Bargain background blathering

Last of the AR mags went out in todays post. Everyone should have theirs within a few days.

In case anyone is curious, what’s the criteria for these sorts of infrequent offers I put out there? Pretty simple – it has to be an item that I need for myself, that can be discounted if bought in a large enough quantity, small enough to ship Priority Flat Rate, and inexpensive enough that I can be okay with getting stuck with keeping it all for myself.

You’d be surprised how many vendors change their tune about their pricing when you ask about buying 500 magazines rather than 50 magazines. But…to get that sort of discount, I need to find a buncha folks who are willing to take a buncha mags off my hands to make the discount happen. Thats where you folks come in.

Remember the 10/22 deal last year? I moved a couple thousand magazines in that episode. When you dial up the guys at Mags-R-Us and ask if they’d do a little better on a thousand magazines…well…numbers start shifting. As a result, I get to buy mags for myself at a good price and pass the savings on to you, as they say.

The drawbacks? Well, its a lot of work. There are always people who make it difficult. They say they want thirty mags and then -poof- they never pony up. Or they order mags and think Im going to ship them overseas. Or they want to pay me when their next unemployment/disability/VA check shows up. Or they just send cash in the mail without telling me (which is fine, but I need to know its on the way so I know to set some mags back…which carries back to Problem Person Number One in this list). And then pack stuff up, labels printed, hauling dozens of boxes to the PO, etc, etc. Its a bit of work.

But, so far, it’s been somewhat worthwhile. I usually wind up with a few extras for my own stash at a good price, and you guys wind up getting what I hope is a good deal. Everyone wins…which is the best situation you can get in a business transaction.

Future bargain buys? If I can get a good deal on Glock 9mm mags or Mini-14 mags, that might come to pass. Before you start jabbering in comments with “Hey, if you can get a deal on .45 Smith and Wesson M&P mags…..” No. It doesn’t work like that. Its stuff that I need for myself, and that Im okay with keeping if it doesn’t sell. If I dont have a Smith, Steyr, or Valmet, then the odds are pretty good Im not going to be looking to fabricate some Smith, Steyr, or Valmet deals. Makes sense, right?

As I said, at the moment the only good deals I’d be interested in putting together (gunwise) are ones that fit my needs. Other stuff turns up once in a rare while…micro Pelican cases, Esbit stoves, etc, etc. But so far the magazines get the best response and thus get the best discount.

So thats how it works, guys. It’s all self-interest. By selling you guys stuff at a good price, I get a quantity discount that lets me fill my own stockpiles. Everyone wins.

 

32 thoughts on “Bargain background blathering

  1. This all makes sense – thanks for doing all the work and letting others share on the deal. I got 10 of the AR mags and they are going to be ‘put back’ along with a 500 round can of ammo. You helped me scratch an itch that while I had “enough” for my needs – a nice little bit of extra helps me sleep better. Again, much appreciated.

  2. Please more 10/22 mags. As far as Glock mags are you talking g19 or 17 mags? Also OEM or Magpuls?

    • G17 mags would make the most sense since they’ll fit the largest variety of Glock 9mmms. At the moment it looks like the best I can find is Magpuls for $12.50.

      And while we’re on the subject, why did you not stock up last time on the 10/22 mags?

      • Good point. The g17 mags being the most versatile. Have you noticed any reliability issues using Glock vs Magpul mags? Also, are glock 33 rd mags worth it?

        In regards to the 10/22 mags; ran out of money for that part of the prep budget. I try to set $XX aside per month for different categories.

        • Ive found the 33-rd 9mm GLock mags to be as reliable as any other GLock factory mag. No problem at all. Theyre my first choice. Magpul is FINALLY shipping their 27-rd mags at about half the cost of the Glock and I look forward to trying them. Havent seen any reliability difference between GLock and Magpul EXCEPT that just about every aftermarket 9mm mag will sometimes have problems with steel cased ammo…the factory GLock mags dont seem to suffer from this problem, or at least not as much.

          • My factory gen 1 and 2 g17 mags have swollen over time to the point that they don’t fall free when you hit the mag release button. I am in the habit of stripping the mag with my reload hand anyway, but it would be nice to have them fall free when needed.

            Do the new mags do this over time?

            n

            added- they function perfectly, although I’ve replaced springs in a couple after having them stored loaded for up to 10 years at a time. They just stick that little bit in the well and don’t fall free…

  3. Man a good deal on Mini 14 mags would be awesome. I feel like I am the only dude on the block where I am who has one.

    • Yeah…Tapco is a part of Remington now so I doubt theres going to be any opportunity for big dramatic sales.

      • I read your sitrep on the Tapco mags, I ordered two today from Midway to run them and they will function. Thanks again for the work you put in. Just picked up 25 HK G3 mags in good condition for 4 a pop.

  4. Can’t go wrong with either Glock 17 or 19 mags. Both will fit my Ruger PC. I’d also be interested in another handful of Mini 14 mags as long as they are factory. I’ve been burned too many times with the aftermarket mags for the Mini. Jam-o-matics!!

  5. I second that motion for good reliable mini 14 mags please.
    Could you do a write up on some of your variations and different setups of mini 14’s?

  6. Thanks for the explanation, I figured it was something like that. Sadly I’ll never be able to take advantage of these deals because I’m not in the States. Oh well, that’s my loss not yours.

  7. Depending on price, of course, I’d be interested in a 10-pack of 17-round G17 factory mags, maybe 2 if the price is low enough. I don’t have any experience with the Magpul mags for Glocks, so I’d be reluctant to “deep sleep” a bunch.

    I am curious about Magpul’s new 27-rounders, awaiting “news from the front” about fit & reliability. They’re 170MM because it would be dumb to make something that didn’t have the widest possible application, but I suspect the 9MM Ruger Personal Carbine might have been as much a driving force for development as the IPSC rulebook.

    • Cant find a really good deal on the factory mags, but the Magpuls might happen. The Magpuls have been promised for the last several years, long before Rugers carbine came out. Just a happy coincidence.

  8. Re reliability of Glock factory vs Magpul G17 mags… I like the Magpuls but have noticed one thing with them.
    The Magpul Glock mags do NOT like steel-cased ammo, it takes significantly more force to push a steel cased round out of the Magpul mag than out of a factory Glock mag (more force than needed to get a steel cased round out of a Korean knockoff of a Glock mag, too).
    I learned this at a recent class where I brought a bunch of Wolf and Tula 9mm and some magpul mags.
    The steel cased stuff works fine in the Glock mags with metal feed lips, but not the magpuls. In my experience, brass cased ammo works just fine in the Magpul Glock mags too.

    • No poly magazine likes steel ammo. Im seeing that across the board. Glocks factory mag is the only one I’ve seen that functions as well steel, and even then its not perfect. If you read Tam’s blog with her shooting tests, steel cases stuff tends to screw up the results.

  9. Makes sense. Now, do you have a/some 1911s? If so, will there be a need for Chip McCormack’s new RPM 8 or 10 round mags? Asking for a friend.

    Thanks,
    Andy

    • I did CMC Shooting Star mags a buncha years back. I think they were $11. Havent seen a deal since.

  10. I would buy 20 round AR and mini 14 mags. If you use springfield xdm 9mm 19 rounders I could use a dozen. Anyway I have benefited from your sales in the past and appreciate what you do.

  11. Did you have a rough idea of cost for the glock magpul buy? I was going to buy 30-40 but would wait if cost was good.

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