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[bradtx]

I forgot about the bayonets, John! Which for some reason caused me to remember that not even KOOL AID could stem the aluminum taste from the canteens. Modern army-navy stores seem to lack the proper smell, also.

Hank, That goes hand-in-hand with one of my favorite storys as a kid. Nobody thought a thing about a group of us riding our bicycles, .22s held by our thumbs on the handlebars on our way to the city dump to shoot rats. I still have that Sears lever action .22 I begged for in '61.

Brad

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[Hank Stone]

I forgot about the bayonets, John! Which for some reason caused me to remember that not even KOOL AID could stem the aluminum taste from the canteens. Modern army-navy stores seem to lack the proper smell, also.

Hank, That goes hand-in-hand with one of my favorite storys as a kid. Nobody thought a thing about a group of us riding our bicycles, .22s held by our thumbs on the handlebars on our way to the city dump to shoot rats. I still have that Sears lever action .22 I begged for in '61.

Brad

OH yes rat hunting,we had a dump by the White Stone Bridge in the Bronx NY.We would pull in at night turn the headlights off for a time,then turn them on,wall to wall rats,open fire.Kids cant have fun like that any longer,it's agents the laws now.

[smle-man]

That would cost $543 in today's bucks! That sure seems expensive. The rifle itself cost $84 in 2009 dollars. Hunters and shooters must've been desparate for sporters right after the war.

[kcw]

That would cost $543 in today's bucks! That sure seems expensive. The rifle itself cost $84 in 2009 dollars. Hunters and shooters must've been desparate for sporters right after the war.

The "fair trade" laws of the time, under which the manufacturers dictated the retail prices of commercial items, made new guns very expensive. Moreover the conversion from military to civilian production took some time. Ammo was still rationed well into the 1946, early 47. Add to that the HUGE demand for anything that shot by returning veterans who'd developed a love of shooting during their service..
SMLE's seemed to be a popular surplus choice in my neck of the woods. I'm guessing that the Brits dumped them in huge quantity right after the war. They were the cheapest thing on the rack at the "Outdoor Store" on Main Street. Various U.S weapons showed up some time later but were always much more expensive.
As a kid I recall the "gun corner" of that store being greasy,dark and smelly, just like the guns on the rack. Loose rounds from torn cardboard boxes cluttered the floor. The lady shop keeper just swept them into the corner. I recall a sign that ammo was 5 to 8 cents a round depending on caliber. Everything dried up quickly after the 1968 ban on surplus importation.