Remember When?

[bronko22000]

All you old guys like me, remember when Muzzleloading was cheap? I remember getting a T/C Hawken kit rifle back in the early 70 for less than $200.Bought a mould and casts my own balls, got pillow ticking really cheapand BP was about $10 a lb. Now, a new Hawken is over $500, BP close to $20 (the substitutes even higher), you can get bullets that are almost $2 each.
But you know what? After all is said and done - its still a blast.

[nchawkeye]

It's still cheapfor me...I mould my own round balls, use store bought ticking and make my own lube...
I stocked up on Goex earlier this year for $11.55 a pound and have a good supply of flints as well...

[dmurphy317]

It's not all that different after you figure in inflation. A $200 kit in 1970 is equal to around $630 in todays dollars after 3% inflation over 38 years, give or take a few months. Round balls can still be made cheap compared to buying them, and $10 BP in 1970 (sounds a bit high to me) should be around $30+ now based on inflation. I think I paid around $20 for the last couple of cans I bought. Sure there are some more expensive bullets out there but when comparing apples to apples it may actually be a bit cheaper to shoot now.

[cayugad]

I bought my first Renegade in Kit form for $139.00. At that time black powder was $8.00 a pound and a tin of caps were .99 cents. We got lead from the local plumber we knew for free and purchased a mold and cast our own roundball and maxiball.

[gearheart]

Back then I worked for $1.75 an hour. That $200 was real hard to come by.

[johnny2]

Last year I paid 9.85 a lb for Goex 2 f powder.....I still think it is cheaper
than lots of other powders....

[alleyyooper]

I bought T 7 last spring for $11.00 a pound. I stay away from the prepackaged sabot bullets stuff that are about $1.00 up to $1.50 each.
I got 100 sabots from MMP for about $15.00,
100 speer 50 cal 300gr gold dots for 25.00 at the end of hunting season from Williams and got a vetrans discount off that to boot.


But I do remember making $3.00 an hour and a TC hawkins kit My first BPRbeing $149.00. Molded our own round balls from cheap or free lead. Pillow ticking from Jo Anns fabric and crisco to lube the patches. 80 grs. of dupont was a heavy deer hunting load. For fooling around at the range we shot 50 grs or less.

Al

[Steve863]

I guess it depends how much you shoot, but I honestly think it still isn't very expensive when you compare it to bows or centerfire rifles or shotguns for the average hunter starting out. Heck, you can get a CVA for less than $200 and even closer to $100 on sale. They will get the job done if the hunter does his. Try getting a bow for that price. Sabots and some powder probably doesn't cost any more or less than centerfire ammo. One can be ready to go out hunting for less than $300 if they were on a budget. Not bad compared to how expensive everything else is these days. Try getting into any other sport or activity for less!

[lemoyne]

alleyyooper
Check this out, you can buy MMP sabots cheaper than if you get them direct. Lee
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/department.asp?dept=%4D%55%5A%5A%4C%45%4C%4F%41%44 %49%4E%47&dept2=%43%4F%4D%50%4F%4E%45%4E%54%53 &dept3=%53%41%42%4F%54%53%20%4F%4E%4C%59&d ept4=%35%30%20%43%41%4C

[alleyyooper]

Nice prices on 50 cal sabots. I didn't see any 54 cal ones for use with 50 cal bullets though.