Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Lurker
I wish I'd bought 6 of 'em when I had the chance. Fine shooters for $125.00 each.

I don't mean to ruin your day, but in the late 1950's I used to order surplus .303 SMLEs from the Sears catalog for $9.95 plus $1.50 postage to have them mailed to my door. Of course that was before inflation devalued the dollar into almost nothing compared to then and $1 an hour was the normal starting pay for most jobs in my neck of the woods that didn't require a college degree. I would cut down the forearm wood, reshaped the stock a little to make them look more like a sporting rifle and touched up the metal with cold bluing then resold them for 2 or 3 bucks profit, which I usually used to buy surplus .303 ammo.

An online inflation calculator that I often use says that $9.95 in 1959 equaled $70.76 in today's inflated dollars, so I guess $125 for a .303 Enfield isn't as far out of line as I first thought.

167 posted on 03/10/2008 10:17:24 AM PDT by epow (The scriptures teach that rulers should be men who rule in the fear of God, - Noah Webster,1823)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 164 | View Replies ]


To: epow
so I guess $125 for a .303 Enfield isn't as far out of line as I first thought.

These aren't .303 Enfields. They're the Ishapore Arsenal Enfield chambered for 7.62 NATO. While they're unmistakeably SMLE's, they're chambered for a common military cartridge and have no problem digesting commercial .308 ammo.

Enfeild purists turn their noses up at 'em for some reason.

I don't care. They're darn fine shooters for the money. I 'sporterized' one and put the other two away for a rainy day...

L

169 posted on 03/10/2008 10:29:46 AM PDT by Lurker (Pimping my blog: http://lurkerslair-lurker.blogspot.com/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 167 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson