Coronavirus Causing AR15 Shortage?

[9x19]

My blow-back ARs: .22LR, .17HMR, .22WMR, 9mm, 10mm, .45ACP

My DI gas ARs: 5.56, 6.5 Grendel, .300AAC, .7.62x39, 10mm, .450 Bushmaster

The platform can be so many different things, and there is high, mid, or low quality in every part available. Research and reputations can help a lot in buying/building an AR with the performance you desire.

[rickyrick]

The virus has caused me to go test fire a couple of ARs

[stagpanther]

I have lots of AR's that I've built, and generally I make them to be as accurate as possible as most of them I aim to get teeny weensie groups as far out as possible. Have lots of money in expensive optics too. Most of them are in fact very accurate. They also tend to be quite heavy with long, thick profile barrels.

The one AR I have that isn't all that accurate--about 1.5/2.0 MOA +/- at 100 yds--is a mil-spec grade lightweight carbine with chrome-lined barrel and a small red-dot on top. It is very light, very quick and I don't worry as much about problems with the barrel if the going gets hot. It's my go-to home defense AR. Accuracy is a matter of perspective depending on the situation I guess.

[bamaranger]

Where exactly is the gas piston, mentioned earlier , in an AR pattern rifle?

Y'all, I think your being baited to continue this wandering post.

[brasscollector]

The gas piston system replaces the simple gas tube. Notice how the BCG differs as well.

[Swifty Morgan]

The virus has caused me to go test fire a couple of ARs

We're there for you, dude.

[Ignition Override]

No shortage- tons are listed on Armslist TN......unless the sellers/traders forgot to delete their ads after selling a gun.

Gunbroker has many pages of AR-15s.
There is no shortage, only lots of people trying to Create a panic, and who are Still trying to sell ARs which they bought (after the election) in late 2008, then assuming that "his" limited 'political capital' was not Already focused on something totally unrelated to guns.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Plenty here last time I looked------have all the AR's I care to own--bought years ago.

No TP here--but did score a couple 3 packs of the large boxes of Kleenex --so I'm good for a while- lol

[Desmosedici]

Bought my first AR weekend before last. After my Christmas bonus, I had been looking and researching, so it was going to happen, then I got busy. Then, the Coronavirus hit, and my favorite gunshop started selling everything off the shelves. It didn't panic me, as I didn't think they would keep up that level of movement for months at a time, but it did remove my ability to get the AR I really, really, wanted----A Springfield Saint Victor in FDE. They are back ordered indefinitely and I couldn't find one anywhere else for a price I would agree to. I decided enough, I'm buying the AR right now, and not looking back.

So, I bought a Springfield Saint Victor in black (the last one they had and I got it for a great price-$900.00), and took it shooting for the first time yesterday, ran through 110 rounds and had an absolute ball with my shooting buddy. at 50 yards i was hitting in the black all day long with standard Federal 5.56 and this was with iron sights it came with. I'm looking into optics and accessories, etc. This gun, right out of the box, without being cleaned or disassembled, was what I would call accurate...at least for what I would like to use it for and it may be even more so with some good glass and a load it likes better.

I have been shooting pistols and shotguns for since I was 15 (I'm now 45) and this was my first AR, and I'm really, really pleased with my gun. My store has been selling AR's at a brisk pace, but I'm sure that'll slow down soon. Anyways, really like my gun, can't wait to take it outdoors on my in-law's property to really give it a gun run out to some distance and other kinds of shooting.

Hope you find one if you are still interested, Swifty. I had a huge smile on my face yesterday, it's one fun rifle.

[44 AMP]

This gun, right out of the box, without being cleaned ….

You should have cleaned it first. Then properly lubed it, THEN gone out and shot.

Firearms leave their factory packed for storage, as its expected they may sit in their boxes for months or even years before being sold. They are given a preservative "oil" of some kind, which should be removed before use.

Sometimes the preservative will function as an acceptable lubricant for a time, but it should be removed and the proper lube for running the gun put in place.

[Panfisher]

Seems like every time ARS get dirt cheap and I am ready to buy another one (only have one nicer one) to build, something happens and they go up in price or everyone goes on buying binges etc. Snooze ya loose, I will get me another to work with. Not interested in a super target rifle it will be a 16 inch carbine, light and quick likely with a Burris Fast fire or something similar mounted. But its funding could very easily be redirected to a new Savage .17 HMR too, they are everywhere, easier to find than a .22 LR

[Skans]

There's no shortage of AR's in my home!

[☼SIG☼]

Plenty of ARs for sale. You just have to know where to look.

[shafter]

Carona virus plus the upcoming election is causing the shortage. I'd expect shortages to continue right up until the election. Depending on how things go in November we'll either be looking at some great deals, or a shortage that lasts until nothing is legal anymore.

[armoredman]

The shortage I found is with PSA...I was wanting one more low cost upper, and BOOM...oh well.

[stinkeypete]

My experience- I bolted two AR 15s together for accuracy in .223 Wylde
Free floating hand guard
Swift 18x scope
Rock River Arms 2 stage trigger
Rock River Arms 20 and 24” full bull stainless target barrels

Never having bolted one together before, it took me two weeks of free time but I had some purely cosmetic hand work to do based on the Oversize Spacegun handguard I wanted to use. I could bolt one together in an evening now, from itty bitty parts.

Using Lake City ammo, both shot about 2 MOA out of the box. I was fussy and went through a break in routine, then switched to hand loads. Instant improvement.. 1.25 inches at 100 yards all day.

Back home to reload a refined recipe. Next range trip I was shooting 10 shot groups at those black target pasting stickers and could cover all the groups with a US quarter. Sometimes some edges would show. I was floored. That’s freaking amazing and having assembled them myself from the itty bitty parts, I now appreciate the genius of it’s design and understand why it’s so accurate (when built for accuracy.)

If you want to see 1 moa:
You reload. That’s just how it is.
You have a really solid bench set up or are a competition shooter and I don’t need to tell you any of this.
You have a quality free floated barrel and decent trigger group
You have some big glass mounted properly

Out of the box, any AR shooting factory ammo is minute of woodchuck. If you want to shoot Oreos at 100 yards you need to find the bullet and powder charge that works for your barrel, and then have the skills or equipment to aim small.

If I can build one, anyone that can follow written directions can. I strongly suspect one trick is to start with quality products. Quality is the enemy of cheap.

Make your own! I really enjoyed it. My only disappointment is... it was too easy. I thought I would be fussing all winter.

Since the AR was too easy, I started accurizing a second 10/22. I had failed years before, and years before rimfirecentral dot com. Sure enough, the 10/22 was a lot harder to get to tack driving. I got to the point to where the next step would be a match barrel... which costs about what I paid for my ar upper (back in the day) and I stopped, appreciating the ar.