Hunter's Lodge 1966 prices

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The 1962 prices were even a bit better. Number 4 Lee Enfield SNIPER rifles, with scope and transit chest, were $50 if you bought FIVE of them, or $65 each for one.

Kjohn will remember the 25mm French Hotchkiss anti-tank gun fired at the Virden get together a few years ago. Mine cost me $150 from Hunters Lodge.

There were two Companies, Hunters Lodge and Ye Olde Hunter. Both were owned by Sam Cummings, a large surplus weapons dealer.

In 1966, those Mausers pictured cost about a half a weeks income for the average worker.
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In around 1968-69 a freind bought a LE sniper at Canadian Tire for $75.00 He got it home an proceeded to cut the wood off it and sporterized it. It came with the crate and accessories all included.
 
That brings back some old memories.

I was working in Lever Arms starting 1965 and I saw what Mr Lever paid for similar rifles, some new in the crates. Ten cents per pound plus shipping on average. Once you add shipping, handling, marketing etc Lever would make around 250% on his investments and in Canadian dollars at the time, prices were similar on everything.

Even at those prices, in 1966 those rifles were anywhere from one to three days pay, depending on what you did for a living.

In 1971 I bought a brand new Dodge 3/4 ton, fleet side with all the bells and whistles available including a 383 magnum engine, dual tanks, factory air, clearance light package and more for under $2000, taxes and insurance/plates in.

Not very long ago you could pick up SVT 40 rifles for a couple of hundred dollars. Not today.

Thanx for posting that ad OP.

TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019

Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day

If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest
 
kjohn said:
Terrible prices! I'm not paying that kind of money for them old army rifles! :p
Click to expand...

buffdog said:
.
The 1967 prices were even a bit better. Number 4 Lee Enfield SNIPER rifles, with scope and transit chest, were $50 if you bought FIVE of them, or $65 each for one.

Kjohn will remember the 25mm French Hotchkiss anti-tank gun fired at the Virden get together a few years ago. Mine cost me $150 from Hunters Lodge.

There were two Companies, Hunters Lodge and Ye Olde Hunter. Both were owned by Sam Cummings, a large surplus weapons dealer.

In 1966, those Mausers pictured cost about a half a weeks income for the average worker.
.
Click to expand...

bearhunter said:
That brings back some old memories.

I was working in Lever Arms starting 1965 and I saw what Mr Lever paid for similar rifles, some new in the crates. Ten cents per pound plus shipping on average. Once you add shipping, handling, marketing etc Lever would make around 250% on his investments and in Canadian dollars at the time, prices were similar on everything.

Even at those prices, in 1966 those rifles were anywhere from one to three days pay, depending on what you did for a living.

In 1971 I bought a brand new Dodge 3/4 ton, fleet side with all the bells and whistles available including a 383 magnum engine, dual tanks, factory air, clearance light package and more for under $2000, taxes and insurance/plates in.

Not very long ago you could pick up SVT 40 rifles for a couple of hundred dollars. Not today.

Thanx for posting that ad OP.

TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019

Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day

If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest
Click to expand...

OK, I am REALLY pissed off right now!:mad:

Why is it that one of you fine gentlemen (that just happen to be avid firearm aficionados) didn't adopt me in 1969?

Instead, I was held captive by a group of anti-gunners that taxed my freedom and drained my soul.

For crying out loud, I wasn't even allowed to own a BB gun......despite offering to pay for it myself.

For shame, gentlemen! For shame!
 
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MapleSugar said:
OK, I am REALLY pissed off right now!:mad:

Why is it that one of you fine gentlemen (that just happen to be avid firearm aficionados) didn't adopt me in 1969?

Instead, I was held captive by a group of anti-gunners that taxed my freedom and drained my soul.

For crying out loud, I wasn't even allowed to own a BB gun......despite offering to pay for it myself.

For shame, gentlemen! For shame!
Click to expand...


My parents were devout, Catholic, CCF anti firearms of any sort. I secretly applied for a job with Mr Lever in 1965. He told me he needed someone with mechanical ability, not afraid to get dirty/greasy, not to bright and not afraid of firearms as well as a strong back. He also insisted that I could read and write. I wrote him back and told him I was his boy.

I also told him I needed a place to stay for the summer as I was going back to school in the fall. He sent me $20 as an advance on my first weeks wages and told me I could live in the basement of the store but I couldn't eat down there but there were a few good places to arrange meals close by. Close by was three blocks away.

My father was extremely upset, to say the least. He wanted me to be Priest and I wanted to be a world betterer. Not only that he didn't know about the single shot Cooey Ranger I had stashed away and had traded a weekend of picking weeds and roots out of a neighbor's garden for.

We used to get "recommended" in those days and didn't have to write exams if we kept our grades up during the year, then the NDP government decided everyone had to be able to pass a "standardized" program and killed that.

Soooooooooo on the last day of school, which my parents didn't know for sure, around 3am I hitched a ride into Vernon BC, caught a 6am Greyhound to Vancouver and went to the dark basement of Lever Arms, Toys For Men. Mr Lever sold everything in those days that was collectible. It was a chandler y for everything that sailed the seas before WWI as well as firearms and swords and a mountain of other paraphernalia.

I had died and gone to heaven. Mr Lever, being the shrewd individual that he was, knew he had a live one on the hook. He took me to a cavernous basement that was under Dunsmuir Street, with an entry to his shop. It was stacked to the Quonset style ceiling with crates of treasure.

Long, heavy wooden boxes filled with huge canvas sails, Hurricane lamps, some with ships names, belaying pins, brass monkeys for cannon balls, cannon balls and even a few cannons. Machine guns, sub machine guns, various surplus handguns, rifles, bayonets and other accessories. That's a very digested list of what was there. There were also RATS. I HATE RATS and I'm AFRAID OF SNAKES. Needless to say, the place was a MESS.

I spent the first month CLEANING AND EXPLORING. I was being paid 50 cents an hour for 40 hours per week but for the first month, I was lucky to get 6 hours sleep and put in 14 hour days. Mr Lever would let me have my pick of the surplus rifles at 50 cents a pound in lieu of extra pay for the extra hours. Not bad in those days for a 15 year old, especially as it included a room. Actually a closet.

Oh the wonders I saw down in that basement. Stuff I had read in books and dreamed of seeing and handling. Those were great times for me. When September came, I almost QUIT SCHOOL. Mr Lever told me I had a job if I wanted it. Getting people to work in those conditions wasn't easy. The Viet Nam War was in full swing and there were a lot of jobs around. I reluctantly turned him down and headed home with a dozen choice picks of rifles from the thousand or so I had disassembled, cleaned, and put back together. I also had a very nice $100 bonus. I hadn't saved much of my wages. Hey, a country boy in the big city??? What can I say. My Father almost had a heart attack when he saw those rifles and they were immediately relegated to the barn and not allowed in the house. He took my $100 bonus to help pay for school supplied etc for the duration. The following April Mr Lever called and asked if I wanted to work for him again. My Father wanted me to work the farm. I ran off again but that's another adventure.

This is just to let you know you weren't the only one to break away from the social engineering of church/socialism dogmatic mantras of obedience and devotion to the Church and Cause.

TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019

Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day

If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest
 
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bearhunter said:
My parents were...
Click to expand...

OK, you're off the hook, but the other two aren't. (BTW, I wasn't raised by religious parents. They were just obtuse in regards to firearms and didn't quite understand my interest in them.)

You would have been too young to be a dad in 1969 anyways. Plus, you mention that you HATE rats. Look at my avatar.......it's actually an uncanny likeness of me.

Also, you hunt bears. I like them, despite coming much too close for comfort many times while working in the bush, and having them frequently in my yard in North Ontario.

Still, you've had an interesting life, I must say.

The last time I saw Allan Lever alive, he was chasing me out of his Burrard Street store for forgetting to bring my FAC with me.

I was going back for a second look at those $165 Danish Garands.

I was unshaven, and he was alone, and I think I scared the hell out of him. Despite having been in his store many times before. I guess he hated rats too.

Oh well, being a rat crawling around in his basement back in 1965 would have been quite the experience.

I would have bought as much loot as I could have too.

Most particularly, a Thompson 1928A1 and a Colt 1911A1.

1a1928-032444_10.jpg


8788151_2.jpg
 
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MapleSugar said:
OK, you're off the hook, but the other two aren't. (BTW, I wasn't raised by religious parents. They were just obtuse in regards to firearms and didn't quite understand my interest in them.)

You would have been too young to be a dad in 1969 anyways. Plus, you mention that you HATE rats. Look at my avatar.......it's actually an uncanny likeness of me.

Also, you hunt bears. I like them, despite coming much too close for comfort many times while working in the bush, and having them frequently in my yard in North Ontario.

Still, you've had an interesting life, I must say.

The last time I saw Allan Lever alive, he was chasing me out of his Burrard Street store for forgetting to bring my FAC with me.

I was going back for a second look at those $165 Danish Garands.

I was unshaven, and he was alone, and I think I scared the hell out of him. Despite having been in his store many times before. I guess he hated rats too.

Oh well, being a rat crawling around in his basement back in 1965 would have been quite the experience.

I would have bought as much loot as I could have too.

Most particularly, a Thompson 1928A1 and a Colt 1911A1.

1a1928-032444_10.jpg


8788151_2.jpg
Click to expand...

A brand new unfired Savage made 1928 Thompson, with a 50 round drum, 2x 20 round mags and 2x 30 round mags cost me $135 in 1963. I traded a Lewis and an MP 40 for it.

My new Colt made 1911A1 cost me $25 but the guy threw in 200 rounds of ammo and 2 new magazines.
.
 
buffdog said:
A brand new unfired Savage made 1928 Thompson, with a 50 round drum, 2x 20 round mags and 2x 30 round mags cost me $135 in 1963. I traded a Lewis and an MP 40 for it.

My new Colt made 1911A1 cost me $25 but the guy threw in 200 rounds of ammo and 2 new magazines.
.
Click to expand...

See? You would have been the perfect dad for me!:cool:

It's not too late...cough!...cough!...to include me in your will.:d
 
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bearhunter said:
My parents were devout, Catholic, CCF anti firearms of any sort. I secretly applied for a job with Mr Lever in 1965. He told me he needed someone with mechanical ability, not afraid to get dirty/greasy, not to bright and not afraid of firearms as well as a strong back. He also insisted that I could read and write. I wrote him back and told him I was his boy.

I also told him I needed a place to stay for the summer as I was going back to school in the fall. He sent me $20 as an advance on my first weeks wages and told me I could live in the basement of the store but I couldn't eat down there but there were a few good places to arrange meals close by. Close by was three blocks away.

My father was extremely upset, to say the least. He wanted me to be Priest and I wanted to be a world betterer. Not only that he didn't know about the single shot Cooey Ranger I had stashed away and had traded a weekend of picking weeds and roots out of a neighbor's garden for.

We used to get "recommended" in those days and didn't have to write exams if we kept our grades up during the year, then the NDP government decided everyone had to be able to pass a "standardized" program and killed that.

Soooooooooo on the last day of school, which my parents didn't know for sure, around 3am I hitched a ride into Vernon BC, caught a 6am Greyhound to Vancouver and went to the dark basement of Lever Arms, Toys For Men. Mr Lever sold everything in those days that was collectible. It was a chandler y for everything that sailed the seas before WWI as well as firearms and swords and a mountain of other paraphernalia.

I had died and gone to heaven. Mr Lever, being the shrewd individual that he was, knew he had a live one on the hook. He took me to a cavernous basement that was under Dunsmuir Street, with an entry to his shop. It was stacked to the Quonset style ceiling with crates of treasure.

Long, heavy wooden boxes filled with huge canvas sails, Hurricane lamps, some with ships names, belaying pins, brass monkeys for cannon balls, cannon balls and even a few cannons. Machine guns, sub machine guns, various surplus handguns, rifles, bayonets and other accessories. That's a very digested list of what was there. There were also RATS. I HATE RATS and I'm AFRAID OF SNAKES. Needless to say, the place was a MESS.

I spent the first month CLEANING AND EXPLORING. I was being paid 50 cents an hour for 40 hours per week but for the first month, I was lucky to get 6 hours sleep and put in 14 hour days. Mr Lever would let me have my pick of the surplus rifles at 50 cents a pound in lieu of extra pay for the extra hours. Not bad in those days for a 15 year old, especially as it included a room. Actually a closet.

Oh the wonders I saw down in that basement. Stuff I had read in books and dreamed of seeing and handling. Those were great times for me. When September came, I almost QUIT SCHOOL. Mr Lever told me I had a job if I wanted it. Getting people to work in those conditions wasn't easy. The Viet Nam War was in full swing and there were a lot of jobs around. I reluctantly turned him down and headed home with a dozen choice picks of rifles from the thousand or so I had disassembled, cleaned, and put back together. I also had a very nice $100 bonus. I hadn't saved much of my wages. Hey, a country boy in the big city??? What can I say. My Father almost had a heart attack when he saw those rifles and they were immediately relegated to the barn and not allowed in the house. He took my $100 bonus to help pay for school supplied etc for the duration. The following April Mr Lever called and asked if I wanted to work for him again. My Father wanted me to work the farm. I ran off again but that's another adventure.

This is just to let you know you weren't the only one to break away from the social engineering of church/socialism dogmatic mantras of obedience and devotion to the Church and Cause.

TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019

Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day

If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest
Click to expand...

I do enjoy your stories- keep 'em coming! :)
 
stevebc said:
I do enjoy your stories- keep 'em coming! :)
Click to expand...

stevebc, coming from you, that's a pretty decent compliment. Thanx.

Maple Sugar, rats were the bane of my existence when I lived in Salmo. The Great Northern Railroad had a spur line by the highway and they frequently stopped to shuffle cars. The cargo cars often had RATS. Big ugly, nasty rats. They killed our chickens, fought off the dogs and urinated/crapped all over everything. Any place they inhabited or took refuge smelled bad. Other than that, rats are fine creatures.

As far as Allan being scared??? Hardly. I have a few memories that would definitely make you change your mind.

If, as you say you were scruffy in appearance, that would have put him off right away. He felt that SCRUFFY firearms enthusiasts were bad for our image. He was constantly wary of the LAW as well.

Sometimes I wish I had taken him up on his offer to work in the store and later if it all worked out become a partner. The three summers I worked for him were always never dull and always enlightening in one manner or another. Alan was a very intelligent man. He could be arrogant and snarky on a bad day but that was because he actually cared a lot.

Young impetuousness drove me to other pursuits and even though we visited several times and I did some out of shop work for him, the offer was never made again. I didn't ask either

TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019

Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day

If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest.
 
bearhunter: I did business with Alan Lever several times, both on the phone and in person. He was always a gentleman to me. His old store was like being in a dream. He didn't strike me as a man who would be an easy mark.
 
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