Got this little flyer [sic] in the mail from AmmoMan over the past weekend, and it gave impetus to all sorts of random musings about The Gun Thing and the feeding thereof:
Well, no prizes for guessing what calibers are America’s current favorites, huh? Too bad that I’m not in the market for any of them. Next line:
Okay, that’s a little better, in that I need me some .38 Spec practice ammo (at 30c/pull), and CCI is one of my favorite ammo manufacturers. I still have a couple hundred rounds of .308 Win — too bad I don’t own a rifle thus chambered, though — and I only shoot 185gr .45 ACP nowadays, and not the heavier 230gr. The Remington El Cheapo Plinkers are fine, at about 6c per pull, but I have enough .22 ammo on hand not to be tempted into buying it. (Their quality control may have improved since, but I used to get a ton of dead strikes with the Thunderbolts, so I’ve switched pretty much exclusively to Federal Target and CCI Mini-Mags, because life is too short to hear “click” instead of “BANG”.) Next up:
Hmmm I see that like .38 Spec, .22 Mag is running at 30c/pull (!) which makes it five times more expensive than its smaller .22 LR cousin. But that Hornady stuff is mustard… I’m tempted. Not by the Blackout, though, which I know is the favorite of all the short-range sniper cognoscenti at the moment. But whoa: $1.40/round for .30-30? Even for the good Hornady stuff, it’s still sheesh. (I’d rather go with the lighter 150gr Federal Power-Shok — by no means a slouch of a cartridge — at 90c/round.) And if we’re talking like-for-like bullet weight, Fiocchi can be had for about the same. Finally, I’m not in the market for 12ga ammo, although if I ever get the funds to contemplate that CZ Coach gun… I also note that there is much cheaper 12ga 00 buck available at 45c/round (compared to the Super-X above at 70c), but I have no idea what the quality thereof is like, not being as familiar with shotgun brands as I should.
I know that you could probably do better, on an individual basis, for any or all of the above at SOTI (Somewhere On Teh Intarwebz), but my experience with AmmoMan has always been good — ordering, delivery cost/time etc. — so give them a try if you haven’t already.
And as always, the reminder: I get no kickbacks or discounts from ANY company I mention on this website. (more’s the pity)
Finally, seen on some ammo/gun website:
Wait: an ersatz mil-spec AR/XM7 SIG-scoped clone (yeah, I know SIG Swiss magic yadda yadda) in 7.62mm NATO… worth $5,700? Did I step into some kind of Twilight Zone time capsule which propelled me into 2100 AD (where $6 grand might be acceptable for such a rifle)?
And as for the Suburban Warrior holding the 24k gold-plated weapon in the approved limp-wristed SWAT “ready” stance, complete with $300 wraparound Oakley sunglasses and backwards-facing 5.11 cap over a suitably-grim “operator” expression…
I see these wannabes at the TDSA range all the time, and most of them are just average shots. When their guns are running properly.
Which reminds me… it’s almost time to make the trek to TDSA again: that is, when the Texas summer weather goes from BROIL to SIMMER.
