Folks,

$279.99 per the flyer from Academy Sports, second lowest price I've ever seen.

Weekly Ad - page 9

As usual YMMV and all disclaimers ever applied apply here.

Geoff
Who paid 289 four years ago.

Interesting, five years later and the new model SDVE at Academy.com is on sale this week for $299.99 Weekly Ad | Academy Sports + Outdoors
Geoff
Who notes he has a SWaMPy 9c now days.

Academy can take all their sales and go to hell! I won't support any company that doesn't support the 2nd Amendment. It tickles me that Daniel Defense will no longer sell to them. I hope other manufacturers follow DDs lead.

That's what I paid for my Sigma in 2011 at a LGS. They were having a labor day weekend sale or customer appreciation sale.

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SDMF

The Academy in Webster, Texas has always been very Second Amendment friendly (Gun counter is run by experienced retired gentlemen although they have some humorously inexperienced kids working for them (While looking for a 686+, one earnestly told me that no company in the world manufactured seven shot revolvers. OK, is there anyone else that I can talk to?). I have recently bought two guns there and would buy more. Will probably buy my next safe there soon.

Back in 2007 & 2008 S&W was offering a FREE magazine or a $50 rebate when you bought either the SW9VE or the SW40VE. I bought both of them and received 2-$50 rebates. They were not at the same time but very close to one another.

BTW, I only paid $279 each, plus tax.

After Corporate's decision to remove all the AR-15s, I wonder what is next to go - high capacity magazines? The decision by the suits at Corporate will end up costing Academy big $$. I know there are a lot of like minded gun owners that won't darken their doorstep again.

No intent to disagree or offend anyone, but as a simple hobby and self-defense shooter, I wonder why the AR-15 and similar rifles have such attraction.

I grew up using a rifle from age 12 or so but no longer hunt, and now at age 84 will probably not go hunting again. If I did I would choose what I call a "conventional" rifle style.

I was on the University of Oklahoma NROTC Rifle Team* and we won most of our matches, even beating the Texas schools. It was fun at the time but I have no desire to take a rifle to a gun range.

Why are those AR and similar style rifles so popular or attractive?

*As a footnote, my first pistol experience came during those days. Team members could check out .22 cal versions of the 1911 on weekends (free ammunition) and shoot all we wanted, usually getting mistletoe from the trees. [We did have to "Qualify" with the .45, using cotton in our ears, and did carry a .45 on active duty but that was the extent of it. Now I have some pistols and enjoy shooting, but have sold all our rifles.]

I suspect that a period of warfare drives buyers to get what a gi uses or something similar

They are trading good old reliability and simplicity for lower reliability and more complexity. Here is a good discussion of these issues:

AR-15 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

' I wonder why the AR-15 and similar rifles have such attraction.' I don't wonder - if some people want them, they have a right to have them. Period.

I recently picked up a SD40VE and layer a SD9VE on lowball bids on Gunbroker paid about 235.00 for each of'em ...

Sorta trying to get this thread back on track ... ( but I will not purchase a firearm at Academy)

I noted my local discount gun shop, shootersjax.com also had the SD9VE at the same $299.99 price.
Geoff
Who keeps checking the weekly ads.

I'm not sure why Academy pulled the AR's, but I suspect its more to do with profitability than political optics. Keep in mind that WalMart did the same thing and the stated reason was that they were not making money selling that type of firearm.

I think merchants will sell whatever makes the most money. If something on the shelf doesn't sell it will quickly be replaced by something that does sell.

The Academy stores in this area frequently put the SD9VE and SD40VE on sale for $289.

1. If you use Wikipedia for your reference material, you will be laughed at by people who actually know what they're talking about.

2. I've put somewhere between 10-15,000 rounds of anything from 55 gr to 77 gr 5.56 and many many more thousands of rounds of 55gr .223 through my regularly-used AR-15s in the past couple years, and have had ONE FTF, and no FTE. And that one FTF was due to a bad primer.

I clean my ARs occasionally at best. I run a bore snake through it after each range session, but I don't recall the last time I broke either down to clean it thoroughly.

It all comes down to using clean ammunition, not being stupid with it and paying attention to what the rifle is telling you.

No offense.

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Your Ad Here.

Why in the bloody hell are we talking about AR-15s in this SW/SD thread again!?!?!?

I cannot talk to AR-15's because I have not noticed their absence. I get excellent service at Academy if I go during the week. I would not hesitate to buy a gun there when it is not overcrowded and if they have what I want although I buy more guns from Carter's Country and Collector's Firearms due to their superior selection.

In this weeks discount flyer Academy dropped the price another $10 to $289.99
Geoff
Who will stick with his SWaMPy 9c.

Does anyone besides me wonder why the price isn't $290? I understand that gas prices aren't rounded up to an even amount because of the taxes on fuel...but it seems that most retail goods aren't marked an even amount, either.

Because $289.99 looks, sounds and actual is less expensive than $290.

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Jorge

Yeah, that $0.01 is a major savings!

Absolutely

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Jorge

Sort of like the wonderful $2,000 rebate on a new car. You pay that in, with tax in some states, and then pay interest on it unless you pay cash for the transaction.

[QUOTE=ou1954;139188635]No intent to disagree or offend anyone, but as a simple hobby and self-defense shooter, I wonder why the AR-15 and similar rifles have such attraction.

I grew up using a rifle from age 12 or so but no longer hunt, and now at age 84 will probably not go hunting again. If I did I would choose what I call a "conventional" rifle style.

I was on the University of Oklahoma NROTC Rifle Team* and we won most of our matches, even beating the Texas schools. It was fun at the time but I have no desire to take a rifle to a gun range.

Why are those AR and similar style rifles so popular or attractive?

Well I can not speak for everyone but in my case I was in the army. I joined when the M16A1 was the issued weapon. I learned how to take them apart and clean them and shoot them. The Rifle I own is the M-4 civilian version of the M-16. I bought a Mini 30 and taking it apart was foreign. Putting it back together was a nightmare because I did not understand a couple of not so well know tricks to getting the bolt back in and had to watch youtube videos and zoom in to note that the video maker was pushing on the firing pin. No place in the manual or the video did it tell me to do that.. So I traded that in for the more familiar AR that I spent years with as it was my best friend and get me out of trouble go to device. I just think that many of us grew up with the AR in the military or thought our kids to use one because that is what we knew. Its kind of like your Dad bought a Chevy or a Ford or a Dodge and you because a Chevy, Ford or Dodge guy. Venturing into the waters of the import was a scary thing. well thats my take on it!

Looks like the quote marks for my original post got deleted but my original quote ends with this sentence:

"Why are those AR and similar style rifles so popular or attractive?"

The point I wanted to make is that if I ever buy another rifle it won'y have handles on the stock or barrel area, Just an old fashioned buy I suppose.
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Academy's sale prices lately have been high. I wonder if there has been a corporate change.
Geoff
Who notes the recent big box store problems.