I remember the 70s.

[jules]

320287

[pworley1]

Those prices were harder for me to come up with then than today's prices are.

[stubshaft]

Yup, J. C. Pennys used to sell Belgium FN bolt rifles under their "Musketeer" brand and Sears had a large selection of Winchesters.

[dverna]

Better values today IMO. Factor in 50+ years of inflation.

[jules]

Those prices were harder for me to come up with then than today's prices are.

Not me. I was able to save a few bucks before I got married in 73. All I had was a car payment $64. plus gas and groceries.

[Hannibal]

Back then, $100 was a LOT of money to spend on anything.

[hoodat]

Early seventies, I was making 2.50 an hour. Minimum wage was 1.60. End of at the seventies I was making $7 per hour and that was a union job. I bought a lot of guns back at those prices even at those wages. I did learn to not waste even fifty eight cents on those crappy game bags they sold. People who bought those, never really shot a deer. jd

[Mk42gunner]

And Walmart flyers usually had Marlin and Winchester 30-30's in them for $68.88. Still a lot of money when you were making a nickel a bale.

Robert

[rancher1913]

for me it was the "coast to coast" chain store, it was our hardware/gun store for the area

[cwtebay]

That 1970 dollar is worth $7.93 in December 2022.

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[TNsailorman]

In 1962 I had just got out of the Navy and wanted a rifle to hunt deer. My Uncle had a Funiture store and I was buying some things that me and my wife needed to et up house keeping. I happened to mention that I needed a deer rifle to put some meat on the table but did not have the cash to buy one. All our family were hunters and he understood perfectly. He helped my wife pick out the things she needed and then came around to where I was standing watching. He said "I can order you a new rifle and you can pay when you get some money later on, right now you need a rifle". I only replied that that sounded good and let it go at that. 2 weeks later he called and told me to come to the store and pick up my new rifle. I went and he had one of the brand new just introduced Remington 700's in 30-06 with a serial number of xxx. He said "I put it on the books, pay me a when you can, but there is no hurry". I looked at the price--$90.00, shipping and tax included.
But think about that, in 1962 $90.00 was about the same as $900.00 or a little better today. The good old days were not necessarily all that great at times, james

[Hickok]

In the mid 60's, dad let me pick out a 98 Mauser 8mm from a Sears catalog,... I bought a box of Sierra 8mm 175 gr bullets and a pound of IMR 3031 powder and a box of primers from grass cutting money I earned doing people's yards.

All loaded on a RCBS Junior press, (Dad later bought a Rockchucker, and I still have his old Junior press).

Having a box of 100 bullets to reload and shoot, I felt like I had more ammo than U.S. Army!

[Gtek]

Being a 61' model, I remember you walk into Sears, Monkey Wards, Jacque Penney (Dad called them that) and you could touch them in the isle. Eye level to me, between that and also being able to smell them along with the continuous flow of week old yellow Shotgun News Dad brought home from work I was done for. The one that stuck the most I think was Original German Mauser for $29.99, I can still smell those yellow Shotgun News. Sunday paper always had the sales on or loose, one Sunday dad reading at breakfast table. stands up, bottoms coffee cup and looks at me and says "get dressed, we gotta go". Penney's or printer screwed up and had Marlin 336's for $69.99 starting that day. We always went in by automotive area and the sporting goods area was right there also. Well, the line was out the door and a few down the wall. Two hours for a rain check, Dad said he didn't need a Marlin that bad.

[Tripplebeards]

I just bought a Sears T3 and coast to coast 22 from the neighbors that needed some restoring for $25 each. 1970’s pricing! I wish I could get some of those over under combos for $57! My 7600 chambered in 30-06 came from Kmart in 84’ for a price of $298 if I remember.

[Bigslug]

Online inflation calculators are fun to play with. . .

A few years back, a friend gave me a gun magazine from 1959 with an ad for surplus guns. They were selling 1911-A1's for $40, which equates to about $422 today. I figure I'd bite for that, but the same ad had 2-man inflatable life rafts for $42, so who knows how to figure it.:mrgreen:

The same magazine ad had Garands for a hundred bucks - equal to a little over a thousand dollars today. The M1 seems to have held its value pretty well.

[Hannibal]

Meanwhile today's kids can't figure out what XX and XY chromosomes mean and this same group of idiots is sympathetic towards Hammas.

And employers don't want to deal with that. Who'd a thunk it?

[FergusonTO35]

Strangely, Glock pistols have always averaged $500.00 around here even back to the late 80's. Definitely a better deal today than back then!

[old turtle]

I was only making about $100 a week in the middle 60s. This was when you could mail order rifles. I Could not pass up a model 64 Savage-Anschutz new $89 complete with a set of Redfield Olympic sights. I still have and it and shoots like a dream.

[jules]

I was working at a feed supply at 12 making 5 bucks a day in the summer months. At 15 I did home remodeling....much better money plus I learned a trade. After I got out of school in 71 I was hired at USS Irvin Works but I continued doing home remodeling as side work on weekends. The pay was ok in the Steel mill but I didn't care for shift work so I quit the mill in late 73 and went full time construction. The pay was better and I worked as many hours as I wanted. I never turned down a chance to make some cash.

[schutzen-jager]

got this .308 Remington 788 in 12/74 from Woolworths - total complete with UE4X scope - total with tax $67.99 - still have it with original receipt + packaging - still shoots less than 1" at 100 yards with my cast reloads - got me a 396lb. boar back than - only one i have ever seen with the blond stock -

[beemer]

Not a gun but still interesting. In 1938 my Father bought a 1936 Harley Knuck, he called it 61. It was used but almost no miles, price was $375. He traded a 28 flathead and was allowed $25.

Dad had decent job in a cotton mill and made a little over $700 a year, the bike was half a years pay any way you figure. He helped pay for the bike by buying a case of shine every week and peddling it out at the local road house on the weekend.

[armoredman]

All I remember about the 70s was bad clothes, bad food, (KILL the guy who invented fondue!), and most of the music was bad, too.

[hoodat]

All I remember about the 70s was bad clothes, bad food, (KILL the guy who invented fondue!), and most of the music was bad, too.

You must have been a real hoot to hang out with.:razz: jd

[GasGuzzler]

My birth decade. I do remember K-Mart, TG&Y, Gibson's, etc.

My Dad has a shotgun from JCPenny's in that era.

[Rapier]

The 70s were a great decade for me. I moved my family from NH to NW FL on Labor Day weekend 71. NH was stuck in a disintegrating economy due to imports replacing local manufactured goods, had high state taxes, plus a recession. NW FL was booming. The move was one of my best decisions. However, we, my family is from north FL and I was only in NH to go to college, got a job and stayed a while.
An old man once explained inflation to me, very succinctly; I would rather be broke with money in my pocket, than to be broke without a cent in my pocket.

[SteveM54]

I was 9 when JFK was killed. Five years later the 1968 Gun Control Act was put in place & it almost put my favorite wish book "P & S Sales" out of business. No more mail order military surplus rifles sold in the mail.

[TNsailorman]

Back in the 50's and 60's until the infamous 68 gun control nonsense was put into place, there was an outfit in Chicago called Walt Cline's and you could buy guns, including pistols thru the mail and the mailman would deliver it right to your door and no records search or other hassle. james

[MUSTANG]

Postman deliver mail to your door/post box? Whats that?

[armoredman]

You must have been a real hoot to hang out with.:razz: jd

In the 80s, yes, when music was good!��

[jules]

In the 80s, yes, when music was good!��

Depends on what type of music you liked. I was not a disco person "my wife was" but I didn't listen to it. I listened to rock mostly. To me the 60s and 70s had the best rock music ever.

[Rusty Goose]

Fashion, cars, architecture of the '80's was bad. The music and post-apocalyptic movies were great! I inherited my wife's grandfathers Ted Williams .270. It's a Mauser 98 receiver made by FN, smooth bolt and is sweet to shoot. I also got his Savage 99 in .243.

[charlie b]

70's were not all that great. Just a different time. Military during Jimmy Carter days sucked. It was the beginning of the end of company careers as huge layoffs took place. "Loyal" employees were given the boot and competition for mid-level jobs shot up. "Too old" or "overqualified" became common reasons to hot hire folks. There was even a push to start a union for the enlisted military.

There will always be inflation. In the future a gun might be worth $1M instead of $1000. Remember, a Colt SAA .45 back in the day was $17.50.

1975 a Pontiac TransAm with all the options was $4500. A Ferrari Dino was $11,000. Colt Python $375. And my take home pay was just over $600/month. Oil embargo and gas prices shot up to $0.50 and even $0.75 a gal (from 0.21/gal). And a room at a Holiday Inn was an outrageous $15 a night (Motel 6 really did mean $6 a night).

And for me, music hasn't changed. I still prefer classical. :)

[nekshot]

Around 71 I dropped out of school and started working in a garage as a car mechanic. Every Friday evening I took some money to Green Dragon and went to Jack’s hardware tool stand and bought hand tools. Blew the rest on my muscle car. Car is long gone but still have almost every tool yet. Then I grew up and graduated from cars to guns and never looked back. I do miss all the small gun shops that abounded in the area. Got into reloading and then the money flew!

[Shawlerbrook]

Rather than the prices back then, I look at how much easier it was then to buy guns or ammo. Especially here in NYS, where we now have to have a colonoscopy to even buy ammo.

[Jedman]

For me the 70’s was a good time. I didn’t follow the crowd with the silly clothes, no bell bottoms, shirts with big collars , name brand shoes or any of that stuff. I had a few girl friends but didn’t spend a lot of time or money chasing girls. My high school teacher who had a FFL and would order guns for me for free and being I was single, living at home with my dad and having a skilled trade job it allowed me to buy a lot of guns , hunting and fishing equipment , truck, car, boat with no debt ever. To this day I have never taken out a loan or barrowed money.
By 1978 I had a FFL and was able to buy most any guns I wanted , back then you could call your home a place of business and you still had to log in all sales but in the 8 years that I had it I was never audited.
Looking back there was a lot of changes going on in the 70’s but my memories are mostly all good ones.
Jedman

[Hannibal]

I noticed no one has mentioned shag carpeting or 'shaggin' wagons'. (Shudder)

[TNsailorman]

I bought a New Nova in 1970 from the local Chevy dealer for a grand total of $2465.00. Great little car but had cooling problems that turned out to be sand left in the engine block. GM workmanship in the late 60's thru the 80's was not very good. The front wheel, hub and all, fell off my uncles new Citation while he was doing 45 mph on a road about a 1/4 mile from the dealership. He called the factory and told them he was going to leave the car right where the wheel fell off and put a great big side on it reading "Lemon from your local Chevy dealer". Within an hour after his call, they had picked up his car and called him with "sorry" about your problem and they did repair it and from then on, anytime he took his car into the shop for work, he went to the head of the line for repairs.

[Shawlerbrook]

Remember my dad buying a brand new 1972 Pontiac LeMans Sport for $3500. I took it to college in 1977 and had it to triple digits on the NYS Thruway more than once.

[FergusonTO35]

I bought a New Nova in 1970 from the local Chevy dealer for a grand total of $2465.00. Great little car but had cooling problems that turned out to be sand left in the engine block. GM workmanship in the late 60's thru the 80's was not very good. The front wheel, hub and all, fell off my uncles new Citation while he was doing 45 mph on a road about a 1/4 mile from the dealership. He called the factory and told them he was going to leave the car right where the wheel fell off and put a great big side on it reading "Lemon from your local Chevy dealer". Within an hour after his call, they had picked up his car and called him with "sorry" about your problem and they did repair it and from then on, anytime he took his car into the shop for work, he went to the head of the line for repairs.

The Citation was one of the biggest automotive brain farts of all time. Cheaply made front wheel drive econobox but with large car size and weight to kill your gas mileage.

[Hannibal]

GM, Ford, Chrysler and AMC all had plenty of failures in the 80s in particular. Remember those early diesel conversations GM sold? Huge ***. Ford had the fireball Pintos. Chrysler Imperials. AMC Pacers. And dishonorable mentions go to the Yugo. I could go on at length but no point.

Lost of junk on the roads back then.

[Charlie Horse]

AR's and such are today's good deals. If I was younger and wanted something to invest in, I would sock away 5 or 10 of those.

Take it from a guy who wishes he'd listened to the old guys when he was in his 20's, 30's, even 40's.

Wish I had bought acreage back then. Or more S&W revolvers.

[Texas by God]

I noticed no one has mentioned shag carpeting or 'shaggin' wagons'. (Shudder)

“Good Times Vans” often were…..


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[Hannibal]

AR's and such are today's good deals. If I was younger and wanted something to invest in, I would sock away 5 or 10 of those.

Take it from a guy who wishes he'd listened to the old guys when he was in his 20's, 30's, even 40's.

Wish I had bought acreage back then. Or more S&W revolvers.

Predicting what will be valuable in the future.....

Good luck with that. Many have lost fortunes.

[charlie b]

AR's and such are today's good deals. If I was younger and wanted something to invest in, I would sock away 5 or 10 of those.

Take it from a guy who wishes he'd listened to the old guys when he was in his 20's, 30's, even 40's.

Wish I had bought acreage back then. Or more S&W revolvers.

LOL, lots of folks still own acreage out here in NM and AZ that is not worth the taxes. One of my classmates would not listen to reason when he bought some land outside Belen, NM. Advertising brochure predicted it would be 'in the middle' of Albuquerque metro area in 20yrs. Hint, there is a reservation between Alb and Belen.

OTOH, failed land deals outside Phx have started to meet the expansion of the metro area. Apache Junction, Queen Valley, Fountain Hills, New River, etc, etc. It's only taken 70 years :) All of them were bought and went bust at least 2 or three times. Some cases the grandkids are the ones who finally get something out of the original investment.

[FergusonTO35]

Guns and property are just for enjoyment to me. Yes, they do go up in value but as long as I have everything I need I'm not really concerned about that. In general, if you sell something and then need to replace it you'll have to spend about the same amount you received in the first place. I've known alot of people who try to flip houses and end up earning basically minimum wage once you add in materials and time spent. Both my parents have built and sold numerous homes. Whether they realize it or not, the time they spent on those houses on top of their regular jobs would have been much better spent with their children. You can't buy that for any amount of labor or money.

[charlie b]

Totally agree. Guns are like anything you invest in. You can make money by buying low and selling high, but, there is some 'luck' involved.

Our last house was one of those money holes (more than most anyway). We knew it going in and paid the price. 15yrs later we came out of it with cash that was just about double what we put into it NOT COUNTING LABOR. If we took even minimum wage for all the work we did we would have lost money. Not any kids at the time so spent our 'together time' on the house.

[Ithaca Gunner]

What I miss most are the people, the neighbors, my dad's friends, uncles, my parents of course, (lost dad in '78) and our Pastor from the 60's-70's, a tall impressive man with deep red hair parted down the middle who could deliver a sermon with zest and interest. There was a different and better attitude among people, the service station guy who filled your tank and the cashier at the corner store all knew their customers and treated them like neighbors, (because they were). Everybody took a few moments for some, ''chat'' with you and kids knew no bounds, they zoomed and played through most everybody's yards with no real complaint from the owners, but if they miss-behaved or broke something, you could bet their parents knew about it before the kids could reach home, (the housewives of the day were super quick with a phone and they knew everybody's number by heart).

As for guns, there was two places around here I loved going, ''Joe, The Motorist Friend'' and ''Town And Country''. These two enablers were about 300yds. from one another, across a parking lot. Joe's was a small chain of ''auto parts/car care'' stores. Yeah, they had all the usual car stuff including tires, tools, fluids, and parts, but fully half the store was toys, bikes, Lionel trains, and all sorts of sporting goods with an entire end isle for guns and hunting. Long guns filled a rack the depth of the store, handguns, knives, scopes, and binoculers in a glass case that stretched 2/3 the depth with self serve ammo and accessories taking up the opposing isle. Camping, fishing and archery stuff filled the front on one side. Town and Country was a classic full service department store with registers in each department and people actually staffing each department. Guns were straight back the store along the center back wall. Sporting guns and handguns to the left, some on stylish displays and a counter. Mil-surps on the other side with a narrow wall between. Mil-surps were out in the open and could be handled by simply walking over to them, new or fine specimens lined the wall rack while the used beat up rifles occupied range racks on the floor. At any given time they probably stocked up to 200 firearms at a time. Another great place to gun-drool while not local was the Western Auto in Wellsboro, PA. Great selection of sporting guns, full service gun counter with the first Italian Winchester '73 re-pop I ever saw, beautiful color case receiver, deep blue, and very fine walnut stocks. At first I thought it a mint original.

Like many of you, I couldn't afford much or many, but I do remember walking out of Town and Country with a never issued 1909 Argentine Mauser! Joe's provided a Remington 512 dad bought me.

[FergusonTO35]

GM, Ford, Chrysler and AMC all had plenty of failures in the 80s in particular. Remember those early diesel conversations GM sold? Huge ***. Ford had the fireball Pintos. Chrysler Imperials. AMC Pacers. And dishonorable mentions go to the Yugo. I could go on at length but no point.

Lost of junk on the roads back then.

Oh yes, I remember the Moldsmobile 350 diesel because one of my co-workers had one in a big 88 land yacht. His was a grandma fresh example that actually ran ok and you could give the car behind you a black cloud with a good stomp on the pedal whenever you needed to!

[Hannibal]

Oh yes, I remember the Moldsmobile 350 diesel because one of my co-workers had one in a big 88 land yacht. His was a grandma fresh example that actually ran ok and you could give the car behind you a black cloud with a good stomp on the pedal whenever you needed to!

They tried the same engine in 4x4 pick-up trucks too. They quickly became despised by any who knew them.

[FergusonTO35]

Oh yes, the 6.2 and 6.5 were a massive improvement by comparison.

[MOshooter]

Depends on what type of music you liked. I was not a disco person "my wife was" but I didn't listen to it. I listened to rock mostly. To me the 60s and 70s had the best rock music ever.

+1....

[Electrod47]

got this .308 Remington 788 in 12/74 from Woolworths - total complete with UE4X scope - total with tax $67.99 - still have it with original receipt + packaging - still shoots less than 1" at 100 yards with my cast reloads - got me a 396lb. boar back than - only one i have ever seen with the blond stock -

Got mine in 1981 at TGY store for 89.00 sans scope in .223 cause I wanted a more powerful varmiter than my H&R 577 .22 Hornet I bought at Kmart for 69.00 a couple years earlier. No blond stock here either on my 788

[murf205]

Yup, J. C. Pennys used to sell Belgium FN bolt rifles under their "Musketeer" brand and Sears had a large selection of Winchesters.

Sure did. I bought a Browning Light 12 at Penny's for $216 + 3% tax out the door in 1973. Many a dove and Bob White quail fell to that little gun.

[snowwolfe]

I remember paying a buck for a box of .22 long rifles in the late 60’s. Adjusted for inflation they are less expensive today.
Good old days? They really weren’t that good IMO

[redhawk0]

I remember some of the 70s....but much of it was a fogggggg!

[elmacgyver0]

Guns have never been an investment for me.
I just like having them, some I never shoot, but like to take the out and look at them from time to time.
Been shooting more lately and using some that have been collecting dust.

[gc45]

Great time for me; finished my Masters, bought my 1st collectable smith, and 1st collectable Win.

[26Charlie]

Really like all these reminiscences. By the ‘70s I was out of the Marines, married with kids, trying to make a decent life for us in an up-and-down economy.
The gun I still wish I had been able to buy, I saw in a gun shop in Pocomoke City, Maryland when I was 15. It was a Winchester 1876 in 45-75 caliber, for $125. Shop owner told me it had been owned by oystermen because “it would shoot all the way across the bay” back when there were oyster wars on the Chesapeake Bay.
As a kid working my first paid job on a truck farm at 65 cents an hour (1956) there was no way I could afford it.
The migratory workers were paid 75 cents, but were worth it because they could do stoop labor (pull turnips, pick cucumbers, pick tomatoes, pick melons) far faster than local kids. I, however, had one advantage which I leveraged, a driver’s license. I drove the trucks through the fields, picking up the baskets of produce and taking them to the packing house, unloading them for the women working the sorting and packing lines. I traded lower back stooping for lifting, carrying, and driving, a good thing for me. I was better at it.
The car I drove then was my dad’s 1948 Nash.
What I did with my $6.50 a day wages, was buy a C&H reloading press, a Lyman lube & sizer, and a 311413 mould,all of which I still have. I sent my Springfield rifle to Flaig’s in Pennsylvania for a 26 inch semi-target barrel and Lyman 48 and 17A sights. Still have that, too.
I went to Pocomoke City that day, mostly because I had never been there. Still wish I had come back with that Winchester .45-75.

[pietro]

.

How about the introduction of the .35 Remington chambering in the Marlin 336, in the early 1950's ?


https://i.imgur.com/OOnbnr6l.jpg

[Wayne Smith]

I have told kids for years I feel sorry for them - no one knows how to write or sing a love song any more.

[Shawlerbrook]

The price is one thing, but the red tape is something else. Here in the People’s Republic of NY you have to go through a colonoscopy to even buy ammo and need a permit to buy a 10/22.

[BoBSavage]

Quality is not cheap.

If you can not afford to pay a month's wages on a quality arm, then your priorities are in the wrong place!

My bad, that was 1873 standards!!!

Modern standards...if you can not afford to pay a full week's wages on a quality arm.....

[jules]

323802

[5090SS]

I remember Kmart selling brick of 22LR Thunderbolts for 3.99. That was 1973, picked up a 22-250 Rem 700V for $200 and a 4-12 Redfield for $100 to go with it both new. Learned how to reload with it 3 shots on a dime if I was good that day. Sold it on but saved all the loading equip for today. Grandkids learning on it now.

[flyer1]

I remember back in the mid 60’s as a kid, I would check the Sunday paper for the sale ads at 2 Guys department store. Matchbox cars and .22’s. They would have a box of 50 on sale for 25 cents plus 2 cents sales tax in Bordentown, NJ. After church, dad would take me to spend my allowance. I don’t remember either of us being checked during the purchase of ammo at that time. Thinking back I don’t remember much paperwork when my brother bought his pistol then.

[charlie b]

Matchbox. My brother's grandson has all our old Matchbox cars. IIRC they were 52cents after tax was added and we bought most of them at a Bullock's dept store in Phx. And, yes, a box of .22's for a quarter and a penny.

That advertisement above brings back memories. Brother bought one of the Nylon 66's. I had the bolt 781 for the same price. Ours were from Yellow Front.

[Tall]

I bought my Smith & Wesson Model 19 and my S&W Model 25-2 (with an extra cylinder for 45 Colt) in 1983. They were good deals then and I still have both so that's good. I think I paid about $300 for the M19 and about $400 for the M25-2. Both were brand new at the time.