Anybody else buy parts without a current use?

PappyM3

NES Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Messages
7,585
Likes
13,494
Feedback: 29 / 0 / 0
I don’t have a 34mm optic at the moment, but Badger Ordnance finally had their 1.7” high 34mm mount in stock for their military discount and I jumped on it. I don’t even know when I’ll be getting a 34mm optic. We’ll see if/when Leupold comes out with a Mk6 1-6 replacement.

Anybody else do this? Buy slightly hard to find parts when they come in stock… just in case?

FEAB9E0F-6B3A-4361-A063-011919F64E9F.jpeg
 
I do it all the time. I have my eye on a 6mm comp for a good price and I don't shoot anything in 6mm.

I am thinking about re-barreling to 6BR one of these days though.
 
I don’t have a 34mm optic at the moment, but Badger Ordnance finally had their 1.7” high 34mm mount in stock for their military discount and I jumped on it. I don’t even know when I’ll be getting a 34mm optic. We’ll see if/when Leupold comes out with a Mk6 1-6 replacement.

Anybody else do this? Buy slightly hard to find parts when they come in stock… just in case?

View attachment 539464
Everyone else that’s contributing to the current shortages, lol.

I’m all for capitalism...hopefully you end up using it at some point and didn’t take it out of the hands of someone that might have needed it for their main build.

I have more primers than I’ll probably ever use in my life (80% of which I bought pre-pandemic), but I won’t sell any of them ever.

nothing wrong with buying shit you don’t currently need as long as there’s food on the table and your kids aren’t running around in loin cloths. Have at it!
 
Everyone else that’s contributing to the current shortages, lol.

I’m all for capitalism...hopefully you end up using it at some point and didn’t take it out of the hands of someone that might have needed it for their main build.

They’ll survive. It’s not like a bought out a store to horde a stockpile of them.

EDIT:
I have more primers than I’ll probably ever use in my life (80% of which I bought pre-pandemic), but I won’t sell any of them ever.

nothing wrong with buying shit you don’t currently need as long as there’s food on the table and your kids aren’t running around in loin cloths. Have at it!
Yup
 
Last edited:
I only buy items that I know I'll have an use for at least eventually. If it's not something I can see needing, like a mount for an optic that I have zero idea IF I'll ever purchase, then I pass on it. If the item is 'universal' in application, like handguards, stocks, grips, etc., I'll purchase if the price is good enough. Or if they've been difficult to get for a long enough period.
 
No shit, obviously. The rest of my post supports your decision, but in typical NES fashion you responded to the only critical sentence in my post.

*sigh*
There, I edited my comment. Happy?

You say “no shit, obviously”, but your comment about “taking it out of the hands” of someone was silly hyperbole. Hence why I pointed it out.
 
I only buy items that I know I'll have an use for at least eventually.
Pretty much the same for me. I anticipate getting a 34mm optic, just don’t know when it’ll be, depending on Leupold’s near term releases at the moment.
 
Great mount indeed but still makes you think about the point of diminishing return on such products.
to be more specific - something like this is half the price, but not half the quality.
 
Last edited:
Pretty much the same for me. I anticipate getting a 34mm optic, just don’t know when it’ll be, depending on Leupold’s near term releases at the moment.
For optic mounts, I get those at the same time as the optic. That way I don't need to keep track of the parts and have to hunt for them later. If that was a mount for a 30mm tube optic, I would have done it since those are far more common.
 
Great mount indeed but still makes you think about the point of diminishing return on such products.
to be more specific - something like this is half the price, but not half the quality.
Those are great! I use one of the 1.435” versions on my Service Rifle competition gun. But for carbine use, I prefer 1.7” which Warne doesn’t offer. The Badger mounts are also more reasonably priced and a little closer to the Warne price with their military discount, which is one of the reasons I snagged it. They’ve been popping up at normal shops for MSRP, but it’s taken a while for them to show up on the Badger website for the discount.
 
Those are great! I use one of the 1.435” versions on my Service Rifle competition gun. But for carbine use, I prefer 1.7” which Warne doesn’t offer. The Badger mounts are also more reasonably priced and a little closer to the Warne price with their military discount, which is one of the reasons I snagged it. They’ve been popping up at normal shops for MSRP, but it’s taken a while for them to show up on the Badger website for the discount.
military discount is indeed the factor, as for the 'normal' msrp of $300 - it is quite a jump in money.

I definitely agree with the approach to use better gear where it matters, no question about it. still, a sweet spot for mounts is somewhere in $100-$170 area and going way above it, not every time you get anything that is way more exceptional. for a good hunting rig that can be smacked in the forest, it is no brainer. but for a range only toy - meh. who cares if shitty chineseum bended from you breathing at it, just rezero it and keep plinking. :)

Warne, Stainer, some aero models are pretty good. I stuck with them for a while and do not deviate much. and for cheap crap there is always UTG Accu-Sync $30-$40 stuff.
 
military discount is indeed the factor, as for the 'normal' msrp of $300 - it is quite a jump in money.

I definitely agree with the approach to use better gear where it matters, no question about it. still, a sweet spot for mounts is somewhere in $100-$170 area and going way above it, not every time you get anything that is way more exceptional. for a good hunting rig that can be smacked in the forest, it is no brainer. but for a range only toy - meh. who cares if shitty chineseum bended from you breathing at it, just rezero it and keep plinking. :)

Warne, Stainer, some aero models are pretty good. I stuck with them for a while and do not deviate much. and for cheap crap there is always UTG Accu-Sync $30-$40 stuff.
Man, I miss the days when Larue CAN mounts were $140.
 
I have the problem of buying stuff to replace such as tritium sights, new scope and mounts, ambi safety and can never find them when I have time to get to it.

I might be guilty of back in the day of buying ammo that was such a great deal and not having the rifle at that point in time… a 7mm Rem Mag Sako followed soon after

Apparently there’s this mysterious anomaly that happens in a day or two of receiving them, followed up with a comment from my wife “that’s not where it belonged”. Apparently they belong in some obscure remote location in my house that the NSA would hard pressed to find.
 
in 1993 I bought 30-40 high cap mags for guns that I didn't even own
Back in the 70's I bought a foot locker full of Colt M16 magazines. That cost me $150 and I made that back inside of a few months and held onto the rest till thy were stupid expensive, sold and bought factory or surplus M1A Mags when the price dropped.
 
I have plenty of magazines, ammo and some spare parts for firearms I do not and have never owned but just because I might want one later and got a good deal on them.
 
I have so many parts that have no home yet, uppers, lowers, optics, fcu’s, all kinds of stuff lol projects to finish on a rainy day
 
I have more primers than I’ll probably ever use in my life (80% of which I bought pre-pandemic), but I won’t sell any of them ever.
I don’t reload and I’m considering investing in primers for the next shortage. At the very least I could trade for ammo, or take up reloading.

I also have 308 and 45 for some of my guys at work. I try to hit the store once a week and stay up on ammo sites, and I score stuff for them from time to time.
 
I don’t reload and I’m considering investing in primers for the next shortage. At the very least I could trade for ammo, or take up reloading.

I also have 308 and 45 for some of my guys at work. I try to hit the store once a week and stay up on ammo sites, and I score stuff for them from time to time.

I’m trying to apply similar purchases in my life...trying to think of things that a lot of people will find useful that don’t take up a lot of space that could be traded for other goods or services. If I was smart (and I’m not), I would have sold all my primers when they were $300/box and then just bought more later...but I probably would have had a pit in my stomach since then wondering if I’d ever be able to replace them.

If there’s one thing I’m ‘set’ on, it’s probably reloading tools and components. If push comes to shove, I probably have enough to make myself enough ammo for ‘needs’ and then still have enough leftover to sell or trade. Really though, the best part about it is I genuinely ENJOY reloading (most of the time...stuck case incidents excluded).
 
I had duplicate spare parts for my AR’s (BCG’s, gas tubes, barrels through group buys, stripped uppers) and next thing you know is 2 more AR’s were born. (I miss the good old group buy days). Same with glock
20, 21 & 24 pre-ban mags, bought them when I found a good deal on them $50 or less and I didn’t even have any of those handguns at the time. Just last month I completed that with finally getting a Glock 23. It can be addictive and expensive in the long run. But if you buy at the right time/price it can work out.
 
I bought a $750 10/22 because I had some mags floating around and it shares mags with my 8334 Ruger American Rimfire

Now I need rings again.

I'd be interested in hearing how that 10/22 treats you - I was seriously thinking about one of the left hand versions, but it doesn't share mags with all the rest of my 10/22s. Pushed me into saving more for a Bergara.
 
Oh yes. I learned from the post Sandy hook days. I’m guilty of buying stuff on sale that I think I’ll need need someday. In my defense it was all stuff that I couldn’t get post Sandyhook and when they became available at good prices again ( Trump years) I bought without a specific plan.

I bought a bunch of stripped lowers on the last two group buys. They were $35 ea if I recall correctly. I still have a half dozen left. I have all the components to build a target upper for CMP matches all from white oak armament. A New York shooting forum had a dealer purchase a bunch of AR barrels without threads for NY compliant builds so I bought two 16” and an 18” cheap.

My first group buy moving to MA and joining NES was a bunch of lower and upper parts kits, when I had never built an AR and didn’t have the tools. Now I h I always keep 3 or 4 of each on hand and I have two sets of building tools

Ive an assortment of used AR stocks and other misc parts from classifieds here, some in the last month)

not that ARs get all the love. I have at least two PTG bottom metals to convert Rem 700 BDL or ADL rifles to take AICS mags. Biggest use is on hunting rifles. Spare short action firing pin assemblies. Two wood stocks I plan to customize

Before the last craziness began I picked up some anodized 80% lowers. 3/ $110 so I have a half dozen. Cash and carry I loved it

So if stuff gets totally unavailable I have enough projects and stuff to mess with to keep me happy for a couple of years.
 
Back
Top Bottom