One of the newest adventures I have had recently has been to work on starting a company that will go hand in hand with MCC.  Mossy Creek Arms has been developed to offer something a little different in the AR-15 market.  Saturday we were able to put the first gun together, and it is awesome.  I want to remind you these are not your standard run of the mill guns.  These guns are come from our shop in Nashville with loads of features you won’t see standard anywhere else.

For instance we are only using the Magpul line of stocks and pistol grips on our guns.  Magpul magazines come factory standard.  Our guns come standard with Backup sights.

Want it to be different than factory, all you have to do is call.  We are in the business of making the gun fit the shooter, not the other way around.

By the way for those of you who want to “Do it Yourself, Not By Yourself,” why not come and build your own rifle from one in our shop.  This allows you to customize before it ever leaves the shop and gives you complete control over design.

Be looking for the Model 1542 to debut at a cookout soon.  Those who come to the cookout will be able to run one of the guns and receive a discount at the time of purchase.

It is amazing how the election of leaders can change an industry.  Two weeks before the election you could get any AR that you wanted.  One distributor we regularly deal with had over 1,200 lowers in stock.  Now lowers are like gold.  People are selling their pets and houses to be able to get them.  In fact, most distributors have been wiped out with the rush to buy before President Elect Obama is sworn into office.  So the country is in a recession, but the gun industry is booming.

Last week at the Nashville gun show the line was 100 deep to get in.  The TN Criminal Instant Check System reported its 2nd highest day of activity since inception.  The week of the election over 8,000 checks were done in TN.  People are starting to get ready for what they believe will be the end of an era in American gun ownership.  Because we have had so many questions about what to do during these uncertain times we have put together a few thoughts to get you through.

1. If you are interested in buying an AR, you might want to go ahead and get your lower.  These are seen to be targets of the any type of ban that may come down the pike.  If history was to repeat itself you would be covered by having a pre-ban lower.  If you never have to use it you are only out $150.  You can build it out or sell it later.
2. Think about getting a few more high capacity magazines.  These were also regulated during the Clinton Crime ban.
3. If you are in an industry, like the auto industry, that is affected by the economy the answer is not a stimulus package or government bailout.  Just let the president start talking about banning cars.  Sales go through the roof and everyone is happy.

Other than the two real things and the one economic insight, just don’t worry.  Do not be motivated by fear to buy out your local gun store.  If you cover your bases with some small purchases you should be fine.

A few weeks ago I wrote about Remington‘s entry into the AR-15 market. In that post I asked the question, “Who is going to market a cheaper AR-15?” I still don’t have an answer at this point, but I know that the market is ready for a value priced AR.

Recent entries into the 1911 market may support this. Rock Island Armory has mastered this with a gun that is getting good reviews right now. Along with Rock Island, TAURUS has started making a 1911 with all the bells and whistles. Both of these guns allow shooters to get a fine introduction to 1911 pistols without putting their shooting on hold because of cash flow problems.

Before you start telling me how cheap and inferior these guns are, let me say a few things. Yes they may be inferior to the $800-$1,000 gun that you own or have seen advertised by the gun writers. But, let’s once again ask ourselves, “Who really needs that type of gun?” This question is very similar to the accuracy question that we looked at earlier. Do most shooters really need that type of gun? No. Most shooters are content with a gun that will shoot straight a few times a year.

Hence my argument for the cheaper AR. What many people fail to realize is that the cheaper gun that introduces a shooter to a genre may actually lead to other purchases down the road. My first 1911 was a Sistema Colt. To most people total junk, but I still have that gun today. It actually led me to some of the higher end guns I own, but at the time I couldn’t shell out $1,000, and nobody was offering anything like Rock Island or TAURUS. By offering a cheaper AR, a company will find that they will receive more business in the long run.

If you haven’t paid much attention to the tactical market lately you may have missed some new names that are manufacturing AR’s. One of the most famous is Remington.

They now own Cobb, DPMS, and Olympic Arms. This makes them the largest manufacturing group of the AR platform, and this is their new R-15. Last year Dave Sams told me that anyone not doing something with AR’s was going to be left behind. I didn’t know what he meant at the time, but seeing the latest add by Remington for their new R-15 rifle may prove his point.

There may be several reasons that everyone from Remington to Charles Daly is now offering AR’s, but certainly one of them is that they are probably the hottest item in long guns right now. Our customers love them for their ability to be customized. It can be a fun process to get a rifle they way you want it, much like a 1911. I have never met two guys at the range the same AR. They all put their own unique style into their rifles.

It will be interesting to see if the latest entries into the AR market by these manufacturers offers anything new, or if they are simply copies. It is possible that this will be push the AR platform to new innovations. The next push before innovation may actually be a price break. It will be interesting to see who takes that route.

**Update**  Check out this great valued AR from CMMG.