Prices have really changed

[charles p]

Last night I was preparing to load some 130 grain Sierra bullets for 270 when I noticed the price that had been written on the old package.  I bought the 100 count box of bullets years ago for $5.85.  They were bought at a clearance sale from a small town gun shop that had that had purchased the inventory of a failed business.  The Sierra box is a lot smaller than current boxes, and goes back several generations of their packaging and artwork.

[Larry L]

When I got into reloading in 1972, I only had one rifle and it was a 243 that I have won at a Lions Club function, a Remington 700 ADL. I got the loading equipment as a gift from my mother and a little money to boot. I bought 5 boxes of Speer 90 gr Spitzers from the highest priced gunshop in town and paid $2.95 fro them. I still have 3 boxes complete with price tag. The next rifle I got was a 270 and I have 1 box of Hornady 130s that was $3.95. It's not a full box as I discovered varmint hunting about that time and the main bullet out of the 270 was the Sierra 90gr HP. Still have many thousands of military 147gr 30 caliber bullets I paid $35.00 a thousand for. So yeah, prices are ridiculous today. But that's what happens when you let the corporate giants take over an industry and start with their perceived value pricing. It's happened across many industries here. Remember back in the early 70's when they advertising we would be out of oil by the year 2000? Just an excuse to screw you to the wall with perceived value pricing.

[cjrjck]

Sometimes in life it is a matter of how one sees it; is the glass half empty or half full? As my life edges toward the half empty side, my cup runneth over. Growing up in a large family, we were fortunate to have one car, one television, one phone, and for those of us who liked to hunt, one gun.

Now in my household, we have five cars, five televisions, five cell phones, four computers, central air, and I am not even sure how many guns I own.

Life is good.

God Bless.

[wncchester]

" I bought the 100 count box of bullets years ago for $5.85. '
 
At the time that was retail for those bullets our gas ran around $.30 a gallon, first class postage stamps were $.04,  minimum wage was around $.50 an hour and a fairly well paid worker got about $100 a week, before taxes.  Meaning our reloading tools, supplies and guns require about the same hourly investment today - or even a bit less - than then.  Day dreaming now about how 'cheap' things used to be is badly misleading, the 'good' old days really weren't all that good at the time!

[Rock Home Isle]

I bought the box for $5.95  and complained then as well. Now it just kills me to pay what I pay for quality bullets for the guns that I enjoy shooting. Heck...even my everyday projectiles cost enough to generate a verbal retort when I need a re-supply. 
 
Thank goodness that I have so much old blackpowder and I still them so cheaply. 

[twoshooter]

I also remember free floating the barrel and doing lots of load development on my new 700 rem Varmint rifle and it had 1 load that would shoot 1/2 moa. The gun cost 189$, three weeks gross pay. 8 years ago I bought a Savage tactical rifle that out of the box will go 1/2 moa with a couple of loads, that were mostly designed by calculation, not experimentation. That gun cost me about $460, less than a weeks take home pay at the time. I paid 21.9 cents a gallon for regular gas then, today I paid 315.9. The old days were good because we were young, energetic, hopeful, in good shape. I have many more things than my Dad ever did, and my children have unimaginably more than I. However my father did have a 200 acre farm, and put up with very little crap from anyone. I have 40 acres and have to be pretty politic to get along with the public I deal with, and the office infrastructure. My children care nothing about "place", they know the system and work it, it is all power and position with them, capital and control. These ARE their good ole days.
HOWEVER. When the arthritis is down, and the fish are biting, and I have some blueberry cheesecake....things are just as good as they ever have been. See ya later.

[LaOtto222]

I remember lower prices as well. I also remember not having much money. I had 1 rifle and 1 hand gun I reloaded for, the other few I had were a couple of shotguns and a couple of rim fire rifles and a Ruger Single Six. Back then, I bought 100 bullets, 1 pound of powder and 100 primers at a time. That is all I could afford to buy at one time, many times I hoped that the powder would last another 100 shots, so I did not have to buy more. Now I have North of 50 pounds of powder, 25K primers and too many bullets to easily count. I have guns, I have not even shot yet + a few that have been shot, but need to have loads developed for them yet. I have 5 running computers + a lap top + a computer setting on a shelf. My home is paid for and I have a retirement home on a lake front, paid for. I have 4 vehicles, all paid for. A 65" HD TV, a couple of boats and a garage full of tools. The only good thing about the good old days, was I was young and did not know any better. Let the good times roll!!

Good Luck and Good Shooting

[Rock Home Isle]

I remember lower prices as well. I also remember not having much money. I had 1 rifle and 1 hand gun I reloaded for, the other few I had were a couple of shotguns and a couple of rim fire rifles and a Ruger Single Six. Back then, I bought 100 bullets, 1 pound of powder and 100 primers at a time. That is all I could afford to buy at one time, many times I hoped that the powder would last another 100 shots, so I did not have to buy more. Now I have North of 50 pounds of powder, 25K primers and too many bullets to easily count. I have guns, I have not even shot yet + a few that have been shot, but need to have loads developed for them yet. I have 5 running computers + a lap top + a computer setting on a shelf. My home is paid for and I have a retirement home on a lake front, paid for. I have 4 vehicles, all paid for. A 65" HD TV, a couple of boats and a garage full of tools. The only good thing about the good old days, was I was young and did not know any better. Let the good times roll!!

Good Luck and Good Shooting

Just became my favorite Post. 

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Made me feel better reading these posts...let us enjoy what we have...