$10.00 rifles, what happened?

[petew]

Dating myself here but I remember you could buy a surplus rifle for about ten bucks in the 60's. What has happened to gun prices, and what has driven them thru the roof.
A Parker Hale 303 with great Walnut stock, and a new barrel sold for $75.00. As issued Enfields were anywhere from ten bucks to twenty five. Now look what a 303 sells for, or a surplus metric caliber.
Take inflation into account and there is no parallel, wages have not kept up with the surplus gun prices, but factory guns are in line with the wages then and now , like a Rem 700, Win 70 etc , walnut stocked and blued.. {Not counting plastic and sandblasted painted }
So what has driven the cheap gun prices thru the roof.

[Hawkeye]

Supply and demand??

[Matt L.]

Inflation. Compare the price of just about anything between the 60's and today. Hell, even 10 years ago.

[Bushrat]

They don't make them anymore, there is only so many of them, many were disposed of or thrown in the dump as not worth keeping etc. People want them for whatever reason and will pay good money to get a good one. Personally I'm surprised Norinco isn't making a clone of them....yet.

[Dick284]

Average wage in the mid to early 1960's was $2.15/hr.
Take a $25.00 surplus firearm, in that day, and it would take 9.3 hours of labour to afford said firearm. (before taxes)

Todays average wage is close to $29.00/hr.
$29x9.3=$270.00(+ or -)
Now what is the going price for a SKS, or a Nagant?
SKS ~ $220
Nagant ~ $200-$250


Same old same old......

[petew]

In 68 a new Remington 1100 , 20 ga 2 3/4" vent rib , skeet barrel cost $315.00. At $2.15 / hour it would take 142 hours to pay for it. At the today $29.00 rate x 142 hours that should cost $4 ,248 .00 . We all know that isn't the today cost.

[Unregistered user]

Back in the mid sixties a new Chevy cost $3500. Gas was 35c/gallon, beer nuts were a dime a bag and deer nuts were still under a buck.

[Matt L.]

Originally Posted by Unregistered user

Back in the mid sixties a new Chevy cost $3500. Gas was 35c/gallon, beer nuts were a dime a bag and deer nuts were still under a buck.

Well, at least the deer nuts ain't changed!

[deerhunter]

Bought a 1970 Chev Malibu out of the showroom at Steadelbaurs in Edmonton for $4000.00 loaded

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Matt L.

Well, at least the deer nuts ain't changed!

According to the hunters they are scarce in Alberta...

[Richard B.]

The $10.00 surplus Lee Enfields from Eatons were the gun of choice for most of the moose hunters in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) in the early 1960's. Other folks with a little more cash owned Model 94's and one guy we knew had a Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 but he was considered rich.

[hillbillyreefer]

Back in the day Grunow's were having monthly gun auctions, (early to mid 90s) the enfield's would be $10 with no mags, they'd sell the mags later for $30-50. Lol.

Remember Merv's Magic light? That thing made any POS look good from the bleachers.
Was anyone else there when he dumped a NIB '94 Commemorative out of the box onto the floor. Good times, roflmao.

Edit:

I miss those days, 40 below and a couple truckloads of hillbillys headed for the auction. Everyone swinging their new prizes around in the truck on the way home, trying to get a better look at them. Clunking each other and the driver in the heads.

[MattSako]

Some Enfield action ( P14 P17 ) are often used here for big bore custom.. they are super strong... for 10$ its impossible to get your hand on a p14 or p17 now...

[CNP]

Originally Posted by petew

Dating myself here but I remember you could buy a surplus rifle for about ten bucks in the 60's. What has happened to gun prices, and what has driven them thru the roof.
A Parker Hale 303 with great Walnut stock, and a new barrel sold for $75.00. As issued Enfields were anywhere from ten bucks to twenty five. Now look what a 303 sells for, or a surplus metric caliber.
Take inflation into account and there is no parallel, wages have not kept up with the surplus gun prices, but factory guns are in line with the wages then and now , like a Rem 700, Win 70 etc , walnut stocked and blued.. {Not counting plastic and sandblasted painted }
So what has driven the cheap gun prices thru the roof.

Guns can't be cheaper than the ammo they shoot Pete. Price of ammo driving gun prices up

[Scotty454]

I would think that 55 years happened...?

[deanmc]

You got old buddy. As have we all.

[oldgutpile]

So many of those old surplus guns were being dumped after the latest world conflicts. Supply and demand reflected the price.
I bet there are a good many of those old actions that have been resurrected into custom guns (98's, P17's, etc) and eventually absorbed by the populace. I am sure I have at least two or three in my safe right now with new barrels and nice wood. Hard to beat a proven action for a custom job.