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Building a weapon is like painting the Sistine Chapel. It should be your masterpiece and it also takes time. If you're going to invest your time, money and your hopes and dreams, you want to get it right the first time. Here are 5 ways to save while building your your dream gun:
1. Make a plan
First things first: make your wishlist. Scope (pun intended) out exactly what you want and plan it. Surf the entire internet. Go to gun shows. Ask friends to see theirs. From the custom paint job to the custom barrel, your gun needs to reflect exactly what you want and need.
Figure out exactly what accoutrements to give your baby. Tactical flashlight? Laser? Both? Multipurpose reflex sight? Quad rail? Build your gun on paper first so that you can hunt parts like you'll stalk your prey.
2. Do your homework
You've decided what you want. Now you have to figure out how to buy it. Just as if you were getting a new car, comparison shopping for your custom build is key. Knowing exactly what parts you want and who sells them is half the battle, especially for items that are quick off the shelf and seemingly never in stock.
Here's what we recommend: Make a spreadsheet of every part you want and how much it costs. Create a separate email account just for your build so that your inbox isn't flooded (you'll thank us for this later), and then sign up on every site that sells the parts you want for their sales flyers. Keep track of costs on your spreadsheet to see who is selling it at the lowest. Don't buy anything at cost unless, after 12 months, you've never seen it on sale, anywhere.
3. Find an expert
Making friends with your local gunsmith and other custom owners is key. Even if you're assembling yourself, your gunsmith can give you insight about where to buy hard-to-find parts, and the inside scoop on what you really want.
Eat that humble pie and ask all the questions so you get it right the first time. Your gunsmith will also have tips and tricks to make sure you're getting the best quality for your money.
4. Hit those sales
The two best sales of the year are Black Friday (get those sales flyers!) and the GovX Vortex Sale (which runs this week: August 15-16). Every product from the Vortex catalogue on GovX.com is marked down to unbeatable prices.Red dots and lasers, rifle scopes, range finder and spotting scopes, mounts and rail accessories and more. And, for every $200 you spend on Vortex items during the sale, customers get an automatic entry to win one of two limited edition GovX engraved Razor HD Gen II rifle scopes (a $2000 value, each).
If you are wanting to buy a Vortex product, this is the week to do it.
5. Be patient
Don't settle for an HBAR when you really want a bull. Just like any masterpiece, building your dream gun takes time, especially if you want to save money doing it. Hard-to-find parts can take months to stock and ship.
Part of the beauty is in the process. Happy building.
This post sponsored by GovX.
Mark Wahlberg and his family's fast-casual chain Wahlburgers may be coming to a base near you
Actor Mark Wahlberg will be visiting troops overseas to plug Wahlburgers, a fast-casual restaurant chain owned by the actor and his two brothers, Donnie Wahlberg, and chef Paul Wahlberg.
US troops will not burn and pillage like Genghis Khan's hordes as a result of Trump intervening in war crimes cases, Milley says
The U.S. military will not disintegrate into an undisciplined horde following President Donald Trump's recent intervention in three war crimes cases, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley assured lawmakers on Wednesday.
Milley was testifying before the House Armed Services Committee when he was pressed by Iraq war veteran Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) about the president's actions in the cases of former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, retired Army Maj. Matthew Golsteyn, and retired Navy SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher.
US troops repelled a brazen Taliban attack that was literally on Bagram Airfield's doorstep
Taliban fighters attempted to fight their way into Bagram Airfield on Wednesday by invading a medical facility just outside of the base's perimeter, a spokesman for Operation Resolute Support said Wednesday.
J.P. Lawrence of Stars and Stripes and Jim LaPorta of Newsweek first reported that the battle lasted for several hours after using car bombs to attack the hospital, which is near the base's northern corner. Helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft were reportedly used to drop ordnance on the hospital.
An armed suspect was taken into custody at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi on Wednesday morning after a brief lockdown period, according to the Texas base's Facebook account.
Though the exact nature of the incident is unclear, base officials wrote that no shots were fired and no injuries were reported.
The new defense bill would create a public database for every complaint made about privatized housing
Among the dozens of requirements outlined in the latest version of the National Defense Authorization Act is the requirement for the Secretary of Defense to create a public database for privatized housing complaints.
So, that will be... a lot.