Oh, The Memories

Memories of times when we enjoyed a tad more freedom in this Sceptred Isle.
L1A1 SLR...... £245
M1 Garand.... £250
BREN (semi).. £325
SMLE............ £70
P08 Luger...... £150-£325 depending on condition and accessories present.
No4 Mk1....... £70
7.62 NATO.... £12/100
.303 HXP...... £17.50/100
Just been to my dad's for the weekend and found an old copy of Guns Review Magazine from 1987 in the loft.
At the time, to put it in perspective, the SLR or Garand would have cost me a whole month's take-home pay, so today's equivalent (for the same rank), would be about £1600.
I know some of our US cousins can remember Barrels of Lee Enfields for $9.00 in their local hardware stores, but this is a magazine from when I applied for my first Firearm Certificate, so these are my "hardware store" prices.
Merry Christmas.

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Originally Posted by harry mac

Memories of times when we enjoyed a tad more freedom in this Sceptred Isle.

SMLE............ ?70

No4 Mk1....... ?707.62 NATO.... ?12/00
.303 HXP...... ?17.50/100
Just been to my dad's for the weekend and found an old copy of Guns Review Magazine from 1987 in the loft.

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Around the same time a SMLE or No4 in 410 shotgun were GBP ?80 in Exchange & Mart magazine

Edit - I guess the forum glitch may only be recognising US$ and doesn't want GBP

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Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

Around the same time a SMLE or No4 in 410 shotgun were GBP £80 in Exchange & Mart magazine

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In the same magazine W. Parr (Firearms) International is advertising "Military Rifles Bored to .410". Several flavours of Mauser from £75-£80, SMLE & No4 for £90 and £85, and just for good measure, a .410 Bren for £350.

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Originally Posted by harry mac

In the same magazine W. Parr (Firearms) International is advertising "Military Rifles Bored to .410". Several flavours of Mauser from ?75-?80, SMLE & No4 for 90 and 85, and just for good measure, a .410 Bren for ?350.

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But thinking back - it was probably more like the late 60's / early 70's. I was married with kids by 1980

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end ..........................

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Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

But thinking back - it was probably more like the late 60's / early 70's. I was married with kids by 1980

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end ..........................

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Funnily enough, the year before this, a friend of my dad's had been made redundant and was selling stuff hand over fist to tide him over 'til he could find another job, and he asked my dad if I'd be interested in a semi auto Bren for £100. Unfortunately, at that time I only had a shotgun certificate so had to pass on it. I did buy a Russian semi-auto 12b shotgun off him though for £40, which I used for years. Probably the best £40 I ever spent.

Purchased my first No4 in 1983 from Tom Collins New Kent Road London for ?35 & a year later a L1A1 Unissued Lithgow for ?300, Still have the No4, but lost the SLR after Hungerford

Does Tom Collins ever bring back memories of greasy fish and chips in newspaper, the bog in the back yard and shooting pistols in the basement.
THOSE were the days!!!!:lol:
Airfare over the pond with a hotel for a week for $350.00 dollars and London tube pass for 6 zones included.

Yea, Those were the days. I bought my first No 1 Mk III in about 1963 at a big dept store in William's Lake B.C.. It was in a barrel full of rifles.I think the price was 15 dollars. I was only thirteen and I don't remember any paperwork or hassle at all.

I remember when K-Mart in Bunbury was selling rifles and ammunition!

Like many others in the UK I started collecting old service rifles in 1975 as 'smoothbores' as they could be had on an easily obtained shotgun certificate. Of course, my first acquisition just had to be a 1918 SMLE, for the princely sum of 17.50 GBP!

Roger,
Smoothbore SMLE shotgun 17.50 GBP in 1975 you were robbed...............I lived in a shoebox on a motorway :lol:
Amazing pricing stuff back then in OUR lifetimes, and the stable Firearms Lawa aound ALL weapons......NEVER again sadly, they would love to see all weapons banned, certainly this side of the pond!!!

17.50 GBP?

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Originally Posted by Warren

Does Tom Collins ever bring back memories of greasy fish and chips in newspaper, the bog in the back yard and shooting pistols in the basement.

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And customers coming in to get for paraffin for their stoves. A bull terrier who called in for his daily biscuit.

Yes Gil, 17.50 GBP. Then I bought a peach of a LB 1944 No4 for the same price........you pay that much for a butt plate for one now.

I often look back just for fun. Missed out on a lot but also got some really great surplus firearms at decent prices. A couple favorites: 1943 Sako M39 with all matching numbers and a beautifully striped wartime stock. Got it around 15 years ago for $200.00. No4 Mk2 made by Faz dated 8/49. This one is all matching and appears to have been used by some military. The date leads me to believe it was used by Britain, perhaps in Korea. Got it for $150.00 back when Russian Mosins were everywhere for $100.00 and a full case of ammo could be had for $70.00. Never did find good cheap .303.

There have been recent surplus guns available from a few countries but they seem to be drying up. And when they show up the prices are way higher and ammo isn't cheap if you can find any.