Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Ponderings

Big Country muses on the war in Ukraine and how Russia is refurbishing mothballed tanks.  Quantity, he says, has a quality of its own, and it seems that it's surprisingly easy to refurbish old armor. 

That got me pondering.  Last light Dopey Joe gave his State Of The Union address and called for an Assault Weapons ban.  Vlad seems to be thinking that the future is now, and an old tank tomorrow is worth much more than a bunch of new stuff next year.  In this very same vein, doesn't that suggest that anyone who hasn't already bought an AR-15 should go out right now and get one?

Palmetto State Armory has an AK-47 pattern rifle for $619.

And ammunition should be bought by the hundreds (or thousands) of rounds.  Remember, a US Army combat load of ammo is around 200 rounds per soldier, and they get resupplied.  A thousand rounds today is better than more next year.

8 comments:

McChuck said...

In Iraq, I carried 240 rounds of 5.56mm and 45 rounds of 9mm, with no realistic hope of resupply for the year I was there. We had one 200 round box for the SAW. We had three grenades for the m203. We had a total of two hand grenades, which we were ordered to lock up when the CO finally came by to visit after 6 months. We weren't allowed to have bayonets. We spent more time on patrol and in town than any three other units from our base combined.

You're not defending your town from an infantry brigade. They'll back off and use mortars and artillery to flatten it if you put up a real fight. (The regime protection agency (formerly US Army) will use weapons and tactics on us Americans that they wouldn't dream of using in Iraq or Afghanistan or Syria.) "A village rebelled, a village was punished."

If you're protecting your home from invaders, and you'll maybe use two magazines before you or they are done.

But when TSHTF, there won't be any resupply.

Ratus said...

Well, PSA has a blem m4 rifle for $490

https://palmettostatearmory.com/blem-psa-pa-15-16-nitride-m4-carbine-5-56-nato-classic-ar-15-rifle-with-13-5-m-lok-rail-black.html

Or

You can go even cheaper buying an upper and lower separate.

Blem upper $270

https://palmettostatearmory.com/blem-psa-16-m4-carbine-length-5-56-nato-1-8-phosphate-classic-upper-w-bcg-ch.html

Blem lower $130

https://palmettostatearmory.com/blem-psa-ar15-complete-classic-lower-black.html

Both together is $434 with shipping.

They also have gen2 PMAGs for $9 with free shipping on 5+

If you don't already have one today is a great time.

Michael said...

It's nice to have legacy supplies for your children and Grandkids.

Stored well they seem to last nearly forever as I've shot 303 British that was WW2. I know why they were called smellies.

Aesop said...

Vlad's problem is that announced "refurb" is gonna take 3 years from last Thanksgiving. For 60-year-old museum-piece tanks.
That's "simple", but it's anything but "easy".
All they're starting with is rusted, stripped hulks that have been sitting empty in the scrapyard for 30-40 Russian winters.
Parts for them? Engines? Gun barrels? Firing systems? Tracks? Crews??
Now you know why it's going to take them 3 years.

Best wishes with that plan.

Then they just have to learn combined arms operations, something they haven't yet pulled off once in the last year of trying.

And they're so short of functional AKs, they were handing out one per ten men in their last draft of cripples and convicts.

It's not like they ever had a nation where one guy in three already has an AK and 1000 (or 10,000) ready rounds of ammo, and brings it with him when he gets his draft notice.

I'll take "Countries That Will Never Be Externally Conquered" for $1000, Alex. ;)

Michael said...

Aesop, repeating what you posted elsewhere?

How about some links of your comments?

libertyman said...

I can speak to good customer service from Palmetto State Armory on a recent AR build from them. Their components are an excellent value as well. Buy a stripped lower or three and go through your local FFL for delivery and then add whatever components you might fancy at your leisure. Everything but the stripped lower is sent right to your door. I have heard of people doing just that...

I am tempted to get their AK, as that seems to be an excellent value. Plus 7.62x39 is relatively cheap and plentiful and everybody seems to have surplus magazines by the dozen. A spam can of ammo from some Eastern bloc country was meant to last a long time in storage and for all intents and purposes, who cares if it is even corrosive?

I have been shooting trap and clays these days, a thousand rounds of 12 gauge shells is not a very big inventory I have found, so stock up on everything.

Aesop said...

Do your own research, Michael, the links have been up and out there for months, and all it takes to find is a few mouse clicks.

Michael said...

In another words Aesop a Aesop's fable for all to accept or be insulted about?

Show your work, Marine.