The Good Old Days I – The 1961 Gun Digest

by | Nov 2, 2020 | Guns, History, Outdoors | 231 comments

The Good Ol’ Days

Who doesn’t like a bit of nostalgizing?  Let’s take a look back to days long gone.  Or, at least, to 1961.

The Year

The year was 1961.  John Kennedy was President for most of the year, having assumed office from Dwight Eisenhower on January 20th. Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.  The CIA engaged in a huge cluster-foul-up at the Bay of Pigs.

I was also born in 1961.  The day after my birth a volcano exploded on the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, after which the island’s entire human population had to be evacuated to Britain.  The refugees remained in Britain until 1963.  I can neither confirm nor deny any involvement in that eruption.  I’m sure the timing was just a coincidence.

Being no more immune to nostalgia than anyone else, I have a small collection of memorabilia from that year, including a stack of pulp sci-fi mags, a National Geographic or two, and a 1961 Gun Digest.  When one looks through the contents of that 1961 Gun Digest today, it’s a cause for wonder.  Here’s why.

By Way of Background

Gun Digest, described as “The Encyclopedia for Shooters,” is an annual book about firearms, published originally by Gun Digest Media, which is now owned by Caribou Media, LLC.  The first annual edition came out in 1944, due to missing a couple of years this particular copy of mine is a representative of the 15th annual edition.

Each annual edition (at least in those years) followed a format:  Some articles by leading gun writers on a variety of topics, which in the Sixties normally included formal target competition and the outdoor sports, which was the main focus of most shooters in those days.  This was followed by a catalog of guns available for sale from both American and foreign manufacturers, along with the suggested retail prices of those pieces.

Looking back from today, those prices are pretty amazing.  Of course – at the risk of sounding like a really old fart – in those days, a dollar was worth something.

The Book

My 1961 edition sold at the bookstores for $2.95.  This was in a year when the average American home cost $17,000, a first-class stamp was four cents, a gallon of gas was thirty cents, a gallon of milk, fifty cents.

The cover features a drawing by James M. Triggs of a gun “Not yet announced publicly, this gas operated, magnum calibered sporting carbine makes a new “first” for a great American gun designer.”  The designer was Bill Ruger, the gun, the Ruger .44 Magnum carbine.

Articles included:

Outshoot the Russians, by John Maynard.  This isn’t a bit of Cold War military angst, but rather a story of the U.S. rifle and pistol team’s preparations for the 1960 Rome Olympics.

243 or 244? By Warren Page, a discussion of the various merits of the .243 Winchester and .244 Remington (which later became the 6mm Remington) in the game fields.  This is an interesting piece by one of the great gun scribes, even though we know now how that competition played out.

8-Gauge Guns, by Nash Buckingham.  This piece compares the shot capacities of the then-new 3” magnum 12-gauge and 3 ½” 10-gauge rounds with the old 8-gauge market hunter’s guns, and finds that the new ammo packs more wallop indeed than the old loads.

Slappin’ Leather by Dick Simmons, an examination of the various Western-style gunbelts, holsters and general rigs for the single-action shooter.  It’s important to note that this is around the time that the explosion of Western movies and television started the “quick-draw” fad that eventually morphed into cowboy action shooting.

Kill Deer! By Allyn H. Tedmon.  This piece is a treatise on how to zero and otherwise prepare your hunting rifle for deer season, so, as the article’s tag line goes, you can “Kill your own buck – don’t let the camp hotshot do it for you!”

What I don’t see in the 1961 edition is any discussion of concealed-carry pieces, as most jurisdictions were still denying these across the country.  Also missing is any discussion of body armor, tactical clothing, or any of the assorted Tacticool conversations that dominate gun magazines these days, reminding us that this was indeed a different time.

What I Wish

More than anything, I wish I could buy some of these guns today at the prices listed in my 1961 Gun Digest.  Here are some highlights:

How much would a brand-new Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum set you back today?  In 1961, the Model 29 was listed in Gun Digest with 4”, 6” or 8 3/8” barrels for the princely sum of $140.  Mind you that’s about $1220 today.

In 1961 Remington was selling the Model 11-48, a gas-powered semi-auto shotgun that was the predecessor of the famous 1100, for between $122 and $152, depending on trim.  In 2020 dollars, that ranges from $1062 to about $1325.  Speaking of semi-autos, in 1961 you could get a brand-new Belgian Sweet Sixteen Browning Auto-5, nicely appointed, for $164, or about $1427 in today’s dollars.

How about a Pigeon Grade Winchester Model 12 in Skeet or Trap trim, with ventilated rib, for $345?  That’s about three grand in today’s currency, which you’d probably pay for a premium shotgun of this quality.

Here’s the interesting thing about those prices:  Take a look at them in today’s dollars, and these are some damnably expensive guns, even the rather plain-Jane ones like the 11-48.  You can get solid, effective firearms today for much less money, after taking inflation into account, and nostalgia aside, that’s a really good thing.

But here’s the thing about 1961:  When this 15th edition of Gun Digest was new, you could order any of these guns – including the handguns – from a catalog, mail in a check, and have the gun sent directly to your home address.  And, somehow, the world held itself together.

No longer.  That’s not such a good thing.

And so…

Nostalgia is fun.

Granted, in lots of ways the “Good Old Days” weren’t all that great.  Medical treatments have made great strides since 1961.  We have the internet, we have satellite communications, we have cheap and (reasonably) comfortable air travel; all over the planet, the average standard of living is higher than it has ever been at any point in human history.

It’s hard to know where we’re going when we forget where we’ve been.  We’ve seen a gazillion guns laws passed since 1961, most of them with the stated intent of reducing crime, and none have been shown to have any effect other than making life difficult for the law-abiding.

Still.  I’d love to be able to go back somehow and pick up a pre-64 Model 70, brand-new, off the rack in the local sporting-goods store.  And nowadays, when I contemplate my every-year-older-and-uglier visage in the mirror every morning, it’s more fun than ever to see the state of the gun market and the shooting sports in the year of my birth.

 

 

About The Author

Animal

Animal

Semi-notorious local political gadfly and general pain in the ass. I’m firmly convinced that the Earth and all its inhabitants were placed here for my personal amusement and entertainment, and I comport myself accordingly. Vote Animal/STEVE SMITH 2024!

231 Comments

  1. R C Dean

    1962 baby here.

    I have the Life magazine from my birth month. The cover is a nuclear explosion. Like you, I can neither confirm nor deny, etc.

    • blackjack

      I’m a 1966 birth. I have a 1966 Harley XLCH and I’ve had two ’66 Chevelles. Judging by them, it was a good year. The XLCH I bought when I was 17 and I still somehow have it.

      • Stillhunter

        I had an ‘88 sportster 1200 in the 90s that I always said I’d never sell. Didn’t work out that way, but it turns out the bottom end went out on the motor after I sold it, so win for me I guess.

        My dad is a retired H-D mechanic and still has his 1990 FLHT, which has some uh.. improvements done to the motor and other mods. I’ve been trying to buy it from him since he doesn’t ride anymore, but no dice.

    • Animal

      Some time back I was in one of those “team building” exercises where everyone had to answer a series of questions. One of them was “What happened the first time your parents left you at home alone” My answer was “The Cuban Missile Crisis.”

      I don’t think some of the younger folks got it.

    • Ownbestenemy

      ’79 here but I do love some nostalgia. Nice article Animal.

    • Surly Knott

      1951 here. I Love Lucy on TV and The Day the Earth Stood Still in theaters.

    • Necron 99

      1965 here. I wasn’t born yesterday, but I was born when Yesterday was number 1.

      • Bobarian LMD

        Me too.

    • Hyperion

      “1962 baby here.”

      Get off my porch, snapper!

  2. juris imprudent

    Medical treatments have made great strides since 1961.

    Not sure we’ve gotten the better end of that bargain; healthcare back then was about 5% of GDP, today it is upward of 17%.

    • leon

      Joe “I’ll take your guns away” Biden will fix that.

    • Animal

      I bought two in October, but both were C&R pieces that won’t show up in that number, as there was no background check. Dealer – to – licensed collector transfer. So, take that number and add two.

      • Stillhunter

        I just pulled the trigger (hah!) on a diy glock 17. So mine won’t show up either.

    • R C Dean

      Not me. Picked up some more 9mm self-defense ammo, was all. About a buck a round, I believe.

      • juris imprudent

        You begin to question if your life is worth it.

      • Bobarian LMD

        And that is a bargain, from what I’ve seen.

    • Gustave Lytton

      I think the only thing slowing those numbers down is inventory.

      I picked up 200rds 9mm/150rds 5.56/100rds 380/40rds .223 on Saturday.

      • Not Adahn

        A case of 9mm is supposed to be on its way to me.

    • EvilSheldon

      Guns and gun accessories have been a little more available lately. Ammo is still a mess.

  3. CatchTheCarp

    The video in the morning thread had footage from the Texas Biden bus incident that I had not seen before. All the footage I had seen on TV and social media shows what appears to be the truck side swiping the white SUV driven by Team Blue staff. After seeing the unedited footage it actually the white SUV trying to force its way into the trucks lane. The only thing the “investigation” will likely result in is the driver of the white SUV being ticketed.

    Perhaps the Trump supporters were just taking Maxine Waters advice:

    ““Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up,” Waters told a crowd in California over the weekend. “If you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd, and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”

  4. PieInTheSky

    , even though we know now how that competition played out. – I don’t

    • Caput Lupinum

      .243 won. Now you know.

      • PieInTheSky

        why? what was better at it? and does 0.001 make a difference? were they not interchangeable?

      • UnCivilServant

        Bore diameter is not the only measure of a cartridge.

      • PieInTheSky

        there are also different colors

      • Not Adahn

        Red goes three times as fast, but mauve has the most RAM.

      • Bobarian LMD

        The color of the stock determines how likely it is to commit assault.

        Black Guns Matter.

      • Caput Lupinum

        The .244 is actuality slightly smaller in diameter than the .243, at 6.18 mm and 6.2 mm respectively; the names of ammunition should never be taken at face value. In any event, the biggest difference was with the rifles not the ammo. Remington shipped their .244 rifled with a 1 in 12 twist that optimized velocity but couldn’t stabilize heavier bullets, while Winchester had a 1 in 10 which was better for heavier rounds. Consequently .244 was initially offered with more light rounds which gave the impression that it was a varmint round not suitable for medium game like deer, and when rounds heavier than 90 grains were used the lower twist couldn’t stabilize the bullets making the gun inaccurate; since many people considered 100 grains the lowest acceptable mass for hunting deer, that was a problem. Those two combined left many with the impression that it was an inaccurate varmint caliber that couldn’t be trusted to take a deer reliably, so the .243 ended up winning out.

      • PieInTheSky

        I hope someone at Remington was fired for this. heavy is good. heavy is reliable.

      • PieInTheSky

        also rifling should be standardized by government decree

      • EvilSheldon

        Fuck that noise. You can have my 1:6.5-twist 5.56mm AR when you pry it from my warm recently-deceased hands.

      • PieInTheSky

        I have zero understanding of rifling ratios but okay sure. Do you have a preferred method of death?

      • R C Dean

        Pie is salty today, isn’t he?

      • PieInTheSky

        I am certainly not. gingerly maybe…

      • EvilSheldon

        I prefer bazinga, but would settle for snu-snu.

      • mexican sharpshooter

        You can have my 1:6.5-twist 5.56mm AR

        That’s…different.

      • Not Adahn

        Is Eurorifling the same as Murican, or do they have a fuked-up metric conversion?

      • Sean

        Is polygonal rifling considered Eurorifling?

      • Not Adahn

        I was thinking about how the twist rate is in inches.

      • DEG

        Polygonal rifling is British according to the wiki article.

      • PieInTheSky

        Also thanks for the detailed description

      • Caput Lupinum

        Cu plăcere.

      • mock-star

        I have one of those older 1 in 12 twist rate .244s. And it is indeed a serious PITA finding shells with bullet weights under 90 grains.

    • Unreconstructed

      Not a gun nut, but I know too many rednecks I suppose. .243 is a *very* common rifle for deer hunting in the US.

      • PieInTheSky

        if a round is under 10 mm what is even the point?

      • Unreconstructed

        Given the amount of venison I’ve eaten that was taken with a .243, I’d say yummy food.

      • UnCivilServant

        Because not everything need be reduced to chunky salsa in every application.

      • mexican sharpshooter

        Pie thinks he’s into 45-70, but we’ll find out eventually.

      • DEG

        .45-70 Government, the only government I’ll ever need.

        Well… maybe .50-70 Government.

  5. EvilSheldon

    Also missing is any discussion of body armor, tactical clothing, or any of the assorted Tacticool conversations that dominate gun magazines these days,…

    So, nothing interesting then? Pity.

    • R C Dean

      I am feeling like some body armor would not be a bad thing to have, I must admit.

      • PieInTheSky

        no one needs more than a leather jacket

      • Ownbestenemy

        I think that is the one thing that Antifa thugs and us probably agree on and given the recent photos of their ‘protests’ they have already begun to acquire them.

      • Viking1865

        Kyle taught them the importance of body armor.

      • EvilSheldon

        I do feel better having it than not having it.

      • Gustave Lytton

        My plates are still on back order. I’ve been considering buying another set or two in the meantime, even if they don’t match my protection/weight trade off preference.

      • Gustave Lytton

        I’m also wishing I had an AR pistol as well.

      • Sean

        #metoo

        Also, got my gf a set of 3a, trauma pads, and a discreet carrier. She was surprisingly receptive to the gift.

      • UnCivilServant

        “He’s so protective.”

      • Sean

        Not gonna lie, it was kinda hot watching her fitting the body armor.

      • Gustave Lytton

        +1 tight fitting UBAC shirt

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        ^same here. Got the wife IIIa concealed and III+ plates. We’ve both been feeling better since acquiring last Spring.

        Also picked up IIIa vests for the dogs. Very low priority item but weren’t expensive and these get used regularly on hikes around the property.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Well, look at the state of body armor in 1961- steel pot and a flak vest.

      Tactical clothing was equally primitive. Other than a some niche uses, it was generally OD green and widely available at Army Navy stores.

      • Drake

        During a couple of weeks of Boot Camp at Parris Island they issued us Vietnam / Korean War vintage body armor to hike around in. Basically a vest with pots, pans, and weight plates sewn in.

  6. PieInTheSky

    Kill Deer! – the deer may lose some battles but they will win the war

    • Ownbestenemy

      I saw that this weekend and was waiting for the fact check to come out. Sadly, none fell for it.

    • PieInTheSky

      the link says 17

      • Ownbestenemy

        I think that is part of the bit…but who knows, its 2020!

    • leon

      Acosta v. Elisha, 9-0 ruling — All journalists shall be thrown into a pit with a she-bear

      Unanimous too.

      • Viking1865

        The funniest ones are the unanimous ones.

        Taco Bell v. Chad, 9-0 ruling — All Taco Bells must put the Crunchwrap back on the dollar menu

        United States v. Silverman, 9-0 ruling — Annoying celebrity videos telling you to vote are now illegal

      • Bobarian LMD

        Big fan of — Thomas v. Breyer, 8-1 ruling — In favor of stealing Justice Breyer’s milk money and shutting him in a locker

      • Shpip

        For those unfamiliar with the reference, it’s one of the more unusual tales in the Old Testament.

    • Unreconstructed

      Some gems in there…

      Thomas v. Breyer, 8-1 ruling — In favor of stealing Justice Breyer’s milk money and shutting him in a locker

  7. Ownbestenemy

    Uh…I am sure an AG claiming that Trump already lost the state of PA would be censored by Twitter right? Complaining about voter suppression by attempting to actually suppress the voter, lets so how this plays out Cotton.

    God I hope mature heads prevail after this election.

    Josh Shapiro
    @JoshShapiroPA
    ·
    Oct 31
    If all the votes are added up in PA, Trump is going to lose. That’s why he’s working overtime to subtract as many votes as possible from this process.

    For the record, he’s 0-6 against us in court. We’ve protected voting rights. Now, ignore the noise—vote!

    The Donkey can also be the party of stupid; way to open your mouth and sully your chances when the litigation commences on your vote counts.

    • Viking1865

      The Dem AG of Pennsylvania announces on Halloween that he already knows the vote totals.

      Something something norms something something democracy something something rule of law.

  8. Stillhunter

    I have the 1973 version, the year after my birth, sitting on the shelf. Many neat articles, but one I find interesting happens to be about gun control. Parts could be in an article today. Other parts we’ve long lost. They discuss the 1968 GCA, though I forget some specifics.

    Other interesting articles are written by people born in the 19th century. One discusses his childhood on a farm and going deer hunting alone for days at age 12. That’s not legal now and any parent allowing such a thing would be brought up on charges.

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      -1 Davy Crockett

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        (or The Yearling: I don’t remember and don’t want to)

  9. Rebel Scum

    Well, I’m convinced.

    “My path to victory is clear. I just have to unite my vast coalition of poor and rich racists!” the cartoon Trump says at a campaign rally. “I’m looking at you, suburban women, who’s biggest contribution to the black community was renting Get Out on Prime.” …

    “Folks, Trump, COVID, folks, This is about democracy,” the cartoon Biden tells his supporters. “It’s about character. This is about democracy. It’s about character. Jill! I’m stuck in one of those mental loops again.”

    NBC’s Lester Holt also makes off-air-hot mic remarks about the supposed stupidity of Trump supporters willing to vote for the president.

    “It’s Election Day Eve and Americans will finally decide whether Joe Biden ascends to the White House, or Donald Trump beats a referendum on his first term. Goodnight, and go vote,” Holt declares. ‘Are we off the air? I hate that I can only say ‘Go vote.’ Biden has his problems, but you’d have to be a fucking idiot to vote for… ♪ Donald Trump.”

    The “Dems/leftists treat Trump like a cartoon villain” thing was supposed to be a joke. And Colbert used to be funny.

    • Fatty Bolger

      Biden has his problems

      Not that anybody watching NBC would know about them.

    • B.P.

      Colbert cartoon on Showtime… Finally someone has given this man a voice.

    • DEG

      I paid about $250 for my Lee-Enfield No. 5. I don’t remember what I paid for my Garands, my 1903, my 1903A3, and my 1917, but it was probably a lot more than those prices.

      The pictured Kar M98 looks like a Kar 98a. I thought Paraguay never surplused their Mausers?

      $9.95 for a Berthier? I bid on a Remington made Berthier made under contract for the French for the First World War. It had no serial number. French practice for military rifles was to only put a serial number on the rifle after military acceptance. I was outbid and I think it sold for more than $1000.

      • Plinker762

        $200 for my M1 Garand. Had to change the gas cylinder. Serial number under 45000 too.

    • Sean

      I’ll take 2 of each.

    • Chipwooder

      For $10? I’ll buy a few!

  10. CatchTheCarp

    From my birth year…. see if you can guess the year without cheating.

    SS Edmund Fitzgerald is launched.

    Nikita Krushchev becomes premier of the Soviet Union

    USS Wisconsin decommissioned – the first time the US has not had an active battleship since 1896.

    The Giants beat the Dodgers in the first regular season game ever played in California.

    116,000 die from H2N2 pandemic in US

    • PieInTheSky

      1874?

      • CatchTheCarp

        Ouch!

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        The Romanian sense of humor is mordant, evidently.

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      Without cheating? Aw, gee. One of two years in the late 50s.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        ’58? Am still not cheating.

      • CatchTheCarp

        Winner! Your prize is having Pie guess your age.

      • juris imprudent

        either 58 or 59

    • Raven Nation

      ’55?

    • leon

      Sounds like 1989

  11. DEG

    But here’s the thing about 1961: When this 15th edition of Gun Digest was new, you could order any of these guns – including the handguns – from a catalog, mail in a check, and have the gun sent directly to your home address. And, somehow, the world held itself together.

    I’ve had gun grabbers claim that guns have never been as lightly regulated as they are now. Attempts to educate them failed.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Federal background checks date from the Brady Bill in the mid 90’s but everyone, including most Republicans, treat them as if they were handed down by Moses.

      • Viking1865

        The Republicans exist to make sure the thing the Democrats passed 20 years ago are treated as settled law, and the things they passed 40 years ago are treated as founding principles of the nation.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        e.g., EMTALA, PECs clause in HIPAA…

    • PieInTheSky

      During Pax Romana no civilians had guns and the empire was at peace.

      • Drake

        That’s why it ended.

    • juris imprudent

      Attempts to educate them failed.

      You can’t educate someone dedicated to being ignorant.

      • Rebel Scum

        And you can’t reason someone out of a position at which they arrived via emotion.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Is that true, though? Is there an age cutoff, anyway? Some of us here have admitted to being young fuzzy-minded eejits.

        Apostasies in the late-middle-aged or older probably remain rare.

      • DEG

        I was feeling particularly quixotic that day.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Were you arguing with middle schoolers? Because if not Heller…

      • DEG

        Ostensible adults.

  12. PieInTheSky

    starting strength youtube deleted a video… I had watched half of it and had it opened to finish today and it is gone. weird.

    • Drake

      Did Rip say forbidden things about covid?

      • PieInTheSky

        I don’t know. The first bit was mostly pro trump and a debate with a caller who was complaining against trump that working class white men are not doing as good as they should. He said white men are marginalized, rip said no they are not and they had a back and forth talking over another the call ended and that is where I paused.

  13. leon

    I’m just excited for the Election to be over so we can see Who was full of shit and who was wrong. Because the polls are all over the place, and it would be fun to see what statistics comes out of the random number generator we call “The American Electoral System”.

    • Cancelled

      I predict rising deficits and falling liberties, no matter who wins. And I’ll put out a prediction just because what the hell. I think Trump pulls out a squeaker

      • leon

        I predict rising deficits and falling liberties, no matter who wins.

        Is saying the sun is going to rise in the east really a prediction?

        Anyway I think Biden will pull and Obama Spend 4 trillion bailing out Blue states in his first year and then claim to be a deficit hawk when he spends only 3 Trillion in deficits the next 7 years.

    • Urthona

      I give it 100% odds that some unhinged retards freak out tomorrow.

    • Semi-Spartan Dad

      Because the polls are all over the place

      For PA swing counties, Monmouth now has Trump up 4 points compared with Biden being up 11 points last month.

      That’s a ridiculously absurd 15 point swing over a few weeks. I can’t believe that many people changed their votes over the past few weeks, especially with the media blackout of Hunter Biden. I still think all early polls were just part of the Dem operations and now, as someone else mentioned, pollsters are tightening up to try and keep some credibility.

      https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/monmouthpoll_pa_110220/

      The swing counties* where vote margins were the closest in 2016 appear to have swung again. The race in these ten counties – which are concentrated in a swath that runs from west of Philadelphia into the northeast region of the commonwealth – currently stands at 49% for Trump and 45% for Biden. Voters in these counties gave the Democrat a 53% to 42% edge a month ago

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        The polls are largely horseshit but that includes the ones favorable to my preferred outcome too. Trump stands a fine chance of winning the EC and losing the popular vote via his supporter’s enthusiasm unless the Dems can manage to cheat their guy in. Will he win? I’m not a prophet so the hell if I know but it’s likely to be a narrow margin either way.

      • Urthona

        It really makes you suspicious doesn’t it?

        1. How did people swing that much?
        2. If people were lying before, why’d they suddenly stop now?

        It makes you think they absolutely are trying to control a narrative.

        But I also have an alternative theory.

        Here it is:

        Most people do not give a shit about politics 99% of the time until an election closes in. Then, they suddenly start to gather a bit of data in the few weeks before.

        The reason why I think this is the case is I because I firsthand just observed it with several family members. All people who can’t stand Trump. Who joke about him. Who cringe when he speaks.

        But early voting started and then they saw what Democrats did to Mrs. Barrett and they took a look at Biden’s (truly terrifying) platform. They saw he going to raise taxes and pass an insane energy plan. Every single one has reported (shamefully) voting for Trump.

        You know a vote is not a Valentine. You don’t have to like the guy. You just have to think he’s the least scary to your way of life.

      • R C Dean

        For the rationally ignorant, look at the recent news that might affect their vote:

        (1) Biden corruption – despite the attempted blackout, most people have heard of it.
        (2) Biden’s promise to shut down fossil fuels – in PA in particular, that’s electoral poison.
        (3) The last debate – Trump looked OK, Biden faded and made his fossil fuel faux pas.
        (4) Continued rioting.

        For funsies following Harris’ pitch for equal outcomes, I took the total US personal income ($18.6TT) and divided it by the number of adults in the US (287MM). The result was $64,800 per adult. Which isn’t bad, and would be a nice bump up for many people, but I suspect that most people supporting massive redistribution would be disappointed. Especially most lefties probably make more than that now, since your typical lefty is not working class.

      • leon

        Your average “Cash Strapped” teacher makes more than that. So yeah.

      • Urthona

        I think in a few weeks that average salary would be about $600 instead.

      • Ted S.

        Creech hardest hit.

      • grrizzly

        Too early to say.

  14. Heroic Mulatto

    40 percent of cops.

    • PieInTheSky

      read Gun Digest

    • Florida Man

      Have framed an inner city yute?

  15. Sean

    FYI – 10mm is back in stock at targetsportsusa.

    Think I’ll pass for now.

  16. R C Dean

    Fenix Ammo has .223 back in stock. $160 for 250 rounds. It goes fast, though.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Just ordered 500 rounds, thanks.

      These prices though…

      • Plinker762

        I’m low on brass 5.56 but have about 10K of 5.45 and 5K of 7.62 so I’m set for a while.

      • Sean

        ⬅️

    • Drake

      About 3,000 feet per second?

      • Gender Traitor

        ::golf clap::

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Holy Adam Smith Batman.

  17. grrizzly

    There’s a guy with a Biden/Harris face mask at the airport lounge. The first sight for me.

    • Cancelled

      The sniff and suck mask appears.

      • leon

        It’s a mask for every part of your life

    • Urthona

      I’m pretty sure you mean Harris/Biden.

      • Gender Traitor

        Biden/Harris/Warren

      • Heroic Mulatto

        YOU SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!

        I am literally crying now.

      • leon

        With tears of joy that we will finally have two women of color as President and Vice President?

      • Ownbestenemy

        *taps nose*

    • Florida Man

      I saw a black couple waving Trump flags on my way into work.

      • R C Dean

        Periodically, there’s a handful of roadside Trump ralliers at a busy intersection I go past every day. One of their roadside signs was vandalized, so they left it up and put a new one next to it that says “You can take our sign, but you can’t take our vote”.

        There is also a significantly disabled woman (with a dog) who crosses that intersection, I assume every day, to hit the quicktrip there. I’ve always been impressed that she gets out every day with her dog for a walk of at least several blocks. It looks agonizing.

        On Saturday, she fell crossing the intersection. Mind you, this intersection is busy and has had a fatal car-pedestrian accident in the last few years. I was sure she was going to get hurt. Not by the traffic, so much as by the stampede of Trump ralliers going to help her and her dog. She’s honestly lucky this is campaign season and they were there.

      • leon

        “You can take our sign, but you can’t take our vote”.

        Au Contraire. Much of policy is by design to create felons out of the people most vehemently opposed to your ideology, so that they can’t vote. See Gun Control and the ATF.

  18. Fourscore

    Another great article, Animal. Love the new word, too. Old guys thrive on nostalgizing. I got my first Shooter’s Bible about ’50-’51, at the Sports Show in the Mpls Armory. My brother and a friend or two debated the 220 Swift against every 22 hi speed out there, which we knew nothing about of course, as beginner teenagers, other than 4140 was the biggest number we could imagine.

    Over the years various other ‘bibles’ have popped up, each and every one a collector’s item. I have a 1/2 dozen reloading manuals and would pore through them to determine which powder would be more generic to fit more than 1 or 2 calibers. Anymore, especially in today’s environment, make a list first of what I’d like and shop for what’s available, from the list. Tougher these days.

    I was nostalgizing this morning with my coffee buddy, somehow we were deer hunting with single shot shotguns, as our first deer gun. Then he mentioned he borrowed a lever 30-30 Winc that would hold about a box and a half of ammo and he’d fill it up to the brim. Being 12-14 years old again, the beauty is that no one corrects you or even cares. Sat morning we’ll be out again, this time not “Driving-Standing” but just hunkered down waiting, waiting for the Bambi family to show up.

    Thanks for the trip, Animal, I may have a Shooter’s Bible to re-read for the —— time again.

    • Suthenboy

      “…My brother and a friend or two debated the 220 Swift against every 22 hi speed out there…”

      Yep, them’s fightin’ words. Now do 30-30 vs 32 Winchester special. How many times has that fight happened over a campfire?

      “…determine which powder would be more generic to fit more than 1 or 2 calibers”
      IMR 3031 and IMR 4064 for rifles, Red Dot and Blue Dot for pistols.

  19. grrizzly

    Fuck Baker and fuck massholes.

    Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday announced the state would issue a stay-at-home advisory between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for residents in the state as part of an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus which has surged recently.

    The order goes into effect Friday.

    The curfew order requires restaurants and other businesses to close by 10 p.m., Baker said.

    Theaters, restaurant table service and entertainment spaces must close at 9:30 p.m. Takeout may continue later. In addition, private indoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people and 25 people for outdoor gathering, Baker said.

    Liquor stores, grocery stores and convenience store hours will also be required to end at 9:30 p.m.

    In addition, Baker also said the state’s standing orders on masks would be updated to require people to wear masks in public spaces even when they can maintain 6 feet of distance between other people. The order still allows for an exception for residents who cannot wear a face-covering due to a medical or disabling condition.

    • Sean

      In addition, Baker also said the state’s standing orders on masks would be updated to require people to wear masks in public spaces even when they can maintain 6 feet of distance between other people.

      Nope.

      • grrizzly

        I wish. 95% of them have been wearing masks everywhere outside for the last six months.

      • Rebel Scum

        That’s retarded and demonstrates that it is about control. Keep moving the goal posts, assholes.

    • DEG

      Countdown until the Clown Prince follows suit…..

    • Drake

      Talking to a school principle today. Rumor is that NJ will shut down again soon and stay locked down until after Christmas.

    • Suthenboy

      This horseshit has to come to an end. I will look around and see if I can find the quote but my father just told me on the phone some fuckstick at the CDC is saying that the American people need to learn to do as they are told.

      That is all this is about. I sat fuming in the doc’s office this morning at all of the chickenshit motherfuckers cowering and wearing masks.

      • Rebel Scum

        the American people need to learn to do as they are told

        Let freedom ring.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Chico’s Bail Bonds

    • Ownbestenemy

      So important to slow the spread, we will get to it in a week.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Oh and my guess they see the outrage of doing the complete shutdown thing again, so this time they are trying the curfew idea. Fuck you and businesses should remain open if they so choose to. Suthen has it right, this has to end and end now otherwise this is our new freedom.

  20. Suthenboy

    The cover pictured makes me want to take my ruger 44mag carbine hunting. I haven’t shot the thing in ten years.

    My father had every issue of Cast Bullet Society and American Rifleman from the mid fifties to the mid eighties. We finally tossed them. They took up nearly a whole room and you can find all of that online now anyway.

  21. KOVIDKristen

    Very cool Animal! I had an Ike dollar from my birth year mounted as a pendant. It was my Ma’s. No idea where it is 🙁

  22. Chipwooder

    I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but what I do know is that a)there is a LOT of preparing for leftist rioting, suggesting that a lot of people at least think Trump at least has a decent shot of winning b)Dem officials are starting to squawk an awful lot about “this won’t be over tomorrow night”, suggesting that they expect to be losing and are trying to buy time for vote “manufacturing” c)pollsters are starting to hedge what were very confident predictions of a Biden victory just a week or two ago d)Florida is looking like it may already be in the bag for Trump, and Arizona early voting apparently has been more Trump-favorable than expected as well.

    • Suthenboy

      I am hearing the same about Pennsylvania.

    • leon

      I’m pretty sure none of the networks will call it tomorrow, unless it seems like Biden is winning. I doubt either Biden nor Trump call to conceed tomorrow or the next day. I’d say that by the end of the week we have an 80% chance of knowing who won.

      • Urthona

        I think we will kinda know ourselves. whether the networks get behind it I dunno.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Once one of them calls it, the others will rush to do so, except maybe Commie News Network.

      • leon

        I was watching MSNBC from 2016, and it looks like they hadn’t even called all the states yet when Clinton conceded.

      • Viking1865

        The late night of 2016 on MSNBC and CNN was great as they mapped out every more unlikely scenarios for The Most Qualified Candidate Ever.

        “We did have that one poll from Utah which showed Evan McMuffin polling strongly. If he pulls enough from Trump….”

      • Ownbestenemy

        I think we will see a lot of this:

        MSM: We can safely call for Joe Biden
        MSM: It is too close to call for for either candidate

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Campaigning on continuing lockdowns was always going to be a massive loser in Florida because DeSantis refused to lock down and their numbers weren’t bad.

      Add to that it’s a tourism state.

      • leon

        2020: one of the things that has surprised me the most is how willing it has seemed for many people to completely disregard the suffering an loss of neighbors. I don’t think i’ve seen a lot of people plead for their own impoverishment, but have no problem saying others need to be impoverished so they can “feel safe”. :cough:Teachers Union:cough:

      • Viking1865

        I’ve always loathed the teacher’s union, but this year sent it to white hot rage levels. They are truly evil, they are far more evil than the police union.

        Biden is signaling the head of the NEA would be his pick for Education Secretary. But hey, both Biden and Trump are equally shitty from a libertarian POV according to the geniuses at Reason.

      • leon

        The NEA is undboutable evil… And their shenanigans this year have definitely but them in the running as most evil, but i still have a hard time having them beat out the Police Union which regularly threatens to stop doing their job if any cop is ever scruitnized, and openly defends blatant murder.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        Shut the fuck up, lolbert! TRUMP 2020!

      • Heroic Mulatto

        They are truly evil, they are far more evil than the police union.

        How many murderers have the teacher’s unions carried water for?

      • Heroic Mulatto

        Time Cube statistics don’t count.

      • Not Adahn

        Yet there is a paucity of #BacktheBlackboard social media posts and media stories when that happens.

        That’s because there’s a different mindset among their worshipers. Teachers can never do anything wrong (the occasional spoon feeding of semen aside). Cops can thin things wrong, but those bad guys deserved it and the cops were just doing it to protect us!

        There is no such thing as the “Thin Chalk Line”.

        That’s just wrong. Bad cops get fired and picked up in a different department. Bad teachers don’t even have to leave their school, they just go to a different room and read books until the end of their career.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        That’s just wrong. Bad cops get fired and picked up in a different department. Bad teachers don’t even have to leave their school, they just go to a different room and read books until the end of their career.

        That’s not what “The Thin [Color] Line” means, though. Unlike cops, individual classroom teachers aren’t going to cover up the abuse of a child by another teacher. A teacher who alerts the authorities that a child is being harmed by another teacher will be seen as a hero by other educators, not a scab. There is no comparison to the culture of policing that regularly socializes recruits to protect the reputation of the department by casting a blind eye to corruption and unlawful violence. Teachers unions are just venal grifters, Police unions are the enemy of the state.

      • R C Dean

        Police unions are the enemy of the state.

        I wouldn’t say they are the enemy of the state. The enemy of the people, sure.

      • Viking1865

        I mean, they cover for child rapists so I’m really not sure that’s a very winning argument.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        Yet there is a paucity of #BacktheBlackboard social media posts and media stories when that happens. There is no such thing as the “Thin Chalk Line”. It’s not even comparable.

      • leon

        well now there is going to be. That sounds hilarious.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        And while I’m at it,

        40 percent of all cops.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        #Epstein Didn’t Teach Himself

      • Ted S.

        What about the “If you can read this, thank a teacher” bumper stickers and the like?

      • Heroic Mulatto

        What about the “If you can read this, thank a teacher” bumper stickers and the like?

        People don’t put that on their cars to show support for Mary Kay Letourneau.

      • EvilSheldon

        40 percent of all cops, what, exactly?

      • Viking1865

        “It’s not even comparable.”

        Cops wish they got the tongue bath teachers get.

      • leon

        I would posit that the reason why Cops are able to be more evil is that they are even more of a monopoly than the Teachers Union. If you don’t like your teachers, you can go to a private school, home-school etc.

        Cops? Fuck you, you get the cops that you get for living where you live. You can’t escape except by moving and even then that doesn’t help because the cops in the new jurisdiction have the same monopoly.

      • Cancelled

        I can think of at least 3, Lenin, Fidel and Che.

        More seriously it’s an apples to oranges comparison. The evil police do involves the occassional murder, and yes the unions immediately jump into “split second decision and you can’t judge unless…” mode which is utterly evil, probably more evil than the cop that actually killed the person since it is deliberate and cynical. The evil teachers do never directly kills, but it clearly dooms huge protions of the populace to misery.

        Which is worse shooting a black kid or sending 1000 black kids out into the world completely unprepared?

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        *cough* government employees *cough* and other assholes *cough*

      • Ownbestenemy

        Most but not all, Scruffy – some of us are on the inside.

      • Chipwooder

        What’s most galling about that is how suffused the lockdown enthusiasts are with a sense of moral superiority. They are utterly convinced that they are better people for wanting livelihoods to be ruined.

      • Viking1865

        “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

        -Heternomative Christian Theocrat

  23. Not Adahn

    UCS: Steel Challenge on the 15th. Practiscore registration open.

  24. Gustave Lytton

    https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/11/state-police-multnomah-county-sheriffs-office-to-command-police-response-in-portland-during-election-with-national-guard-on-standby.html

    Poor Wheeler is getting his balls clipped again because no one thinks he or the city can do their jobs, not even his fellow travelers.

    Still hawking the threat of right wing violence after months of unchecked rampaging leftist mobs, including bullshit voter intimidation allegations that clearly haven’t occurred. The one about college kids being worried about a missummarized remark by Trump is particularly laughable. People with minds full of mush shouldn’t be voting anyways.

    • Suthenboy

      I keep hearing there is going to be one hell of a backlash over these mayors and DAs that have enabled all of the leftist violence.

      • Gustave Lytton

        I doubt it. They’re trailing indicators not leading.

      • leon

        ^^^ Yup. You don’t get enabled leftist violence in towns that aren’t already too foregne. Thats why i think the effect of the riots in the specifica localities where they occurred are probably overstated by the right. Those places have riots because the people there are okay with the premise that rioting for political reasons is ok, as long as it matches their politics.

      • Suthenboy

        Dont crush my dream

    • leon

      Al-Qaeda says killing anyone who insults Prophet Mohammed ‘is the right of every Muslim’ and threatens President Macron over his vow to defend freedom of speech

      I expect to see Justin Tredau saying we need a Muslim bill of rights that allows for honor killings.

    • Suthenboy

      France? Freedom of Speech?

      *chuckles*

    • leon

      also a lot of those Effigies seem pretty low effort. barely even human in shape. The Macron as Devil is a solid B+ though.

      • Heroic Mulatto

        The Macron as Devil is a solid B+ though.

        They plagiarized Dabura from Dragon Ball Z.

    • Fatty Bolger

      Muslims in Asia protesting the French President with English language signs.

      • Hyperion

        This multiculturalism has went too far.

    • leon

      Unless your name is Pheidippides i don’t want to hear any bullshit about giving your all and putting it all out on the field.

      • Suthenboy

        Hey, he has no problem with sending others to leave it all on the field. He truly is a first rate piece of shit.

    • Hyperion

      “But if there’s not such a thing as a beta cuck, why does Max Boot exist?”

      Someone has to keep Robert Reich company?

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      It never ceases to amaze me that his dome didn’t get caught in the birth canal. Him and McMullin, what is it with the neocons and their unusual craniums (Clapper would qualify for having a weird head too)?

  25. banginglc1

    To continue my presidential campaign . .

    “Please don’t vote BangingLC1 for President. I really don’t want to deal with it”

    • Swiss Servator

      In 8 minutes, better choices arise!

      • Not Adahn

        Semi-bright Border Collie?

      • The Hyperbole

        That Secretary of Astrology position comes with a real sweet pension. just say’n.

      • Cancelled

        I hear the real money is in being appointed Presidential Exercise Coordinator, and the job is a real walk in the park.

      • leon

        Executive Waste Coordinator seems like a shit job

  26. Tres Cool

    Flathead Valley, Montana Crime Update

    And which Glib was this?

    4:25 p.m. A man was upset that his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend was throwing full beer bottles at him and not one of the five empty ones nearby.

    • leon

      Why would he want an empty one. This seems so confusing.

  27. Tom Teriffic

    1952 kid. When I was born, Harry Fucking Truman was president. My dad had the Winchester advertising account. He had a model 12 (this was 1958-60) that got stolen. I had a replica 1894 air gun that shot cork balls. I eventually got a mid-70’s 1894 (since lost in a boating accident) Still looking for that pre-1964 Winchester 1894.