My Gun Store Experiences

[Gregolian]

oddly enough i got a ridiculous amount of M5 lowers and uppers. Its the other parts for the AR-10's i cant get. No handguards, barrel options are garbage, having to build my own lower parts kits from cannibalized AR-15 parts while sneaking AR-10 pivot, takedown pins, and bolt catches like some kinda 1920's bootlegger

Interesting. Can’t find shit where I live

 

[Gregolian]

@Roaming East question since I am getting my Mk18 clone done this week.

To prep a new AR with a phosphate BCG... just take like the charging handle and BCG and lay it on a piece of cardboard and soak those bitches in like Amsoil? I know general rule is run brand new AR's like they were dunked in an oil barrel so I just wanted to be sure.

 

[Roaming East]

@Roaming East question since I am getting my Mk18 clone done this week.

To prep a new AR with a phosphate BCG... just take like the charging handle and BCG and lay it on a piece of cardboard and soak those bitches in like Amsoil? I know general rule is run brand new AR's like they were dunked in an oil barrel so I just wanted to be sure.

@Roaming East question since I am getting my Mk18 clone done this week.

To prep a new AR with a phosphate BCG... just take like the charging handle and BCG and lay it on a piece of cardboard and soak those bitches in like Amsoil? I know general rule is run brand new AR's like they were dunked in an oil barrel so I just wanted to be sure.

itll work a bit, but you get the most benefit from heat cycling the BCG. when its cold, oil it up. dump a mag, pull it out and toss it on a pie tin with your oil of choice til it cools. Do that 2 or 3 times and itll season up like a good cast iron pan.

 

[Gregolian]

itll work a bit, but you get the most benefit from heat cycling the BCG. when its cold, oil it up. dump a mag, pull it out and toss it on a pie tin with your oil of choice til it cools. Do that 2 or 3 times and itll season up like a good cast iron pan.

Thanks. My Mk18 clone is all done so I need to season the phosphate BCG.

 

[My Spot]

Thanks. My Mk18 clone is all done so I need to season the phosphate BCG.

Pistol with a 10.3" barrel?

 

[My Spot]

I went to what's supposedly the largest gun store in the world over the weekend. Junk AR brands as far as the eye can see and Winchester white box .223 for $1 a round.

 

[Gregolian]

Pistol with a 10.3" barrel?

10.5”. Going for basically a Mk18 clone.

And before someone says I should have done a 12” barrel.... I already have a 14.5 and wanted something short to play around with.

 

[evergreenrider]

10.5”. Going for basically a Mk18 clone.

And before someone says I should have done a 12” barrel.... I already have a 14.5 and wanted something short to play around with.

I went 12.5, and almost wish I went 10.5. Its just a tad too long for a proper backpack rif..err pistol. I like the little bit of ballistic boost with the extra 2 inches(thats what she said) but realistically I'd be engaging in urban environments

 

[mma03]

I once worked full time at a very high volume dealer in the South East US for the better part of a year. I was surprised at how low the margin was on new guns. This may have been a unique business model since the place does high volume and has been around for like 50 + years, supposedly a lot of the profit came from selling customer/police trade ins and selling ammo. But there were often times where new stock was priced under cost, apparently to draw large sales crowds and make more money off of ammo/trade ins.

I had been buying there for years and years and always assumed they were making a fortune on each firearm sold. Not even close.

 

[Gregolian]

@Roaming East another question.

Got my .308 AR almost done. I just need a BCG and charging handle and it will be ready to go pew with some ammo and magazines.

I got a problem though... the barrel I bought SAYS it's a .750 diameter gas block and I have a .750 gas block. It won't seat. I'm going to take it to a gunsmith to put together but am I possibly SOL? Or will they have a way to open up the gas block/fit it onto the barrel?

I can't remember the exact measurements but the barrel is like a .758 and the block is .749 or some shit.

 

[RerouteToRemain]

@Roaming East another question.

Got my .308 AR almost done. I just need a BCG and charging handle and it will be ready to go pew with some ammo and magazines.

I got a problem though... the barrel I bought SAYS it's a .750 diameter gas block and I have a .750 gas block. It won't seat. I'm going to take it to a gunsmith to put together but am I possibly SOL? Or will they have a way to open up the gas block/fit it onto the barrel?

I can't remember the exact measurements but the barrel is like a .758 and the block is .749 or some shit.

That doesn't sound right. Barrel should be .750. .750 gas block should fit it.

Some blocks have a very tight fight. Throw the block in your oven at 200⁰ for like 15-20 minutes and push that thing on.

 

[Gregolian]

That doesn't sound right. Barrel should be .750. .750 gas block should fit it.

Some blocks have a very tight fight. Throw the block in your oven at 200⁰ for like 15-20 minutes and push that thing on.

Looking at it, it feels like the coating or something on the outside of the barrel is what has added size to it.

I heard about the oven method but I personally am uncomfortable doing that.

 

[RerouteToRemain]

Looking at it, it feels like the coating or something on the outside of the barrel is what has added size to it.

I heard about the oven method but I personally am uncomfortable doing that.

I've thrown barrels, receivers, blocks, etc in the oven. Nothing is going to happen to it. Cerakote goes into an oven at 250⁰ for 2 hours. Your block and barrel will get much hotter than that.

 

[Gregolian]

I've thrown barrels, receivers, blocks, etc in the oven. Nothing is going to happen to it. Cerakote goes into an oven at 250⁰ for 2 hours. Your block and barrel will get much hotter than that.

I'm going to have a smith slap the upper together too because, well, I don't have a vice block lol so let them deal with heating stuff up.

 

[evergreenrider]

Heat. Oven, or even a propane torch.

 

[Roaming East]

@Roaming East another question.

Got my .308 AR almost done. I just need a BCG and charging handle and it will be ready to go pew with some ammo and magazines.

I got a problem though... the barrel I bought SAYS it's a .750 diameter gas block and I have a .750 gas block. It won't seat. I'm going to take it to a gunsmith to put together but am I possibly SOL? Or will they have a way to open up the gas block/fit it onto the barrel?

I can't remember the exact measurements but the barrel is like a .758 and the block is .749 or some shit.

these guys have already said it but apply high heat. We see it all the time with some of the higher quality stuff. the fit is so incredibly tight we have to heat the block to expand the metal, mallet it into place and when it cools it tightens on the barrel.

 

[Gregolian]

these guys have already said it but apply high heat. We see it all the time with some of the higher quality stuff. the fit is so incredibly tight we have to heat the block to expand the metal, mallet it into place and when it cools it tightens on the barrel.

Thanks dude.

 

[Roaming East]

This past month has been....illuminating. SO, prices for ammo (at least at the dealer level) are stabilizing fast and are starting to drop. BUT those bulk ammo purchases are still being snapped up by 3rd party dudes like Midway, Lipseys and Sports South etc.
That means that while i could...theoretically start selling 9mm at 30cpr again as opposed to almost 90cpr like now....i still cant because these 3rd party companies are making up the loss of revenue from Dicks and Walmart discontinuing gun sales, by adding those ammo purchases to mass bulk purchases of firearms.

Basically, i am allowed to purchase from my distributors, ammunition at near pre-COVID pricing, but in order to do that, i need to sweetheart deal purchase 50 AR's per pallet of ammo, or 100 Taurus Gwhatever#C's.

Some genius solutions told to me was that customers (you guys) should just stop buying ammo. Which is weird because when i tell them i would ALSO stop buying ammo they give me the ole confused picachu face.
For summary, if im forced to buy ammo at 70cpr and everyone stops buying ammo to "drive the price down". the price doesnt go down, because if im not selling ammo, i have no reason to buy more of it and im certainly not going to just take a massive loss just to sell ammo. Its ammo, itll last forever. Ill just leave it on the shelf at the price i can sell it to cover my cost, or keep it in the back for personal/store consumption while selling off other firearms or items at lower margin to cover the cost of the ammo investment. Its all reactionary. I need to sell ammo to buy ammo and if im not selling, im not buying. The theory is if all the LGS arent buying, the sudden loss of demand with ample supply will see the 3rd partiers dropping prices to push ammo.

Except that aint gonna happen. Because Sports South, Davidsons, and the like ARENT operating month to month like your local gunshop is. These guys have the inventory and contracts to plan purchases YEARS in advance. They have the capital to ride out any disturbance in the market. If i went 2 months without selling anything my business is ruined and im out of job. If Lipseys didnt sell small gun shops a single item all year, they be black because Bass Pro and Green top would snap up all the stock available.

just a frustrating thing ive been dealing with all month and wanted to vent over.
Rant Over.