I'm considering selling all of my AR-15 related stuff

[Scoundrel]

I'm considering selling all of my AR-15 related stuff.
I have other guns and ammo that I will be keeping.
I've owned it for 1 year (almost exactly), have done some training with it, but don't shoot it much anymore because ammo is expensive (BEFORE the freakout).

Talk me out of selling it for a reasonable (not gouging but higher than what I paid for it) profit while this high-demand, low-supply market is hot.

BUT, please do so without ANY of the following:
* The word "zombie".
* Fear-mongering about the government taking away all of my freedoms.
* Fear-mongering about society collapsing and brigands stealing my prepared resources.
* Hyperbole that would cause most of the world to roll their eyes, and some people to call for psychiatric evaluation.
* Guilt-inducing statements about destroying the market and backstabbing all gun owners.

I want to hear some reasoned arguments in practical terms about how I can benefit by having an AR-15, a dozen magazines, and several thousand rounds of ammunition gathering dust in my armory.

Please, while you do so, keep <broken link removed> in mind, particularly the first rule ("Attack the argument, not the arguer" and "must be done in a well-mannered form").

If you're not willing to put for the effort for more than a single short sentence, then please don't bother replying at all.

Thanks in advance for a positive, enlightening discussion.

Read More

 

[simpleguy]

I think I can answer that in a civil manner....
1. They're fun guns.
2. They're super modular/versatile, caliber and component wise.
3. They're a standard, it's like owning a Glock.....there's parts EVERYWHERE!
4. They're simple, almost a commidity like wheat, or silver.
5. They're awesome and easy to teach someone how to shoot due to the low recoil nature.......unlike my bolt action .300win mag....

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Because it's one of your liberty teeth

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Honestly, if you need folks to talk you into keeping it you should probably sell it off anyhow.
If you sold it for what you put into it to a new shooter or someone really wanting one I bet you could make their day/year.

I considered getting rid of one of my lowers and an AK+ some mags.. but then I thought about my family and future children and grandchildren. That and I never want the gooberment to have their way. I'll pass my firearms and magazines down to my family if I so choose I won't let them tell me I can't. What my kids or family do with it after my death is their business, but I hope they'd do the same for their kids.

I detested ARs, but then the market really boomed and there was a surplus of mags, ammo, parts..etc so it was cheap to get mags/parts/ammo and really enjoy my shootin time with them.

If all you've got is just the one, why not sell what you don't want/need and just keep the rifle and a mag or two + a couple hundred rounds for fun. Its easier to sell a firearm then to ever get one back. If I could change the past, I never would have parted with any of mine for anything. But thats just me.

 

[Scoundrel]

3. They're a standard, it's like owning a Glock.....there's parts EVERYWHERE!

When I bought my AR-15, I drove 75 miles to get the specific model I wanted and the price I wanted.
When I got home and field stripped it, I discovered that the hammer had a big nasty crack in it and some missing material. You could see daylight through it. it was obviously a manufacturing defect.

I looked around online. A FEW online stores had replacement hammers for $25 plus $9 shipping.
I called around. NOBODY would sell me a replacement hammer by itself. Of the few local shops that had parts art all, they all wanted to sell me a complete parts kit for $95.

I ended up driving back down to the place I bought it, and the manage was kind enough to allow the return and sell me another one (which I stripped in the store before we did the paperwork).
That was not their company policy to do this, but they made an exception for me.

So tell me again how there are parts everywhere.

 

[rds801]

When I bought my AR-15, I drove 75 miles to get the specific model I wanted and the price I wanted.
When I got home and field stripped it, I discovered that the hammer had a big nasty crack in it and some missing material. You could see daylight through it. it was obviously a manufacturing defect.

I looked around online. A FEW online stores had replacement hammers for $25 plus $9 shipping.
I called around. NOBODY would sell me a replacement hammer by itself. Of the few local shops that had parts art all, they all wanted to sell me a complete parts kit for $95.

I ended up driving back down to the place I bought it, and the manage was kind enough to allow the return and sell me another one (which I stripped in the store before we did the paperwork).
That was not their company policy to do this, but they made an exception for me.

So tell me again how there are parts everywhere.

There are parts everywhere. You said yourself that you found hammers online.

 

[simpleguy]

So tell me again how there are parts everywhere.

I hear what you are saying, but please keep in mind..........there's NOTHING available right now......EVERYTHING is on backorder. Doesn't mean that they don't exist, it just means people are keeping them, or asking more than normal.....This is why when I buy darned near anything, I buy at least one more than I think I need. 2 is 1, 1 is none and 3 is where you need to be. Redundancy is necessary for when pooh occurs.

That said, I'm sorry you got defective stuff, I don't wish that on anyone.

 

[Scoundrel]

There are parts everywhere. You said yourself that you found hammers online.

The argument about there being "parts everywhere" usually (but not explicitly in this case) usually implies that in the event of a "SHTF" scenario, I'd be able to get parts.
In a scenario like that, I could not surf the internet, place and order, and wait for a truck to arrive. That infrastructure would not exist.
If one includes the ability to surf the web and buy parts online, then it can be applied to almost any weapon, and is therefore so washed-out as to not be a valid point.

I am not saying your point is invalid, exactly, I am simply trying to establish some parameters around it that brings context into play.

 

[Scoundrel]

I hear what you are saying, but please keep in mind..........there's NOTHING available right now......EVERYTHING is on backorder. Doesn't mean that they don't exist, it just means people are keeping them, or asking more than normal.....This is why when I buy darned near anything, I buy at least one more than I think I need. 2 is 1, 1 is none and 3 is where you need to be. Redundancy is necessary for when pooh occurs.

That said, I'm sorry you got defective stuff, I don't wish that on anyone.

Maybe you missed the detail that this happened one year ago. There was no shortage caused by panic purchases then. I acknowledge that right now, with the market in its current state, nothing is readily available (except scorn, apparently).

By the way, I usually buy things the same way you do. There is a line from the movie "Contact" in which the guy says "Why buy one when you can buy two for twice the price?" - and that is how I usually do things.

 

[CLT65]

What do you want us to say? If you don't care for it, sell it. It's just a rifle. At the crazy prices some people are willing to pay right now for stuff like that I would get rid of stuff I don't need also.

Everyone has their own thing. ARs are not my thing, so I can't help you much beyond that.

 

[Scoundrel]

What do you want us to say?

That's exactly the thing though. What I am looking for is things I have not thought of or read elsewhere already, which is why I foolishly attempted to limit the scope of the discussion by asking people not to include the usual,well-repeated, tired arguments. I can't tell you what I want you guys to say, because I don't know it myself.

Anyone got anything fresh?

 

[solv3nt]

You should keep it cause there be zombies.
You should keep it because the government wants to take them away.
You should keep it because people are afraid of the government taking them away so you can't buy one if you want one.
The world is about to end, so you will need an AR15.

Actually, you should just sell it to me Ship it to an Oregon FFL and I'll take it!

 

[CLT65]

Just a suggestion, and please don't take offense because I don't mean any, but the tone of your posts I think is likely to turn a lot of people off and not elicit many thoughtful replies.

It looks like you just signed up within the last couple days, have only a few posts, but your tone is rather condescending and combative. Perhaps you don't mean to come across that way; just an observation.

 

[speeddemon94]

Sell the upper, or switch the upper to something more affordable. Shoot that, keep the other ammo. Or sell the ammo and the upper to swap into a caliber that you like better. Other than that, I've not got much. I have had tons of AR's over the year. I now regret selling any of them.

 

[Scoundrel]

Just a suggestion, and please don't take offense because I don't mean any, but the tone of your posts I think is likely to turn a lot of people off and not elicit many thoughtful replies.
It looks like you just signed up within the last couple days, have only a few posts, but your tone is rather condescending and combative. Perhaps you don't mean to come across that way; just an observation.

I sincerely apologize for that.

I'm not sure which was the chicken and which was the egg. I can see how my original post could have elicited a negative response if interpreted in a negative tone, but really I was honestly just trying to focus the scope of the discussion. I should know now that doing this on a public forum is like herding cats - it's nearly impossible and the cats resent you for trying. But then when the insults started flying, well, then yeah, my tone got intentionally condescending and combative. I'll try and work on that. It would help if more people responded like you did, and like a couple other people did, rather than joining in the abuse.

 

[Scoundrel]

Sell the upper, or switch the upper to something more affordable. Shoot that, keep the other ammo. Or sell the ammo and the upper to swap into a caliber that you like better. Other than that, I've not got much. I have had tons of AR's over the year. I now regret selling any of them.

I also have an M&P 15/22. I love the hell out of it and it will be the last rifle I willingly part with, ever.

What's the ammo price for .308 like, normally (not now)? What are the benefits of switching to a .308 upper, if I am not a hunter?

 

[rds801]

The argument about there being "parts everywhere" usually (but not explicitly in this case) usually implies that in the event of a "SHTF" scenario, I'd be able to get parts.
In a scenario like that, I could not surf the internet, place and order, and wait for a truck to arrive. That infrastructure would not exist.
If one includes the ability to surf the web and buy parts online, then it can be applied to almost any weapon, and is therefore so washed-out as to not be a valid point.

I am not saying your point is invalid, exactly, I am simply trying to establish some parameters around it that brings context into play.

OK, gotcha.

Before I had my first AR, a recommendation that I read online a lot was to have spare parts. When you had the issue with the hammer, did you think to maybe pick up some spare lower parts?

After I had my first AR put together I would pick up a part here and a part there. I picked up so many spare parts that they turned into another complete rifle

 

[CLT65]

No problem here, and I really meant no offense.

I should know now that doing this on a public forum is like herding cats

That's for sure. I've tried to do the same thing in the past myself, with predictable results.

As to AR rifles, I can understand the draw. They can be a very accurate, low recoil rifle, and if you reload the ammo is not bad at all. But then again I'm not a high volume shooter and I like accurate rifles. If you want to varmint hunt, I think they would be great for that. What type of shooting do you like?

 

[speeddemon94]

308 wont feed in your lower. Do 300 blackout, or 7.62x39. otherwise you wont feed with a magazine.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I sincerely apologize for that.

I'm not sure which was the chicken and which was the egg. I can see how my original post could have elicited a negative response if interpreted in a negative tone, but really I was honestly just trying to focus the scope of the discussion. I should know now that doing this on a public forum is like herding cats - it's nearly impossible and the cats resent you for trying. But then when the insults started flying, well, then yeah, my tone got intentionally condescending and combative. I'll try and work on that. It would help if more people responded like you did, and like a couple other people did, rather than joining in the abuse.

You will find a wide range of style and thinking here. Some of us can be less emotional and more logical than others in the face of contrary or unpopular opinion, and some of us are ruled by our immediate visceral reactions to what we read. Hang in there. It is what it is. These are the people who own and love firearms, for better or worse.