Inflation, Revisited (Again)

So in August, 2014 I ran by my favorite Merchant O'Death's place of work and picked up some powder. They'd just gotten in a shipment of about a hundred pounds of various types (still no Unique - which at that point should have been renamed "Unavailable"), and I'd had him set me aside a bit: three pounds of H110 and one of Accurate 4064.

Remember when powder was around $20 a pound? Yeah, so do I. Four pounds of powder set me back a little over $116 including tax.

Ouch.

In 2007 I did a post on the basics of reloading with a list of recommended materials.  After my 2014 bulk purchase, I revisited my list and checked the price increases. I ran across that post looking for something else, and thought this would be a good time to do it again.

Originally I recommended the Lee Anniversary Kit, which consisted of their Challenger "O"-press, powder measure, powder scale, reloading manual, priming tool and (most) shell holders.  It was $89.99.  That particular kit is no longer available, but the current one is the Challenger Breech Lock Anniversary Kit, which at $126.99 $146.99 contains:

• Lee Breech Lock Challenger Single Stage Press
• 1-Breech Lock Die Bushing
• Lee Large and Small Safety Prime
• Lee Cutter and Lock Stud
• Lee Perfect Powder Measure
• Lee Chamfer Tool
• Lee Primer Pocket Cleaner
• Lee Safety Powder Scale
• Lee Powder funnel
• 2 oz Tube Lee Resizing Case Lube

Next up came dies, and I again recommended an all-Lee lineup:

Carbide .38/357 4-die set: $30.99 $41.99 $48.99
Carbide .45ACP 4-die set: $21.99 $41.99 $47.99
Steel .30 Luger 3-die set: $20.99 $30.49 $33.99
.22-250 3-die set: $24.99 $30.99 $33.99
.243 Winchester 3-die set: $24.99 $30.99 $33.99
.308 Winchester 3-die set: $24.99 $30.99 $33.99
.30-06 3-die set: $24.99 $30.99 $33.99
.30 Carbine carbide 3-die set: $30.79 $38.49 $43.99

Next up was lube. The Lee kit above has their lube, but I recommended a can of Hornady's One Shot spray lube. For the sake of economy, I'll leave it off this list again.

I recommended a steel dial caliper micrometer: Still $25.99 It went up a dollar to $26.99

I recommended a Hornady universal reloading tray: $4.79 $8.99 Also a $1 increase to $9.99

In the article I stated that a minimum of TWO reloading manuals should be on hand. The Lee Anniversary kit had one in it originally, but not now. The Speer manual at that time cost $26.99. Last time it was $29.99. Now it's dropped to $27.99, and the Lee manual has dropped from $21.99 to $19.99.

Then there was powder and primers for all the calibers we were buying dies for. Powder is per pound, primer pricing is per thousand.

IMR 4064: $18.99 $25.87 $29.99 and again out of stock
Winchester 296: $17.99 $21.60 also $29.99, but now they have it.
Winchester 231: $17.49 $21.04 It's really jumped up to $28.99, but it too is back in stock.

CCI Small Pistol: $21.99 $26.99 $32.99. That's a big price jump.
CCI Large Pistol: $21.49 $31.49 $32.99 - not so big a change.
CCI Small Rifle: $22.49 $31.49 $32.99 again.
CCI Large Rifle: $22.99 $31.49 $32.99! At least they're consistent.

And then there was case prep, cleaning and miscellaneous:

Iosso Case Cleaning Kit: $14.99 $16.79 up a dollar-twenty at $18.99

I originally suggested a primer pocket cleaner and chamfer and deburring tool, but those are included in the Lee Anniversary kit.

Safety Glasses: $8.99 $4.49 $4.99. Still a bargain.

So in 2007 all the materials you'd need to start reloading for eight different calibers, with the exception of projectiles, was $542.76.  In 2014, $702.12, an increase of 29.4%.  In 2020, $787.78.  Powder has gone up 45% over 2014's prices, but at least you can find it.  Primers have gone up about 8.5% on average - and THOSE are readily available, too.  Dies have increased by about 10%.  Overall, a 12.2% increase, but according to this inflation calculator, $702.12 in 2014 is equivalent to $758.57 in 2019, or only a 1.3% increase.  Since 2007, $670.82 in adjusted dollars, or 17.4% since then.

I'm STILL glad I didn't record bullet pricing.  I don't think I want to know how much THAT'S gone up.

Quote of the Day - Instapundit Edition

From this post:

Were White Nationalists Really Planning To Attack The Virginia Gun Rights Rally? According To Police Records, Not Exactly. “Firstly, the group decided not to actually go to a rally. They also decided not to start any violence. They planned to wait for a race war to start, as voice recordings show, and then join in.” So basically their take was the same as the media’s.

Analysis:  True.  And SAVAGE.

Did You Ever Wonder...

...why we red-necked, knuckle-dragging, gun-hugging, bible-thumping, cousin-humping, racist, sexist, misogynist, homophobic, Islamophobic Neanderthals with low sloping foreheads won't vote Democrat?

These guys do:


Wait until November.  Who'll be laughing then?

UPDATE:  The RNC has (timely for a change) responded, and done it well:

Quote of the Day - (Formerly) Great Britain Edition

From Sultan Knish's A Tale of Two Englands via Instapundit:

The child rapists did not believe that their actions were wrong under Islamic law. And they weren’t.

The Manchester City Council and the GMP just accepted this reality as they have accepted it so often. They buried the minutes, shut down the investigation, and walked away from the screams of the girls.

They did it for multiculturalism, integration, and community relations. They did it for social justice.

We know that no real action was taken because the girls were troubled. They didn’t matter. And their bodies and lives could be sacrificed for the greater good.

The real tragedy is not that the rapists didn’t understand it was wrong. It’s that the UK no longer does.

The Sky is ALWAYS Falling

Fifty years of Failed Eco-Pocalyptic Predictions

What do they all have in common? 

• Actual proof isn't necessary because by the time we have it it will be too late to fix
• The only solution is central planning by a world government run by our intellectual superiors
• People who oppose this are "deniers" who should be shut up at any cost
• There are too many people anyway, and a mass die-off would be good for the planet.

 In other news, the glaciers in Glacier National Park that were supposed to be gone this year are still running strong, and Michael Mann lost his defamation lawsuit because he still wouldn't release the raw data he used to produce his infamous "hockey stick" global temperature graph.

Unintended Consequences

A recurring theme at Quora in the gun discussion is “what makes America different from the rest of the world when it comes to gun control?”

Well, this for instance:

Virginia gun sales dramatically increase in 2019: ‘I didn’t think I would ever be buying one’
 
Pullquote:

66-year-old Ida Wright decided today was the day she was going to buy her first hand gun. The grandmother of eight says growing crime, and now fears of gun restrictions by lawmakers, convinced her that it was time to make the purchase.

“I didn’t think I would ever be buying a gun, but things are changing so drastically,” Wright says. “If we don’t protect ourselves, who else is going to protect us?”

Wright isn’t alone.

Not by a long shot. (Pun intended.) RTWT.

Now I don’t know where Ms. Wright lives, and it’s entirely possible that crime there IS growing, but nationwide it’s been dropping for a couple of decades and is now at levels not seen since the 1960’s.

But that’s not the Media Narrative™. They’ve been trying to frighten people into supporting “gun control” but instead are promoting gun ownership. Gun sales have repeatedly set records for the last ten years. The media tries to convince us that fewer and fewer people are purchasing more and more guns, but the facts don’t support that.

Quote of the Day

Petition for Redress of Grievances

So, after a week of “news” about the gun-rights protest held in Virginia yesterday, predicting a repeat of Charlottesville (or worse), the declaration of a State of Emergency by Gov. Blackf… Ralph Northam, etc, the media hasn’t been more disappointed in a lack of violence since the premiere of
The Joker.

The Narrative™ has been well and truly busted.

Not that that will change anything.

On Quora I have seen a myriad of (and answered a few) questions about gun control, the power of the NRA, why Americans won’t surrender their guns like civilized Europeans, etc. I have seen answers accusing gun owners of being nothing but angry, racist, sexist, bigoted aging fat white men with small penises, mentally ill, brainwashed, homicidal, and pretty much every slander you can think of. (For the record, I’m an aging fat white man with a standard-issue penis, thank you.) What did the Richmond protest show us? Well, if you watch ABCNNBCBS, not much. If you went on the web to the sites of multiple groups who attended, this:

Bigots:

Angry people:

And this was not a small protest. THOUSANDS of people showed up. And they didn’t all get MLK day off from work.

It wasn’t the National Rifle Association behind this - it was the grassroots Virginia Citizens Defense League. How do you know it was grassroots? Most signs were hand-lettered, not printed up and handed out to protesters bussed in by third-parties.

No, this was people petitioning their government for redress of grievances, and out of all the attendees, I think this man said it best:

And first runner-up for the “Well Said” Award:

Why is the “gun lobby” so powerful? Because EVERY SINGLE STATE has people like these, and we will not be disarmed.

Oh, and unlike after Leftist protests, our people clean up after themselves:

Gun advocates pick up trash, protest peacefully: ‘We want to show an example’

'A birthday present for Ralph Northam': Protesters clean garbage off streets following Virginia gun rally

Shot

Project Veritas has a new video out:

#Expose2020 – PART 1: Bernie 2020 Field Organizer States “F***ing Cities Will Burn” if Trump Wins Re-Election; Calls for Violence, Mass Murder of Opposition, and “Reign of Terror”

Author Larry Corriea:  "Vote for Bernie or Milwaukee Gets It"

Chaser:



Me:  "Let Milwaukee burn."

Intellectual Phase-Locking

What they Promise vs. What they Deliver

This recently popped up over at Facebook:

I was going to respond to it, but didn't feel like dissing the poster at that time.  Today I saw someone else had the proper response:

Yeah, that's what I wanted to ask.

Quote of the Day, Spectator Edition

From their piece on the ongoing war between the Babylon Bee and CNN (no link on purpose.)

The humor may or may not be to your taste but it’s hardly about to bring the republic crashing down in a slurry of ignorance. That’s what the Department of Education is for.

Satire?  CNN couldn't tell.

Why Doesn't "Gun Control" Work?

Perhaps because it ISN’T ENFORCED.

Police have arrested this felon four times in the last four months.

A loaded gun, a ballistic vest, multiple magazines and 18 rounds of loose ammunition.

That’s what police say they discovered inside a vehicle parked in an alley in the 1000 block of Beech Street in St. Paul last Saturday night.

The man in the driver’s seat has been arrested four times since September. Each time officers found firearms, say court records, which detail just three of the arrests.

Steven Michael Lincoln, 25, a convicted felon from Ham Lake, isn’t allowed to carry guns.

Hasn’t stopped him. Neither has the “Felon in Possession” laws, obviously. He should be spending five years in Club Fed, but I guess actually enforcing the laws on the books would overload the Justice System or something.

I’m reminded, once again, of an Ayn Rand quote:

The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

And then selectively enforces them.

Edited to add further evidence:

NJ gave Texas church gunman plea deal that wiped out gun felony

Opponents of the Second Amendment Don't Like the First, Either

Progressive Governments’ Economic War on the NRA Fails in Court

Not long ago, progressive state and local officials nationwide were vowing to take down the hated National Rifle Association by targeting its pocketbook. When city authorities in Los Angeles and San Francisco gave that idea a try, they were following the lead of Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had unleashed New York financial regulators to go after the gun-rights organization’s access to insurance and banking services.

Now all three are facing a reckoning in court, based not on the Second Amendment but on the First. Without needing to even consider the issue of gun rights, federal courts are recognizing that boycotts enforced by government power can menace free speech and free association.

The amusing part is that the public officials themselves are helping to provide the basis for these rulings by tweeting and speechifying about how much damage they intend to do the NRA.

 "Gun Control" isn't about guns, it's about control, and that pesky Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution stand in our rightful rulers way!

Gun Control Requires Astroturf

March For Our Lives Raised Nearly All Funding from Secret Six-Figure Donations

The gun-control group responsible for a 2018 march on Washington, D.C., raised the vast majority of its funds from undisclosed donations over six figures, a recently released tax document shows.

The March For Our Lives Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organization launched in the aftermath of the deadly 2018 shootings at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, is bankrolled almost entirely by large donations in excess of $100,000. The group reported $17,879,150 in contributions and grants over the course of 2018, its first year of operations. Ninety-five percent of those contributions came from 36 donations between $100,000 and $3,504,717—a grand total of $16,922,331.

As Tam once wrote,

Poor Lefties; they've been playing on astroturf so long that they don't know grassroots even when fed a mouthful of divot.

 Edited to add:  See also Everytown's Finances at Shall Not Be Questioned.

Does This Signal the Beginning of the End for Political Correctness?

I'm sure by now you've seen this, or heard it, or read the transcript, but Ricky Gervais, hosting the 2020 Golden Globes (for the last time) went absolutely SAVAGE on Tinselgrad:


The transcript (because I'm sure that every effort will be made to scrub all copies of the video from the internet):

Hello and welcome to the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards, live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel here in Los Angeles. I’m Ricky Gervais, thank you.

You’ll be pleased to know this is the last time I’m hosting these awards, so I don’t care anymore. I’m joking. I never did. I’m joking, I never did. NBC clearly don’t care either — fifth time. I mean, Kevin Heart was fired from the Oscars for some offensive tweets — hello?

Lucky for me, the Hollywood Foreign Press can barely speak English and they’ve no idea what Twitter is, so I got offered this gig by fax. Let’s go out with a bang, let’s have a laugh at your expense. Remember, they’re just jokes. We’re all gonna die soon and there’s no sequel, so remember that.

But you all look lovely all dolled up. You came here in your limos. I came here in a limo tonight and the license plate was made by Felicity Huffman. No, shush. It’s her daughter I feel sorry for. OK? That must be the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to her. And her dad was in Wild Hogs.

Lots of big celebrities here tonight. Legends. Icons. This table alone — Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro … Baby Yoda. Oh, that’s Joe Pesci, sorry. I love you man. Don’t have me whacked. But tonight isn’t just about the people in front of the camera. In this room are some of the most important TV and film executives in the world. People from every background. They all have one thing in common: They’re all terrified of Ronan Farrow. He’s coming for ya. Talking of all you perverts, it was a big year for pedophile movies. Surviving R. Kelly, Leaving Neverland, Two Popes. Shut up. Shut up. I don’t care. I don’t care.

Many talented people of color were snubbed in major categories. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about that. Hollywood Foreign press are all very racist. Fifth time. So. We were going to do an In-Memoriam this year, but when I saw the list of people who died, it wasn’t diverse enough. No, it was mostly white people and I thought, nah, not on my watch. Maybe next year. Let’s see what happens.

No one cares about movies anymore. No one goes to cinema, no one really watches network TV. Everyone is watching Netflix. This show should just be me coming out, going, "Well done Netflix. You win everything. Good night." But no, we got to drag it out for three hours. You could binge-watch the entire first season of Afterlife instead of watching this show. That’s a show about a man who wants to kill himself cause his wife dies of cancer and it’s still more fun than this. Spoiler alert, season two is on the way so in the end he obviously didn’t kill himself. Just like Jeffrey Epstein. Shut up. I know he’s your friend but I don’t care.

Seriously, most films are awful. Lazy. Remakes, sequels. I’ve heard a rumor there might be a sequel to Sophie’s Choice. I mean, that would just be Meryl just going, "Well, it’s gotta be this one then." All the best actors have jumped to Netflix, HBO. And the actors who just do Hollywood movies now do fantasy-adventure nonsense. They wear masks and capes and really tight costumes. Their job isn’t acting anymore. It’s going to the gym twice a day and taking steroids, really. Have we got an award for most ripped junky? No point, we’d know who’d win that.

Martin Scorsese made the news for his controversial comments about the Marvel franchise. He said they’re not real cinema and they remind him about theme parks. I agree. Although I don’t know what he’s doing hanging around theme parks. He’s not big enough to go on the rides. He’s tiny. The Irishman was amazing. It was amazing. It was great. Long, but amazing. It wasn’t the only epic movie. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, nearly three hours long. Leonardo DiCaprio attended the premiere and by the end his date was too old for him. Even Prince Andrew was like, “Come on, Leo, mate.You’re nearly 50-something.”

The world got to see James Corden as a fat pussy. He was also in the movie Cats. No one saw that movie. And the reviews, shocking. I saw one that said, "This is the worst thing to happen to cats since dogs." But Dame Judi Dench defended the film saying it was the film she was born to play because she loves nothing better than plunking herself down on the carpet, lifting her leg and licking her ass. (Coughs) Hairball. She’s old-school.

It’s the last time, who cares? Apple roared into the TV game with The Morning Show, a superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China. Well, you say you’re woke but the companies you work for in China — unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service you’d call your agent, wouldn’t you?

So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.

So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God and fuck off, OK? It’s already three hours long. Right, let’s do the first award.

Edited to add (from Ed Driscoll at Instapundit):

Bringing Sandra Bullock on stage to announce the final award, Gervais said, "Our next presenter starred in Netflix’s ‘Bird Box,’ a movie where people survive by acting like they don’t see a thing. Sort of like working for Harvey Weinstein." After the crowd erupted in boos, Gervais replied, "You did it! I didn’t, you did it!"

WOW. The savagery was cranked to eleven!

UPDATE 1/10/20:  Another data point -  Boy George comes out swinging against wokeness

Pullquote:

80s icon Boy George has joined the ranks of Morrissey and Kanye West by rejecting woke ideology and advocating for common sense. As a result, he has come under fire for speaking truth to trans. He expressed himself over a few days, saying that regardless of his own inclinations to costume, radical trans ideology is basically a crazy trend.

Analysis: TRUE

2019 Was a Bad Year for the "Only Cops Should Have Guns" Narrative

Pullquote 1:

On December 29, an armed gunman entered the West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas and shot two members of the congregation. Within six seconds, a third member of the congregation drew a weapon and shot the gunman dead.

The events were captured on live-streamed video, with the dramatic events — in the minds of many observers — highlighting the benefits of privately owned firearms as a defense against armed criminals. Moreover, the gunman, who had a criminal history, obtained his gun illegally, and demonstrated one of the central pitfalls of the gun-control narrative: namely, that those with criminal intent are not easily restrained by laws controlling access to firearms.

Pullquote 2:

To many people who aren't left-leaning journalists, it is hardly "terrifying" that some other private citizens of unknown expertise were armed in the congregation. After all, these people never fired a shot once they saw the shooter had been incapacitated. None of them provided any reason to suspect they pose any risk to anyone else.

On the other hand, 2019 has provided plenty of reminders of what sort of "expertise" and heroism government-provided security forces offer.

And, finally, as seen on Facebook: