Clear Back To 1975

I've been obsessed with guns and hunting for as long as I can remember. The year was 1975 and I was 11 years old. I saved my money up and bought the 1975 Guns Illustrated Journal. I swear I looked through the pages everyday for over a year. I have no idea how it held up so well, other than I considered a sacred script and always handled it with care. I marveled over all the guns in it, fantasized over some day owning many of the guns. I was shocked at the price of many of the rifles being $400-$500 with one rifle a Champlin Rifle bolt action costing an unbeliveable $1280.00. Those prices were mind staggering to someone that was trying to figure out how he would ever have enough money to buy a Remingtion 700 BDL for $189.00. Happily over my lifetime I've owned many model 700's from ADL's to full blown custom rifles. So some of my childhood dreams were exceeded. However, there was one gun that was featured in an article inside the journal that I wanted more than all the rest. It was a Ruger Single Six 22 LR, with the extra 22WMR cylinder. I read and re-read that article many times. Back then they had one at the local Montgomery Wards for $99.00. I would go in nearly every week and the kind gentleman behind the gun counter would let me hold it and dream about someday owning it. I never knew it would take so long to fulfill that dream. That little pistol had been in the back of my mind my whole life. I never had enough to buy it in my youth, then I was even more broke while going to college. Also while going to college we were raising a young family and all the costs that go with raising kids. Along the way I bought, sold, and traded countless hunting rifles, but never a handgun. Never could justify the cost of a handgun during all those years. Plus the cost of that little Ruger just kept going up and up. Current suggested retail is over $600.00. Last year I was over at a friend's place and he was showing me some new guns he had acquired. There in his collection was a like new Ruger Single Six exactly like I had always wanted. I asked if it was part of the permanent collection or not. He mentioned he might be open to trade negotiations. Long story short it came home with me. All I can say is some things are worth waiting for. Who knew it would take 45 years? What triggered all this and caused me to post? I ran across that old 1975 Guns Illustrated Journal today. Talk about a flood of memories and it fueled my firearms obsession more than anything else in my life. Anyway, I hope y'all don't mind this walk down memory lane Thump-type post. Hopefully a few of you can relate to it.
https://i.ibb.co/KwMZgfW/1975-Guns-Illustrated.jpg

1975 ... that was the year I handed in my military M16 and Colt .45 and became a civilian. My first purchase was a Ted Williams (Winchester) 12-ga. shotgun from Sears. My main hang-outs were the Sears, Montgomery Ward and ACE Hardware gun counters back in the day. I have a stack of those old Guns Illustrated catalogs around here someplace. I don't think I ever threw one away. Congrats on the new shootin' iron!

Congrats Troy! Its gonna be fun getting to know that new piece.

Don’t shoot your eye out! Nor your hand!

Congrats!

BKB

Great story!


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Great story and yeah, I can relate. I've always had a yen for a Shilo Sharps in 45/120. A friend had one years ago and I loved shooting that thing.

Troy, your story brings back a flood of memories, grew up looking at Gun Digest. Back in 75 I was into teaching just 4 years, making about 8k a year and had two kids. Not a lot of $$ around for the fun things.
But things got better every year and 7 years ago I finally found what I had wanted for a long time. I love Colts and have collected a number of SAA's dating from 1891 to 2012, back in 2014 I came across a Colt Peacemaker 22/22mag. Got a great deal on it, mf'g in 1977 for only $650.
When you showed your picture with that 1975 Guns Illustrated it got me to thinking I have an old one someplace, and found mine tucked away with a bunch of other old books. Mine is from 1977 and as you can see it cost me $2.99. I looked up what my Colt was selling for new back then and they had it listed for$106.98
Back in 77 that was about two weeks of groceries for us.
Thanks for the memories and have fun shooting your new toy, makes me want to take mine out again.Attachment 12389

JB, that was just the kind of story I was hoping this post would inspire. I enjoyed that thank you.

Yessir.

BKB

Cool stories BS and jb, glad you found your treasures.