Right now we are seeing the markets begin to stabilize a bit.  Three months ago Magpul AR mags were selling for as much as $75 a mag on Gunbroker.  Today they are selling for about $22.  This is only a few dollars more than what they retailed for before the end of 2012.

AR prices have begun falling as well.  If you bought an AR at the beginning of the year, chances are you paid at least double what they sold for in 2012.  Those guns will be sold at a loss in the near future.  Best bet is to hold onto it.  It’s going to be hard to recoup your money right now.

The used market is starting to get filled in.  As time goes on the used market will be flooded with guns that are in great condition (barely shot).  Those who are patient will probably be able to find what they want at a good price.

Ammunition has not corrected.  In 2012, I purchased 500 rounds of 22lr for about $18.  In January that number had grown to $45.  Yesterday a local shop had some for $80.  This was not match ammo.  It was just cheap fodder.  I left it there for someone else.  The law of supply and demand has pushed prices through the roof.  If you aren’t reloading, you might begin to think about it.

New guns are trickling into stores.  In fact, one store told me that they are getting guns easily.  The ammo is the main problem.  They can’t get it, and when they do, it is priced extremely high.

The interesting thing is that the gun industry looks really strong on the surface.  Sales have been up, and the stores couldn’t keep up with the demand.  Now, you are going to see some really lean times.  Watch for some stores to shut down, because they can’t get anything to sell.  Customers have spent their gun budgets already this year for the entire year.  If everything remains as it is today, I predict a great cooling off in the industry this year.

We have been going through some updates on the website for the last week.  If it seems a little slow that’s why.  You may have also noticed some problems in the web store.  That should be resolved now as well.  If not, please email us and we can get your order out via electronic invoice.  Thanks for your patience.

I’ve been working on a Sig 1911 latley, and I guess that it has reminded me how much I appreciate this platform. The Sig has the series 80′s components that Colt made famous. These little parts make up a stronger safety system. The endless debate is how necessary are they? Many purists say they are unnecessary and make the trigger job more complicated.

I am very impressed with the Sig. The fit and finish is high quality like you expect from Sig. One thing I love it that you don’t need tools to take the thing apart. For a carry gun it fits the bill.

I was talking with a customer the other day about cost vs. value in gunsmithing.  We were trying to determine whether or not he should add a sight to a S&W 442.  This particular gun did not have a pinned front sight.  The sight ramp was integral to the barrel.

Normally installing the Big Dot sights is $100 including the sights.  However, if you have to mill them, the cost goes to $150.  Because it was a 442 (blued gun) we now have to refinish the barrel.  All of a sudden a pretty good idea just got really expensive.

The value of these mods are only in the owner’s eyes.  Most people are never going to pay you more for a Big Dot on your gun.  It’s like a Harley, chrome it out, but only because you like it.  Invest in your 401K not mods.

At the end of the day he made the decision not to have the work done.  I agreed with him.  The cost didn’t equal the value.

I was testing a Taurus Judge recently when I had my first ever squib load.  The range I was using is an indoor range so it made me second guess myself whether it was a squib or not.  It was so loud in the range I wasn’t sure if I had a light primer strike (failure to fire) or if it was a squib load.

Luckily I followed training protocol and held the gun on target for about 30 seconds to ensure I didn’t have a hangfire.  I then opened the cylinder and removed the ammo.  I had one empty case.  A visual inspection of the breech end of the barrel showed this bullet lodged in the barrel.

45 LC squib load

This is the 45 LC squib I recovered.  It came from American Eagle Ammunition.  This brand is under Federal Ammo.  As I mentioned this is my first ever squib load.  I had a friend and fellow reloader who had them with regularity because of the rate he ran his press, but even in reloading I had not had one.

The point is to follow your training.  Had I pulled the trigger again, I would have at least damaged the barrel, and could have blown up the gun at the worst.  Not good when it is a customer’s gun, but worse when it’s your hands holding the gun.

How did I remove the bullet?  Brass rod, hammer, and a vise.  No big deal really, just another interesting day at the office.