Do Boomers consider themselves lucky regarding guns?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Apropos of nothing... and upon further review. Yes, yes, I consider myself so lucky. When I entered the "gun world" which was when I was allowed to go hunting with my elders, it was an introduction to something sacred. Deer camp in upper MIchigan cannot be explained to someone who's never known it, especially how things where in the late 60s and early 70s. Our gun world was smaller -- handguns were S&W or Colt revolvers, semiautos were "Gov't Model" .45s -- rifles were (where I grew up) typically .270, .30-30, .30-06, maybe a little .308 or some of the less common calibers -- shotguns were pump action Ithacas, Winchesters, Remingtons, all full length and in .410, 12 and 20 gauge. We could shoot literally anywhere once we got outside the city limites.

And when I started buying used guns, wow, the deals to be had. (Regrettably, I sold or traded off, and I'm not kidding, probably any number of guns that if I sold them today would net me 20 grand). Wishin' I'd kept a bunch o' revolvers and Winchester rifles, that's for sure. Ah, for 29 cent a gallon gas again, too.

Long guns in racks in my high school parking lot (even when it wasn't hunting season), a rifle team that proudly represented JROTC and my HS, gun shops where the men used to hang out and talk guy stuff and no one was offended if no one bought anything.... We had the awesomest music in the 70s, both country and rock'n'roll, so what if my Coronet 440 would get beat by some rice-burner today? and the dating scene was actually in-person (not on-line) with no herpes, AIDS, HPV and the clothes were cool (and fit and were worn properly), even bell-bottoms. Yeah, it was a great run, and I kinda feel bad for the kids coming up these days.
 
Way back in the Way Back Machine.

I grew up when one could go to the corner store and get a soda or a Snickers for a nickel. Every Gas station had a Milk vending machine outside where you could buy a 1/2gal of milk for a quarter. Or my mom would give me and my brother 50c and send us to the gas station to get her a 25c pkg of cigarettes from the machine and the guy at the gas station would never question 2 kids buying smokes and a couple sodas..

My eldest brother owned a JC Higgins 22RF single shot rifle and a brand new Crossman pump 177cal pellet gun. His first car was a 1955 Buick Special. Two Tone Turquoise and White. My first gun purchase was at 14 and it was a H&R single shot 410 shotgun. As it turned out my hunting friend moved away, I lost interest and my brother took the gun.
 
There’s is a huge difference between gun prices and vehicle prices through the years. Guns have not changed much technologically since their inception. Vehicles on the other hand….

Modern vehicles are less affordable than they were in the past and they are only getting worse even if you do not consider the last few years.

Modern vehicles have so many superfluous doodads, gadgets, and every other extra cost item that consumers just have to have and many they don’t even ask for. The manufacturer just includes it and you have to pay for it.

The list is endless but here are a few examples of vehicle specific items that are useless AND expensive but many vehicles comes with them.

Electronic HVAC
Transponder keys/Transponder starting
Navigation
Driver Assist
Sunroofs

Then there is the plethora of government/EPA things that the manufacturers are required to do that didn’t exist in the past.

You see, vehicles are artificially inflated because a combination of government regulation, manufacturers run amok, and customers who have “interesting” demands. Not so much with firearms…yet.
 
Someone mentioned the cost of living and wages vs gun prices “back then”.

I 1983 I bought a Colt’s Combat Government “On Sale” for $317.00 at B&B Sales in North Hollywood, CA.
Today, that $317 would be $906. If I recall correctly that $317 Colt was one heckuva deal. I believe the going price was $520.00, which is $1485.00 in today’s dollars.

In 1992 I bought an M1 Carbine for $129.00.
Today’s price $263, but wait! Bill Clinton banned the importation and sale of M1 Carbines and prices jumped to $750 over night. Which would be $1434 today.

One has to take the good with the bad. Sure, those old prices sound great but the dollar then and the dollar now don’t get you the same things.

Today, there are many more gun freedoms than there were years ago, believe it or not.
Sure, there are constant threats to our rights and we must remain vigilant, but in many ways things are much better. That took a lot of money and effort from lots of folks. Please don’t take these things for granted.
 
I'm not entirely clear on where the cutoff is for being a boomer. From what the interwebs say, I'm actually Gen X, having missed that cutoff by about 5 years. Right now, prices are still awfully high, but a few years ago, I said that we were currently in a Golden Age of Handguns. In particular, of CC guns. The selection that's (theoretically) available is amazing. Five years ago, I was able to go out on lunch, buy a Shield 1.0 for a deeply discounted price (because 2.0s were about to drop), be back at my desk before my lunch hour ended, and get a bunch of free stuff from S&W just for showing them proof of purchase. I'm not sure if we're still in that GA or not.
 
Old Dog and I have quite a few things in common as to what was available for novice shooters in the 50s and 60s I fired my gramps colt 25 auto when I was 7 and was impressed I hit the can I was aiming at. It was all downhill after that My intro to rifles was a krag 30/40 then a springfield 06 and the disease got progressively worse now having lived a full and healthy life I am teaching great grand children how to roll a tin can with a single action 22 revolver.
 
webrx said:
As a comparison my first house in 1979 in Ohio was 26k. That same house is now about 150k.

so a revolver that cost $100 in 79 would be roughly $600 now.

a new f150 in 1979 was about 6k. Today it is 60k.
Click to expand...
Location, location, location, and timing I guess. My house in SE Michigan was 28K in 1981. Unfortunately I sold it in the crunch of 2014 and got only 55K for it. Zestimate now lists it, a mere 8 years later it at $135,500. Setting the wayback machine to 1979, I bought my first pistol and my first brand-new car in that year. I paid 79 bucks for the Ruger RST-6, and $6500 for the V8 Mustang. Nearest to the RST-6 today is the Mark IV Standard at $535 MSRP. Everybody else was charging 7200 or so, for the Mustang, so the 6500 was my best deal. I think F150s have always been more than Mustangs though, the Shelby GT family of cars notwithstanding. And I just ordered a new F150, pretty well loaded up and it's sticker is 55K, though I'll get it for around 50.

Your guesses are fairly accurate.
 
Last edited:
Guns IMHO have never been cheaper. For $600-$700 you can get very high quality service pistols. For under $1,000 you can get a nice AR and for $1,500 you can get a Daniel Defense which is top of the line. Let's not even talk about how much more economical and accurate modern bolt action "hunting" rifles are.

Even a brand new Python or Anaconda is $1,500. I feel like we were paying that much 20 years ago for them.
 
I think the only thing younger generations, Y & Z, missed out on are the crates full of surplus guns and PRE-MAY.

Otherwise I think we are living in the golden age of firearms
 
One more thing: most of us "boomers" actually learned how to shoot handguns with double-action triggers, therefore, we don't b1tch so much about DA/SA semi-autos or think that striker-fired (particularly the G-word) pistols necessarily represent the ultimate in handgun evolution. I see a lot more celebration of diversity with the older folks I know than with a lot of the younger generation who come up learning about guns and shooting from video games.
 
FWIW... it helps to define terms. Boomers are technically born from 1946 to 1964...

They are the prodigy of the returning WW2 vets, so many boomers had parents who were seriously afflicted by the scars of war, back when no one talked about things like PTSD. These guys either stuffed it down deep and moved on, or put bullet through their heads.

No surprise that the highest divorce rate ever in the history of the USA was realized in 1946.

So the oldest boomers hit adulthood at the peak of the civil rights movement, and IMHO, should be credited with being part of the positive change.
 
I feel lucky about the era I grew up. It had a certain innocence and bravery about it. The 50's 60's and even some of the 70's were great. The question of scoring a great deal on guns, etc., you have to realize, that getting a Colt Police Positive for $100 in the 70's meant you drove a used Chev Impala you bought for $500, gas was 26 cents a gallon, cigarettes were 50 cents a pack, and if you were lucky, you were making $7.50 an hour at union scale. My parents bought a brand new ranch house in a brand new subdivision for $20,000 in 1962. Dad was rolling in the dough making $23,000 a year. Mom spent $25 a week in groceries, tops. Communists were something we fought against in wars.
 
Before the May 3rd, 1999 tornado in Moore, OK took out all of the family's stored stuff,,,
My sister used to have a framed B&W 5" by 7" photo,,,
My Mom took it in I think 1962.

It was me and 4 of my friends,,,
We were all decked out for a day of "hunting",,,
All of us were armed to the teeth with .22 rifles and 410 shotguns.

Two of us actually had .22 pistols hanging from our hips,,,
All of us had a "hunting" knife of some ilk.

With our Boy Scout knapsacks full of sandwiches,,,
Our canteens full of water and our "bedrolls",,,
I swear we looked like a mini Wild Bunch.

Our hunting was simply going across the street,,,
To the miles and miles of open fields behind our country neighborhood.

On occasion we would actually shoot something we could eat,,,
One of the Dads had showed us how to skin/cook a rabbit,,,
Just like every TV cowboy at his night camp.

It was like chewing an old shoe,,,
But by gosh we were eating fresh game.

It's probably a miracle of Biblical proportions,,,
That we did these hunts for several years,,,
And nobody got accidentally shot.

I cut my hand pretty badly trying to skin a jack rabbit,,,
But I think that's the most serious thing to ever happen to us.

I was 11-12-13 years old when this was going on,,,
The very early 60's were my Halcyon days.

Lucky and fortunate may very well have the same meaning,,,
I'll let you choose which word to use.

Aarond

.
 
---
Captcurt said:
My first centerfire rifle was a 6.5 Carcano. I think that I was 16 at the time. Cost the grand total of $20 which was about $15 too much. Norma ammo cost more than the gun. I have never owned another rifle that shot that bad. Had to be the biggest piece of junk that I have ever owned.
Click to expand...
Yes, but it killed Kennedy with a pristine bullet. :confused: :scrutiny:
I had a 6.5 Carcano about 20 years ago. I paid $70 for it at a gunshow. It, too, shot worse than anything I had ever owned. (Must be that gain-twist rifling.) 160 grain Hornady bullets would keyhole at 50 yards and (no joke!) some of them impacted the target at 90 degrees to the line of travel! :eek:
 
JCooperfan1911 said that “The golden age was just a couple of years ago”.

Really like that! I’m also enjoying movies in color, and with sound .

Let’s pray that the future point of hindsight is Not about “When we could buy high quality imported guns and ‘Relatively affordable’ centerfire ammo”.:confused:

My nib PTR-91 (a 91 clone, built with HK tooling) might be ready for pick-up today.

As high as .308 ammo prices are, it’s very hard to imagine any changes which would help the consumer who doesn’t want to reload (did it for months with Lee single-stage…)..
 
Last edited:
crestoncowboy said:
For buying used i agree. That's when I started buying. BUT for buying new guns those were the dark ages. Lol. A new cdl/bdl was expensive, likely poorly fitted and most likely inaccurate. As an added bonus it may well shoot when you flip off the safety. Ugly painted black guns with plastic stocks took over. Colt was selling abomination AR with odd pin sizes. Olympic and bushmaster made commercial models and that was about it. Handguns were limited to 10 rounds and most sucked. RUGER had their p series which was abysmal. BILL had pissed everyone off over his comments on mag capacity. SIG was switching to solid slides (IMO better) which pissed people off. Plus alloy frames And much to the chagrin of gun folks everywhere Glock had finger grooves..... lol. Not to mention could slip through airport security and costed more than a Policeman made in a month according to expert, John Mclain. The only 1911 were Colt and Kimber and Kimber was junk back then. COLT weren't stellar either. Smith added a lock that people despise plus their semi autos were about the weight of a shotgun today. Hk hated civilians...well I guess HK was always the same. At least they are still consistent. Imperto was just finishing running Ithaca into the ground before stealing the Henry name. Kelgren was doing the same with Grendel before Keltec....we also had companies like Jennings, Bryco, and Lorcin.....

Dark times IMO
Click to expand...

I guess it just depends on viewpoint on certain areas. I think the 90's production S&W Third Gens, Beretta 92's, CZs, Rugers and Sigs are all highly desirable, ESPECIALLY now when they are able to be fitted with more recent productions proper capacity mags. I also have found the last pre-MIM (early to mid-90's) and pre-lock MIM (late 90's - early '00s) revolvers from S&W to be top of the line. My college roommate picked-up an 870 Express (metal trigger guard) and a Colt King Cobra in 1997- both were
outstanding!

I have no experience with 90's 1911's or AR platforms, and do know that Winchester tried to kill the 1894 with the butt ugly cross-bolt safety.
 
jpricewood said:
I wasn't old enough to buy guns until Obama was already in office, and no one in my family passed down any cool firearms. I always get a bit jealous when I hear older guys say they bought a used Smith revolver for a couple hundred dollars, found an old Colt at a garage sale for a crazy good price, or that they have bought and sold more of some rare model than they can remember. Just finding guns in stock has been an issue for my generation.

Inflation is a factor, and I know we currently have more choices than ever for guns, but I still kind of wish I grew up in the Golden Age.

P.S. I'm more of a guitar collector than gun collector, and I feel the same way about the guitar market.
Click to expand...

Part of your answer is explained by the fact that Boomers saw inflation far more intense in comparison to what people are horrified about now. Mortgage prices were in the 18% range for many of them when they came into their home purchasing age. Prices reflect long years of tighter credit and real inflation.

You will look fondly back at the current times, trust me. Firearms reliability and ammunition performance, as well as training opportunities and places to shoot are far more plentiful today. I don't recall ammunition being available way back when either. Since most were shooting revolvers, people shot a lot less. AR15's were rare, I recall seeing one during the 1970's.

Current prices notwithstanding, there were no big box stores or obviously online sales, and you paid retail at your local gun shop for the most part. No legal CCW, which is probably what stimulated the market you see today.
 
Last edited:
edwardware said:
I think the old guys usually leave out the fact that "a couple hundred dollars" was a couple week's pay "back then".

In inflation-adjusted terms, I'm pretty sure firearms were cheaper than they'd ever been for 3-5 years prior to the Panic.

There was no Golden Age. In 1950, the "Middle Class" family owned 1.3 cars, lived in a 1300sf home with 2.5 children, and didn't have air conditioning. In buying power and luxury, that same family would be well below the poverty line today.
Click to expand...

That assessment is badly skewed to say the least.
1950 is kind of sandbagging it as that was the start of an era of great economic prosperity. In the coming years, the normal American middle class family would be defined by 2 cars, 3-4 kids, and a home that was probabally closer to 2000 sf. Not only that, but all of that would have been provided on one man's salary, with the wife able to spend 100% of her time at home. On top of that, the man likely was supporting that lifestyle by his mid to late 20's. Additionally, there would likely be a pension as part of employment, and the family would likely have owned everything outright except the house.
And actually a family today that has that much space and a car (or lets say 1 car and one old beater to be 1.3 cars) is not below the poverty line. The poverty line is definitely below the level of any kind of home ownership and rarely includes a decent vehicle of any kind.

That middle class has virtually disappeared, and it is rare to find any family where one working parent can sustain that kind of lifestyle for a family of 5-6, much less in their 20's. Pensions are a thing of the past, and large portions of the population cannot afford to get married until their late 20's or thirties. Most households have 2 working parents to make ends meet, and those that do not mostly live far below the poverty line on government assistance. There most certainly was a high water mark of the middle class, and it has receded considerably.
Statistics can inform us, but they can also distort things. Moreover, it is important to distinguish between technological change, like air conditioning, and economic changes. If you remove the impact of "technological inflation" from the mix, people today would be obviously much worse off than their grandparents. Additionally, quality of many items has deteriorated considerably, which is mostly not captured in the CPI etc.

Back to the OP question.
I am not a boomer, so lets start with that.
However, I do consider the boomers lucky in almost every regard, firearms and otherwise. Despite inheriting what was mostly a wealthy and prosperous nation, they managed to squander it and leave it far worse for their children. While they are not solely responsible, or individually all responsible, they more than any other generation must take the blame for what happened.
Besides the issues of affordability, boomers were responsible for much of the control laws that we are now saddled with and unlikely to ever get rid of.
 
Will Munny said:
Besides the issues of affordability, boomers were responsible for much of the control laws that we are now saddled with and unlikely to ever get rid of.
Click to expand...
You must be referring to the Gun Control Act of 1968. In 1968, the oldest of the Boomers were only 22 years old, so they weren't responsible for that. Blame for that goes to the Depression Generation and the Silent Generation.

(Minimum age for voting then was 21, so November 1968 was the first general election in which Boomers could have voted -- and by that time the GCA had already been passed.)

Anyway, the GCA '68 wouldn't have been passed were it not for the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

F
  • Locked
  • Poll
How many Gun safes do you have?
Replies
19
Views
1K
makarovnik
M
A
  • Locked
How much do YOU shoot?
2 3
Replies
72
Views
2K
Im283
I
B
  • Locked
When do you buy a gun safe?
2
Replies
35
Views
3K
jakemccoy
J
Baba Louie
  • Locked
Beating Guns into Guitars
Replies
8
Views
720
carpettbaggerr
C
H
  • Locked
Idea regarding "Gun-Control".
2 3 4 5 6 7
Replies
160
Views
8K
gossamer
G
Back
Top