Remember SHOTGUN NEWS?

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vintovka

vintovka

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Do you remember waiting anxiously for the next edition of Shotgun News arrive?. I recall literally reading every issue from cover to cover in search of deals. Some times 3 issues a month, This was well before the net and some speed and talent was needed when a rare items came up requiring a quick call and get the job done. With the advent of the net the "news" faded fast and only the big sellers of arms and parts did ok. Ultimately they changed the name to "firearm news" with articles and just the big Sarco ads as the anchor. Today Sarco announced that they are pulling their big 15 page ads. Dunno about you but the Sarco ads were about the only reason left to view "the news" at all. Sadly this may be the end of another collecting tradition.
 
Once surplus market started drying up ads got fewer and fewer. They started putting a few articles in them and the magazine was about half the pages it used to be. I finally realized the last 3 I got were the same other than the date on the cover. Surprised its still around.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Oh ya, loved it when there were pages and pages of Mosins and Enfields with matching cartoon characters. Those days are gone forever.
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Could that have been be Paragon?. Home of battle field pick up ammo by the shovel full.
 
Didn't Shotgun News morph into Firearms News? I had a long time subscription to Shotgun News and started getting Firearms News about the time they made every cover in "color" initially full color covers were "special" issues. Never really thought much about it.

I still think its one of, if not the best, gun publications. Yeah surplus is basically dead, but I love the "Guns of ..." articles, most recently of the Mexican Revolution.
 
The 68 laws finished off much of the surplus supply back then but started a slow demand for it. By late 70's that demand was really growing and unaltered milsurps started t shoot up in value. By early 1990s it went kind of nuts. Everything runs in cycles but don't ever think we will see the level of supply or the prices like the last time,
 
The number of arms sold thru sn probably pales to that sold on the net (or under it)
 
In 1960 I got a 1917 Eddystone from Klein's of Chicago for less than $30.00. I was 17 years old and it came in the US Mail. It took a pan of gas and a paint brush to get the cosmoline off so I could shoot it. I own a George Herters Birdseye mapel stock that had to be a "second" that Herters was famous for.
Pretty light birds eye and a couple of cracks through the wrist that was repaired with some kind of grey glue or epoxy. It is on my 1894 Swedish Mauser carbine that was sporterised back in the '50s. I remember they went for something like $35.00. I still kill deer with it.
Those were the days boys. We'll never see them again but then we were lucky to see them once!
 
I can remember when they use to come three times a month. I read through all of the surplus ads along with J&G Sales out there in Arizona. Bought quite a few items from the small ads too, like a complete Colt Government slide and barrel and a brand new Randall No. 3 knife with a 6" blade and a stag handle on it for around $100!

Yep those were definitely the "Good Ol' Days" of Shotgun News!
 
I remember the old Shotgun News. It was - fun. However the internet caused most of the damage. Much like the decline of the 'brick and mortar' department stores. Not that there's all that much on the internet, as hype and glitter seems have taken the place of actual merchandise. Shotgun News, now Firearms News made the attempt to modernize by changing pages of advertisements to articles and seemed to be moving into more a magazine format. I did buy some, but most of the articles were written by one or two people and none of it appealed to me. Subjects I didn't have interest, mainly. I thought one or two were a bit 'misguided'.

Sad to me. Like the decline of H & R and Remington for example. But, as said, the only constant is change.
 
There was also Gun List which we thought was more refined with nicer guns for sale.

But if you really want to get nostalgic, think about the days before GCA1968 when there were pages and pages of gun classifieds in American Rifleman.
 
pharmer said:
Same here. I used "Ashland Shooting Supplies" for multitudes of S&W revolvers. Wish I could still get the 3" Model 66's for $239. Joe
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And Nationwide Distributors, RSR, Jerry's and a few others were my main go-tos
 
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