Vintage Gun Advertisements...Part 4...

General General Discussion
1

Ok, once again these are scans from the “good old says” (1982-1988) from SOF magazine (which I am convinced was actually the greatest firearms magazine ever).

1982 was a special year, and mostly because it was the year we got the first true AK imports, the Steyr Maadi Egyptian AKM. Sadly they were about $1,200 ($2850 today) so almost nobody bought one. But we couldn’t have had Red Dawn without them.

HK of course continued to pave the way with incredible gun porn advertisements.

And they had a new toy for you in 1984, the PSG1. If you are wondering that $5,017 price would be about $10,050 today so they really weren’t that much cheaper.

Some interesting designs started coming on the market like these from Calico.

To get a general idea of gun prices here is a buyers guide from 1986.

As you can see, not everything was cheap and easy in the 80s. Note the $2,000 FN FAL compared to the $700 AR15 A2 Sporter.

But probably nothing made an impact like this new handgun in 1988. That $511 retail price would be almost $950 today.

The other big thing that happened in 1988 was POLYTECH.

Chinese AKs priced around the same amount as the new Glock exploded on the market making them affordable for the average individual for the first time. And unlike everyone else, Polytech had the “legend” with the first milled AK on the market.

Norinco soon followed with a very diverse catalog of arms that were even slightly cheaper.

But AKs weren’t the only thing getting more affordable.

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The late 80s also saw a lot of other recently imported models, especially if you had money to spend.

But not everything was seriously top shelf. Goober shit existed.

For the guy who wanted an Uzi but couldn’t afford it and didn’t mind making serious quality concessions.

For the big, stupid goober who wanted a big, stupid goober gun to match.

And it wouldn’t be SOF without some schlock so onto the classifieds.

This was major tech during 1988, especially if you had seen Terminator several times. You don’t want to know how much they used to cost.

If anything, SOF knows how to sell an ordinary British camo jacket.

There is always quality reading from Paladin Press. I strongly recommend Secrets of the Ninja by Ashida Kim for the most hilarious publication of the early 80s. Monkey Steals the Peach was such a killer move.

And take a look at these.

Let’s talk night vision in 1984. That AN/PVS4 for $3350 would be about $7000 in todays money. You can buy similar night vision today in a weapon mounted setup for about $350.

And who knew that in addition to fast SMGs RPB also made ninja stuff. You are gonna need on of those folding throwing star knives if you buy that Ashida Kim book.

Those counterfeit guns were actually kinda awesome. I had a 1911 for playing army and $45 wasn’t too out of line back in 1980.

If you saw First Blood you know damn well that a survival knife with survival stuff inside the hollow handle can mean the difference between life and death so you better grab a Life Knife pronto.

And because switchblades were so hard to get (illegal almost everywhere) in the early 80s you are gonna need a Flicket for the Buck 110 that you should already have.

And I close with one of the best Parting Shot articles from the 80s.

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Those were the days. . .

I especially like the SGN ads from the 80’s. :frowning:

Brings back a lot fond memories going through my dad’s gun rags.

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Please, keep these going. I love reading them! The “Sniper MP5” HK94 is a hoot!

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Glock ads actually don’t seem to have changed much.

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I actually have that Parting Shot somewhere. I think he’s pretty much spot on. What really happened in the “public conscience” about Vietnam vets in the 1980s was to claim they were a destroyed generation, and that was just straight bullshit. I’m seeing the same shit surrounding OEF/OIF now.

Stolen Valor by Burkett and Whitley is nearly as applicable to the GWOT generation as it was to the Vietnam generation.

Love the gun ads. I have to remind myself every time I see these old ads that the average weekly salary back then was like $400, so despite our fewer choices of quality imports, firearms on the whole and especially EBRs are cheaper and generally easier to get. Even the old ones have only kept up with inflation, and some haven’t even done that.

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Every time I see old gun ads or gun pics, I wish they still made them. They looked so odd but so cool.

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These are great, thanks for taking the time. What memories.

The two HK ads at the top launched me into a love affair with the 94 as a teenager. I couldn’t afford one then, so I just bought a few magazines to feel closer to it. I figured one day…

Please keep in mind, I was a teenager. :smiley:

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I actually wish every returning veteran could read that Parting Shot and see the move “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946). I think it would be much more beneficial than a lot of the “counseling” they receive, especially at the hands of non combat veterans.

In most instances I calculated those old prices to show what they would be in today’s money with inflation. In some instances it is a great deal, in some instances almost nothing changes and with things like FALs and AKs you can actually buy better ones today at a much cheaper price.

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I forgot how much cool stuff Springfield Armory used to put out.

Also cool that Glock hasn’t increased prices in 23 years!

Thanks again for posting these. I look forward to the next installment.

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Yup, that’s when Bob Reese owned it and had an Iron Fist of Stalin view on QC. He also brought in Beretta BM-59’s.

Then he sold it to his two sons, and they in turn sold it to an Israeli, and now QC has pretty much gone to shit unless you want to buy a 1911 from their custom shop.

12

That is a shame. My family members were big Springfield 1911A1 proponents in the late 80s. The advertisements back then stated that they used all tool steel internals, and after breaking down a few of those old “standard models” they seemed to be telling the truth.

I got lucky with a U.S. made “mil-spec” I bought in the 90’s that has been excellent, but after the price increases and QC/material reports lately there is no reason that I would ever buy a new production one again over a Colt.

Would you recommend buying any old SA made rifle if I see one for a lesser price that the current DSA or PTR91 equivalent?

13

My very first handgun was a Springfield Armory M1911A1 in the old cardboard box in 1988. Great gun, wish I still had it.

If you mean would I advise getting a Springfield SAR-48 (Imbel FAL) or SAR-3/8 (Greek G3) over a DSA FAL or PTR G3; then the answer is hell yes.

If you mean an older M1A that is mostly a GI gun with the exception of the semi auto receiver, then it’s more up to you as to whether you want a M14 over a FAL or G3.

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Springfield (Imbel) SAR48 vs. DSA FAL.

That is actually a tough one for me. DSA now offers an Imbel rifle for about $1000 which is about half of what a SAR48 goes for. In my opinion they should be damn near the same except for collector value.

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Good lord I can remember every single solitary one of those ads!

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super cool. i was born when that AK ad came out…

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Lol. I remember in the late 90’s, my grandma gave me a giant stack of gun rags from the 60’s all the way through the 80’s that my grandpa owned.
Probably over a thousand of them. Have them stored up in WA now.

I leafed through those damn things daily waiting for the day I left CA.

I remember some of those.

Funny that Glocks are still the same price.

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I have a cool gun rag article on the Mil adoption of SS109 that would go good in this thread. “SS109… Boone or Boondoggle?” I think is the Title.

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Those are great! I still have an unused Action Arms bumper sticker that I picked up at a gun show long ago with “When the going gets tough… the tough get an UZI” on it. :cool:

Derek

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Remember Burt Gummer’s license plate? UZI 4 U :smiley: