Posted on 03/05/2026 6:45:15 AM PST by marktwain
We live in a golden age that far surpasses all previous golden ages. Some call it the Industrial Revolution. Some say it is the digital revolution. This correspondent refers to it as the petroleum age.
Those who live in golden ages seldom consider themselves to be living in a golden age. To them, having been born in, and growing up in a golden age, it is simply normal, what is. Some, perhaps after the golden age is gone, may reflect on what was lost.
The petroleum age differs from all previous ages because it is where we learned to extract energy from the earth and make that energy available to the vast majority of people. The precursor was the age of coal. Coal had replaced wood as the primary heating source in many cities by 1850. By 1900, 270 million short tons were being produced in the United States. That was 3.5 tons for every person in the United States. But coal was not nearly as accessible to most people
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
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It’s indeed a good time for firearms with two caveats. Go into a gun store now and everything is black, ugly, and “tactical”. 50% of pistols today look like a robot penis or something. Everything matte black or parkerized. Wood is rare. No blueing etc. they all seem like machine tools.
And I remember the shotgun news era of the early 90s. Beautiful classic surplus guns were everywhere. Things I passed over back then are extremely expensive now. Mauser 96 pistols in excellent shape with the wooden holster stock. Inglis Hi-Powers with stocks, Mauser rifles from everywhere… I remember near perfect South African Boer Mausers.
It was good times….
But great article….. sigh
Even poorer Americans today live better than the kings of 200 years ago. In the middle of the winter, when you turn the spigot on you’ll get hot water. Every time. It’s amazing, actually.
Pity that today’s Democrats are determined to end this. All the name of equity, or saving the Earth, or whatever.
🙁
Quality arms with more classic designs are also available as are premium items (e.g. Walther’s bullpup straight pull RS3) but this article is more about the commodization of defense.
Not sure “golden age” until we can restore national carry and bury the GCA and NFA but the intent of those leftists is destroyed. They wanted burdens and expenses and taxes to price defense out of the people’s hands to usher in total bans but instead anyone with any sort of job can afford *something* that is reliable and effective.
Materially
Yeah, I used to get Shotgun News mostly for the ads. A few years ago I was cleaning out some old boxes and found an issue from 2004. There was an ad from J & G for Australian .308 at $160/1000 rounds, which I thought was way too expensive back then. Schmidt-Rubins for under $300, I could go on and on.
Just to put my two cents in, I used to buy .22 long rifle cartridges for .50 cents a box. 1 cent a round.
Let me fix that:
Not sure “golden age” until we can restore unrestricted carry as defined by the 2nd amendment.
Yep, I remember that, but I also was only getting paid 85 cents an hour.
Yes. I remember .22 Long Rifle at 47 cents per box of 50, about 1968.
$.47 in 1968 is equivalent to $4.39 today. There is lots of good .22 Long Rifle ammunition available at lower prices than that. Here is a link to an article showing 111 years of .22 Long Rifle prices, adjusted to constant dollars.
https://www.ammoland.com/2022/06/111-years-of-22-lr-rimfire-prices/
My brother had plenty of good, safe places to shoot in upstate New York.
Here in flat Florida, I’d have pay for range time.
That Walther is hideous! LOL And 5000 USD? A Remington 700 from the 70s or 80s blows it away in beauty and accuracy. And Weatherby back then makes it an embarrassment.
And oh yes, this IS indeed a golden age. Ask anyone about concealed carry in the 70s or 80s. Generally not happening back then. And gun stores were a cornucopia of stunning Colts, Smith and Wessons, Brownings, Marlins, etc that were normal stocking items, not a premium.
And the 22s were incredible back then also. Smith and Wesson 422.... model 41, Colt Woodsman, Rugers, Brownings, they were beauties to be enjoyed. Everyone wasn’t running around pretending they were tactical Timmy and needed a picatinny rail for million candlepower lights etc.
And as he said, ammo has never been cheaper or more abundant. (except for the DC jackasses stopping the import of Chinese and Russian AK ammo)
Sickening to read through an old shotgun news! lol....What coulda been....
Not to mention that the QUALITY of the 22LR ammo today is far better with just a little consumer choice needed to get it.
You make an important point.
Comparing prices for a commodity item across time cannot be made meaningful by a simple dollar to dollar comparison.
One must account of inflation. Modern manufacturing methods delivers the goods with less fundamental costs per unit (energy, raw materials & human labor). Yet prices are often higher.
It’s because the valué of the dollar has been also greatly reduced through inflation. Another factor of course is higher overhead and administrative costs due to government regulations.
You bought a box of .22LR for a ha'penny? LOL!
I think you meant to write either $0.50 or 50 cents ... Now go run that fiddy-cent through an inflation calculator and convert it to 2026 "dollars".
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