taking in strays

It was the last one in the store, and it was looking oh-so-lonely, so it just had to follow me home:

I mean, after all, not only was I rescuing a lonely, dejected firearm from its fate (being taken home by someone else), I also was doing my part in helping make sure that January’s NICS checks are as high, if not higher than, December’s. And, remember, when it comes to NICS checks, one check does not necessarily equate to one firearm – I am currently averaging 1.5 firearms per check in the past few months. Hoplophobes everywhere who were not already wetting themselves at the prospect of around 1.5 million new firearms “on the streets” no doubt are doing so now that they realize there could be (and probably are) a significantly higher number. Just think – barring repeat buyers, 0.5% of the entire American population bought at least one firearm last month – that is pretty bloody amazing.
Unfortunately, this act of generosity on my part was not without its cost. Last Friday, when Better Half and I were trying on the various shotguns on my shopping list, this particular item was priced at around $350ish or so, and at the time, I thought that was a fairly good price. It turns out I was right. Yesterday evening, when we headed back to Coal Creek Armory, the new price was $410. The sales associate’s explanation was that their percentage mark-up on firearms has remained constant throghout the election and the resulting buying binge, while Remington, on the other hand, has seen fit to bump up their prices on not only firearms-that-look-evil, but also a wide variety of other things (for instance, the above shotgun, which could, potentially, be banned if President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama were to get all of his wishlist items granted). I can only take the individual’s word at face value, and would like to believe he was not lying to me, so Better Half and I had a short discussion about the necessary costs of shipping, FFL fees, and the like for procuring a “cheaper” firearm (which would be almost equal in price by the time it got to us), and we walked out of the store with the box under my arm.
Unfortunately, CCA did not have any 12-gauge ammunition in-stock (while there is no tracking system in place for this kind of data (thank God), I would venture to guess that ammunition is disappearing off shelves at least as fast, if not faster than, firearms, at least based on the anecdotal evidence of the lacking inventory at both internet and carbon stores), so I have not had the chance to take the new toy out and see how it handles. However, a few hundred rounds of low-recoil 00 buckshot (along with a box of slugs, for worst-case-scenario back-up) are working their way towards me, along with various accessories to get the new tool up to speed (most notably a Knoxx SpecOps Recoil Reducing Adjustable Stock (say that ten times fast) so its ergonomics match up to Better Half’s desires). At least the boresnake for this thing will be easier to tell apart than the 9mm and 7.62mm snakes are…
So now comes the age-old question for pump-action shotguns… do you leave a round in the chamber, or keep it empty, and why?