A blast from the past

[sakorick]

I was rummaging around in the basement and found an old Herters catalog. They sold Sakos ...... Look at the 1974 prices! Regards, Rick.

 

[deergoose]

I'll take one of each !!

DeerGoose

 

[stonecreek]

Yeah, but take a look back at your 1974 bank account.

According to http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/, that $295 Sako Deluxe at wholesale is equal to $1,400 today. I'd come a lot closer to having the 1.4K right now than I would to having had the $295 forty years ago. In reality, guns have stayed about the same relative price, but riflescopes have come WAY down in terms of real dollars. In 1974 you would have to pay about $100 for a Leupold Vari-X-II, or around $475 in today's dollars. You can buy a Leupold VX-I, which is essentially the same scope as the old Vari-X II for about $220 today, or less than half price.

 

[sakorick]

Yeah, but take a look back at your 1974 bank account.

According to http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/, that $295 Sako Deluxe at wholesale is equal to $1,400 today. I'd come a lot closer to having the 1.4K right now than I would to having had the $295 forty years ago. In reality, guns have stayed about the same relative price, but riflescopes have come WAY down in terms of real dollars. In 1974 you would have to pay about $100 for a Leupold Vari-X-II, or around $475 in today's dollars. You can buy a Leupold VX-I, which is essentially the same scope as the old Vari-X II for about $220 today, or less than half price.

That's true.....but, Leupolds made in China. I looked at the new Sakos in Cabelas over Christmas.....they were nearly 2K with tax. I'll take a 1974 NIB Finnbear for 1400 over the crap they are selling now any day. Regards, Rick.

 

[stonecreek]

That's true.....but, Leupolds made in China. I looked at the new Sakos in Cabelas over Christmas.....they were nearly 2K with tax. I'll take a 1974 NIB Finnbear for 1400 over the crap they are selling now any day. Regards, Rick.

I agree that the 1974 "Garcias", poor reputation that they had, were more desirable than today's Sakos, however in apples to apples comparison, I'm sure that Cabela's wholesale cost is around the same $1,400 as Herter's was quoting as a wholesale price. I'm equally sure that my ability to pony up $1,400 now is much greater than in 1974.

As far as Leupolds, they sell some products under other brand names that are from China, but the Leupold-branded scopes are all U.S. made. And owning numerous examples of both the old Vari-X II and the new VX-I I am quite sure that the VX-I is in every way equal or superior to the Vari-X. Any way you cut it, scopes are cheaper today than in 1974.

Regardless, what is most interesting is that if you have a 1974 Sako Deluxe in "as new" condition, $1,400 is a good ballpark value for it (depending on location and caliber), meaning that it has held its value but not actually appreciated any in terms of real dollars. If you've hunted with your Sako Deluxe for the last 40 years but taken fastidious care of it, then it has probably depreciated due to use to around $1,000 or so, meaning the cost of its use (depreciation) has been about 30-35 percent -- not bad compared to a car, a washing machine, or any other manufactured durable good.

 

[iwanna]

I actually visited Herters in Waseca MN back in the early '70's. I remember kind of a warren of connected run-down buildings. Some were un-heated? I also recall their catalogs. Nothing shy about them!

I worked summers at a steel foundry back then. A millwright there once commented that if Herters removed all the "finest, most accurate and perfectly crafted from only the most expensive materials", etc., they could have cut the catalog down to comic-book size.

 

[stonecreek]

At the risk of hijacking the thread, I cut my teeth on Herter's products. They were a fraction the price of "name brand" reloading products and a teenager (especially one living out in the country fifty miles from the nearest store stocking reloading supplies) could get everything he needed (and could afford) right at the post office. Herter's products varied in quality. Most of them were knock-offs of other manufacturers, reverse engineered by measuring the product then creating a set of blueprints then contracting with an independent manufacturer to build it. I still own and use numerous Herter's dies, trimmers, chamfering tools, and even plastic cartridge trays, some of which are getting on toward a half-century old.

One of Herter's suppliers decided that it could get in on the gravy and started selling the already counterfeit products they made for Herter's through their own retail outlet. I still have a catalog from "Ruhr American Corporation" of Glenwood, Mn.

 

[emmerth]

My dad used to get their catalogs when I was a kid. Not sure he ever really ordered from them except for parts and components. I used to look at them for hours at a time (no real video games back then except for PONG). Unfortunately, I could only dream about the items in the catalog. Back then it was Remchesters, now it is Sako's. Good news is that you can get the older Deluxe Sako's now for under $1500 (usually unless something special). The new deluxes are selling for $2800 and they dont look nearly as nice as the older ones.

 

[iwanna]

Same here. I was on the outside looking in in those days. I came home from Herters with a (I'll say) inexpensive Herters branded fishing rod that I kept for many years. Guns and stuff like that were not to be even dreamt of when I was that age. It makes me appreciate all the more now.

 

[woodman]

Dang, I thought I was old until reading this post.

 

[sakorick]

From the Leupold website. "Leupold uses foreign sourced components for some parts of Golden Ring products, primarily lenses." There are no gold ring Leupold scopes made today the are marked "Made in the USA".

As for 1974 Garcia Sakos having a bad reputation, the most accurate Sako I own is indeed a M74 Super 30-'06 that shoots one hole groups. I believe in barrel timing and a larger diameter barrel is easier to find the sweet spot and has a larger sweet spot than a skinny barrel.

 

[gunner620]

I too used Herters for components and the mail order system worked well for me. Most of my reloading at the time was for shotguns and I used a lot of their components. I still have a model 72 press and dies for 12 and 20 gage. It was slow but completely adjustable for powder and shot. Stone I was a little further out than you, about 1200 miles from Anchorage AK. on Adak Island. Did a lot of skeet shooting to pass the time and the slow but trustworthy press was ok with me. Jim

 

[iwanna]

From the Leupold website. "Leupold uses foreign sourced components for some parts of Golden Ring products, primarily lenses." There are no gold ring Leupold scopes made today the are marked "Made in the USA".

As for 1974 Garcia Sakos having a bad reputation, the most accurate Sako I own is indeed a M74 Super 30-'06 that shoots one hole groups. I believe in barrel timing and a larger diameter barrel is easier to find the sweet spot and has a larger sweet spot than a skinny barrel.

No more MADE IN USA Leupold, huh? Why do I even care anymore? My favorite brand, too. Sheesh.

 

[patbrennan]

Their website also says "All Leupold scopes are designed, machined and assembled in America."

 

[paulsonconstruction]

Leupold has out sourced (Japan) it's lenses for many years, as that's where the BEST lenses can be obtained. If there was an American company that made quality lenses that met Leupold standards, I'm sure they would use them. Rumors, rumors, rumors. Leupolds scope are a fine AMERICAN owned & made scope with the finest warranty in the world & the best customer service I have ever seen. Derogatory speculation from some that have absolutely no knowledge about what goes on at Leupold is a disservice to the best scope company in the world!!! This does not reflect well towards our forum. What is it that you don't like or are unhappy about with about Leupold scopes??? Or do you just like to complain about things you know nothing about?

 

[misako50]

Paulson and Sakorick- My thoughts on the "derogatory speculation-----etc." of Leupold scopes goes hand in hand with the same remarks made about "Bofors" and the so called myth that is actually part and parcel of the success of Sako over the many years that our rifles have been produced. Bofors steel is and always has been much more than "just a stamp". Given just a bit of thought , it may just be the reason we have this forum. Again we are bickering over things that are purely speculation. Ricks model 74 is no more accurate than Marco Quevedo's model 110 Savage chambered in 30-06 that I had the pleasure to shoot over 20 years ago. Great rifle, and he was so in love with my pretty little Forester Deluxe that he failed to see the beauty of his own rifle. I learned much from that little shooting session. I never did nor will I ever disparage a mans choice of rifle or optics. I will not bitch because they may be worth more than mine due to conditions of the marketplace that I cannot control. I will, however try to maintain a good sense of humor and I will also maintain the good character of this forum by making sure it doesn't escalate into something akin to the "campfire". Now it is up to you to do the same.-Misako

 

[stonecreek]

I apologize if I inadvertently started a disagreement. The point I was attempting to make several posts ago is that, despite the seemingly tiny prices in a catalog from forty years ago, our purchasing power is mostly stronger now than it was then. I happen to prefer the older Sakos to those of current production, but today's Sako is about the same price now as it was then. Some other of the trappings of we rifle enthusiasts are actually less expensive (and available in much more variety) like riflescopes, or chronographs. Some things are better and some worse, some are more expensive and some are more affordable, but on the whole compared to forty years ago we shooters have actually got it pretty good. And look at all of the forty year-old Sakos we now appreciate even more than we did then!

 

[misako50]

Stonecreek- I didn't get so much as a hint of "animosity" in your posts. It is nearly impossible to state information on the net anymore without someone taking offense to it. You have nothing to apologize for and the small dust ups on this thread are just that. I am a bit sensitive about the Sako story since many of us here are products of being in on the inception of the best times of Sako. Just keep teaching and helping and I will keep up my end as best I can.-Misako