User Panel
Posted: 5/11/2017 9:57:12 PM EDT
i'm not old enough to remember but what was the cost of AR 15 and AK-47 magazines during the 1991 Clinton ban. And if we had a ban now what do you think the cost of AR15 and ak magazines would be now
|
|
[#1]
I bought used USGI 30's for $3 each, NiW for $5 each.
AK Mags, like new, for $5 each. Used USGI 20's for about $5 each: bought a grocery bag FULL. Thermold 30's for $8 each. When prices went above that, I quit buying, but, I already had plenty... A few did follow me home from the Nat'l Guard; but, I shipped them to a Buddy in Iraq with the Army. |
|
[#2]
Any one remember the Korean mags that were brandnew and said made before 1994 on them. Its like they knew a ban was coming and the knew to mark them.
|
|
[#3]
I was a kid but I remember $50 Ruger 10/22 hi caps, $20-$30 30 round AR mags. $100 plus for pre ban Glock mags.
It was bad. |
|
[#4]
Clinton wasn't in office until early 93.
Bush had the 89 ban. Clinton had the AWB. The worst mag price I saw actually purchased was a buddy buying 15 round, used Glock 22 mags for $85 apiece. |
|
[#5]
The 94-2004 Clinton Assault Weapon ban was a lot like the recent Sandy Hook scare. Standard AR-15 30rd mags that were usually $10 a pop were going for $100 a pop. Beta-C drums were going for like $600-800 a pop. When the ban sunset I went and bought a Beta-C drum for $250 and was so happy to finally get one.
|
|
[#6]
Quoted:
I was a kid but I remember $50 Ruger 10/22 hi caps, $20-$30 30 round AR mags. $100 plus for pre ban Glock mags. It was bad. View Quote I still have G21 13 round magazines marked $120.00 that I paid $100.00 each, which was a deal at the time. Never again. https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/3355/text https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violent_Crime_Control_and_Law_Enforcement_Act |
|
[#8]
The Clinton AWB was passed in 1994. Highest price increase I personally saw was on 13 round Glock 21 45ACP mags.
They went from $28 to $140 each. There was a big panic from January 1993 until the bill passed in September 1994, followed by a black market. |
|
[#9]
Typical price that I saw for USGI 30 round magazines was $30.
|
|
[#10]
I bought my first AR15 in '94 with my first Tax return. $1K for a Post Ban Colt Match Target Competition HBAR, came with 2 10 round mags. I picked up a couple JUNK steel mags at a gun show for $30 each if I remember correctly. They were new but I had to adjust the feed lips to get them to work MOST of the time. Living just outside Ft Benning I found some used USGI at a surplus store and got 5-6 for $10 each. Parsons, Simmons & Labelle are some of the names that come to mind. Several years later I found out that before the ban you could get those same used USGI mags from the same surplus store for $2 each as many as you wanted. Funny thing is when I would go shooting people would see me with those 7-8 mags and say why did I need so many
|
|
[#11]
Within the first year after the ban, I bought two 30-round mags (Okay, I think) new in the wrapper for $20 each from a neat little surplus store in Butner, NC. I think they hadn't raised the price yet, or not much, but they were the last two in the display case. I still have them - still sealed in the plastic - as sort of a momento of that crazy time.
I bought a number of pre-ban Glock 17 mags at the Greensboro, NC Gun show in '95-'96. The going rate at the time was $70 each, with +2 mags for $100. I never actually used any of them because I figured I'd wear out the 10-rounders first. I lost interest in my G17 for a while, and when I picked it back up again, the ban had sunsetted, thankfully. Now I have lots of $20 Glock mags, and thebpre-ban ones are still unused in case I end up somewhere where I might need them. |
|
[#12]
Glock 17 high caps were $50
AR 30 rounders $20 to $50 depending on how bad the dealer was trying to rape you. AK mags were $15-$25 I use to shop around for Sig 226 mags, if I could find one for $50 I bought it. Also remember Glock 21 high caps were hard to find, they brought $100 |
|
[#13]
Glock 19 mags were $150 for non drop free mags.
AR 15's were $40 for GI 30 rd mags. |
|
[#14]
Fuck, I don't know, I was in the Army, I got mine for nothing!
|
|
[#15]
Glock mags were about $85 in my area.
I didn't buy AK mags because they had been 99¢ each before the ban. I had plenty. I only had a single AR and a few mags but hardly bought any as I never shot it back then. Near the end of the ban I did buy a butt load of used USGI for $10 each. Black follower and all. New generation of mags came out soon after and I bet I haven't used more than one or two of those to this day. |
|
[#16]
You guys know you can use google to find old EE ads from when the ban was still in effect.
|
|
[#18]
|
|
[#19]
A lot of people are quoting today's prices. Sig 226 for $50 is close to what they are on the Sig store.
Everything was $100 or around there. Now go add in inflation to get an idea. Another thing to think about, look at the firearms sold back then compared to today. We are selling anywhere between 3-5 times the amount of firearms today. AR's weren't that big of a thing, I dare say more people had Mini-14's, SKS', AK's were a big hit, and things like the Marlin camp carbine, and 10/22 were all you really had. Colt and Bushmaster and a few Olympic arms and Model 1 sales were the only ARs made. Concealed carry want really a thing and Glock, Beretta, and Sig were pretty much the large capacity handguns. The S&W's that people love now were regarded as the British S&W and known to crack the frame. (Remember gun guys are still the same, we all heard don't buy this or that because...) and Ruger had the P85. The times sucked. The prices were worse. And it was peak Fudd. I ran into a guy I knew back then that was and is a huge hunter. Like killed more things than Ted Nugent, and forgot how he was all pro gun control. A lever action was as exciting as he got. Yet had a closet full of bolt actions and single shots. The laws sucked, the politics sucked, the music sucked. Good riddance. |
|
[#20]
Quoted:
The laws sucked, the politics sucked, the music sucked. Good riddance. View Quote I was a teenager, I grew up in a pro-gun house hold and remember my step dad plopping down 700$ for a norinco AK with a gang of mags and a spam can of surplus ammo the week the ban took effect. |
|
[#21]
As Berit said, the AR wasn't that big of a thing back then.
He was pretty spot on with what people had. Mil surps were common and cheap. That's why you would go to the gun shows. (The internet of the time) |
|
[#22]
Quoted:
The 94-2004 Clinton Assault Weapon ban was a lot like the recent Sandy Hook scare. Standard AR-15 30rd mags that were usually $10 a pop were going for $100 a pop. Beta-C drums were going for like $600-800 a pop. When the ban sunset I went and bought a Beta-C drum for $250 and was so happy to finally get one. View Quote |
|
[#23]
I used $6 post ban mags I bought at the surplus stores at FT Bragg, nobody enforced the ban BS in NC.
|
|
[#24]
Crap like this was common....
The feeling of nausea ( daily ) from realizing you could have ( should have ) bought a bunch of Hi-Cap's earlier... was horrible. Realizing you couldn't even buy a Quality 25rd 10/22 mag for less then a tank of gas and dinner.... Even crap AR mags were bringing a premium,... Orlite junk mags were 15 bucks.... Most all of us survivors, walked away from the '94 AWB.... determined to NEVER be put in that situation again. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_17/625920_My_memory_is_fading__Magazine_prices_in_1994.html IMHO, right now the prices are great... I have added numerous translucent Lancer Mags for as little as $12.50.. Buy now. |
|
[#25]
|
|
[#26]
I paid $ 100 a piece for Glock 21 mags, but that was before I was on the net. Ak mags were cheap and who knows how you would ever have proved they were pre ban. G3 aluminum mags were cheap, fal mags too. Ar mags were more like $ 20-25 a lot of the time I think.
|
|
[#27]
I got my glock mags from the Glock Shooting Sports.
Orange training mags for 30 bucks each...this was 1995 1996.... There was a limit but several times, the head honcho , Chris Edwards, didn't want to bring and haul them back home....so I bought more and more.. they were pre 1994...... mags... Sold them and made some coin... Truth be told...I got my 1st glock 2nd gen after winning my first glock match....and selling some mags here and then from the deals... I bought home some Sig 226 and AUG mags from Austria and made mad benjies with that... I remember bringing a suitcase of it home landing in JFK...... The stupid customs beagle didn't seem to bother but he barked a storm on my 2nd bag... They wanted the Hungarian Salami in it.... didn't bat an eye on the AUG and 226 mags. |
|
[#28]
$50 glock mags were pretty common. I paid $15 for used gi mags and $20 for crappy orilite??
|
|
[#29]
I was offered $75 each for my two Butler Creek 10/22 mags... I did not sell them. Same time frame, I saw a transferable 1928 Thompson for $8,000. I did not buy that...
|
|
[#30]
The big question then was drop free vs non drop free. G17 & 21 mags we're $120+ in the later years of the ban. If a used pistol came with 3 'hicaps' it was like getting the pistol for free.
Mags for the 10/22 were also in demand, many mags were from sub-par manufacturers, lots of brittle, poorly designed mags there. Even the crappiest, hit or miss mag were big bucks. Those manufacturers are now out of business. I also remember the orange Glock mag! |
|
[#31]
Mags for my Para Ordnance P-14 45 were going for around $125 at the height of the ban.
I had stocked up before the ban when they were in the $35 range....I still have a bunch of them in the original wrap. |
|
[#32]
I was shooting IPSC/USPSA a lot back then and had switched guns to a Glock 24.
I needed Glock's mags and considered $75 a mag a good deal. |
|
[#33]
HK P7 M8 and P7 M13 way north of C note! UFDA
I remember our local PD traded in G17 for G22 and the LE dealer made out like a bandit. There were boxes full of pre ban 17 rd mags brand spanking new at the PD! The PD was swayed by low cost trade in.....no new holsters or mag carriers etc. Talk about hood winked! |
|
[#34]
Quoted:
HK P7 M8 and P7 M13 way north of C note! UFDA I remember our local PD traded in G17 for G22 and the LE dealer made out like a bandit. There were boxes full of pre ban 17 rd mags brand spanking new at the PD! The PD was swayed by low cost trade in.....no new holsters or mag carriers etc. Talk about hood winked! View Quote |
|
[#35]
In the Glock book they allued to this. Some Glock Execs personally made out with crates of valuable prebans coming back in on trade.
|
|
[#36]
I remember local gun stores pulling the extra magazine out of all semiautos and selling them for an extra 100 bucks.
|
|
[#37]
Quoted:
I was a kid but I remember $50 Ruger 10/22 hi caps, $20-$30 30 round AR mags. $100 plus for pre ban Glock mags. It was bad. View Quote Like someone said, I will never get caught like this again, when PSA puts out their weekend specials, I stock up... As far as I am concerned, the Magpul mags are top notch, including the Glock versions. I actually like the MPs over the Glock mags. I have four mags in rotation for all of my range trips, been using these for a few years now, the rest stay in storage. The Glock Magpuls are holding up very, very well. I have two that are over 1000 rounds and look like new. I have 30 NIW Sig 226 mags put away along with over 300 AR mags that are still in the wrapper. This is like the days of the 1930s depression my grand parents talked about, we lived thru it, will never let it happen again. 77 |
|
[#38]
Quoted:
Colt and Bushmaster and a few Olympic arms and Model 1 sales were the only ARs made. View Quote One thing people seem to forget on magazine prices, it's always been supply vs. demand PRIOR to the ban (1993) Beta Company C-Mags were bringing $600.00 because Beta Company would ONLY sell them to Government Agencies via Purchase Order. Just before the ban hit they relented and opened them up to civilians. During the ban I never paid more than $30.00 for AR 30 round mags and those were Colt marked. |
|
[#39]
Around 2000, 30-rd Usgi mags in wrap were $30-40.
I remember getting some "refinished" (aka spray painted) mags for $15 per and thought that that was a great deal. These were fairly heavily used mags. Military rifle mags were not the big problem. In fact, ive never seen AK drums cheaper since the sunset. Pistol mags were rediculous. New pistols pretty much started the CCW craze because of the 10-rd mag limit. |
|
[#40]
Quoted:
A lot of people are quoting today's prices. Sig 226 for $50 is close to what they are on the Sig store. Everything was $100 or around there. Now go add in inflation to get an idea. Another thing to think about, look at the firearms sold back then compared to today. We are selling anywhere between 3-5 times the amount of firearms today. AR's weren't that big of a thing, I dare say more people had Mini-14's, SKS', AK's were a big hit, and things like the Marlin camp carbine, and 10/22 were all you really had. Colt and Bushmaster and a few Olympic arms and Model 1 sales were the only ARs made. Concealed carry want really a thing and Glock, Beretta, and Sig were pretty much the large capacity handguns. The S&W's that people love now were regarded as the British S&W and known to crack the frame. (Remember gun guys are still the same, we all heard don't buy this or that because...) and Ruger had the P85. The times sucked. The prices were worse. And it was peak Fudd. I ran into a guy I knew back then that was and is a huge hunter. Like killed more things than Ted Nugent, and forgot how he was all pro gun control. A lever action was as exciting as he got. Yet had a closet full of bolt actions and single shots. The laws sucked, the politics sucked, the music sucked. Good riddance. View Quote |
|
[#41]
Quoted:
The times sucked. The prices were worse. And it was peak Fudd. I ran into a guy I knew back then that was and is a huge hunter. Like killed more things than Ted Nugent, and forgot how he was all pro gun control. A lever action was as exciting as he got. Yet had a closet full of bolt actions and single shots. The laws sucked, the politics sucked, the music sucked. Good riddance. |
|
[#43]
During the Obama years there was big talk, especially after the Sandy Hook incident, about Obama banning the 30 round AR magazines. a friend of mine at work had a bunch and some guy contacted him online and they arraigned a deal for the unknown guy to buy 35 AR magazines for $100 apiece. he took them to another state to sell them. that was an easy $3500 for my friend. hopefully we will never see anything like this again....but who knows what the next panic will be.
|
|
[#44]
|
|
[#45]
You know what else I use to do right after the ban and still do every once in a while? I buy mags for guns I don't have. I would buy 100 AUG mags if I could right now. It's sickening to think about. I still want an Uzi too. And with the HKMP7 mags popping up, I've thought about getting some of them. You know what I'm trying to do now? Arm my own Rick Grimes party. How many AR's is that?
Also, I think every rifle should have a base of 20 mags and every handgun 10. Then everything on top is gravy. Did y'all ever think of ammo in terms of "I would like to keep 1,000 rounds for each caliber as my base amount of rounds." For some reason I remember that being the number my dads friends talked about. Has anyone commented that George Bush, not Bill Clinton was president in 91? The ban was in 94 OP. |
|
[#46]
I bought my Colt HBar in 91. I was a poor parent of two babies and a pissed off wife. It took me a while to afford AR magazines but I remember buying prebans for 20.00 each from my gun pimp at the time and thinking the price wasn't too bad. I did get to the point of having 10 AR magazines and thinking this will be all I get until the end of time. Very depressing if you were into ARs as there was not the selection we have been blessed with now.
I bought a Sig Sauer P228 from Scheels during the month of September 1994 for $700.00 (I saved and scrimped my ass off) and it came with two 13 round Sig mags. I went to Gun City and bought a third for $80.00 because there were not any around. I knew I got raped and felt quite dirty about it. After that day I never bought from Gun City again and avoided them because as far as I was concerned they could fucking blow me..... Cheap ass Millet and Butler Creek 10/22 magazines were about $20.00 in my area and those things SUCKED. Your 10 round Ruger mag was more reliable. Sad times. Fast forward to today...... I am a magazine hoarder due to the fact that I understand LEFTISTS will never leave me alone and eventually they will want more bans. I will never be put in a position that I have to bend over for an overpriced magazine. That said, buy cheap and stack deep. You've been FUCKING warned so take the initiative no matter how broke you may be. FBHO, fuck George Soros and their like minded minions..... |
|
[#47]
First gunshow I went to after the ban went into effect I was 21 and wanted to grab a couple mags for my Glock 21. Being young and naive I figured they might be a few bucks higher than normal. I walk in and see Glock mags everywhere and I'm feeling good till I saw they were all $100-125 each. I will never forget that "Oh shit" feeling.
I ended up trading my trading my 21 and three mags even for a NIB Colt Enhanced 1911. To a dealer that I'm sure felt like he was stealing. Crazy times. |
|
[#48]
Never stop buying mags. Never. 100 mags per gun would make the Anti's crap themselves. It's the cheapest way to keep stuff legal. Like they say about drugs. "We can't stop drug use so we might as well legalize it."
|
|
[#49]
I shifted from the Ruger mini-14 to the AR-15 platform during the ban. The guns themselves did not get me much money but I had a bunch of Ruger factory hi cap mage for the mini and I remember selling them for around $90 each.
What do I think would happen if another hi-cap ban occurred? At least for the AR platform not that much. Would prices rise from todays prices? Sure. But when the first AWB occurred it caught the gun owning community by surprise. Never again. We have collectively stored dozens (even hundreds) of hi-cap mags per person and the supply would last a century. |
|
[#50]
Wasn't it 2015-16 that a push to renew the gun ban was tried??? I remember an auction on Gunbroker for 100 Pmags.. I think it ended at $8500.
|
|
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.