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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 721
Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 721 |
you had just read the latest Stab & Blast magazine and there on the loaded powder shelves was a new exotic powder that was suppose to group at .254 at 400 yards out of a 22-250 at 4200fps and you picked some up to look at it. You knew that you should only buy a pound first before looking at those 8lb. jugs besides they cost $70-80. You settled on 2 8lb jugs of your go to powder and one pound of the new stuff and decided to stroll over to look at the bullets.
Choices choices choices should I go with the regular box of 250 or maybe try some of the new all copper ones that were close to $25/100? Tough choice but you were feeling lucky and bought four boxes of the 250 count and what the heck threw in a 100 box of those newfangled copper jobs.
You checked primers but you already had 20,000 back in the reloading room in the various sizes and decided all is well.
On the way out to you saw the "special sale" sign on brass and decided to pick up 3 100 count bags of your favorite varmint shooter for $10 each to get ready for the spring shoot and to work up something for those new copper bullets. You figured your working inventory of 2,000 cases for the varmint rigs was close to enough and only added the 3 new bags because the brass was shining so bright.
You walked quickly past the gun counter as the safe was full and jumped in the truck and headed home.
REMEMBER WHEN ???
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 5,737
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 5,737 |
Yup!
I remember buying the high priced bullets, Sierra, for my 243 for ground hogs. Money was tight during Mr. Carter's cluster intercourse. I still have some of the those 70 grain, 80 or 85 grain BTHPs.
That period of time caused me to always have at least one bullet mold for every caliber I shoot, excepting my 25-06, and I buy my primers, cases and powder in large quanities. When I buy store bought bullets I buy in quanity.
We had an old store here in Richmond, Greentop's, that I could wander around in pick up a rifle off the used rack give it a look. I could wander around and look at huge quanities of empty brass from Remington and Winchester, boxes of primers from the top three makers....
The store smelled of oil, leather, dust and dirt, fellas who worked with thier hands.. it smelled like men.
To bad the current crop of stores can't get that smell in spray cans.
jim
"Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." --Thomas Jefferson
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,339
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,339 |
Kinda miss those days, although its starting to get better. Still can't find any blasted .22's though.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 12,156
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 12,156 |
It was all just a dream, it was never real
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,784
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,784 |
you had just read the latest Stab & Blast magazine and there on the loaded powder shelves was a new exotic powder that was suppose to group at .254 at 400 yards out of a 22-250 at 4200fps and you picked some up to look at it. You knew that you should only buy a pound first before looking at those 8lb. jugs besides they cost $70-80. You settled on 2 8lb jugs of your go to powder and one pound of the new stuff and decided to stroll over to look at the bullets.
Choices choices choices should I go with the regular box of 250 or maybe try some of the new all copper ones that were close to $25/100? Tough choice but you were feeling lucky and bought four boxes of the 250 count and what the heck threw in a 100 box of those newfangled copper jobs.
You checked primers but you already had 20,000 back in the reloading room in the various sizes and decided all is well.
On the way out to you saw the "special sale" sign on brass and decided to pick up 3 100 count bags of your favorite varmint shooter for $10 each to get ready for the spring shoot and to work up something for those new copper bullets. You figured your working inventory of 2,000 cases for the varmint rigs was close to enough and only added the 3 new bags because the brass was shining so bright.
You walked quickly past the gun counter as the safe was full and jumped in the truck and headed home.
REMEMBER WHEN ??? yup, that's why I am setting pretty now in life...almost everything I have was on sale when I picked it up... maybe all of these years being with Boy Scouts, their motto of "Be Prepared" rubbed off on me.... only real thing to do with firearms that I am really of need of, is better optics...and lord knows, there is no shortages of those...
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,624
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,624 |
I remember being upset when primers at the LGS went up to $12.00 per brick, and powder went to $13.00 a pound. Ridiculous prices.Some of my boxes of supplies still have those price tags, though...
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,313
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,313 |
I still have several of the Black painted 20lb kegs of IMR 3031, 4895, 4064, and 7828. It will be a sad day when that is all used up. I don't remember the prices but they were purchased about 1984/85 time.
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 360
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 360 |
And I remember when a $5 bill would get you a box of .224 55gr
Hornady SP's, and you would get change back. There was no
shortages. Think how fast they would fly off the shelves now at
that price!
Just a few short years ago, I could get my favorite VV powders in
a two-pound can for almost HALF of what a one-pound can now
goes for. And that's if I can even find it.
But then, I can also remember when Christians, gun owners and
successful businessmen were not villainised by politicians and
the news media. What was good is now all bad, and too much more
of what was bad (and arguably still is) is now considered good.
And that, friends, is what has about everything to do with both
price and quantity of reloading and ammo supplies. Think about
it.
We should change our politicians
like we change dirty diapers....
and for the same reason.
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 24,554
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 24,554 |
I bought all my components at Skaggs, as they were the cheapest place around. Primers $1.00/100, powder $8.00/pound and Hornady 53 grain hp match bullets $5.00/100.
Those were the days of only a pound, a box of bullets and 100 primers to keep me busy with my Tikka LSA 55 deluxe in 22-250...
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 20,379
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 20,379 |
At least we can buy decent fiberglass stocks now.
I replace valve cover gaskets every 50K, if they don't need them sooner...
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,119
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,119 |
I'm only a year older than Shrapnel, but the first pound of powder I bought (IMR3031 in 1964) cost $1.95, and that wasn't at a cut-rate drugstore like the one where Shrapnel shopped. Instead it was a LGS in the same town. I believe the primers purchased at the same time (Winchester large rifle) were either 59 cents per 100. Of course, my take-home pay at the time was about $25 a week from a paper route.
In 1975 I found two dusty cans of the original mil-surp H4831 for $2.25 a pound in a hardware store in Culbertson, Montana--about half of what new powder went for in those days. By then my take-home pay had increased to almost $100 a week, so the H4831 seemed REALLY cheap.
In that year I started writing down rifle reloading costs
periodically. Primers averaged 75 cents per 100 at the time, and cup-and-core big game bullets around $6 per 100. If we apply inflation to those numbers, primers would cow cost $about 32.50 per 1000, powder $21.50 a pound, and C&C bullets $26 per 100--not far off today's prices--when we can find the stuff....
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.”
John Steinbeck
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 79
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 79 |
I bought all my components at Skaggs, as they were the cheapest place around. Primers $1.00/100, powder $8.00/pound and Hornady 53 grain hp match bullets $5.00/100.
Those were the days of only a pound, a box of bullets and 100 primers to keep me busy with my Tikka LSA 55 deluxe in 22-250...
' I have an LSA 55 except mine says Ithaca on the barrel and is in duece. G
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 6,781
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 6,781 |
That was the good ol days..thought I was th only one with that thought process.
Good thing is all these borders will be selling this stuff in a few years when the stuff settles down. I friend of mine still finds this stuff now and again from the Clinton days and peddles it out at the gun shows.
The other day I was at sportsman warehouse and they hade several powders in stock so I sent a friend in who needed powder. They were wiped out. Only had 1 can of trail boss left . But if you look at the local Craig's list there is lots of powder and bullets for sale a inflated prices.. See what's going on......
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,208
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,208 |
I can remember going to the Western Auto in the next town over and the guy behind the counter ladleing Red Dot out of a keg into a paper bag. Seems it was under 2 bucks, long time ago, late 60s early 70s. I can also remember quite a few years later getting upset when shot hit $14. Said if it ever went to 16 I was quitting. Probably close to 10 years since I've bought any, but it was way over $16.
Most of the Sierras, Speers, and Hornadys I've shot over the years were under $10. Sure have a hard time giving 20 for a box of bullets.
Last edited by Ole_270; 02/24/14.
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 673
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 673 |
Still have a green paper box with a few Sierra 180 gr bullets in it. Price on the box is marked $6.99. That was for 100. My "pre-Clinton" primers were just under a penny a piece. All came from my LGS. But hey I also have two Lee Loader kits one is 20 ga and the other 30-06. $5 ea and all ya needed was a hammer and a ton of patience.
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