CZickiness XXXVIII Reboot. To Honor a friend

[wtburnette]

I guess I should say, I was previously spoiled. I got into guns in 2013 after the Newtown/Sandy Hook fallout was calming down. It was hard to find the G19 I bought as my first gun and I had to pay more for it, but within 6 months both guns and ammo were abundant and inexpensive, at least comparatively. It stayed that way for ~5 years, the majority of the time I've been shooting. When wanting something new, I researched what I wanted, then looked online between the many, many sites that had it in stock and bought it from the site offering it for the lowest cost (combined with a good site rep). I've been so used to that, I'm finding the current environment a great shock. I looked through a couple different search engines and over 2 dozens sites and a few local shops trying to find a specific model of rifle in a specific caliber, only to fail. I'm just not used to it being this way. The sad thing is realizing it's likely to get worse before it gets better...

 

[T-DOGG]

No new calibers for me.

7.62x39, 5.45x39 and 7.62x54 are about the cheapest rifle calibers to get into right now.

.308 is full on retarded. Not as bad as .223/5.56, but still pretty bad.

 

[wtburnette]

No new calibers for me.

7.62x39, 5.45x39 and 7.62x54 are about the cheapest rifle calibers to get into right now.

.308 is full on retarded. Not as bad as .223/5.56, but still pretty bad.

.308 is also almost impossible to find. 6.5 creedmore is even worse. I almost grabbed a rifle in 6.5 creedmore, until I realized the ammo was pretty much non-existent. Glad I'd bought 3 boxes of .308 when I found it in stock before I bought my rifle...

 

[88E30M50]

Morning folks!

Allow me to simplify this for you. Buying optics is easy, you just try to make it complicated. All guns are for war, when war breaks out. All guns have a purpose, and it’s based on distance.
KJ’s guide to optics choice

1.) How far will this gun shoot MF’s?
2.) Choose optic according. To rule # 1.
3.) Decide what you can afford, then buy something better, and never look back.
3.) Shoot gun.

Buy once, cry once is a real thing.

One of the best, most concise bits of wisdom posted to INGO. As a diagnosed and recovering over-thinker, I love stuff like this.

 

[RustyHornet]

I’m glad I got a 10mm when I did and bought 1000rds with it at a good price. Have more of that than I do 9mm or .223/5.56....

 

[T-DOGG]

That Mosin in the classies for $350 and the boxes of Tula for $11.95 are still tempting.

 

[T-DOGG]

.308 is also almost impossible to find. 6.5 creedmore is even worse. I almost grabbed a rifle in 6.5 creedmore, until I realized the ammo was pretty much non-existent. Glad I'd bought 3 boxes of .308 when I found it in stock before I bought my rifle...

308 is around, but it's $1 per round for target ammo and $1.50 or more for match grade. Even the steel case isn't cheap anymore.

 

[wtburnette]

Allow me to simplify this for you. Buying optics is easy, you just try to make it complicated. All guns are for war, when war breaks out. All guns have a purpose, and it’s based on distance.
KJ’s guide to optics choice

1.) How far will this gun shoot MF’s?
2.) Choose optic according. To rule # 1.
3.) Decide what you can afford, then buy something better, and never look back.
3.) Shoot gun.

Buy once, cry once is a real thing.

This would work for me if I had a way to compare on the firing line. When I sit and look at specs, they don't really mean anything to me. If I had two of the same or similar gun, one with one scope and one with the "better" scope and I could test them one after the other, then I could see and understand the differences. Otherwise I look at a scope priced $400, one priced $1k and one priced $2k and wonder why I can't do what I need with the $400 scope. I almost lean towards buying the $1k scope just because it's in the middle, but still wonder why it's more than double the cost of the $400 scope and if it'd be more than twice better...

 

[T-DOGG]

A Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39 would make a good bolt gun right now for shooting out a few hundred yards or so and not breaking the bank. They're fairly accurate with steel case ammo.

 

[wtburnette]

308 is around, but it's $1 per round for target ammo and $1.50 or more for match grade. Even the steel case isn't cheap anymore.

I know it's out there, it's down to what I can afford to pay. I bought 60 rounds of match grade ammo for $30 per box. I bought non-match grade ammo for $20 per box. More than that is outside of what I'm willing to part with, at least right now. I've depleted my gun fund and then some, so I have to wait a while to let it build back up.

 

[Benp]

Morning all!

 

[mcapo]

CMP still has some solid choices of match ammo. All over a dollar a round but it’s good stuff.

Yes - you have to join an affiliated organization.

 

[mcapo]

This would work for me if I had a way to compare on the firing line. When I sit and look at specs, they don't really mean anything to me. If I had two of the same or similar gun, one with one scope and one with the "better" scope and I could test them one after the other, then I could see and understand the differences. Otherwise I look at a scope priced $400, one priced $1k and one priced $2k and wonder why I can't do what I need with the $400 scope. I almost lean towards buying the $1k scope just because it's in the middle, but still wonder why it's more than double the cost of the $400 scope and if it'd be more than twice better...

This is not the most dollar conscious way but you could buy the DT for now and at the SGE do some comparison shopping. I’m guessing we will have $100 to $3000 scopes present.

 

[RustyHornet]

I’m prolly gonna get back into throwing tomahawks.

 

[wtburnette]

CMP still has some solid choices of match ammo. All over a dollar a round but it’s good stuff.

Yes - you have to join an affiliated organization.

CMP...

This is not the most dollar conscious way but you could buy the DT for now and at the SGE do some comparison shopping. I’m guessing we will have $100 to $3000 scopes present.

That's almost definitely the way I'll need to go. I can't really afford anything more than the DT now anyway and I know I can easily do 100 yards with it without issue. Getting to try better at the SGE may or may not make me buy a new scope, or at least know why the more expensive scopes are more desirable. I'm still very tempted to buy one of the older model Vipers for $800 just for the heck of it, but my credit card would cry.

 

[wtburnette]

Heck, it's not that long ago that I went up to the DT from a Bushnell that was only slightly more than $100...

 

[mcapo]

CMP...



That's almost definitely the way I'll need to go. I can't really afford anything more than the DT now anyway and I know I can easily do 100 yards with it without issue. Getting to try better at the SGE may or may not make me buy a new scope, or at least know why the more expensive scopes are more desirable. I'm still very tempted to buy one of the older model Vipers for $800 just for the heck of it, but my credit card would cry.

Shh don't tell anyone they have ammo: https://estore.thecmp.org/?cat=AMC

 

[88E30M50]

308 is around, but it's $1 per round for target ammo and $1.50 or more for match grade. Even the steel case isn't cheap anymore.

That’s what I’m seeing too. I’ve had no problem putting together about a thousand rounds of ammo for the .308 but it was expensive to do. Early in my search, there was a company that had mil surplus stuff for 65 cents a round in 125 lots. I should have bought 10 boxes of that but only bought 1 to use to break the barrel in. Last summer, TargetSportsUSA had mil-spec .308 available by the case and I thought about buying some but was not into .308 at the time and let it pass.

 

[88E30M50]

This would work for me if I had a way to compare on the firing line. When I sit and look at specs, they don't really mean anything to me. If I had two of the same or similar gun, one with one scope and one with the "better" scope and I could test them one after the other, then I could see and understand the differences. Otherwise I look at a scope priced $400, one priced $1k and one priced $2k and wonder why I can't do what I need with the $400 scope. I almost lean towards buying the $1k scope just because it's in the middle, but still wonder why it's more than double the cost of the $400 scope and if it'd be more than twice better...

From what I understand from the book, you might not see a difference in the glass but you will see a difference in the optic holding zero as you crank the turrets back and forth to dial in different distances. If you are going to zero it and not adjust for hold-over, you might be Ok with the $400.

I’m already trying to figure out what my next optic will be and I don’t even have the rifle it will go on yet

 

[mcapo]

Heck, it's not that long ago that I went up to the DT from a Bushnell that was only slightly more than $100...

I hate optics....BUT the differences in quality is amazing as you move up the price ladder. So far, I have tapped out around the Vortex Viper line an AAoptics refurbs. For me their glass is OK and the features adaquate with a stellar warranty. Leupold and Trijicon have the glass that seems to match my eyes. So does Huskemaw. Even the Leupold Freedom line has good glass but that is all extremely user specific.