Gun Talk

[JarheadBoom]

As far as I know the only BX in the military that sells guns is the one at Elmendorf. Hell, I was an Alaska resident with an Alaska ID that had an Alaskan address on it but they wouldn't sell to me - I needed to be stationed there.

The MCX at Camp Lejeune sells (or possibly sold - this was current as of late 2003 when I was last there - things could have changed since) guns, in what they call the Exchange Annex. You had to be stationed at Lejeune or New River, and have an approval-to-purchase-firearms letter signed by your CO (the actual, not someone with "by direction" authority), to purchase. From what I remember, their prices were pretty good. Elmendorf's prices looked pretty good, too, when I was there this past spring...

On the topic of "What to do since the election?", I'm now thinking that if you've already got a couple guns, it's a better plan to start stocking up on ammo for what you've got, rather than buying more guns. A 500% tax on loaded ammunition and ammunition components (already an Obama proposal, IIRC) pretty much equates to "gun control", without the Second Amendment battles. An Executive Order would take care of that very quickly, with no opportunity for debate or review... and it's already rumored that he's planning to use Executive Orders to quickly "accomplish" (and I'm using that term very loosely) some key tasks early on.

I think it's gonna be a painful 4 years for us gun enthusiasts...

[Mike Honcho]

In Lousiana, it's perfectly legal to give a pistol as a gift as long as the individual can own one. Father in Law's got an FFL and we're originally from Monroe. There are some pretty good little gun shops in Shreveport if the MX doesn't work out

[BigFreddie]

The MCX at Camp Lejeune sells (or possibly sold - this was current as of late 2003 when I was last there - things could have changed since) guns, in what they call the Exchange Annex. You had to be stationed at Lejeune or New River, and have an approval-to-purchase-firearms letter signed by your CO (the actual, not someone with "by direction" authority), to purchase. From what I remember, their prices were pretty good. Elmendorf's prices looked pretty good, too, when I was there this past spring...

On the topic of "What to do since the election?", I'm now thinking that if you've already got a couple guns, it's a better plan to start stocking up on ammo for what you've got, rather than buying more guns. A 500% tax on loaded ammunition and ammunition components (already an Obama proposal, IIRC) pretty much equates to "gun control", without the Second Amendment battles. An Executive Order would take care of that very quickly, with no opportunity for debate or review... and it's already rumored that he's planning to use Executive Orders to quickly "accomplish" (and I'm using that term very loosely) some key tasks early on.

I think it's gonna be a painful 4 years for us gun enthusiasts...

Cool! Glad to see another place selling guns. I've heard stories of the military when there were rod and gun clubs on all the bases and you could buy guns at deep discounts.

There is a lot swirling around out there about Obama and what he's going to do once he starts "ruling" (and I'm quoting one of his staffers from last weekend). What I've heard is that he will undo over 200 of Bush's EOs from his term. I really hope he doesn't hit the gun industry hard - while not a huge part of our economy we don't need anything else hit.

On the taxes - is that up 500% from the 11% now on guns and ammo? So if I buy a $100 worth of ammo, I now pay $111 with tax - with Obama's plan it would be $155? That would suck - especially with the cost of ammo now anyhow. Honestly, ammo prices went up as fast as gas prices but people don't NEED to shoot as much as they drive - I saw a definite decrease in those shooting at the range. I actually see small decreases in price and higher availability in ammo recently - that was before the election though. As it is now I have enough ammo to last a few years in some calibers... I've been buying pretty steady for the last couple years...

BF

ETA: www.sturmgewehr.com is a great place to find fairly rare guns. Not so many big dealers post there with their inventories but it is one of the best starting places!

[JarheadBoom]

As I understan it, it's a FIVE HUNDRED PERCENT tax that Obama talked aboot when he was in the Ill. state senate. so your $100 box of ammo is now $600. sucks donky balls..

Bend over America, "change" is coming at your asss

bigfred, didyou get my pm?

nevermind.you did.

***drunk jarhed boom now, mak sense later............

[Guest JollyFlight21]

What is a realistic amount of ammo to buy online? If I wanted to buy 1000rds, would it raise questions? I've heard story about ATF showing up on peoples doorsteps for buying a lot of ammo.

[Butters]

What is a realistic amount of ammo to buy online? If I wanted to buy 1000rds, would it raise questions? I've heard story about ATF showing up on peoples doorsteps for buying a lot of ammo.

Yea, they will show up on your doorstep, but they knock and usually don't have their guns out. Well, unless your address is a fortified compound in the middle of Idaho. Just tell them you bought it all to impress girls and they will leave.

[PropWash]

What is a realistic amount of ammo to buy online? If I wanted to buy 1000rds, would it raise questions? I've heard story about ATF showing up on peoples doorsteps for buying a lot of ammo.

I have several friends who have purchased 1000+ rounds at a time. No gov't spooks as to date. It isn't illegal to buy ammunition so long as you do it through legal avenues, go nuts, buy em out

[Guest JollyFlight21]

I have several friends who have purchased 1000+ rounds at a time. No gov't spooks as to date. It isn't illegal to buy ammunition so long as you do it through legal avenues, go nuts, buy em out

Yeah, not planning on starting my own militia, just want to get a decent amount to put through the gun to "see how it shoots". Been living in Okinawa for three years, so I haven't done anything with guns that weren't issued in a while, and I'd rather play it safe than get my peepee schwacked.

[M2]

In Lousiana, it's perfectly legal to give a pistol as a gift as long as the individual can own one. Father in Law's got an FFL and we're originally from Monroe. There are some pretty good little gun shops in Shreveport if the MX doesn't work out

Mike

It is pretty much like that in most states (at least the gun-friendly ones, so not California or New York!). As long as the recipient would be eligible to purchase the weapon themselves, they can receive it as a gift. A straw/strawman (I've heard both terms used) purchase is when the recipient would not be eligible to purchase the weapons themselves. Inasmuch as I would steer clear of anything that resembled a strawman purchase, I wouldn't allow it to stop me from buying a gun for a friend that could own one themselves. But as Big Freddie points out, the only real way to know that for sure is to take the person to the dealer and have them complete the paperwork.

Cheers! M2

What is a realistic amount of ammo to buy online? If I wanted to buy 1000rds, would it raise questions? I've heard story about ATF showing up on peoples doorsteps for buying a lot of ammo.

JF

I go to Academy and toss a 1000 rounds of 7.62x39 into the shopping cart like I am buying milk and eggs. No one even gives me a first look, much less a second one. A thousand rounds is just a couple of fun days at the range!

Getting good deals on ammo is a challenge. Believe it or not, WalMart seems to have the best prices on .45 ACP; but for the AKs I have to watch for sales. There are some online distributors, such as Cheaper Than Dirt; but once you factor in shipping they don't always save you that much. But to make it worthwhile the minimum is probably 500 rounds, so 1000 rounds isn't really that much. Instead, I monitor the forums and when someone finds a good deal or sale at the local shops or chains, they will usually post about it!

Cheers! M2

[Guest JollyFlight21]

Not sure how great a deal it was, but budsgunshop has PMC 223 for 7.99/box of 20. Two 5/5 stars reviews for the ammo, so I decided I'd go with that for the warm up rounds with my new toy.

Thanks for all the awesome help/advice in all this.

[Guest AceTomatoCompany]

Yeah, not planning on starting my own militia, just want to get a decent amount to put through the gun to "see how it shoots". Been living in Okinawa for three years, so I haven't done anything with guns that weren't issued in a while, and I'd rather play it safe than get my peepee schwacked.

From working experience you typically have to make would be consider a non-personal usage buy to attract the attention of ATF or Treasury when it comes to buying ammo. Most guys with a little senority will look at an alert and see if it makes sense, if you have bought a couple of assult type rifles that you have registered for and you are buying say 4000 rounds then that is reasonable to assume you are going shooting for the weekend.

Now if you buy 4000 rounds every month, or a bulk order of say 10000+ well that will get someones attention as either you should have an FFL and be selling that ammo which you would be buying through other methods or have a really good explaination why you need that much ammo at once and where you as a normal working guy have that kind of coin to drop on ammo.

5000 rounds or less in the span of half a year isn't going to raise any alarms for the feds.

For example - the last thing that I got asked to look into was a guy inquiring on how to buy 25mm rounds in bulk, not alot of civilian made weapons in that caliber, he did have such a weapon and was legal to own and the reason he was buying so much was so he could reload after the initial shoot. Took about a 10 minute phone call, nothing else stands out about the guy so case closed (sts).

[Nineline]

Instead, I monitor the forums and when someone finds a good deal or sale at the local shops or chains, they will usually post about it!

Speaking of a good deal on ammo, I found some Federal Tactical HST 230gr 45 ACP Ammo (box of 50) for 23.95/box at Ammo to Go. FWIW, this ammo was referenced in an earlier post (#342) by BigFreddie as one of the better self defense/home defense rounds.

I'm not an expert on finding cheap ammo, but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night and this seems to be a great deal.

Also, M2 is spot on about Wal-Mart having one of the best deals on 45 ACP. My local store sells the 100rd Winchester white box for $30.

-9-

Edited to fix link.

Edited November 11, 2008 by Nineline

[BigFreddie]

From working experience... Snip...

For example - the last thing that I got asked to look into was a guy inquiring on how to buy 25mm rounds in bulk, not alot of civilian made weapons in that caliber, he did have such a weapon and was legal to own and the reason he was buying so much was so he could reload after the initial shoot. Took about a 10 minute phone call, nothing else stands out about the guy so case closed (sts).

Where do you work? I hate to call you out on that but this is important to know when you put this info out there.

I bought 4320 rounds of 5.45 ammo a few months back. I hope I didn't raise too many flags but from what I've been reading on a lot of forums that is a small amount compared to others. 5.45 is fairly unique and really all about timing - it is just so much cheaper than other ammo guys are buying it 10 or more cases at a time. Heck, for a while one company was giving you free shipping for orders over $500 so 5 cases got you free shipping so guys bought enough to get the free shipping.

I personally buy in bulk - normally 1000+ rounds - to save money or if I find a good deal. Here are my go-to ammo places:

www.aimsurplus.com - good ammo, fair prices, reasonable shipping

www.natcheszz.com - wide variety of ammo, good prices, reasonable shipping

www.copesdistributing.net - great prices, good shipping rates

www.ammunitiontogo.com - good prices and they normally have the good high-end ammo (self-defense, match, etc.)

I also think that the government has a pretty good idea of who I am... I've been employed by them for over a decade, multiple security investigations, and I have a few NFA toys as well.

25mm is rare but the rifle/cannon/whatever the hell it was probably was listed as a DD with the ATF (IIRC, anything greater than .50 [excluding muzzle loaders and shotguns] is a destructive device).

Spooky

[Guest AceTomatoCompany]

Where do you work? I hate to call you out on that but this is important to know when you put this info out there.

Spooky

I work for the US Treasury Department assigned to a JTTF group. For an online forum that will have to suffice for intimate details.

[M2]

I work for the US Treasury Department assigned to a JTTF group. For an online forum that will have to suffice for intimate details.

We are the best kept secret in the galaxy. We monitor, licence and police all alien activity on the Earth. We're your first, last, and only line of defense. We live in secret, we exist in shadow.

[Guest AceTomatoCompany]

We are the best kept secret in the galaxy. We monitor, licence and police all alien activity on the Earth. We're your first, last, and only line of defense. We live in secret, we exist in shadow.

shhhhhhh or I will have to flashy thing you....

[B*D*A]

[Guest NotAPilot]

2 on .45 ACP 100 boxes at Wally World. Hard to beat on .300 Win Mag as well. I rarely walk out of there empty handed. At least a box per visit, pay in cash. I buy bulk Wolf .223 from JG Sales in AZ. Cabelas can be good at times too. Ammo sales are pretty high right now. Take that for what it is worth. Better than the stock market. If things go to hell you can always rest assured that you have enough supplies to last until the next administration.

[Guest Fogo]

Question for the more experienced in the gun crowd.

I'll be home in IL (the most gun un-friendly state in the Union) over Christmas and may be purchasing an XD 9mm from my uncle. He ended up with an XDm and a .45 of some sort as well I believe... Knew I was interested in XDs (I believe M2 has mentioned them once or twice) and told me I could have a look at it when home.

Long question short; whats the deal on private sales of this order? I searched through the forum and saw some questions on private sales, but mostly in relation to gun shows. This will just be me walking into his house; having a beer, and deciding if I wanna buy it from a family member. I'm still, in fact, an IL resident, but living in GA. Do we need to have any specific paperwork, or do it through a dealer?

I'm not so much worried on my end, but the socialist state of IL probably has something to say about it in their own going efforts to regulate everything to do with firearms.

Appreciate the inputs guys.

Btw: Bought a Taurus .38 snubbie revolver today as a "night stand" gun and something the wife is comfortable with for self defense. Have only put one box through it, but really like it. Anyone have something similar?

[M2]

Fogo

Y'knew I was going to pipe in here, didn't ya?

Anyhow, if you are eligible to own a gun, then there is no problem with the private sale. Just have your uncle make sure he doesn't everything legal under Illinois law during the sale, to keep his own ass out of hot water; but it should be a simple transfer.

Now, you didn’t say if you were flying or driving there, so getting it back to Georgia will depend on which method of transportation you are taking. If you are driving and don’t have a concealed carry license that is recognized in every state that you drive through, the safest thing to do is leave it unloaded and locked up in the trunk/back of your car (out of reach while driving). You can legally possess and transport a handgun in every state in the manner I described; but the rules for carrying it loaded and in reach differs by each state and usually requires a CHL recognized by that state.

If you are flying, it really isn’t that tough either. First, check the website of the airline that you are flying with to see what their rules are. Most require the weapon to be unloaded and locked up. I would recommend both a locked container and a cable lock through the weapon. Also, plan to get to the airport a little earlier than usual, as you will have to process the weapon when you check it in. That just means a little paperwork and most likely showing to the airline folks that it is unloaded and locked in your check-on luggage. They should be used to doing this, but if you get a newbie who hasn’t done this before just ask for a supervisor.

The funny thing is that the latter was how I bought back my Dad’s two revolvers after he passed away, one of which was a snubby Taurus .38 Special. It was his ‘throw-away’ gun as he didn’t like carrying his 1952 Colt .357 Magnum (the other revolver I now have). The .38 is an easy gun to shoot but too small for my tastes for everyday carry. I prefer the 13+1 of .45 ACP that the XD provides.

Cheers! M2

[Guest Fogo]

I figured gun purchase + mentioning XD would be enough to solicit M2's wisdom.

From what I gleaned from quickly looking at the IL laws on the issue; you're exactly right (I'll be driving). It does appear though, that my uncle would in fact have to "document" that he enforced a 3 day waiting period, then get all sorts of information from me. (Although if he told me about it last night, has the 3 days not already started in the eyes of the law?) All the gun laws of that great state apply to any kind of sale. Just out of curiosity, anybody know how many other states have the waiting periods?

You're right about the .38, not that I want to throw it away anytime soon, but yes, thats the intention. Something easy to use, easy to maintain, that my wife seems to be comfortable using and can quickly be called into action. Hopefully this XD sale goes through and becomes the every day firearm however.

[Guest Fogo]

Me again... Can't tell I'm on R&R or anything.

My brothers and I have an idea for a gift for our grandpa this Christmas; and some of you guys may be able to help. His great great (I believe) grandfather was a bodyguard for U.S. Grant towards the end of the civil war and during his run-up to becoming President. There is a picture in his basement along with the saber he carried on duty.

He is very very proud of it and if he isn't asking me about my service (and trying to explain that life as an enlisted Army man in Korea is pretty much the same as an AF officer in 2008) he is talking about the saber in the basement. My brothers and I are trying to find a replica firearm that would have likely been carried by such a man during this bodyguard service.

I'm sure such things are out there and I'm sure someone on here would have some ideas for paths to follow. I'm going to be seeing my brothers this weekend so figured I would get a head start on the research. Appreciate the help, as always, guys.

Cheers

[M2]

Fogo

I work with a guy who is a Civil War re-enactor, I will see if he has any info...

But this would be a great place to start, and here is a site to get an idea on how much you may have to spend!

Just a thought, but if your grandpa still likes to shoot, then get a functioning replica. Non-functioning ones are much cheaper, but not nearly as fun.

If it were me, I would like to know what it felt like to shoot such a weapon; not just look at it! I have shot a musket before, and it was fun!

Cheers! M2

[BigFreddie]

I work for the US Treasury Department assigned to a JTTF group. For an online forum that will have to suffice for intimate details.

That works. Just wondering how much the day to day job brings you into contact with these issues.

Spooky

[snoopyeast]

Illinois has this nifty brochure to let you know about its homosexual gun laws.

https://www.isp.state.il.us/docs/9-049.pdf

Here is the part that you need to know.

The waiting period started as soon as you agreed to a sale.

more to follow once I get me internets working properly