This months Gun Notes seems to be
heading in the same direction as last
months with nothing but constant
shortages and lack of guns and
ammunition for them. I am also hearing
strong rumors of 2 major gun companies
going under or being bought out. That I
won’t go into until I hear more and
have it confirmed. One “rumor” that I am
fairly sure of is Remington Ammunition
being sold and I am hearing it from our
distributors so I feel it is true. I am
hearing the ammunition part of Remington
has been sold to Palmetto Armory.
This doesn’t have anything to do with the firearms part of Remington as it is going to have to be a company with deep pockets to buy Remington guns. I really feel the bankruptcy that Remington is facing will continue as they really have nothing to offer a potential buyer. Their most recent guns have been , for the lack of a better word, horrible. The model 710 rifle was one of the worst rifles I have handled in many years if not ever. They dropped it fairly quick and replaced it with another rifle lacking in anything worthwhile, the model 770. This one also didn’t last long before it landed in the garbage heap also.
Remington’s handguns have been pitiful at best and non working in most cases. Their model 51 which was supposed to be the gun to bring them back in the handgun business flopped horrible. Their R1 pistol, their version of a fine 1911 was at least as bad. So I see no good things down the road for Remington. I do hope they are bought out by a company that will revamp everything and maybe even go back to those wonderful Model 700 BDL rifles that were some of the finest rifles ever made. I guess we shall see but I am hoping Remington will make a strong come back.
The gun and ammo availability is getting worse by the day. A couple of days ago when I got to the shop there were 3 cars waiting for me. Two of them were from Phoenix, the other from Apache Junction well over 3 hours away. Each were looking for ammo. They drove 3 hours and were able to buy 2 boxes of 9mm for their trouble. The fellow from Apache Junction drove even a bit further and only ended up getting one box of ammo for all his trouble. And it continues like this every day. The big box stores are hurting as much as the smaller shops. We have a Sportsman’s Warehouse about 2 blocks from my shop and their salesmen call every day or so asking if we have any of a certain caliber of ammo and if we did they were going to send the customer to us as they were out of ammo.
I don’t think there is one box of 38 Special in all of Arizona as we get calls from all over asking if we have any and they mention they have called every other gun shop within 150 miles. The supplies of 9mm are down to barely a handful of boxes and most shops are limiting it to one box per person. The same goes for 45 ACP, 40 S&W, 357 Magnum and most other handgun ammo. I know the sought after ammo is for self defense as 44 Magnum, 45 Long Colt, 454, and so on are still in stock.
Most hunting rifle ammo is still in stock but in limited quantities as people aren’t looking for hunting ammo. At least most of them aren’t. With our elk season just getting underway one would think we would be swamped with folks looking for 7 mag, 300 mag and so on, but that isn’t happening. We do sell a couple of boxes of hunting ammo a day but for the most part it is self defense ammo that is being sought after.
I have had a few folks tell me about an interview on TV with the Antifa crowd where they said if their “peaceful protests” don’t accomplish their goals they “will burn the damn place down”. I haven’t seen any of their “peaceful protests” so I must have slept thru them. But people are taking these threats seriously. A couple of Misfits that I consider very level headed and not prone to run around like chicken little yelling “the sky is falling” have told me they are getting serious about all this. One of my favorite people said he has stashed shotguns here and there around his place there in Texas and have got with the neighbors to keep watch on things for each other. As he said, “we don’t put up with that shit here in Texas”. And that is how it should be all over.
With the fear factor often comes a lot of sensible things. Women are buying guns in large numbers. And that is how it should be. Women are perfect victims. They normally carry money. They carry credit cards. They are in many cases not armed and they are quite often out after dark shopping or at work and will be walking across a dark parking lot to their cars. This makes them extremely vulnerable. The ladies not only should be armed but they need to be armed. And more and more are buying guns and getting with instructors as how to handle that firearm the right way. Single women or single Mothers are taking matters into their own hands too. Just because they are at home alone doesn’t mean they should hide in a closet or cower every time they hear a thump in the night. The ladies are increasingly buying AR-15s. This is the perfect home defense weapon. Most have a short carbine barrel around 16” and a collapsible stock, making the overall length perfect for keeping near the bed or walking down a dark hallway. The AR-15 has no recoil or kick. It has mainly one switch on the left side of the gun setting it to safe or fire. Plus a 30 round magazine. These features make it the perfect home defense weapon and one to make the Antifa thugs run home to mama.
One thing to be aware of these days is the scalper. That is the fellow that buys a box of 9mm ammo for $18 and then resells it for $50 of higher to someone that really needs it. One lady who came in the shop told me she had a concealed carry class coming up and looked all over Phoenix for 2 boxes of 9mm ammo. She found 2 boxes at a gun shop somewhere around Mesa and was charged $85 per box. She said she knew she was being gouged but had to have the ammo for the class so she spent $170 plus tax for her ammo. And unfortunately that is going on all over. The prices of ammo from our distributors have gone up since all this mess started, but normally less than $5 a box over what it was 6 or 8 months ago.
Another thing to be aware of and stay away from are guys that sell cheap reloads at gun shows or wherever they can. A reloaded round can be as good if not better than factory ammo but in most cases the white box reloads are run off quickly to make a buck. We have heard numerous tales of overloaded ammo or ammo with no power at all and that won’t function the gun. So unless you know the person that loaded it and know that he will stand behind it, stay away from reloads.
All the words and warnings in the world won’t stop people like Antifa from doing harm to people but being prepared can make all the difference in the world. Refusing to be a victim is what it amounts to. If you are new to guns or just a novice, talk to someone you trust to guide you thru what you need to do or be prepared to do. The world is full of folks you never want to meet in a dark parking lot, so be prepared and don’t let the evil ones win. Your safety is all up to you. The Police can’t be around when you might need them. They are there to take over after the crime has been committed. So your safety and that of your family is solely in your hands. Be prepared.
Our next HHC (Handgun Hunter’s Challenge) is this coming week in Tennessee. We will be driving as usual and will be leaving around noon on Monday Sept. 28th and if all goes well getting into camp early on Wednesday the 30th. The hunt runs thru Sunday Morning Oct 4th. We have somewhere around 30 people signed up and normally get a few more at the last minute. There is plenty of room for up to 50 hunters so if you want to join us, call Sandy at 931-979-4050 and sign.
Til next month, take care of yourself and your family. Nobody else will do it.
God bless,
Gary