Yes! $500 buys S&W's top-of-the-line plastic gun. S&W's top-of-the-line 1911 replica costs considerably more. I see a lot of younger people driving VW's, but the people who get out of a new Mercedes tend to have a few more grey hairs. Young people don't tend to earn or have as much money as older people, so price matters.

I also think comparing a 65-year-old's gun purchases at 25 to the purchases of today's 25-year-old might be apples-and-oranges. Plastic guns are available today; 40 years ago they were a novelty if they existed at all.

I'm not in my 20's or 30's, but my first handgun purchase was an M&P9 FS. I was willing to spend $500, but not more. The gun I got is reliable, accurate, and I like it.