Buying Lee Enfields – and ammunition – from Simpson-Sears, in the good old days...

Fazakerley

Fazakerley

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Buying Lee Enfields – and ammunition – from Simpson-Sears, in the good old days...

An undated half-page ad from a Simpson-Sears catalogue. A note at the bottom of the page reads...

“Firearms may not be sold to persons under 14 years of age”

LeeEnfield_zpsyt9home3.jpg
 
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Yup, I bought one from the Simpson-Sears store in the Chinook Ridge Mall in Calgary in 1972. It was on of the Parker Hale No4 sporters with a bobbed barrel and forend and a ramp style front sight. As I recall it cost $35-$39 or so. The barrel was like new. No FAC, no PAL, no credit card; just put down your cash and you're on your way. I got an as new No5 JC from Sidney I Robinson mail order in Winnipeg in 1962 for $18. That one got me some nice Whitetails, a muley, a moose and a bear. I sportered it with a Weaver TO1 mount, Bishop buttstock and currently have a Redfield 23/4X Widefield scope on it. What a great bush rifle.
 
This makes me want to vomit. I When I started shooting .303 it was a dollar a shot then it became 1.25 a shot so I started reloading. Can't imagine how the old timers feel about these prices.
 
Ironers said:
1.79 for box of 20 .303....
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...is wildly expensive if you think about it!? That, or they are giving the rifles away. 10 boxes of that ammo will set you back $17.90 in 1972 dollars. The rifle costs $12. What rifle now a days can you pick up for less than the cost of 7 boxes of ammo that the gun is chambered in?

My guess is that guys were buying or had access to crates of milsurp ammo at less than half that cost. I think this to be the premium hunting ammo (*edit, I read "D" and wonder what they mean by "full patch" ammo? Regardless, it's clearly not advertised as hunting ammo) of the day that's being offered at $1.79.

I laughed out loud when I read the "commando" model came with a monthly payment plan if you wanted to...before our insane "credit card (debt) economy"...the good 'ole days.
 
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infideleggwelder said:
would be after 1945
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I believe you are correct with the date, the Brits were glad to sell off their huge arsenals of SMLE rifles, first because the No.4 rifle was standard issue to most troopies since mid 1943, as the No.4 was available in large quantities by then, also the Brits were happy to get US and Canadian dollars to improve the economy, which was in a terrible state for years after the war ended
 
I worked in the Simpson-Sears Kenmore Distribution Centre 1969-1974.

There was a discount centre where various items were for sale with applicable employee discount.

In a gun rack was an M1 carbine, Rock-O-La. Bare naked, no mag, no sling, no oiler.

Being new to collecting, I was unaware of the rarity of this model.

A fellow collector talked me into trading the Rock-0-La for an Inland GM with all accessories.

I thought that I had gotten the best of the deal until I finally learned how rare and valuable was the Rock-0-La.
 
I used to devour the Sears and Eaton's catalogues and fast flip through the pages to the guns when I was a kid.

Well, after the pictures of brassieres and panties.

I remember those ads from when I was 10 years old in 1963.

I said "Dad, can I have one of those?" indicating the full military version.

"Nah, it'll be all shot out," he said.
 
Ha! I worked at Kenmore warehouse too, from 74-78 or so. I used to walk past the gun room daily to where I worked. (always locked up tight- never saw it open)

Did once buy a Winchester 94 from Sears with my employee discount of 15%.


Rule 303 said:
I worked in the Simpson-Sears Kenmore Distribution Centre 1969-1974.

There was a discount centre where various items were for sale with applicable employee discount.

In a gun rack was an M1 carbine, Rock-O-La. Bare naked, no mag, no sling, no oiler.

Being new to collecting, I was unaware of the rarity of this model.

A fellow collector talked me into trading the Rock-0-La for an Inland GM with all accessories.

I thought that I had gotten the best of the deal until I finally learned how rare and valuable was the Rock-0-La.
Click to expand...
 
C is interesting, apparently they cloned jungle carbines in those days as well. ;) Betting late 50s. We came over in 1955 and my dad bought a Sears Enfield a couple of years later.

Grizz
 
In the late sixties the local Marshal Wells hardware had a big cardboard barrel beside the outside door filled with Lee's stuck in bore-first like pitchfork handles...$ 19 for gun and 2 CLIPS (what the sign said), free box of shells if you bought 2. A buddy of mine bought one that the headspace was so bad on it I could close the bolt on an empty brass with a 7 1/2 shotgun shot between the bolt & brass
 
Before my time, but i believe i heard my dad say, wages were about 90 cents /hour in the late 50's, please correct me if im wrong , one would have to work about 14 hours to be able to buy the full wood SMLE, about 25 hours for the sporterized rifles
 
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In Vancouver in 1965, mill work started at $2.08 an hour when I worked for MacMillan-Blowdell in their plywood mill.

Then I got lucky and got a job with Pacific Coach Lines for $3.65 an hour.

New unissued Jungle carbines cost $25,00 plus tax.

No. 1 Mk. 3s ran around $10.00 each and I payed a high price of $25,00 for a No.1 Mk V.

Kynoch 8mm Lebel from California was $5.00 per 100.
 
We had an old Simpson Sears(?) or Eatons(?) catalog here somewhere, it has since gone to the recyclers some time ago. They had a page with cut down #4's for about $20 bucks or something crazy like that. The catalog was from around 1974.

And where did this 'Sussex Enfield' name come from? Was it retail sales mumbo jumbo or was there some specific reason for including Sussex in the name?
 
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