What a wretched thing... to have a torn soul...

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kcmarine

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Well, summer is now here, and I'm having trouble getting a job.

Alas, I am now torn on what to use my funds for. I have $250 dollars from my parents for my birthday, and I can spend that on whatever I want. Combined with saved up Cabela's gift cards and other sources, I have about $800.

Here's where the tear is. Originally, I was planning on saving up to get a Bushmaster 20" target model, you know, the basic sort of AR-15 they make. At Cabela's, that rifle costs $950 and $1,000 for the A2 and A4 models, respectively. I know there are better prices out there, but unless I can find a person with this rifle that's willing to take both my cash and barter with the Cabela's gift cards, I can't get enough money for the rifle. That puts me in the position of having to buy it at Cabela's, I'm afraid. I'm also feeling like there's pressure in getting the rifle, mostly because this is an election year. I'm not as afraid of the rifle being banned as I am of the price going up due to fear of another AWB, and while I doubt that will come to pass, I am sure that demand will go up, and thus the price of the gun, possibly putting it out of my range for a very, very long time.

Of course, in the middle of all of this, the Russian temptress popped up her head yet again. I realized that with $800 on my hands, I could do a damn nice Saiga conversion, and maybe have some money left over at the end. However, I'm pretty sure doing this would put me out of the reach of an AR-15 for at least a year, or until I find a job and that job renders enough money for me to get one, assuming nothing catastrophic happens politically.


Decisions, decisions... what do I do?
 
Bushmaster-Saiga? Quality American made firearm or Third world converted armament? No contest for me, the AR wins
 
It would be easier to find the money later to get a Saiga, than to find the money later to get an AR.

You can also do a Saiga conversion in stages, i.e. buy the rifle first, keep it stock for a while, do a partial conversion later, then complete it later still. Only downside is, if Saiga imports hit any snags, then the price could go up.
 
You get what you pay for. An AR is a precision rifle and with the proper hand loaded ammo should be a sub MOA rifle. It will last a lifetime and it's AMERICAN made:D Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't stand in front of either but the Russian is a ordinary stamped communist rifle:barf: Support the American worker, BUY AMERICAN. The commies are just going to use the money they get from us to use against us eventually.
Now having said all that. Unless you are planning to live at mom and dad's until your 40, save your money ..... you are going to need it!
 
Well, I've put in to the Trading Post to see what I can find in the way of an AR-15. Wish me luck, guys!
 
Apply for a cabela'scredit card and use it for all of your purchases- gas, food, etc, but use it judiciously and pay it off every month. You get 1% store credit for the balance that you pay off at the end of the month. Cabelas will send you different promotions, which include an incremental coupon that will say you $x for spending $xx. Usually the top threshhold is $100 on a purchase of $400 or more. Since december I've bought two rifles priced over $400, with points and the coupons, one rifle cost me $275 and the other $260 OTD.

FWIW, I bought the A4 (Bushmaster calls it a 'A3')model of what you are looking at Sportsman's warehouse for $925 OTD about 3 years ago.
Its been a good rifle, only complaint is that the windage is off by about 7 minutes from mechanical zero (factory did a less than perfect job of indexing the FSB). Its now getting a new barrel, I D&T'd the FSB for set screws tomakeit windage adjutable, and its getting a float tube.
 
get what you can now, RIGHT NOW, BEFORE SOMEONE STUPID GETS INTO THE WHITE HOUSE!!!! do the saiga, and conversion for 500 bucks, then get a bag, cleaning gear, couple of bore snakes, many mags, and a ton of rounds, for the same money. you betta hurry, all Obama has to do is sign one executive order; ban the importation of foreign made, military use ammo. that will end all gunshows, and rifles you would normally buy that would go with that ammo.
So long , Saigas!!!!
 
As I see it you have three options:

1) Convert the Saiga and revel in Kalashnikov's genius.

2) Pay way too much money for a Bushmaster.

3) Get a comparable firearm from Olympic for roughly $800, depending on model.

Don't listen to what the Intertron tells about Olys being crap, those problems occurred ten years ago and have been since been fixed. I've put hundreds of rounds through my father's Oly and it has been nothing but sweet.

So the question you gotta ask yourself is: 'Is the hype really worth an extra $200?'
 
ok im in like the same exact position as you, i got some cash for graduation. and am only working like 2 days a week

what im going to do and what i would advise you to do...

1. get a full time job, doesn't matter where just gotta get that cash flow going.

2. pick the gun that you would like most, that's not to much cash.

3. KEEP WORKING this way if things go bad in November you will be able to buy the other gun you wanted.

as far as getting a job when your young, once your 18 A LOT of part time jobs open up, even more once you graduate HS.
 
no wonder our country has the financial woes it does...

learn how to save, then buy whatever you want after your bills are paid. learn to live within your means, not outside of them...

oh man, i sound like my dad - but it's amazing what you learn when you get older, married, and have some kids to take care of...
 
Does Cabela's even carry Saigas?

I have a Cabela's Visa, and managed to accumulate $71 in points. (That's $7100 in purchases... eek!) With a nice $20 off coupon, I went in and bought this for $309:

637.jpg
 
no wonder our country has the financial woes it does...

learn how to save, then buy whatever you want after your bills are paid. learn to live within your means, not outside of them...

oh man, i sound like my dad - but it's amazing what you learn when you get older, married, and have some kids to take care of...
Click to expand...

Bills? What bills? :D

Minor= awesome.
 
Since I have both converted a Saiga x39 and built an AR, I'll add these comments.

1. I shoot the AR much more than the Saiga.

2. if you reload, the AR is MUCH less expensive to shoot than the Saiga.
-.223 brass abounds in many range brass buckets, while I've yet to scrounge a single boxer primed brass x39 case.
-55 gr. FMJBT bullets can still be had for ~$.07/ea

3 my A2 upper sights are much easier to shoot accurately with than the std. AK sights on the Saiga.

4. While my Saiga is a good solid rifle.....it's much easier to shoot the AR accurately.

5. mags are dirt cheap for either (provided you put a bullet guide in the Saiga).

6. Building both rifles was a lot of fun.

Here's pure opinion...

Bushmaster makes a good quality AR. I'd put them in the top part of the mid grade ARs. Right up there with Rock River and Stag. While LMT, Colt and CMMG hold claim on the top tier, you won't pick up any of those for $950.

And ....

If you buy a Bushmaster AR, you will be putting your money back into the economy of American manufacturers and putting paychecks into the pockets of the good people of Maine.....where they settled the R2KBA in 1979 when they ammended the state constitution to read as quoted in my sig. line.

And finally....Cabella's sells ARs? and lots of other "evil" fire arms. Where as the likes of Dick's (won't sell handguns or even stock a .308 bolt action rifle because it's a military caliber) and Wally World (decided they made more money selling made in China plastic Hannah Montana dolls than fire arms) won't. Maybe Cabella's should be rewarded.
 
Think long term.

Use the money on a new suit and tie, a new pair of shoes and a professional resume service. Once you get a good job you'll be able to get the AR AND the Saiga. :)
 
Got new dress clothes, and the pops owns his own business, so he tells me what to look for... thanks though. And I don't mean that sarcastically.
 
you can reload 7.62x39 for about ten cents. I would say that is cheaper than 5.56 reloads.

Also, jobs do open up quite a bit. They also pay you more if you know what to ask for. Learn how to manage credit as well. That will help.
 
you can reload 7.62x39 for about ten cents. I would say that is cheaper than 5.56 reloads.
Click to expand...

no offense, but that just aint the way it is these days.

your gonna spend 2-3 cents/ea. for either large primers for the 7.62x39 or small rifle primers. no difference there.

gonna drop ~25 grains of powder in either one, so no difference there.

so what's going to cost more....

a 55 grain .224" dia. bullet? You can easilly find Win. or new Military surplus M193 bullets for $.07/ea. You can even get Hornadies for $.08/ea.

or

a 124 gr. .311" dia. bullet? Your going to have to look hard to find them for $.12/ea.

Good luck trying to scrounge up free range pick up brass for you 7.62 x 39. Your going to have to buy loaded ammo. w/ boxer primed brass cases (to the tune of $.50/ea. + s/h for Fiachii or Privi Partisan, or $.70/ea for WWB at Wally world) and reload it after you've fired it.

or

buy NEW Winchester brass to the tune of $.35/case

Where on the other hand, I find .223 brass free for the taking every time I go to the rifle range.

I bought and converted a Saiga thinking it would be cheap to shoot.... Now even Wolf ammo. is >$5/box ($.25/ea.)

I built an AR from a kit and @ ~$.17/ea. for my reloads, it's the cheapest shooting of any gun I own.
 
I try and sell the Cabela's card and build one.

Stripped lower - $100
lower guts - $50
Upper assembly - $400
Buttstock and mags - $100

You can have a custom rifle that you built for around $700 if you ship everything at once.
 
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