By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Mike Vanderboegh died last Thursday from cancer. Many who frequent Rantburg.com did not care for the man, given his past as a real life, honest to goodness communist revolutionary who came to see the errors of his way and thinking, and then went to work dedicating his life to restoring the Republic.
I never met the man in real life, but I did respect him for his past, his judgement, his conversion to American conservatism, and his steadfastness and passion.
His son, who served in the army in overseas assignments, now carries on his father's blog. So far he has taken up the guide-on of his fallen father enthusiastically.
A short, but sharp lesson on the Executive Order Import Ban of 5.45x39mm Ammunition
The 5.45x39mm ammunition is used in the AK-74, the latest iteration of the AK series built in 1974. The AK-74 and the military issue ammunition it uses has the industrial designation of 7N6. The designation means that the 5.45x39mm round has a slug that is 53 grains in weight and uses a steel core. The ammunition available before the ban was what is called corrosive, which will destroy the gas tube and the barrel over time with a salt-based corrosion unless the rifle is cleaned thoroughly after each use.
By personal experience the AK-74 is a fine rifle. I don't use 7N6 ammunition because of its corrosive properties, using instead 60 grain non corrosive ammunition. Russian rifle trainers teach their shooters, and bore sight their rifles to hit targets out to 400 meters without adjusting sights. The shooter is taught to target the upper chest of their target at 50 yards, and end with Russian center mass, which is the crotch of their target. That is a distance of about nine inches, or about 228 millimeters. The 7N6 ammunition with the 53 grain slug enables this standard.
ATF rules are that any ammunition which can be fired in a pistol and which can be called armor piercing is generally banned for civilian use and sale.
Ammunition manufacturers make armor piercing ammunition, but they are restricted for police and military use. 7N6 is not available to civilians for "sporting purposes", the legal standard which "allows" all ammunition to be available for sale to the general public. The 7N6 ammunition has been available for general sale since the 1990s, as far as I know. Until the advent of Obama, it was never a problem. I know of no kop nor any official who has been shot/killed using an AK-74 rifle. In fact, all 5.56x45mm/.223 rifles in nearly every state outnumber the available AK-74s by at least an order of magnitude.
People just don't use the AK74, for some reason.
Since the Sandy Creek Massacre in 2013, Obama has been determined to deal with gun laws by using the executive order means of restricting as much as he can through his power as president. Apparently, someone in the ATF discovered that a short barreled rifle with a folding stock, the Russian Krinkov, was available for sale. Under ATF rules, the Krinkov is a pistol since it doesn't have a fixed stock, and so the rule against armor piecing rounds applied.
He could not ban the ammunition outright, but he can use his power to ban its import and sale, and that is what he has done. It has the special mark of being an economic sanction against certain Russian manufacturers in the wake of the Russian invasion and subsequent takeover of Crimea.
A judge in Seattle unsurprisingly sided with the government in a lawsuit that sought to overturn the executive order, and continued to ban the import of one class of ammunition which has never been used to kill any peace officers in the US.
This concludes the lesson on how a single politician acting as dictator can use raw power to further shore up that power. Further use of that power awaits gun owners after January, I suspect, regardless who wins the White House and the legislature.
Loads.
Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:
Prices for pistol ammunition were mostly steady. Prices for rifle ammunition were steady across the board.
Prices for used pistols were mixed. Prices for used rifles were lower across the board.
New Lows:
Florida: 9mm (Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic) Sccy CPX2
Pistol Ammunition
.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Goose Island Sales, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Wolf, Tulammo, Steel Casing, .24 per round (From Last week: -.01 Each)
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo Mart, Legendary, FSFP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .20 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammunition Depot, Store Brand, FSFP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .20 per round (From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (3 Weeks))
9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .16 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .15 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: Lucky Gunner, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel cased, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (9 Weeks))
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Hotshot, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .35 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, Steel Casing, FMJ, .31 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
7.62x39mm AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (9 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammunition Depot, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: SG Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .22 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds (10 Box Limit): Ammomen, Federal, RNL, .07 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds (2 Box Limit): Ammunition Supply Company, Federal, RNL, .06 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each )
Guns for Private Sale
Rifles
.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: %520 Last Week Avg: $570(-) ($616 (2Q, 2015), $476 (44 Weeks))
California (217, 211): Palmetto State Armory: $550 ($650 (1Q, 2015), $400 (49 Weeks))
Texas (219, 213): Ruger 556: $450 ($700 (1Q, 2015), $350 (2Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (135, 147): Smith & Wesson: $500 ($700 (2Q, 2015), $300 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (158, 155): Palmetto State Armory: $600 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $475 (13 Weeks))
Florida (373, 355): Anderson Manufacturing: $500 ($650 (2Q, 2015), $380 (1Q, 2015))
.308 NATO (AR-10 Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $950 Last Week Avg: $980(-) ($1,359 (2Q, 2015), $820 (45 Weeks))
California (69, 58): DPMS LR308: $950 ($1,700 (4Q, 2014), $850 (3Q, 2015))
Texas (78, 74): DPMS: $900 ($1,500 (4Q, 2014), $700 (4 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (35, 40): DPMS SASS: $1,000 ($1,500 (1Q, 2015), $700 (46 Weeks))
Virginia (42, 37): DPMS: $1,000 ($2,750 (30 Weeks), $800 (41 Weeks))
Florida (71, 71): Remington: $900 ($1,950 (15 Weeks), $500 (44 Weeks))
7.62x39mm (AK Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $580 Last Week Avg: $594(-) ($668 (4 Weeks)), $450 (3Q, 2015))
California (33, 28): Mixed Build: $650 ($800 (10 Weeks)), $320 (4Q, 2014))
Texas (57, 56): WASR 10: $450 ($800 (31 Weeks), $350 (3Q, 2014))
Pennsylvania (40, 46): CAI VZ2008: $500 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $375 (1Q, 2015))
Virginia (36, 35): Century Arms: $700 ($700 (12 Weeks), $350 (1Q, 2015))
Florida (78, 73): IO: $600 ($700 (24 Weeks), $300 (4Q, 2014))
30-30 Winchester Lever Action Average Price: $413 Last Week Avg: $427(-) ($489 (1Q, 2015), $296 (3Q, 2015))
California (6, 6): Rossi Rio Grande: $500 ($600 (22 Weeks), $180 (2Q, 2015))
Texas (21, 21): Marlin: $400 ($550 (1Q, 2015), $300 (1Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (12, 11): Winchester Model 94: $390 ($450 (1Q, 2015), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Virginia (10, 11): Marlin: $375 ($670 (14 Weeks)), $250 (36 Weeks))
Florida (26, 22): Marlin: $400 ($500 (1Q, 2015), $250 (2Q, 2015))
Pistols
.45 caliber ACP (M1911 Pattern Semiautomatic Pistol) Average Price: $515 Last Week Avg: $409(+) ($515 (CA: $510 (18 Weeks)), $350 (41 Weeks))
California (200, 201): Springfield $800 ( $800 (CA: $750 (8 Weeks), $300 (3Q, 2015))
Texas (226, 217): Taurus 1911: $500 ($600 (4Q, 2014), $325 (51 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (155, 163): Taurus PT1911: $400 ($550 (2Q, 2015), $300 (2Q, 2015))
Virginia (139, 134): Tisas: $400 ($575 (28 Weeks)), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Florida (284, 279): Taurus PT1911: $475 ($500 (27 Weeks), $250 (1Q, 2015))
9mm (Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic) Average Price: $263 Last Week Avg: $268(-) ($358 (25 Weeks), $245 (17 Weeks))
California (261, 244): Ruger P95: $350 ($500 (24 Weeks), $200 (40 Weeks))
Texas (306, 303): Ruger SR9E: $275 ($355 (1Q, 2015), $200 (49 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (276, 266): Ruger P95: $275 ($350 (4Q 2014), $200 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (226, 218): Taurus PT 24/7 G2: $225 ($425 (32 Weeks), $189 (19 Weeks))
Florida (505, 483): Sccy CPX2: $190 ($400 (21 Weeks), $190 (CA:$200 (9 Weeks))
.40 caliber S&W (Glock or other semiautomatic) Average Price: $311 Last Week Avg: $320(-) ($399 (29 Weeks), $262 (9 Weeks))
California (108, 100): Glock 22: $370 ($560 (31 Weeks)), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Texas (145, 143): Smith & Wesson SW40VE: $280 ($425 (4Q, 2014), $250 (35 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (75, 74): Smith & Wesson: $230 ($450 (18 Weeks), $225 (10 Weeks))
Virginia (65, 61): Kahr CM40: $375 ($450 (2Q, 2015), $275 (1Q, 2015))
Florida (157, 150): Springfield XD Compact 40: $300 ($400 (1Q, 2015), $199 (28 Weeks))
Used Gun of the Week: (California)
Colt Single Action Army Chambered in .45 ACP