doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com It is getting worse!

Loaded Trap shells (wood powder, chilled shot) were about 65 cents per box of 25 in 1892, when organized trapshooting was on the verge; the price index was 53; the index in 2006 was 1215, so let's do the math...

65/53 x 1215 = about $15 per box

The ladies loading the shells made 6 cents per hour; semi-skilled labor 10 cents per hour; and the entry level for an educated man at Parker Bros was 15 cents per hour; foremen made 25 to 35 cents, depending on seniority. This was 10 hours per weekday, half day on Saturday, three recogonized national holidays, no paid vacation, no sick days, no personal days, and if you got hurt on the job, good luck!

So are the complaints about the price being too high, or too low?

EDM
I remember when TV's cost hundreds of dollars for a 17" er.... My first computer was $3200 for and Apple 2E w/ 2 floppy drives plus printer...you can make the same argument for gasoline...

Progress in the free market world is better living, better afordability of products to be in the reach of all levels of income.

With your logic, I assume your not unhappy with the rise in the cost of gas. After all the rise in the cost of gas is still less the the rise due to inflation!!!! ??

Just friendly comparison, no disrespect meant. What make America great is the free market economy.

Jerry

Like Larry said, Estates are probably the way to go, except you can't reload them. Or at least I wouldn't trust them to be reloaded. 25 lbs. of shot makes about two flats of 1 1/8 oz. of my loads, give or take, so if you are a reloader just shoot sparingly. If you are a hunter, a flat of shells should just about last you all year. Gun Clubs are excellent, too, but they won't eject in most Ljutic trap guns so I can't use them in mine. I could always shoot my Beretta I guess, but it's just not the same. So I just shoot occasionally.

We have had it good, as far as ammo costs in my lifetime. The examples I can remember are W-W AA's and cheap .22's. AA's were about $100 a case(500 rds) 30 years ago, and have only really went above that, in the past year. Also 30 years ago, a carton of cheap .22's would be on sale at $7.99, and I know a year ago we could buy bulk 550 rd. packages for $8.99. We can, and will, still complain though, anytime we have to shoot less, for our dollar!
Here are a couple examples from an 1895 Montgomery Ward catalog:

3dr. 1 1/8 #8 black powder load $1.23/100
Trap Grade smokeless loads, $3.40/100 (charge not listed)
G grade LeFever $42.50
G grade Parker $57.00
Diamond Daly $210.00

I've had great luck reloading Gun Club 12's. Haven't fooled with Estate 12's, but I've reloaded a bunch of 28's, and am now reloading 20's. You will get occasional hull separation with the 28's (don't know about the 20's yet), leaving just the brass and a little bit of plastic. Everything's always gone down range when that's happened to me, and there isn't much of a safety issue with a double as long as you check the bore when that happens. But you might not want to use Estate 28ga reloads in an autoloader or pump, if you're shooting doubles or something like that. Federal 28ga hulls do the same thing, however, and I've had people tell me Winchesters do as well, although I've never had it happen with a Winchester.

A box of 12 Ga. Remington was around 6 bucks at the end of the 1960s if im not mistaken. Adjusting for inflation thats about the equivalent of $35.00 in todays dollars. Weve had it good for a long time!

Shot prices will continue to rise as we have yet to reach the replacement cost for lead, and oil. According to Kitco, lead just took a big jump again since Thursday. Re: reloading Estate hulls. They're fine for 2 or three reloads, then pitch them. Paper basewad is supposedly prone to coming loose. I have yet to see, hear or have this happen. Be sure to use SO or SO clone wads.

Come On guys.... I can't believe it
Doesn't the gas and TV comparision mean anything. Progress in manufacturing, should make our life better, not just keeping up with inflation.

BTW I try not to shoot to many cheap shells. They seem to kick more for the same load, most aren't available in light loads and most are real dirty.

It is not the hunting shells I am talking about guy. I shoot targets 3 out of 4 weekends Feb to Oct. My son and/or wife sometimes join me. It is a lot of shells. In 12 ga I stick to 1200 fps 1 oz. I do reload a lot of 7/8 oz'ers

IMO Rating worse on top
Estates
Winchester Cheapies (Kick like hell 3 1/4 1 oz) can reload the hull a couple of times
Federals Same on the reloads work fine for a few loads.
Remington game loads so so, hull is a pc of junk, but I am force to load them on in 16 ga
Remington gun clubs little dirty, kick more than good powdered shells. Hull reloads nice a few times

I try to look for deals on the following: Best in decreasing order IMO

Kent shoot very well, nice shot even in their cheapiest shells. reloade fine a few times
Fiochii nice like kents
Noblesport: again these are nice too, hull wall seems a little thinner, reload nice a few times very good hunting shells in 16 ga
Charles Daly, Big 5 started carrying these import. They shoot nice. I haven't tried to reload them. available in 2 3/4 dram, 1 oz'ers.

I have stayed away until recently on the imports my friends buy, but I may have to give in.

Come on guys lets not give in..... I want to shot more more more.... not less.


Jerry

Give in to what?

I used to love to reload Gun Clubs, Larry. They seemed to last longer than the AAs. And I had hundreds of empty hulls. When my son and I were both shooting our Beretta 686s they were great. He still shoots his but I upgraded to my Ljutic trap gun. They have a history of having a weak ejector/extractor spring. The Gun Clubs brass isn't really brass. It is steel. So when they are fired, they won't contract back to their normal size and with the weak spring in the Ljutic, I have to beat them out. Since I have access to so many AAs, STSs that I have picked up over the years, it is just easier to use them. But the Gun Clubs are a great shell. Maybe guys should check into them, too. Good luck.