Leverguns 50 Years Ago

[Pete44ru]

PRICE LIST

Marlin 336 Carbine, Texan, or Sporting Carbine = $82.00
Marlin 336 Sporting Carbine Deluxe = $94.95
Marlin 336-ADL Rifle - $89.95
Marlin 336-ADL Deluxe = $99.95

(Add for Marlin Scope, installed: $35 for 2.5x, $40 for 4x)

Marlin 39-A Presentation (Squirrel-carved fancy stock, 500 made) = $100.00
Marlin 39-A rifle or Mountie = $79.95, w/Marlin Micro-View 4x scope = $89.95 (scope alone = $14.95)
Marlin 56 (.22 S or LR) tube-mag = $44.95, w/scope = $54.95
Marlin 57 (.22 S or LR) detachable mag = $49.95, w.scope = $59.95
Marlin 57 Magnum detachable mag = $54.95

Mossberg 400 Palomino = $68.88

Noble 275 = $42.95

Savage 99-DL Deluxe (.243, .250,.300,.308,.358) = $112.50
Savage 99-E Economy (.243,.250,.300) = $99.50
Savage 99-F Featherweight (.243,.250,.300) = 121.50
Savage 99-R (.243,.250,.300,.308,.358) = $116.75

Winchester 88 Rifle (.243,.308,.358) = 139.25
Winchester 94 Carbine (.30-30,.32 Spec) = $81.95

SOURCE: 1961 Gun Digest

.

[jnyork]

For perspective, $100 a week was pretty fair wages in that era.

Still, sure would be nice to be able to hop in the trusty time machine with a pocket full of money.

[Pete44ru]

$100/wk was more than fair, back then - IIRC, it was "good money" to most folks, when expensive gasoline was $0.17/gal.

.

[gak]

I know the OP said leverguns...but...not to mention Win 70s, Colt SAAs and
N0S M1 Carbines!

[pwl44m]

Or This, from a page of of a 1958 used Gun book.

[pwl44m]

Or these, same book. One can only dream Now.Very hard to get the whole book in the scanner.

[Old Ironsights]

$100 in '61 is $725 in 2010.

Using the only gun still being manufactured for regular sale as a comparison, the 336 now lists for $563 (Davidsons).

$82.00 in 1961 had the same buying power as $594.22 in 2010.

[Old Savage]

OI thqt is about the same as what I have found in comparisons. Only thing that has changed is the numbers.

[shooter]

Another price for perspective: My grandparents bought their 1300 sq. ft. house in 1960 for $13,000. It's worth around $100,000 today. Money just went a lot further back then. All in all, I think more people have more extra money these days than they did back then. I could be mistaken since that was way before my time, but that's the way it seems.

[Mike D.]

I bought my first 1886, a .40-82, for $40 in 1964. Seven years later I picked up my first .33 LW and it cost $125. Ten years after that a nice .38-56 cost me $800. A couple years ago a super nice .38-56 ELTD with 1/2 Oct barrel set me back a mere $2000, a huge bargain. Last May $4000 got me a very rare and extra clean .45-90 ELTD withe a couple of special ordered extras, another SCREAMING deal. Others in between have been good deals, but average in price.

[tman]

Another price for perspective: My grandparents bought their 1300 sq. ft. house in 1960 for $13,000. It's worth around $100,000 today. Money just went a lot further back then. All in all, I think more people have more extra money these days than they did back then. I could be mistaken since that was way before my time, but that's the way it seems.

You're right. Wages have not kept up with the cost of living. Add in the increased tax rates, deductions and deductibles for health care, contributions for pensions that used to free, it's getting harder and harder to make it.

[RIHMFIRE]

I could never afford to buy the guns now...... that my Dad gave me...
if you think the cost of living is outrunning wages now...just wait til
osama obama is done screwing everything up....and printing money like its
going out of style.....and devaluing the dollar....

[1894]

I could never afford to buy the guns now...... that my Dad gave me...

Or the ones I inherited
A look through his list of what he paid for some are amazing.

[Old Ironsights]

Another price for perspective: My grandparents bought their 1300 sq. ft. house in 1960 for $13,000. It's worth around $100,000 today. Money just went a lot further back then. All in all, I think more people have more extra money these days than they did back then. I could be mistaken since that was way before my time, but that's the way it seems.

You're right. Wages have not kept up with the cost of living. Add in the increased tax rates, deductions and deductibles for health care, contributions for pensions that used to free, it's getting harder and harder to make it.

And there is the difference. Guns aren't "more expensive", it's just that we have less disposable income now.

Is $725/wk ($37,700 y/r gross) "good money" any more? (I wouldn't know, I've never made that much...)

[oic0]

I was talking to my dad about it the other day (I'm 27). I make as much as he made at my age (comparatively). He was able to afford a house, two kids, and a race car hobby without my mother working. I have a house, cant afford to have kids, don't even have health insurance, and I have a used dirt bike. Different world.

[shooter]

Another thing that helped back then was that, I think, a bigger percentage of people lived within their means and actually saved money than people today. They didn't go on multiple vacations a year, didn't buy whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, and didn't use as much credit. Oh sure, they went on camping trips for the weekend, etc, but didn't run off on cruises or expensive week long vacations as much. At least that's the impression I get talking to my dad and grandfather.

[GoatGuy]

In 1978, an old gentleman living in rural Johnson County, AR, and who was born very shortly before the turn of the 20th century, said, as he and I were drinking 25 cent bottles of RC Cola and I was complaining about the outrageous price of things, ..." when I returned from the war (WW1) a good pair of overalls cost a day's wage, $1.00. Today those same good pair of overalls will cost cost a workin' man a day's wage of $27.00 ." Made sense when I thought about it.

I recently bought a pair of good USA made cold weather overalls and paid $80.00, just a little over my day's "income" (Social Security) of $58. Around 28% MORE. Granted the overalls are tough and sturdy and should last me a good while, but somehow the math just doesn't work for me!

Should have bought the pair of the store brand made in Bangladesh for $50.00, I suppose. That would be more in line with the rule of thumb; 1 pair for one day's wage.