No More Excuses, Get an AR-15 NOW!

A year ago, with the election of President Obama looming on the horizon, the price of firearms shot through the roof. Ammunition, magazines, parts kits, and complete firearms all skyrocketed immediately before the election and afterwards, with complete AR-15s going up somewhere around 40%, if you could find them that is. Waiting lists and backorders of up to a year were common as the gun industry scrambled to meet the demands of a panic stricken market.

What a difference a year makes.

As demand finally begins to diminish, we find ourselves in an over saturated market where too many goods are chasing too few dollars. That tricked out M-4gery that might as well have been made of “unobtainium” last November is now just another garden variety AR. They’re not quite a dime a dozen just yet, but they cost a lot less than they did not too long ago.

Here, let’s see how little it will cost us to put together a garden variety AR carbine after just five minutes of web surfing. For our purposes, we’re going to stick with complete lowers and uppers. This is not to discourage anyone from buying a stripped lower and building your own though. Building an AR from the ground up will not only give you the satisfaction of owning a rifle you assembled with your own two hands, you will also have the final say over all the parts inside that rifle as well. That’s a good thing if it’s your ass that’s on the line. For our purposes though, I am keeping this one simple. I want to get an upper and  a lower, put them together, and start acquiring targets, so only complete uppers and lowers apply.

Lowers

A quick search for ar15 lowers brings me to Lone Star Wholesale, a company with lots of gun parts for the AR in stock. They have a wide selection of lowers to choose from, including Rock River Arms (RRA) lowers complete with the six position collapsible stock for $235. The RRA receiver is manufactured by a company called CMT, the same people who manufacture receivers for a whole slew of companies, including Wilson, Colt, and Stag Arms. At $235, I think it’s a bargain as well. If you want to save $10, the DPMS lower goes for $225, but I like the idea of getting a “Colt” for a bargain price.

Uppers

Since we’re looking to make a basic AR here on a budget, I am looking for the best deal I can get on a complete upper receiver, including the bolt carrier, charging handle, and carrying handle. Not that I am particularly attached to the charging handle mind you, but it does have a complete rear sight built into it, so it’s pretty useful after all.  If you have an extra bolt carrier and charging handle lying around (like I do), I’d consider picking up a DS Arms upper for $275. At that price they’re pretty much a steal, but they are missing those key parts, which takes them off of our list.

I did, however, find a complete A2 upper over at weaponparts.com that fits our criteria quite well. Made by CMT, it comes complete with  a carry handle, Wilson heavy barrel, charging handle, and bolt carrier group for $475. For that price, I’d say we have a winner.

So, throw in shipping, FFL transfer fees and the like, and you have an AR for somewhere around $760. That’s about $100 to $200 off what a comparable, complete AR would cost you at a show or gun store, and a screaming bargain compared to what it would have ran you last December. In other words, you don’t have any excuses left. They’re back in stock, the prices are coming down, and you know you need one.

Do something to piss Nancy Pelosi off today, and look into buying an AR15.