Extrapolating rather than answering. In those days of yore, mid-sixties, working & going to school. Guns not even on my budget horizon. But as even now we nostalgically lament the 'deals'... As 60n148w, notes above - personal spending power probably most personally relevant in those prior eras. Then too, what about the plethora of things competing for our dollars! Just in electronics...! But moving on, the final 'consideration in the (pick a date) dollar as adjusted to present value. For instance:
To calculate inflation between 1951 and 2016, start with the CPI inflation formula:
CPI in 2016
CPI in 1951
* 1951 USD value = 2016 USD value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 26 in the year 1951 and 240.007 in 2016:
240.007
26
* $100 = $923.10
The "purchasing power" of $100 from 1951 is $923.10 in 2016.
SOURCES: "The Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to 1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University "...AND GOOGLE!
So, the actual purchasing power of that $100 in 1951 is now about $925. So now, calculate how many of the pre '64 Winchestr Model 70 rifles that firm could presnetly manufacture & sell for something just less than $1K. The answer 'ZERO'.
The generalization that "average" Americans have much greater purchasing power now than in 1951. For most of us, just "too much stuff, too little time!
My take
