benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
You're forgetting the fact that Federal Reserve policies have deflated the currency since then. A dollar in 2010 is worth waaaaaaaay less than a dollar in 1970 or 1975 was, so it takes a lot more of them to buy the same thing. Don't forget that a brand new car or pickup truck in the 1970's would have probably have cost $5K to $10K, a nice house might have cost $30K or 40K, and making $20K/yr was a lot of money.I now own a ruger SBH that my late father bought new in the 70's for less than $200.00, my brother has his colt series 70 that cost not much more, both companies have upgraded thier methods and equipment to reduce the manufacturing costs, and yet with each upgrade, the price went UP, and the quality went DOWN.
Adjusted for inflation, guns are actually less expensive now than they've ever been, and functional quality has gone up, as far as average working-class guns go; a lot more rifles will shoot 1 MOA out of the box now than in the 1950's. As far as craftsman-grade fit and finish, it can still be had if you are willing to pay through the nose for it, just like in 1950 or 1975.