prices then and now

[Rifleman1776]

To avoid straying much off topic from another thread, I said:

I have this feeling, the Kibler type CNC kit could be responsible for reviving the ml avocation much as the TC 'hawken' did in the earlier years of this game. Kibler is bringing a fine rifle well within the financial reach of many would-be ml'ers. Would be interesting to compare the prices of a 1970 TC 'hawken' to a 2018 Kibler kit in dollars then and now.

I was not able to locate the price of a new TC 'hawken' rifle from 1970. But, for comparison, $1.00 in 1970 would compare in spending power to $6.19 today. Just grabbing at a number, if that TC was $250.00 then, it would cost $1547.50 today. A Kibler kit is currently $820.00. Folks, comparing the two, that is a freaking bargain. BTW, I don't know Jim and am not trying to promote him or his products, just putting this info out there for thought fodder and to encourage newcomers to this game to consider something high quality rather than a 'pretty good' factory made rifle.

 

[bubba.50]

In 1974 +/- a year or two my brother & I ordered a Renegade kit and a Great Plains Rifle kit from a place called Bowhunterr’s Discount Warehouse. The shipped price for the Renegade was $118.00 and the Great Plains kit was a whoppin’ 5 bucks more.

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

In 1978, I won a finished TC Hawken on a ticket. The kits were selling at this particular shop for $159.95 +tx. I notice they had displayed Armsport flintlock Hawken kits for $139.95. I asked the owner questions as I'm new to knowing anything other than they were muzzleloaders and called that because they were loaded from the muzzle. What was difference between the two? He said where they're made, type of patch box and at the time TC had more calibers and types. And TC had a LIMITED warranty(meaning they probably wouldn't fix it.)." He proceeded an education seminar between customers and He sank that hook deeper. I took the Armsport kit in .54 cal; 2# BP Goex 2 and 4 F;, A finishing kit, a shooters kit, and I bought the rest to start. It took a couple weeks, a couple hours each night. He was my go to ML shop because of the conversation and suggestions. He never cheated me and always gave suggestions, recommended things and we became friends. He moved to TX in 1988. Haven't heard anything from or of him since.The customer base of skinners called him "Ol' Rusty Brains" Because of the rusty red hair.
Powder was around $4a#, balls were about $3.50-100;The rest I started making and acquiring the buckskinning way. 1989 I started reenacting from F&I 1750's up through the Corpse of Discovery (Lewis & Clark) 1820. Rusty's Rules still apply for me today: "Get it by 1 Making it; 2 Make your items and trade for it; 3 straight up trade for it; and lastly if you really need it, Buy It." He also said when you have stuff you want to get rid of, stuff you no longer have use for, give it to a family that's starting in the sport as a pay forward....or sell it. Sorry this was long,... like the prices got.

 

[bender20]

👍 on the pay it forward. I got started in archery, flintlocks and traditional archery this way. Got to talking to some great guys and they had some old stuff that they got started with or no longer used because of upgrading. In my early/mid twenties didn’t have a lot of money so they all gave me good deals on their stuff so long as I promised to do the same when I no longer used those items. Looking forward to giving someone a good deal on a tc Hawken with a GM barrel, powder horn and bag once I am able to upgrade.

 

[Artificer]

This cost is pretty close to or the same as 1970 prices.

While home on Boot Camp Leave in January 1972, I walked into a gun shop and bought my TC .50 Hawken Rifle for the retail price of $175.00. The rifle plus the accessories kit to shoot it came to around $226.00, including state taxes. That price was pretty much the same as in 1970, as I had been dreaming of buying that gun for some time.

Thanks to the huge pay increase we had gotten in the Armed Forces in November of 1971, our pay had gone up to $288.00 a month (before taxes). The Rifle and Accessories kit had cost me close to a month's wages as an 18 year old Marine Private, after taxes were paid.

Gus

 

[Eric Krewson]

We used to buy last years TC Renegades on a clearance sale from Ron Shirks Shooters Supply for $90, this was in the early 70s. He had the same clearance sale every year for several years.

We bought Martin Howatt hunter recurves on a year end closeout for $90 as well from the Bowhunter Discount Warehouse.

 

[innocent bystander]

Wow! Sounds like I got a better deal than I thought when I bought my TC Hawken kit in 1978 for $80 (was on sale for $20 off).

 

[tenngun]

I have a lot better job now then I did in the 70s, and am well in the middle of the middle class... but it used to take me about three months to save for a new gun, now it takes me a year :hmm: oh well.

 

[Zonie]

For those who want something that will calculate the value of a dollar or the price of something "now" and "then", here's a link you might open.

I suggest saving it in your computers "favorites" or "bookmark" area. I think it comes in handy often enough to be worth saving.

https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl


Using it, I find that I would have to spend $133,336.51 today to buy the house I bought for $20,000 in 1970. :shocked2:

 

[BrownBear]

My brother bought a new Camaro for around $2k the first year of release, drove it for 30k then parked it in the barn when life moved on. Otherwise stock and cherry. Last spring he turned down a $30k offer.

Last laugh was his because our dad gave him no end of grief at the time for spending "so much" on a car. If our dad was still alive I'm sure my brother would have sold the Camaro in a heartbeat, just to point out that he sold it for 3x more than my folks paid for the home of our youth!

 

[Louisk]

Funny. Who would know it? Just hanging on to my old comic book collection could have potentially brought in enough extra change to buy several very nice custom muzzleloaders.

From what I see, a fairly nice custom rifle can be had for a month's take home pay or less of a regular working guy. I just wonder how many months someone would have to work for an eighteenth century rifle in the eighteenth century.

 

[Redstick Lee]

my 1st muzzle-loader was a used Firearms International Brazil (Not FIE) .45 rifle with a round barrel so thin that shooting in the dark we would watch it turn orange with every shot than immediately cool back to blue.
Dad gave $40 for it in 1973

 

[Eric Krewson]

The calculator is right on; I put in the initial purchase price of my last two houses and found the calculator is correct on what the would sell for today in N Alabama.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Speaking of prices and calculators.

I recall in 1972 when my brother went to college he spent something like $200 (with student discount!) for a HP-35 calculator that could do Trig Functions!

My Dad hit the roof.

Similar calculator (TI-30Xa) goes for $8.99 now. ;-)


I believe I paid $125 for my first T/C Renegade.

I know I paid $179 for my T/C New Englander (smoothbore) that was a "kit" with finished metal but 95% complete stock. I believe the rifle barrel was another $100.

 

[William O.]

In 1978, I won a finished TC Hawken on a ticket. The kits were selling at this particular shop for $159.95 +tx. I notice they had displayed Armsport flintlock Hawken kits for $139.95. I asked the owner questions as I'm new to knowing anything other than they were muzzleloaders and called that because they were loaded from the muzzle. What was difference between the two? He said where they're made, type of patch box and at the time TC had more calibers and types. And TC had a LIMITED warranty(meaning they probably wouldn't fix it.)." He proceeded an education seminar between customers and He sank that hook deeper. I took the Armsport kit in .54 cal; 2# BP Goex 2 and 4 F;, A finishing kit, a shooters kit, and I bought the rest to start. It took a couple weeks, a couple hours each night. He was my go to ML shop because of the conversation and suggestions. He never cheated me and always gave suggestions, recommended things and we became friends. He moved to TX in 1988. Haven't heard anything from or of him since.The customer base of skinners called him "Ol' Rusty Brains" Because of the rusty red hair.
Powder was around $4a#, balls were about $3.50-100;The rest I started making and acquiring the buckskinning way. 1989 I started reenacting from F&I 1750's up through the [strike]Corpse[/strike] of Discovery (Lewis & Clark) 1820. Rusty's Rules still apply for me today: "Get it by 1 Making it; 2 Make your items and trade for it; 3 straight up trade for it; and lastly if you really need it, Buy It." He also said when you have stuff you want to get rid of, stuff you no longer have use for, give it to a family that's starting in the sport as a pay forward....or sell it. Sorry this was long,... like the prices got.

No offense but I think spellcheck got in your way as I think you meant "Corps" of Discovery.

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

Yep, got me agin. It wernt no group a seeking sumpin in a cemetery, like it reads thar. I keep closin at dar funktion off, but she's like an old girl friend. She just gotta keep making things tough on a guy. lol (readin better when I git 'er shut down.)

 

[hanshi]

My first muzzle gun, an H&A, was $75 and came with a mold, powder solvent, a flask and a fine leather gun case, which I still have. Dupont BP was a buck & sales tax for a 1 pound can.

Thank you again, Federal Reserve. :2 :cursing:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Purchased my TC hawken kit at Woolco in Landsdale PA for $99.99 in January 1973. A pound of Goex at Ron Shirk's Shooter Supply was $2.40. It is hard to say what that would be in today's dollars. Minimum wage was around $2.40

 

[Zonie]

$99.99 in 1973 would be $591.83 in August 2018.

Your $2.40 powder in 1973 would cost $14.21.

Of course, that was before the invention of a "Hazardous" fee got tacked on to the price of black powder.

Even powder dealers get stuck with that added cost so they pass it on to the customer.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Zonie, I always wonder about those "today's price would be" things. I have a December 1939 local Newspaper. A brand spanking new Pontiac was $589.99. A brand new General Electric 7 cubic foot refrigerator was $579.99. If only I could buy a new car now for a few dollars over the price of a refrigerator.