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Remember the good ol' days, $8.95 a lb for powder. .99 primers and $5.99 a box name brand bullets? Remember going out shooting with no concerns about ammo availability? Remember when the only time you heard another person mention guns it was at your favorite shop or gunshow? Remember when you never heard anything about guns in the news? Remember $7.99 .22 bricks? This whole new 'thing' is beginning to wear me down....
 
I can remember a time not too long ago when FAL, AK and G3 mags were inexpensive surplus (IIRC I bought some FAL mags form DSArms at the SAR show for $3 each or something like that). Ammo was cheap then and so were kits; nice FAL kits for under $100, AK74 kits with Krink sidefolders for $89, Norinco M14s for $350. Ammo for the 7.62 NATO was super cheap; Portuguese (Port) was under $0.09/round, 8mm Mauser was $69/1440 rounds (burned up some 1919 barrels there). 1000-rounds of 115gr Winchester 9mm was $89. All kits came with barrels and folks on the FALfiles (and AK boards) were having "build parties" all the time. Colt M16 were $3000. Dillon Precision had a bunch of 614s for $3500 they took a long time getting rid of.
 
I remember when no one wanted black guns and the few guys at gun shows that sold them had tables full at the end of the show. Back when big gun shows in Portland were 1000+ tables with 80% covered with gun related stuff.
 
Primers delivered by air to Alaska, North of the Arctic Circle, for $12.00 per thousand. Climbing onto a commercial flight out of Fairbanks with two rifles in the overhead, and three pistols in various pockets of my parka. My first 03A3 delivered by US Mail for $14.00 plus postage. (Yes, I AM an old phart. :D )

Pops
 
Some of the prices listed seem a bit low, though I do recall $7.99 bricks of .22 and it wasn't more than 5 years ago that I paid under $5 for a box of name brand 9mm. I certainly do not recall AK kits with the LH side folder being inexpensive, then again I may have been in the wrong part of the country to get the under $200 deal. I will say that I do recall the days of "tank" walking through the gun show with an AK and an Uzi strapped on his back with for sale signs on both - $350 or trade. I also recall helping a guy load out his table (ammo) and the feds coming and asking him questions about who had bought large quantities of 9mm from him in relation to the Alan Berg murder with no talks of banning anything...
 
All the 7.62x39mm you wanted for $59 per K, XM193 for $120 per K, SKS's by the case, Colt SP1's under $250, drop in auto sears for $30. I ordered a Mini-14 out of the Sears catalog for about $200 (still got it too). I didn't used to be, but it seems I'm an old phart now too.
 
Ya know I'm not too sure of this but I remember when Reagan (what a guy, he was awesome!!) was shot and the "Brady Bill" came out and No I don't remember what it contained but I think it had something to do with longer wait times for pistols. If you look it up, let me know please. Busy taking care of the grandson (he's awesome too and he's the main reason I'm gonna do battle). Thanks
 
Reading all your posts about the good ol' days makes me feel as if it were all a dream and now I have to wake up to reality where 7.62 is $1/round if I can find any, AR's are like a brick of gold, and if I mention that my hobby is shooting, I will be hit with an akward silence and a 'bad guy' label.
 
So what eventually precipitated the massive interest?

I did not have any real interest in firearms until Obama got elected.
The above is true even though I served in the Army and then worked as a rifle instructor for a couple of summers while in college.
Firearms was just something that existed but I did not really consider them. However I pay pretty close attention to politics so when Obama got elected I knew 2 things: the economy will suck and firearm ownership will be in danger. I was right on both accounts.

Most people don't realize how bad of a president this guy is. I was predicting Carter II, but he is much worse. Carter was at least a good honest man whose political view was different than mine. Obama is not a good nor a honest man. The biggest damage done by Obama is by what he is doing, but rather not doing. He is allowing criminal behavior in the financial markets without enforcement of laws. The amount of damage that is doing to this country is beyond any his other actions. The amount of theft that has taken place under his watch is likely more than under all the other presidents in the last 50 years combined.
This is why we need firearms. When the government undermines the fabric of the society and the economy things usually end vey badly. Without the means to protect yourself you will be a victim.
 
I see your "reminiscing" and raise you:

Oak whisky barrels (4 of 'em!) at the surplus/gunshop. Each barrel packed full of .30-40 Krags and Remington Rolling blocks. $35-75: your choice. (And if a 12 year old kid managed to have $35, he went home with a rifle, a handshake and a box of shells.)
 
I still have many, many boxes of Herter's bullets along with a Herter's single stage press. We used to buy surplus powder from a keg, bring your own container. One lb. of Bullseye lasted me 9 years. I had my own handguns at age 13. Ran into cops all the time in the woods, no one ever even looked at me funny. I thought of the coast range between Banks and Tillamook as my own private hunting/shooting preserve. You could camp or shoot or ride dirt bikes anywhere up there.

This lasted until 1988. That is the year I came home from the military and let me tell you, the world had changed during my absence. Now it's all about gates, permits, politics, etc. I'll be honest, at this point in my life I don't often find much enjoyment anymore. Everything I loved is illegal or viewed as wrong nowdays. If it isn't...then it's so regulated and such a hassle that all the fun has been sucked from it.

I learned how to run a chainsaw at age 10. My dad thought this was a good idea. I'm still alive so he must have been right.
 
Now it's all about gates, permits, politics, etc.
I understand completely. Fortunately here in Eastern Oregon these effects are not felt as heavily as it is easy to get away to the middle of nowhere fairly quickly but their presence is here. I agree it is difficult to find the same enjoyment we once had but we still can. We just have to adapt to the new 'environment', maybe keep a little lower profile, maintain relationships with our like - minded friends and always make sure to be aware of the rules and regs to stay legal. We are experiencing change to a greater degree than ever and we all all feeling the pain.
 
I bought my first gun when I was sixteen in late 1962 from the Sears, Roebuck Christmas catalog. I ordered a British Enfield for $29.95 and some boxes of ammo for it and sent a money order. About ten days later, the mailman left it on the front porch.
 

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