Good Olde Dayes 2

Marketing / Advertising, The Gun Thing

Last week I looked at offensive ads from days gone by — and by “offensive”, I mean things that would “offend” the Permanently Sensitive Set, bless their little snowflake hearts.

While doing the research, I also happened on some still-more offensive ads — guaranteed to get others’ feeeewings all tearful (except for those who frequent this website, that is.  Actually, they are enough to make even me a little tearful, but not for the reasons one would expect).  Here’s a sample:

There’s hunting:

Now it’s time for some cismale gendernormative patriarchal fascism (I think I got that right):

And guns for Christmas — nothing like a visit from ol’ Santy bearing the right kind of gift:

(Note the publication for the above ad…)

Now it’s time for a little “flowers” advertising (back the hearse up to the door, and let them smell the flowers):

And then there’s the simple choice:

And one last reminder:

I wonder what the number is for the AR15 and AK-47?  Let’s look at some other options:

And speaking of which, note the prices:

Now that’s enough to make me weep.

17 comments

  1. Nice nostalgic stroll through a time when sanity was the norm and I was there.
    At least half those ads have had direct influence on aspects of my life.
    Starting with the first ad, I have a 1921 circa version, my grandpappy’s gun, of that Winchester model 12 (12ga) that put pheasants on the table for 3 generations of my family, so far. My one instance of Iver Johnson experience was despair having been sent back to the factory twice for feed problems and never fixed but then traded in on a Beretta Bobcat which I own still. Thanks for the mammaries.

  2. I remember those pump action Daisy air rifles. Mine had gone through a bunch of family members before it got to me. I’d guess that it was made in the 1930s and it was pretty well worn out when I shot it at age eight. It would launch a BB in the general direction of a paper plate target and sometimes even hit it at 10 yards. I don’t remember what happened to that particular gun. It may have gone on to another younger cousin.

    A couple of years ago I visited the Daisy Museum in Rogers Arkansas and picked up the modern version of that pump rifle in the gift shop. I think that I paid about $25 for it. It shoots straight but just to prove the old line that you can’t go home again, it isn’t the same gun. Too much plastic and it even has a safety so that this old man doesn’t shoot his eye out. At my age it wouldn’t make much difference anyway.

  3. I’ll take the Savage automatic pistol, an FNC, and a VZ24, please. AIM had a batch of the VZs for sale a few years ago, which had been rearsenaled by the Russkis. The damn commies had ground off those beautiful BRNO lion crests. 🙁

    I did score a CZ P10C after goin’ shootin’ on the 4th. 🙂

  4. In the olden days I was given guns for Christmas, as an 11 year old I would come home from school, get my single shot .22 bolt action and go hunting rabbits. When I was 14 in 1959 having a whole brick of .22 Super X made me a rich kid, at least I felt that way. My high school after school job was in a fantastic hardware store where we sold all sorts of new and used guns. Part of my job was cleaning up the used ones and then of course I would go test them and looking back at the prices I wish I had purchased some of the the surplus stuff instead of spending my money on cars and girls.

    Over the years I did pick up some of the old military rifles and regret I put off buying more because I always thought they would be there and still be bargains but those times are gone. It does make me feel good knowing that here in the good old USA we, the people, own a heck of a lot of guns and ammunition. As for the incredible prices in the 1950’s and 60’s I remember as a college student living in a furnished one bed room apartment for $35 per month so I guess that inflation thing is real, I just looked up and $100 in 1963 would be $820 today and that would still make those goodies bargains adjusted for time.

  5. That Colt ’03 or ’08 is a nice gun. It’s concealable in a roomy pocket even though it’s not that stubby. Easy to get out with the shrouded hammer. Mine was made in ’39 and still shoots fine, it’s just that I don’t….

  6. Still have Remington M581 22 from my high school days, and my Ruger MkI 22 pistol that I bought new in ’77.

    Found this in the 90 Miles From Tyranny Mystery Box–scroll down for a nice photo of Mr. and Mrs. Reagan with I believe, a Winchester M 63.

    http://ninetymilesfromtyranny.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-90-miles-mystery-box-episode-674.html#more

    More blast from the past. “Guns” magazine–

    https://gunsmagazine.com/classic-issues/classic-guns-magazine-editions/

  7. The only outrage I feel is that I was born too late to take advantage of those prices.

  8. Every now and then I find my old pre-63 “Ye Olde Hunter’s Catalog. And I remember I had the $$ to buy that Solothurn 20mm($189.95)… but I couldn’t figure how to smuggle the crate passed the old man and into the garage.(I was 16 at the time.)

  9. I have to check to be sure, but I think Boys’ Life magazine advertised .22 rifles into about 1971.

    And those prices! From before the government figured out that if you debase the coinage no one will know what’s a reasonable price anymore, or if they really are keeping up with inflation.

  10. I bought a P-38 for not much more than that special price. I should have bought 3 Mausers instead.

  11. What a fantastic collection, thank you! I would have been the boys’ age when these came out.

    I especially like the “Attention Politicians” ad.

    I miss that country.

  12. The prices shown on those adverts do indeed cause a tear to the eye but I am pleased to observe that on the very last advertisement by Western Military Arms (in California!!), without any prior knowledge of the existence of said page, I appear have accumulated all but two of the gems depicted therein. Sadly remain lacking a Luger and Carcano. Just can’t bring myself to cough up over 1K for a mediocre sample of a Luger and frankly don’t like the Carcano much.

  13. It’s those last 4 adverts that make me so miserable. I was around when they were current. I didn’t buy anything as, like Old Texan, I assumed they’d be around forever so cars, women and motorbikes, (not necessarily in that order), were where all my funds, (such as they were), went. Another thing I got wrong. (Though they’d all have been confiscated in the great gun purge, I coulda shot them in the meantime).

  16. Back in the last golden days of surplus in the mid-90’s I saw an ad in Shotgun News for a deal on a Russian Makarov, WITH a 3200 round case of 9x18MM ammo for some ridiculous price like $129.

    I should have bought ten of them.. 🙁

Comments are closed.