Unless you live under a rock somewhere, you probably know all about the nonsense legislation being introduced in Congress, as well as in various states around the country, that will limit our ability to own semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15. How successful these bills will be remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: people are buying all types of guns at a record pace, and that’s saying something.
Because of the panic buying (I’m not saying the panic is or isn’t warranted by the way), it’s pretty hard to find semiautomatic rifles, at least around here. I’ve been getting emails and messages pretty much daily from people asking me if I know anyone who has rifles in stock. If you find yourself in need of an AR-15 and don’t want to pay the crazy gun show prices I’ve been hearing about, here’s a couple options for you.
Academy
As we mentioned a few weeks back, Academy is still selling AR-15’s, you just have to ask to see them. My local Academy has been getting regular shipments in, and they are selling quickly, but at least folks are still able to get rifles. From what I’ve seen, prices have gone up slightly, but nothing outrageous.
Build Your Own
Building your own AR-15 is a great option for a lot of people and not nearly as hard as you might think. There are a ton of great resources out there to learn how to build your own AR-15, including this DIY AR-15 series from ITS Tactical. Lower receiver (the serialized part of an AR-15) prices are still reasonable, an example being these forged and Cerakoted lowers from GPI Custom Gunworks.
If you’re hesitant to build your own, an easier route to take is to just build the lower, and then buy a complete upper to finish the rifle. Finding complete uppers in stock, however, is a challenge right now.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this helps someone. The market is crazy right now for sure, but you should still be able to find or build a rifle if you check around. Tomorrow we will talk more about building an AR-15 and why I think that makes a lot of sense in the current political climate, and even more sense if a ban were to take place.
This is just the article I needed to see today. Do you have any idea what kind of AR’s Academy is carrying?
No I don’t Ben. I know they have/had a limited number of 2 Vets Arms rifles, but I’m pretty sure those are gone. My guess is Smith & Wesson M&P15’s, Bushmaster or something similar.
I know for a while they were carrying Red Jacket Firearms ARs.
They aren’t any longer.
I’ve been talking to various dealers that I know via my personal network, and one of them offered what seemed to me to be a great alternative solution. He said I should locate a chinese SKS which are still relatively cheap ($400ish), then get the aftermarket Tapco stock and 20 round magazines. Total would put you out around $600 or less, and you’d have a great semi-auto that uses a standard 7.62×39 round. What do you think?
I think an SKS is better than nothing, but my personal preference would be a quality AR or AK.
The AR’s in 7.62X39 NEVER hold up. The bolts break under heavy use, and magazines are always an issue.
NOT recommended!
And maybe next time I’ll read the comment closer before commenting….
SKS, not AR – got it, lol.
Ok, time to learn how to build an AR-15 me thinks…thanks for the info Monderno.
On the “build it yourself” downside, I’ve been scouring the web for days and have yet to find any lowers, stripped or otherwise, for anything close to a reasonable price (and by reasonable I mean less than double the price they were 2 weeks ago). 🙁
Looks like those GPI lowers might be out already…keep checking, I’ve seen several companies announce having them in stock recently on Facebook.
Umbrella corp looks like they are getting close to releasing some. Brandon can you let us know where you see those Gpi’s for sale?
Looks like they weren’t ready for the response they got. Follow them on Facebook, I’m guessing they will post when they are ready to take orders again.
I emailed GPI at the crack of dawn this morning, expecting a response, but then noticed on their website that they’re closed Sunday and Monday. Maybe first thing tomorrow? *crosses fingers* 🙂
Yea I emailed them at 7:30 CT.
Does anyone have an opinion on these Tacticsl Arms of Texas rifles? 1300.00, half upfront and the other half when the gun is done some time in march.
I am also curious about Tactical Arms of Texas (www.tacticalarmsoftexas.com). As this will be my first AR, do yinz have any build suggestions for a new guy?
Sorry guys, I don’t know anything about them.
What about texascustomguns.net? Do you know when/if he is taking orders?
Last I heard Lonnie is taking orders again at the beginning of February.
In addition to trying to find stripped lowers and uppers, good luck finding bolt carrier groups for less than $275+. My estimate is that the previous budget AR build of $600 is now a minimum of $1,000.
If the AWB doesn’t go through prices should re-adjust…wishful thinking perhaps.
I was in the midst of an AR build that had been a slow process. When I heard that parts were becoming difficult to find around the weekend after Christmas I ordered the rest of my parts. I should have everything in by mid February. It is possible to get parts but you have to be patient.