orionengnr said:Yeah, you're probably right...after all, .22LR is back to its cheap and-plentiful status...right?
You missed the point completely. People bought .22LR and M855 mostly because of low cost. In the .22LR panic the pressure was on ALL ammo of that caliber except maybe the very highest-cost target stuff. The pressure now is not on M855 because folks want cheap ammo, it's because they think it's 'armor-piercing.' There's still cheap .223/5.56 ammo available to prevent a widespread shortage like we're seeing with .22LR, which even during a shortage is still the cheapest way to shoot for non-reloaders.
MachIVshooter said:You mean the one that still stands?
For a time, yeah, you could buy sporting versions. But to return them to their "full glory", you had to replace half the parts in accordance with 922R.
And, of course, their importation is presently banned completely.
Banning Russian AK47 imports is not the same as banning AK47's. Maybe a few people paid/got $2,000+ for a run-of-the-mill Russian import in the week after the news but most folks who wanted an AK just bought other AK's. There are even American-made AK's under $500 right now on Gunbroker. (edit to clarify: regarding the recent sanctions against Russia. Not referring to 922r rules that have been in place longer)
A few people are going to pay high prices for 'armor-piercing' M855 in the short run for stockpiling or whatever psychological reason they have for acquiring 'banned' ammo. Most shooters though are going to simply find the next-cheapest type of 5.56 ammo they like in the future. It's not going to cause a widespread shortage of 5.56 ammo, just as there's no widespread shortage of 7.62x39 because there are plenty of other cheap sources available. A few people will make a few bucks flipping or, as some members have said, selling their M855 at the current high price to buy cheaper 5.56 ammo, but it won't make people shoot less because '5.56 is too expensive now' like people were saying about .22LR when it was 15 cents a pop.
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