[Church Key]

I started back to reloading shot shells when the ammo shortage hit and WallyWorld ran out of shot shells. Up to then, it was almost a wash cost-wise as STS's were about $7 a box at WallyWorld and I could sell the once-fired hulls that never hit the ground from my trap shooting for 10 cents each to cowboy action shooters. Reloading was costing me about $4.60 a box; just not worth it.

Anyhow, started back reloading on my MEC Grabber using Clays, which I also use to load metallic cartridges. Had a decent supply of Clays, but was starting to get a bit nervous about eventually running out. Then found a supply of Titewad. Loaded up some shells with it and they worked fine. Had to add a brass MEC washer under the powder hopper to stop the fine powder leakage. This led me to ordering a few spare MEC parts from MEC as everyone else was out of spares. MEC had extremely fast shipping, got everything in three days. Excellent service from them. They also included a 2021 price list in the package and this is where things got interesting and the idea for this rant started.

I am a pack rat about manuals, etc. and had a 2002 MEC price list stashed away. Compared it to the 2021 list as nothing much had changed format-wise between the two, except the prices. They were shocking to me. I'm listing stuff that I have or once had, with a price comparison. As a baseline, the US Consumers Price Index (CPI) has caused inflation to increase exactly 50% since 2002. Something that cost $1.00 in 2002, will cost $1.50 today based strictly on increases for inflation. Here's what I found out:

MEC Hydraulic 9000 $888 to $1,619; increase = 82.3%.
MEC Grabber $303 to $632; increase = 108.5%.
MEC 600 Jr $107 to $255; increase = 138.3%.
MEC Super Sizer $61 to $151; increase = 147.5%.

Summing these four items gave an average increase of 95.5%, almost double the inflation rate. My speculation is that the greater increase for the lesser $ items (Jr and Sizer) is that their lower cost when compared to the bigger ticket items did not ping their sales very much. I don't remember what shells and their components cost in 2002, but I'm sure their price has gotten nowhere near doubling. The same thing with firearms. Remember buying a Taylors Uberti 73 then for $1,000, they now list for $1,342, an increase of 34.2% which is well below inflation. Not sure what to make of all this, except I now realize why all my presses are bought used. Would rather save money for components.

I plan to dig around and see what Dillon prices have increased in the same time frame. Will post my findings.

Also, found some Cheddite primers on-line at a cost of $38/1K + $12 shipping + $39 Hazmat. Bought 2K. Drives the price of reloading a box of shells up about $2. At least I can shoot them; not like the shells made out of unavialium.

 

[CRhodes101]

Plain carbon steel sheet in 2002.
.25 center per pound
Plain carbon steel sheet now.
$1.25 per pound.

 

[saskbooknut]

Price of raw materials is one factor.
Also, you don't know where MEC was for return on investment in 2002, compared to today. Nor do you have their labor costs.
Sometimes a company defers price increases due to competition, so when an increase comes, it is really substantial.
An inflation calculator is a crude economic snapshot, averaged over many commodities.

 

[tomk2]

The CPI tracks things you don’t buy often. They call it excluding the “volatile sectors. “ You spend your money buying things every week/month/year. Those things double or triple, but the CPI ignores them. It’s like ignoring your misses on post 5, because you are volatile on post 5. The index is created and defined to give the government numbers they find acceptable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pheasantmaster]

I started back to reloading shot shells when the ammo shortage hit and WallyWorld ran out of shot shells. Up to then, it was almost a wash cost-wise as STS's were about $7 a box at WallyWorld and I could sell the once-fired hulls that never hit the ground from my trap shooting for 10 cents each to cowboy action shooters. Reloading was costing me about $4.60 a box; just not worth it.

Anyhow, started back reloading on my MEC Grabber using Clays, which I also use to load metallic cartridges. Had a decent supply of Clays, but was starting to get a bit nervous about eventually running out. Then found a supply of Titewad. Loaded up some shells with it and they worked fine. Had to add a brass MEC washer under the powder hopper to stop the fine powder leakage. This led me to ordering a few spare MEC parts from MEC as everyone else was out of spares. MEC had extremely fast shipping, got everything in three days. Excellent service from them. They also included a 2021 price list in the package and this is where things got interesting and the idea for this rant started.

I am a pack rat about manuals, etc. and had a 2002 MEC price list stashed away. Compared it to the 2021 list as nothing much had changed format-wise between the two, except the prices. They were shocking to me. I'm listing stuff that I have or once had, with a price comparison. As a baseline, the US Consumers Price Index (CPI) has caused inflation to increase exactly 50% since 2002. Something that cost $1.00 in 2002, will cost $1.50 today based strictly on increases for inflation. Here's what I found out:

MEC Hydraulic 9000 $888 to $1,619; increase = 82.3%.
MEC Grabber $303 to $632; increase = 108.5%.
MEC 600 Jr $107 to $255; increase = 138.3%.
MEC Super Sizer $61 to $151; increase = 147.5%.

Summing these four items gave an average increase of 95.5%, almost double the inflation rate. My speculation is that the greater increase for the lesser $ items (Jr and Sizer) is that their lower cost when compared to the bigger ticket items did not ping their sales very much. I don't remember what shells and their components cost in 2002, but I'm sure their price has gotten nowhere near doubling. The same thing with firearms. Remember buying a Taylors Uberti 73 then for $1,000, they now list for $1,342, an increase of 34.2% which is well below inflation. Not sure what to make of all this, except I now realize why all my presses are bought used. Would rather save money for components.

I plan to dig around and see what Dillon prices have increased in the same time frame. Will post my findings.

Also, found some Cheddite primers on-line at a cost of $38/1K + $12 shipping + $39 Hazmat. Bought 2K. Drives the price of reloading a box of shells up about $2. At least I can shoot them; not like the shells made out of unavialium.

In 2006 I bought 20 flats of Estates @29ea and 20 flats of Gold Medal plastics @34ea.

What's the comparable inflation factor on those, then and now?

 

[derbyacresbob]

In 2004 Rem Nitro, STS and Win AA shells were selling for $3.97 per box at Walmart. When I went to San Antonio for the National Sporting Clays shoot that year they were $2.97 per box and they had a huge stock of them.

In 1970 I bought my first Mec 600 Junior for $41.00 at the same place I bought a Rem 870 TB Trap gun for $129.00.

 

[pettifogger1]

n 2006 I bought 20 flats of Estates @29ea and 20 flats of Gold Medal plastics @34ea.

What's the comparable inflation factor on those, then and now?

Year	=$100 (1913)	Comments
1913	$100	The first inflation measurement
1920	$197	End of World War I
1930	$175	The Great Depression
1940	$142
1950	$240	World War II Inflation
1960	$299	Less inflation from recessions
1970	$386	Increased inflation from deficit spending
1980	$794	End of the gold standard
1990	$1,300	Reaganomics
2000	$1,722	Expansive monetary policy to fight 2001 recession
2010	$2,211
2018	$2,529
2019	$2,625
2020	$2,634	Global health crisis

 

[mach1cj]

I use to buy 700x in a paper bag for $2.00 a pound. (1968)

 

[Rick Barker]

“Reaganomics“ the cause of 1990 inflation, huh?

From the link therein

“But government spending wasn't lowered. It just shifted from domestic programs to defense. The result? The federal debt almost tripled, from $998 billion in 1981 to $2.857 trillion in 1989.5”

 

[flashmax]

“Reaganomics“ the cause of 1990 inflation, huh?

From the link therein

“But government spending wasn't lowered. It just shifted from domestic programs to defense. The result? The federal debt almost tripled, from $998 billion in 1981 to $2.857 trillion in 1989.5”

So it’s 10 times higher now after just 20 years. I don’t care how you look at it inflation is uncontrolled and rampant. The govt tries to hide it and underestimates it to keep the illiterate masses under control. Those masses that are burning police precinct buildings and looting Sak’s 5th Avenue are too stupid to notice inflation.

 

[jwsmith1959]

Here is a photo on powder prices from the Hodgdon #20 Reloading Manual. I'm guessing around ~1970. I know it is before 1973 as there are some hand written notes on a few of the rifle load pages that my Dad had written. He died in 1973.

I remember being with my Dad when he purchased some of the "Paper Bag" powders at Glenn Slade's gun store in Houston in the 1960's. 4895 and 4831 specifically. He did wind up buying 50 lb. kegs of both of them at one point before he died. He gave away some, but stored the rest in old 3 lb. coffee cans you used a "Key" to open. I used them into the early 2000's.

 

[Leo]

Interesting chart showing inflation. If we look at the last ten years, we have some pretty significant inflation. Government issued I Bonds are supposed to keep up with inflation and then some. Checking the return chart, the treasury is returning 0.0 to 0.5% on those bonds held by US. citizens.

Treasury notes, many held by foreign entities were posting about 1.5% and now are 2,5%.

That does not seem right.

 

[Maxey Brantley]

I just saw a 12 ga Dillon SL900 go for used Spolar $$ on eBay, +$100 shipping!

V/r
Maxey

 

[halfmile]

My 12 dollar shot is now 48 bucks.
ouch

HM

 

[HSLDS]

Just saw a similar jump with tires...

Looking to replace the tires on my truck - the last time I did this you basically had three price levels - $50 - $100 - $150.

Today the exact same tires are selling at $130 - $140 - $150.

My local garage said a big part of it is the new excise taxes on tires from China - but not all of the tires I looked at were from China - some are Korean, others French, others Japanese, some even British. I do get that oil prices going up adds to this, but I've bought tires when fuel was over $4 per gallon and tires still fell in the first mentioned price range.

Logic dictates that I go with the pricier/better tires - if they are only costing me a few bucks more. Hankook here I come...

 

[WadHopper]

According to one of our local gun shops the rate of inflation is up 192% for Top Guns vs this time last year. But Walmart had ammo last year, this year only he does. Go. Figure.

BS

 

[joe kuhn]

Year	=$100 (1913)	Comments
1913	$100	The first inflation measurement
1920	$197	End of World War I
1930	$175	The Great Depression
1940	$142
1950	$240	World War II Inflation
1960	$299	Less inflation from recessions
1970	$386	Increased inflation from deficit spending
1980	$794	End of the gold standard
1990	$1,300	Reaganomics
2000	$1,722	Expansive monetary policy to fight 2001 recession
2010	$2,211
2018	$2,529
2019	$2,625
2020	$2,634	Global health crisis

Here's what your second column looks like in an Excel graph:

 

[flashmax]

Here's what your second column looks like in an Excel graph:
View attachment 1755747

Which tells us nothing of the actual inflation rate. The graph labels mean nothing of value to real life. You can do better.

 

[jwsmith1959]

My 12 dollar shot is now 48 bucks.
ouch

HM

Me and some friends bought 12 tons of Mexican shot for $4.00/bag in ~1983. 4 tons of it was for me. I used it up by the end of the decade. It was soft, but fine for Skeet at the time. What an eye opening experience when it ran out. I used to be able to get WW powders for about 20% below wholesale at that same time. I miss those days.

Good luck and all the best.

 

[stocker1042]

Looking at costs without looking at incomes does not make much sense. Sure....prices have gone up over the course of the past 20 years but I'd venture to say your wages have also.

I started my job at $29K in 2000.
We just hired a 22 year old for the exact same job to start September and he's starting at $55K.

Theoretically, if I paid a dollar for a cup of coffee in 2000 he should be able to pay a little under two. The house I paid $150K for in 2001 isn't worth double today, but it is significantly more. I know I'm simplifying it but you get the the idea. When people talk about when they paid 39 cents for a gallon of gas the next question I ask is what was their salary at the time. Faces usually go blank.