Just showing off what used to be possible

Just keep reminding us how worthless our dollar has become in the last 10 years... At this rate a Yugo SKS will be a $900 rifle 10 years from now.

I have the Underwood M1 Carbine my grandfather bought from the DCM around the same time. Pretty sure I'd give up my wife, kids, and dog before I gave it up.

Someone call Doc Brown. We need a time machine.

And what were you getting paid that year?

When you get ready to rev up the Wayback Machine, contact your local coin and currency collector for period money. Wouldn't want to introduce a paradox.

Nice carbine RC. Good job on the stock and gathering up the case and all.

I wasnt buying guns at that point in time, but sure wish I'd had the foresight to buy (and keep) some of the stuff that was around when I started messing with guns.

rc

Nothing like a trip back to the "Good Ol' Days"! Just like when I was a kid (1960's era), I can remember seeing a huge barrel filled with surplus WWI and WWII Mausers at the local rod and gun emporium. I don't remember what they were going for but I probably could have bought one with what I saved up with my weekly allowance, if I were old enough.

My buddy bought an original M1A1 stock, in 1965, for $5. Minimum wage was $1.15 iirc.
A couple years ago, I offered him a grand for it, and he declined.

I am one of the lucky ones who got an M1 carbine through the NRA drawing, from DCM, back in 1964 for $20, delivered to my door. I was 17. Times certainly have changed. Mine is a gorgeous Underwood, in FINE condition, and still shoots perfectly.

I collected Carbines for a long time after obtaining my first DCM $17.50 Inland. A couple of years ago i gave a pristine M1A1 Carbine to my good friend's daughter for her 16th birthday. My high of fifty Carbines has dwindled a bit due to giving away and collecting other firearms and 55 Chevys but there will always be a M1 Carbine in the safe.

Sweet piece!

Once had an M2 looked like that (can't remember the make). But that was in a different place.

You're right, all the pieces and parts and other "goodies" at the gun shows have dried up. Hard to even find a decent deal on bullets anymore. Lots of cheap Chinese knives though. More like flea markets these days.

Adjusted for inflation $45 in 1965 would be worth about $340 in today's money. You did good.

Lots of guys look back at the costs of old guns and mistakenly think everything was much cheaper "back in the day". They just don't realize how little people earned then either. Over all an hours labor will buy most people much more of anything today than an hour of labor in the 1960's.

The problem is that there are so many other things that people just have to have today. TV was free, today lots of folks pay over $200/month for cable and internet service. Cell phones and their expenses didn't exist, people ate at home and traveled less. People make plenty of money today, it is how they choose to spend it that leaves less for guns and ammo.

Gentlemen, it's not the price,,,

Gentlemen, you're missing his point, it's not the price,,,
It was the fact he ordered it and it was delivered to his home by the USPS.

I remember getting off the school bus one fine afternoon,,,
Leaned up against the door was a long cardboard box,,,
In it was a mil-surp Lee-Enfield .303 Mk-?.

If I remember correctly it was $15.00,,,
Plus a buck or two for shipping & handling.

I could have ordered a 1911 for about $20.00,,,
Or a S&W revolver in .45 Colt for the same.

And, when I made the order I was 12 years old.

Aarond

.

I have a nice Winchester that I would like to give the same treatment...I really love those M1 A1's.

That's a $1200+ carbine. Pretty nice return on your investment.

HAHA! If we had a time machine we'd all be millionaires!

I remember the Army store where I grew up. Racks and racks of military rifles for less than $10.00. and I remember mail order guns. Had an early 60's Herters catalog, amazing the firearms you could mail order. Course all of this was pre 68.

If you could buy things now as freely as you could then, such as machine guns and things.......a good portion of us would be living under a bridge, with a whole bunch of cool toys!

I can't relate to the good old days way back when but I got pretty spoiled with $100 sks' now alot of folks pay 400-500

I remember the mid 60's too! I got $2.50 for cutting a yard...the same one I get $40.00 for now... 'course I'm also ridding a $6,000 ZTR.!

I've also got one of those NRA .30 Carbines. Its an Inland marked 1944 on the barrel. I'm sure it was arsenal re-furbished because it looks new. Love that little gun. Shoots good too.

Mark

"I've also got one of those NRA .30 Carbines. Its an Inland marked 1944 on the barrel. I'm sure it was arsenal re-furbished because it looks new. Love that little gun. Shoots good too."
ditto except it was my dads from late 50s. It wasn't shot that much until I have put a couple thousand rounds thru it since I got it in 80s after he passed. I keep it in good shape a grand daughter will get it, she likes it

aarondhgraham said:

Gentlemen, you're missing his point, it's not the price,,,
It was the fact he ordered it and it was delivered to his home by the USPS.

I remember getting off the school bus one fine afternoon,,,
Leaned up against the door was a long cardboard box,,,
In it was a mil-surp Lee-Enfield .303 Mk-?.

If I remember correctly it was $15.00,,,
Plus a buck or two for shipping & handling.

I could have ordered a 1911 for about $20.00,,,
Or a S&W revolver in .45 Colt for the same.

And, when I made the order I was 12 years old.

Aarond

Click to expand...

The CMP can still ship to your door unless State/Local law prohibits it. No FFL needed. Of course, you do need to be 18...

I agree with your point though, would be nice to see Liberty restored where we could do that from any source again. My bank account would suffer terribly, but it would be nice to see.

Mulsurp guns have nothing on milsurp airplanes.

A surplus P-51 that was purchased for about $1500 in 1956 now goes for the neighborhood of $1 million. If it has been restored or overhauled in the last 10 years or so, that price is doubled, at least.

Caliper_RWVA said:

The CMP can still ship to your door unless State/Local law prohibits it. No FFL needed. Of course, you do need to be 18...

Click to expand...

No interest for me. But that is only because there is a CMP store/warehouse less than an hour away from where I live. The saddest part is I have yet to go there. Lack of time and spending money.