Month: August 2021

Yesterday we talked about how cool the Duramag aluminum mags were and about how they dominate the color mags when it comes to the metal options. Now, let’s talk about some Lancer Mags. Lancer is very similar in their dominance. They dominate the Polymer side of the pretty color magazines.

They don’t have quite as many colors, but they do something that Duramag does a little different. Duramag has a large supply and keeps them stocked at almost all times. Lancer however keeps them stocked a little more exclusively. You might go a few months without seeing red mags. (Like we are now) Doing so drives the demand up for them to the next level.

They are known for their translucent magazines and the colors they do tend to be vibrant and full of color. Plus you can still see your rounds in the mag through the color. This makes them almost the best of both world. They have become popular in a number of places and Lancer mags have always been known fo their quality. The color mags are no different. The reinforced feed lips tend to solve the issues that a lot of guys that avoid polymer mags have.

If you don’t own any Lancer mags I would definitely recommend picking some up. Especially if you can get your hands on the rare red and blue ones. They aren’t made in the same quantities as the FDE and purple it appears. So if you manage to get some, you’ll be able to flex on some of your friends.

Duramags have been popular for a long time now. They make some of the best aluminum and stainless steel AR15 magazines on the market right now. If you have a weird caliber AR15 like a 7.62×39 or a 6.5 Grendel, then you more than likely already own some Duramags because they are the most popular magazine for ARs in the odd calibers. They tend to feed reliably and consistently and work well.

The past few years they have been releasing their simple Aluminum magazine in a variety of colors that have been crazy popular. Everyone knows somebody that has done some sort of color scheme to their AR. It is annoying having to paint mags or pay to have them cerakoted for just 1 rifle. These magazine come in at the normal price and are decently easy to find. They look good, function good and are cheap comparatively.

They have a huge following and can also be used to help identify your magazines at the range. They can even help quickly identify the caliber without having to look. If you know you only brought red mags to the training class, then you won’t have to worry about getting mags mixed up with a neighbor. If you have .300 Blackout and a 5.56 at the range it can be catastrophic if you get the ammo mixed up the wrong way. If you know that the blue mags only get loaded with .300, then you’ll know right away that you’ve made a mistake or a buddy has if you see a blue mag in your 5.56.

Whether you want them for the form or the function, they are great magazines. Duramag has reliably taken control of the metal AR magazine market and I don’t see them losing that position any time soon.

The .22LR world is hurting pretty bad right now I think it is safe to say. In the past year and a half now, I have had less than about 50 cases of .22LR come in for us to sell. Whenever something happens in the country and people start to panic buy, .22LR dries up insanely fast. People think it’s a caliber that is typically the cheapest to shoot and usually is the cheapest to buy. Right now though, it’s been in such high demand and so little available quantity, that many people just arent shooting their .22LRs at all.

I would say the typical gun owner should have 1000rds of each caliber that they shoot on hand. That’s a good number and it’s fairly easy to obtain. If you talk to a .22LR guy, he would say 5,000 or even 10,000. Just because the ammo used to be so cheap. It allows you to shoot often without breaking the bank and without digging into your stash too far. If you have 5,000 rounds and shoot maybe 100 or 2 a month, you have more than a year’s worth of ammo. 10,000rds of 9mm or even .223 can be pretty expensive and take up a lot of room. Bricks of .22LR are so small and were relatively cheap that you could get 10,000rds into the bottom of your safe and not feel like you have to eat ramen for the next 3 months.

Right now .22LR has been scarce. I would say that most of the guys who had nice big stockpiles of the ammo are starting to get to the point where they aren’t too comfortable digging into it because it’s not going to be as easy to replace. Even the most prepared guy has shot a few thousand rounds by now just between having fun and scratching that itch to shoot. I would say besides 9mm at the price of 2010, .22LR is the most commonly asked for ammo right now.

Even though the ammo is difficult to get. The firearms are popping up more and more frequently. This is where people are messing up though. Even if you can’t find the ammo right NOW, you will eventually. Some of the more rare and harder to find .22LR models are going up for sale and being ignored by the normal .22LR guys that would grab them up. This is the general population’s chance to get some of the cool and unique .22LRs out there. The Ruger Hunter MKIV for example. It is a very sought-after Ruger and we have had it in stock for almost a week. Usually, these guns don’t last a few hours. This is the chance for somebody that has been trying to track one down, to do so. Things like these don’t last long and it’s good news if you’ve been looking for one.