Why Are AR Accessories So Very Expensive?

[Abraham]

Forget the cost of the rifle/rifle parts/ammo, I'm talking about the cost of almost anything AR related other than that.

For example: One quick detach sling swivel costs $14.50 and most of the time you need two! An AR15 Ready Tactical Ambi Speed Mag Pouch that hold only 1 - 30 round magazine costs $27.95. A Geissele SSA-E trigger cost $230.00 when not on sale. I have a hard time believing the same trigger couldn't easily be sold for half that and the mfg+seller would still make a handsome profit.

Now, if the answer is you have to pay for quality, I agree, but it would seem the extravagant (to me) costs in many instances (I'm guessing) would be that it's a sellers market. Whatever the market will bear...Caveat Emptor...

If that's not the reason and the costs are fair given I generally buy higher quality AR products, than O.K. I'll quit grumbling. (though not for long I'm sure)

What say you?

Sellers market or better quality create such high AR accessories cost.

[ELB]

Because people will pay that much for them.

[nyj]

The ebay mounts are just as good, IMO. That's the only cheap accessories I'll buy. $5 US made light mount works perfectly.

[Abraham]

I just came across the Brand Condor. They make tactical vest, belts, pouches, etc.

Almost every review I've read (Amazon) for their AR/pistol mag holders was rated very high.

I bought one for the low cost of: $12.52 with free shipping, and yes they're a Chinese made product.

I went ahead and read some of the other reviews for their other gear to find most highly complimentary.

Overall, whatever they make costs about half or less of what's on offer from other mfgs. for a equivalent style mag holders.

Are they the very best quality? I'm sure they're not. Will they function adequately?
Probably, but for $12.52 I'm willing to gamble.

Paying way over the top prices for general AR stuff has me annoyed as the sellers know most of us will pay more than we should to efficiently use our AR Barbie dolls...

[gigag04]

Condor is airsoft quality IMO. If it holds up for your intended use, I'm glad to hear it, but I wouldn't run it.

The SSA/SSAE trigger is one of the best triggers available made by one of the best makers.

Sure, it could be copied, but many of the people buying and running their gear, aren't concerned with price when they are picking out parts for a fighting gun.

QD swivels are pretty complex components that are not just injection molded, cut, and packaged. There are a few steps to making one. Getting one from the plant to you for $12 is pretty impressive.

[The Annoyed Man]

And you don't have to pay $290 for a Geissle trigger. You can get a Timney for your AR for less than that. MSRP (which nobody pays) for an AR Competition trigger is $219.95....a little less. Also, AR triggers have more moving parts than the trigger for a bolt rifle, and that adds to the cost. I put a Timney in my Remington 700 for $145.00, and it is AWESOME.....but.....fewer moving parts....

And if you are talking about optics, well, they cost the same no matter what rifle you're mounting them on.

Other parts like barrels, well if you're willing to have a barrel that rivals the big names for less money, there are brands like White Oak and Odin Works that make really GOOD barrels........for less......

But in the end, quality doesn't come cheap, no matter what platform you're talking about.

[victory]

What say you?

Sellers market or better quality create such high AR accessories cost.

Most of the accessories are not patented, so anyone who thinks they're overpriced could easily get into the business. Very low barriers to market entry.

[The Annoyed Man]

I should add that you can also adjust the tension on your stock AR trigger by judicious bending of the springs, and carefully honing a couple of parts. My son exposed my stock DPMS trigger group to this treatment. There is nothing special about the parts. They came in a standard DPMS lower parts kit I bought years ago. I don't know exactly what he did to it, but he said that he got the information off of some reputable youtube channel. While my AR trigger isn't as nice as my Timney trigger on the Remington, it is actually WAAAAY better than stock. It is noticeably lighter, has very little creep, breaks pretty cleanly, and has a nice short reset. And, whatever he did hasn't affected the hammer strikes, it still fires ammo with no problem. I've upgraded a lot of things on that rifle over the years, but I left the trigger exactly as he modified it, simply because it really doesn't need much else done to it. I've had friends who compete fire it, and they've been favorably impressed with that trigger, and It's been just reliable as heck. All it cost me was a burger and fries for my son.

[MechAg94]

There are lots of AR triggers out there at all sorts of prices and quality. You want a Geissle because they have one of the best reputations. As long as you are buying with that mindset, you will pay a premium.

AR Owners Want:
American made
Ruggedness to handle whatever extreme abuse they think gear ought to handle
Endurance to last tens of 1000s of rounds of ammo
Super duper tactical design recommended in competition
Really really cheap.

One of these characteristics does not fit the others.

[MechAg94]

On the trigger, there are $60 triggers out there that are big improvements over stock triggers. I was also thinking that there are instructions online for doing a trigger job on your stock trigger if you really want cheap.

I was a bit surprised about the price of those detachable sling swivels, but they are not mil spec and made in relatively small quantities. You are not going to get that cheap unless the Govt starts buying in bulk. I think that applies to a lot of the tactical merchandise.

[Scott B.]

It adds up quickly doesn't it? Is that enhanced trigger guard a bargain $17? No. What about that $23 QD end plate? A bigger charging handle for $80, I only paid $75 for the @#$# stripped lower.

Don't know if helps, but this site is supposed to aggregate current deals http://www.slickguns.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . I've not used it yet, but I'm keeping a close eye on those optic deals.

Then there's the byproduct of sustaining these price levels -- grey market items and knockoffs. Want to save on that $50 Magpul QD sling? Well that $15 eBay bargain is a Chinese copy (and it shows) so buyer beware.

[Abraham]

Thanks all for you input.

The Condor item I bought is the first "el cheapo" item I've bought for my two babies, both Colt LE6920's. I had no idea about them being air soft quality, as the reviewers on Amazon, didn't mention air soft. (I have no idea what air soft is...?) Of course, maybe they did as there were plus 500 reviews and I read about 50 and was satisfied.

I have a Geissele SSA-E for the one with optics and the "KISS" AR has a Geissele G2S trigger, which is quite similar to SSA in function, but costs a mere $165.00, not including tax.

I won't list all the other "stuff" I've bought for my Barbies, except to say "ALL" was pricey. Fortunately, being fabulously wealthy, I can afford it, but I'm a cheap sob so I like to pay as little as necessary without sacrificing quality when it's possible to do so.

Wait, I forgot. There's is one inexpensive item I've swapped out on both of my "Barbies" and that's the handguard. I put a B5 Keymod handguard on both and at $28.00 each/free shipping, they were a steal... Compared to the Magpul and A1 military style handguards these things are wonderfully slim and fit my hands much better. Also, they were a snap to install. I don't need them to be free floating. Supposedly, free floating handguards provide greater accuracy, but I'm not in any competition shooting and using these still provides excellent accuracy.

[AlaskanInTexas]

Same reason designer purses are so expensive.

[loganlane]

I use slickguns.com on a daily basis. Even if you are not buying, it keeps you up to speed on what the prices are capable of coming down to. When you are ready to buy, then you wait on the sale to come back around.