat to neutralize it. It's also much harder to hit a target with a pistol than a rifle or shotgun because of the short barrel and short sight radius. For that reason, personally I'd prefer not to trust my life to one if I didn't have to.
Notice, I haven't mentioned any brand names. That's because knowing how to use the weapon you have well is more important than the brand name stamped into it. As long as it's a reliable weapon from a quality manufacturer, brand distinctions are largely a matter of budget and personal preference. And also because when people start talking about brand names that's when the food fight starts. :o)
I think you just did and I'll second it :^)
Thanks for the ping
Great info - many thanks
I was never worried about Y2K. Not in the least. This is different. Unlike Y2K, anarchy and social disorder is a genuine risk this time around in consequence of the government’s horribly misguided economic policies. Hungry unemployed people can go primal very fast. Maybe there’s only a five to ten percent chance of the worst case scenario unfolding, but even at a five to ten percent chance it would be wise to prepare. People who have lived through social disorder tend to choose close-in protection over long-range sniping.
Ruger has stopped making the .460 from what I understand.
454 Casull (Ruger Alaskan) is the biggest handgun I've fired without doing the jerk right/duck left thing to dodge the recoil and it took some practice to get comfortable with the .454. The short barrel on the Alaskan helps me too - less metal coming back at you.
That is why I said, ‘Generally’ in my earlier post.
For the vast majority of those engaged in survival hunting, a pistol is next to useless.
Pistols are mainly the weapon of last resort in close combat situations where you will not likely have time to reload.
Alas, someone who can read and interpret intent.
Thank you for a little vindication amid this storm of protest.
Xacly. Hey nice woodwork Tomkat!
Yes, it kicks extremely hard.
Even so, my nine year old was bench resting it when I purchased it new 13 years ago.
Freedom Arms field grade with laminated grips.
As stated in an earlier post: volume buying is appropriate for avid shooters.
That is not exactly the subject being discussed here though.
Thanks for the advice though I have owned numerous 9’s and 45’s over the years and have never been any good with them outside 20 yards.
I will take a look at the glocks though since all I have owned are colts, walthers and brownings.
I have heard of HUD fraud destroying real estate values and importing crime to neighborhoods so this is not new to me.
My contention is that we are seeing another artificially amplified round of hysteria associated with fear of gun and ammo shortages and/or disproportionately high prices near term because of legislation and/or inflation driven higher prices.
If the former, we will certainly be in for some fireworks.
If the latter’ it will likely be temporary due to continuing demand/price destruction.
Large houses will be cleaned out, auctioned off and sold for taxes.
Complete arsenals will hit gunbroker, pawnshops, etc. and we will be able to get a lot more for the dollar than now.
In my opinion one need not hoard guns and ammo at this time.
If you think I need your permission to make that statement, you need to move to an Arab state.
What is far worse than my statement is all the constitutionally protected chicken little fear mongering that goes on for profit in America and the suckers that fall for it.
Y2K is the prime example of this in our time.
In summer of last year, the number was 280,000,000. Now, I imagine the number of privately owned firearms to be half a billion. Only 150 million would have been accurate years ago.
I know Title 8 screwed up my old neighborhood, along with a bank auction of another house.
A few months after the house at the end of the block went Title 8, there were toilets in the yard, guys using the window to enter and leave as much as the front door, probably about 15 people living in a 3 bedroom house. The other house got picked up by a home remodeler. He was a nice guy, but a drunk and within about a year the health department was visiting. He'd rip out all the old cabinets from a house and leave them in his yard. After a couple of years of doing this, you could barely see his house.
I know we've posted back and forth on this, but I don't expect gun or ammo prices to go down. I think most people will sit on their stock. Sales may slow, but I don't think prices will drop much. Let's tag in May and see who was correct.
You can never have too much.
Yes, behzinlea, you have good points there. Times are different, there is a global financial meltdown in progress as the world is moving away from the FIRE economic model to a commodity based system. This will take years to complete so let’s not rush things.
Americans have been amply prepared in the area of armament for years. We have 150-200 million guns in private possession and who knows how much ammo.
Back in the 70’s we heard all the same rationals we are hearing today only this time it looks like the real deal. I bet many people still have gold, guns and ammo they hoarded back then.
I remember buying some gold for about $600 and selling within a few weeks for $685 back then.
“I think anyone pushing the idea we should all run out and hoard ammo”
Buying more than 2 boxes of ammo is NOT “hoarding”.
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