Ahh the good old days

[echo1]

I got my first rifle at 10, in 1962, a Mossberg M44 US, that my pops picked up at the base surplus shed for $5 bucks. When I started driving in '68, we could drive from the Bay Area to Yosemite and back for $5 in my '66 VW. $2 bucks to fill up, $1 in Yosemite (it was expensive there, $.33 a gal), $2 bucks in Oakdale got us home. For another 5 spot you could bail out a case of "C" rations and feed the crew for a weekend. PAX

 

[Catfishmoon]

In 1969 I too had a .22 semiautomatic rifle and could carry it freely in the small rural town I lived in (still have the rifle 55 years later). Many boxes of CCI mini-mags went through that rifle.
But as far as ammo prices go, I see things differently than many. My wage growth has outpaced the increase in the cost of .22 ammo. Obviously it is different for each of us, but an hour of my pay today gets me more ammo than an hour of my pay bought me in 1969.

 

[po18guy]

We were raised in the south back when S&H green stamps were the rave man. That glue was nasty tasting!!!

Nasty tasting glue? Maybe it was soylent green stamps!!!

 

[Rkangel]

Ahh....The good ol days. When they actually taught us to shoot 22 rifles in Outdoor School, when we played in the dirt, got spanked when we did something wrong and didn't accuse our parents of child abuse (and we didn't turn into criminals either, because we learned the difference between right and wrong). When we built hay forts, skinned our knees, and played Cowboys and Indians and it wasn't considered racist.

 

[titsonritz]

Does Longs still exist?

Last Longs Drugs I saw was early mid 90s In Sacramento

You have to go to Hawaii to find a Longs Drugs these days. There were bought out by CVS in 2008, the only stores that retain the name are on the islands.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longs_Drugs

 

[Longwalkhome]

Kinda fun remembering. I lived south of Corvallis and there was a little burger joint called Johnny's 49ers. You got a cheap hamburger, really good fries and a milkshake for 49 cents

 

[ageingstudent]

In 1969 I too had a .22 semiautomatic rifle and could carry it freely in the small rural town I lived in (still have the rifle 55 years later). Many boxes of CCI mini-mags went through that rifle.
But as far as ammo prices go, I see things differently than many. My wage growth has outpaced the increase in the cost of .22 ammo. Obviously it is different for each of us, but an hour of my pay today gets me more ammo than an hour of my pay bought me in 1969.

My wages were keeping up okay until the last couple of years. Last year I got $3.50 per hour in raises just because the owner of our company didn't want to lose everybody. By my math I'm still down about a buck 50 an hour. If I didn't roll my own I just wouldn't be shooting right now. Thank God I stocked up after last shortage

 

[Spitpatch]

These:



Were in the case of this Belgian Browning Auto 22, along with a gun store receipt from Austin, Texas, 1978.
The gun (and all else) sold then for $229.90



I found the "blue ink grocery store" price stamp rather quaint.

 

[ageingstudent]

Kinda fun remembering. I lived south of Corvallis and there was a little burger joint called Johnny's 49ers. You got a cheap hamburger, really good fries and a milkshake for 49 cents

We used to have Larry's burgers and fish out by West union. Best orange shakes ever. The Shell station that used to be across the street would fix your tire, sell you ammo, and a pack of cigarettes and a Coca-Cola. Everything you needed right there .

 

[ageingstudent]

These:

View attachment 1384531

Were in the case of this Belgian Browning Auto 22, along with a gun store receipt from Austin, Texas, 1978.
The gun (and all else) sold then for $229.90

View attachment 1384539

I found the "blue ink grocery store" price stamp rather quaint.

I remember those ink stampers. That's very cool.

 

[Certaindeaf]

So I was out testing some 9 mm that I loaded up a couple weeks ago. This guy shows up with his 9-year-old kid to teach him how to shoot. So I watch them do their thing it was kind of a heartwarming father and son moment you know. They had one of those single shot bolt action 22s. I asked the guy if he wanted to let his son shoot my 9 mm carbine and he agreed and the kid was like lights out with it haha. So his Dad goes in his pickup and comes out and hands me a box of 50 .22 rounds. I thought that was mighty nice of him. He didn't have to do that. Check out the price on the rounds

View attachment 1383696

I'm still shooting Federal Lightnings from when Montgomery Wards quit.
Marked down multiple times and when I bought it it was .43/50.
I brought a dolly and filled the bed of the pickup.

 

[Spitpatch]

And none of us shot up a school. Aloha High School used to have a rifle range in the basement. All of the metro schools competed against each other in NRA small bore. It's a crying shame kids don't have that opportunity anymore. It taught you about dignity and honor and safety and trying your best.

Sunset High likewise had a rifle range in its basement, and we competed against Aloha in the Metro League. We were allowed to take our school-issued target rifles home whenever we pleased, for "dry fire practice" and just the same, could bring our own .22's to the school range. The Oregonian dutifully reported Metro League scores and even did a photo shoot or two.

With our uncased target rifles, we boarded the school bus and rode with muzzles up, butts on the floor, bolts open. "Dry Fire Practice" was really heading to the Holly orchards below Council Crest and burning off 50-100 rounds on Robins and Starlings The whole Rifle Team was "under contract" to the property owner against crop damage. In return, we got some hot and heavy shooting, fished the Bass ponds there, and even expanded our horizons to his orchards in Wilsonville.

 

[ageingstudent]

Sunset High likewise had a rifle range in its basement, and we competed against Aloha in the Metro League. We were allowed to take our school-issued target rifles home whenever we pleased, for "dry fire practice" and just the same, could bring our own .22's to the school range. The Oregonian dutifully reported Metro League scores and even did a photo shoot or two.

With our uncased target rifles, we boarded the school bus and rode with muzzles up, butts on the floor, bolts open. "Dry Fire Practice" was really heading to the Holly orchards below Council Crest and burning off 50-100 rounds on Robins and Starlings The whole Rifle Team was "under contract" to the property owner against crop damage. In return, we got some hot and heavy shooting, fished the Bass ponds there, and even expanded our horizons to his orchards in Wilsonville.

If I remember right Sunset had that little five bay range. It had a really good Armory though.

 

[ageingstudent]

I'm still shooting Federal Lightnings from when Montgomery Wards quit.
Marked down multiple times and when I bought it it was .43/50.
I brought a dolly and filled the bed of the pickup.

Monkey wards haha. That's what my grandparents all called it. Gosh they always had ammo

 

[ageingstudent]

I'm still shooting Federal Lightnings from when Montgomery Wards quit.
Marked down multiple times and when I bought it it was .43/50.
I brought a dolly and filled the bed of the pickup.

Now that I think about it, I believe a good friend of mine in high school had a bolt action 22 that was probably a Winchester or a Marlin but it was stamped Montgomery Wards on the barrel. That was a good little rifle.

 

[po18guy]

You have to go to Hawaii to find a Longs Drugs these days. There were bought out by CVS in 2008, the only stores that retain the name are on the islands.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longs_Drugs

I ask my plan if they'll pay for me to pick up my prescriptions at Long's Drugs.

 

[Pete F]

My first centerfire rifle was a Enfield .303 MK4 No 1 from Sears for $5.00 with 200 rounds for another $2.00, 1970's. I sportized it and it was my first deer rifle.

I still have it and recently found another full battle dress that I am going to restore.

 

[Spitpatch]

Guns in schools:

Prior to attending Sunset ("suburban, affluent"...though I wasn't), I spent my Sophomore year at Franklin in SE Portland. They had a rifle team too, but more importantly, they had Rent-a-Cops (4 of them) stationed in each hallway, armed with revolvers.

The "racial strife" however, did not involve (much, anyway) White kids. It was between the Blacks and Asians. Two stabbings that year in the school.

Quite the eye-opener for a 15 year-old fresh out of Montana, leaving me to this day wondering why the debate over true protection of kids in school.

Then, it was just a common sense reaction to a very real problem.

 

[oremike]

I went to Sunset for my Sophomore year that would have been the'71-'72 school year, but didn't have an interest in guns yet. My shooting partner was on the Benson Tech Pistol Team back in the day though.

 

[zofoman]

Western Auto, Gambles and Coast-to-Coast stores were the cheap places for ammo back in the day in our area.
Used to buy boxes of ammo with a handful of coins cause I never got paid in $ bills for mowing lawns, snow shoveling & slave labor living on the farm.